Review of “Dexter: Original Sin” Episode 3: “Miami Vice”

Photo: Patrick Wymore/Paramount+ with Showtime

Three episodes later Dexter: Original Sinit’s clear that the series has a good sense of humor – this episode has plenty of moments where a parrot speaks – and isn’t afraid to embrace the cruelty of the original series. But the further we delve into the flashbacks involving Harry and his doomed informant Laura Moser, the less clear it becomes what story the series is trying to tell that we don’t yet know. At least Miami Vice provides a brand new victim for Dexter’s burgeoning serial killer journey, not to mention it’s the first time I’ve seen a Jai ​​Alai ball used as a weapon.

The episode begins with a press conference about Judge Powell’s son Jimmy, who is still missing except for his severed finger. Miami Metro is on high alert, and Harry is particularly worried about how the whole situation could trigger Dexter. (Harry’s misunderstanding that Dex is already past the point of no return kind of annoys me – like you trained him to be a serial killer!) But the police are also nervous about a new detective, Maria LaGuerta , added. played here by Christina Milian. She was reassigned following a scathing commentary that slammed the agency for its abysmal response to No Humans Involved (NHI) victims: drug users, sex workers and the homeless. Good for them, even if this particular storyline feels pretty progressive for 1991 Miami.

Dexter is still interested in finding Jimmy’s kidnappers, but his main focus is on “handsome Tony” Ferrer, the loan shark he plans to make his second victim. Because of the code, Dex has to be sure that everyone he kills is actually guilty of murder, so he begins his own investigation. This includes breaking into Ferrer’s house and being frightened by a parrot that keeps saying, “Honey, I’m home.” (Dexter’s voiceover replies, “Polly wants a murderer?” Sweet.) Dex finds Ferrers customer book and can determine that there are disappearances and deaths related to handsome Tony’s aggressive collection tactics. But he needs more concrete information before he can make his move.

At home, Dexter cooks breakfast for dinner – we even get an origin story for the opening credits! – as Debra and Sofia arrive, with Sofia wearing Sister Mary’s earrings. Dex is horrified to see his murder trophies on his sister’s best friend’s ears, but of course she takes his interest in her jewelry as flirtation. Harry is equally distraught when he learns the truth and reiterates that the first rule of the code is not to get caught. But he’s especially upset when he finds out his serial killer son is doing serial killer things. (Harry! Catch up!) Dexter demands that Deb get Sofia’s earrings back, and she agrees to help… if he can get her some Coke for her volleyball team party. In the episode’s silliest storyline, Debra wants to become playoff captain to win a scholarship to FSU, but she’s in tough competition with the cooler, richer Tiff, so she’s promised the rest of the team cocaine to get their votes to earn. It’s like an R-rated family sitcom plot.

However, Dexter has more pressing concerns, namely killing Ferrer. After Masuka introduced him to a fake ID, it was revealed that “Patrick Bateman” was his earliest pseudonym and a very current one ever since American Psycho released in March 1991 – Dexter attends a jai-alai game. There he starts talking to Ferrer and pretty quickly asks him to borrow some money. Handsome Tony gives him $500, but makes it clear to him that there will be serious consequences if he can’t keep to the payment schedule. While Dex vows he will use the money for a job interview, he takes some of it to buy replacement earrings for Sofia at Limited Too. This is Deb’s plan to get Nurse Mary’s earrings back after Dexter cleverly lies and says he bought them as a gift for her mother, so they have sentimental value. He also makes the wise decision not to get his teenage sister and her friends real cocaine, but instead whips up a mixture of crushed caffeine pills and benzocaine that should be able to fool a lot of high school students.

At Ernie’s taproom, Dexter makes sure Ferrer sees him losing money at pool so that when the loan shark tries to collect money, Dex can explain that he just lost what he was trying to pay him. Ferrer takes Dexter outside and praises our budding sociopath for his brilliant performance as someone who truly fears for his life. In what appears to be a very risky plan, he forces Ferrer to fire a warning shot – the man loves warning shots! – into a tree. Dex finds the bullet and, using Miami Metro’s forensic lab technology, is able to compare it to the bullet that killed Rene’s mother. He calmly explains all this to Harry and states that the code is now fulfilled and he has free rein to kill Ferrer. Harry thinks Sister Mary would be enough (what show are you watching!) and then offers to come with Dexter to protect him. I have serious concerns about this man’s judgment. Luckily, Dex insists that he kills handsome Tony tonight and does it alone – but Harry says that anything his son does now has to go through him first.

When Ferrer returns home that evening, he is surprised to find his beloved parrot out of her cage – but he is even more frightened by Dexter, who somehow manages to subdue him with a chokehold. (I’m not sure I can believe Young Dexter for subduing a violent criminal so efficiently, but whatever, this isn’t a documentary.) Dex also frees the “Honey, I’m Home” parrot with a poignant one “Find yourself.” new home, darling.” I love his mood. He becomes much more serious when he has Ferrer on the killing table, confronting him about his past crimes and even throwing a jai alai ball right in his face. (Easter egg alert: It cuts his cheek, much like Dexter will later do with his scalpel.) Handsome Tony, of course, offers Dex money for his life, but that would never work. “I have an itch that money can’t satisfy,” Dexter tells him before he starts.

Dexter’s prep work and his second murder take up the majority of “Miami Vice,” but we also get plenty of flashbacks throughout. Harry tricked Laura into selling drugs to high-end buyers in order to attract the attention of Estrada, Miami Metro’s ultimate target. He even wires her up when she meets with Councilman Aldana, assuring her, “You’re making Miami safer for everyone, for your boys.” (Dramatic irony!) Laura’s strange behavior is soon noticed by the higher-ups and she is picked up by Santos, who drives them to the shipyard (with a frantic Harry chasing them). Alarm bells are ringing for those of us who know what Santos ends up doing to Laura in a shipyard, but we’re not at that point in the story yet – and Laura is surprisingly adept at talking her way out of trouble. Harry realizes that he is overly attached to his informant, but rejects her sexual advances.

I realize that prequels are difficult in that the events are already set, but the Harry-Laura scenes in particular feel like they drag out the show. I’m just not sure what these flashbacks are supposed to say about Harry, other than the fact that he’s made a lot of reckless decisions and is, on a cosmic level, responsible for Dexter becoming who he is. This is information that we receive original sinis the main timeline and something we already knew from the parent series. Maybe there’ll be a twist that makes it all worthwhile – until then, I’ll be more interested in Dexter’s plot. After killing Ferrer, he dumps his body parts in Alligator Alley: “Alligators eat alligator shoes…circle of life.” Unfortunately for Dex, Tony’s arm floats out of the water after he leaves, making Ferrer’s murder a likely case for Miami Metro will. Sounds like Detective LaGuerta is desperate to solve a crime.

• LaGuerta is here, and not a moment too soon. It’s hard to follow Lauren Vélez, but we’ll see what Christina Milian brings to the table.

• Meanwhile, I continue to worry about Tanya’s longevity. I cringed when she said, “It’s a shitty world, Dexter. I’m glad you’re part of Team Miami Metro.” Just sounds like she’ll regret it later! On the other hand, this show needs to give SMG juicier material and it would be a joy to see her face off against Dex.

• Even though her storyline in this episode is silly, it’s nice to see Deb and her brother getting along. This was a central part of the original series and the sibling rivalry can get tiresome pretty quickly.

• At the same time, I don’t buy the one-sided Sofia romance at all. It’s not that Patrick Gibson isn’t dreamy; It’s just that Dexter’s awkwardness and borderline asexuality make it hard to believe that a 17-year-old would pounce on him with, “God, you’re so damn sexy.” When he responds to her kiss with a fist bump, it should be the end of the matter, but Debra certainly believes that Sofia and Dexter are together now.

• Many thanks to the effects team for some truly impressive grotesqueries, including Ferrer’s severed head at the end of the episode. The original Dexter did a good job of balancing humor and gore – and finding the humor in gore – so it’s nice to see the spin-off do the same.