After so many painful years with no Dexter, we at the moment are in for a real Dexter renaissance. Showtime introduced Dexter again to life in 2021 for Dexter: New Blood. They’re bringing him again to life once more for the Summer season 2025 collection Dexter: Resurrection. And in between, we’re getting the Dexter prequel collection Unique Sin, that includes Patrick Gibson as Younger Dexter whereas Michael C. Corridor as soon as extra contributes the serial-killer-with-a-heart-of-gold’s inside voice. It’s really the growth instances, for many who love Dexter. A multiplicity of Dexters. Dexter-palooza. The brand new Dexter cometh.
mThe first episode of Unique Sin, streaming now on Paramount+ earlier than its cable community premiere on Sunday, begins by confirming the knowledge simply talked about within the earlier paragraph: Opposite to what we would have thought on the finish of New Blood, grownup Dexter continues to be alive, although badly injured. Whereas docs work on him within the OR, that acquainted voiceover kicks in, confirming that it’s true: in near-death conditions, “your life flashes earlier than your eyes.”
And thus, “And within the Starting…” actually goes again to the very starting — first, Dexter’s messy start, then some fast-forwarding to 1991-era Dexter (Gibson), a pre-med faculty scholar who’s nearly to graduate from faculty. Nonetheless, these urges he’s been making an attempt to quell his total life aren’t glad by his first post-mortem, and he’s determined to discover a approach to deal with the killer intuition inside him.
With out moving into spoilers, by the tip of the primary episode, he’s not solely provide you with an answer, however his future path stretches out earlier than him. Unique Sin, you would possibly guess, is basically consumed with set-up, as this primary installment works exhausting to introduce many of the common forged: This largely consists of youthful variations of characters from the flagship collection, together with Molly Brown as Dexter’s still-foul-mouthed sister Debra, Christian Slater as his father Harry, and Alex Shimizu as Vince Masuka, as inappropriate within the early 90s as he was within the 2000s.
Unique Sin isn’t in any respect shy about making an attempt to remind individuals of how a lot they may have favored the unique present, particularly in the event that they watch with their eyes closed. For, sonically, you’ve acquired Corridor’s distinctive voice-over (Gibson doesn’t get the chance to relate his personal adventures, since that is nonetheless being offered as Dexter’s near-death expertise to some extent) in addition to a heavy reliance on the unique collection’ soundtrack: Whereas composer Invoice Irwin (who beforehand did the music for New Blood) is the composer right here, Unique Sin does use the unique collection’ important theme, with the credit nodding to “Extra Music by Daniel Licht.” Licht was the composer on all eight seasons of O.G. Dexter, however handed away in 2017, and his sonic legacy is certainly audible right here.
When it’s not hearkening again to what was first established in 2006, the present doesn’t flinch from embracing its interval setting: The soundtrack options notable cuts from Vanilla Ice and Naughty By Nature and the fashions are all very true to the time, with out hitting you over the top with issues. This even comes via within the opening credit, which retain the identical premise (Dexter preparing for his day) however remix issues by together with Deb and Harry) and infusing some classic components like phone cords and blend tapes.
Because the youthful Dexter, Gibson’s acquired each the bodily resemblance in addition to the mannerisms down — the well mannered exterior masking the inside rage. The most important grievance one might need in regards to the first episode is that it’s virtually a prequel inside a prequel, maybe overcommitting to organising all the main points that longtime Dexter followers might need a tough time remembering. Then once more, it has been some time; three years since New Blood aired, and 11 years since that poorly-received Season 8 finale that all of us thought could be the tip.
In fact, that’s not the way in which issues work as of late, as established manufacturers get greenlights whereas unique concepts battle — hardly a brand new situation, however more and more bigger a priority. Actually, as I’ve been penning this overview on Friday morning, information of each a Malcolm within the Center revival that includes the unique forged and a brand new I Know What You Did Final Summer season film with Jennifer Love Hewitt broke.
Few franchises higher signify the company obsession with IP than Dexter — even throughout its unique run, the Showtime collection was a infamous instance of a present that its father or mother community wouldn’t enable to finish, at the same time as the standard of the present itself declined. The intense facet right here is that whereas Unique Sin isn’t precisely breaking new floor, it does recall sufficient of the primary present’s visceral pleasures with out feeling too drained. Additionally, whereas the premiere didn’t function sufficient of Patrick Dempsey and Sarah Michelle Gellar to get a great sense of their characters, it’ll be thrilling to search out out what they convey to the combination.
In the end, exhibits like Unique Sin is likely to be an inevitability of the present media panorama — and it does face the issue, like so many prequels earlier than it, of a future the place the fates of many characters are already written. But whereas it might be a bit inessential within the grand scheme of issues, it does promise to ship the identical visceral thrills of the unique present. As a result of sure, in Dexter’s glory days, it was fairly entertaining to look at a serial killer serial-kill his means via the worst individuals Miami needed to supply. Contemplating the vibes of our society in the present day, Unique Sin is likely to be protecting that proud custom alive, on the most apt time potential.
The primary episode of Dexter: Unique Sin is streaming now on Paramount+, and can air Sunday evening on Showtime. Try the trailer under.
