Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), who originally debuted in the Jeff Lindsay books that inspired the series, may truly never die. The character has persisted through eight seasons of Dexter, the miniseries Dexter: New Blood, and the recent prequel Dexter: Original Sin. Although the overall franchise has certainly had its ups and downs, a big part of what makes it so irresistibly compelling is Hall’s performance. Yet the success of Dexter: Original Sin, in which The OA‘s Patrick Gibson inhabits a younger version, proves that Dexter Morgan himself is what keeps viewers coming back time and time again. Ahead of his return in Dexter: Resurrection, which premieres next month, there’s one essential episode of the original series to rewatch if you want to refresh your memory on what makes Dexter such an entertaining and well-executed character.
Dexter’s Love for Debra Wins in the Original Series’ Season 1 Finale
“Born Free” wraps up the tight, satisfying plot of the first season by revealing that the Ice Truck Killer is, in fact, Dexter’s biological brother, Brian Moser (Christian Camargo). After Brian lures Dexter to their childhood home, he suggests they kill Dexter’s adopted sister, Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter), together, as a form of a warped “family reunion.” The reveal of Brian’s true identity, as well as his twisted test, culminates in an episode that allows viewers to understand who Dexter truly is through the series’ main themes.
Dexter’s backstory and his telling interactions with Brian give a deeper meaning to his more sinister obsessions. His preoccupation with literal blood and violence meets a longing to have blood relatives in his life. Getting to reconnect with Brian and embrace his true self in the process should theoretically be everything he wants, but Brian doesn’t anticipate how genuinely attached to his adoptive family Dexter is. Pitting his biological family against his adoptive one personifies the questions of nature vs. nurture that are already raging inside him. Even though Dexter displays humanity by saving Debra in the end, “Born Free” still hints at his darkness at every turn. When Brian suggests they murder together, Dexter immediately asks, “Does it have to be Debra?” This implies he would have been open to the suggestion if Brian hadn’t picked a victim he was closely attached to.
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Dexter’s Backstory Is the Show’s Greatest Strength
While Dexter‘s secret sibling reveal may feel like a soap opera trope, it’s not just used as a conveniently shocking twist. Dexter’s backstory, which is teased throughout Season 1, comes to a head in “Born Free,” offering a deeper explanation for his motivations throughout the remainder of the original series. His bloodlust, as well as his “Dark Passenger,” may be over-the-top and certainly an oversimplification of trauma’s impact, but the show sells it through execution. On the surface, Dexter’s adoptive father, Harry Morgan (James Remar), teaching him his code is an argument for nurture over nature, but, in “Born Free,” when Brian gets to tell his side of the story, it creates a more complex picture of Dexter’s upbringing.
Harry was always a somewhat morally dubious character for encouraging Dexter’s killing under the rules of their code, and that facet becomes even more true when Brian reveals how he was pushed aside. Giving up on Brian while nurturing Dexter highlights how Harry’s morality has always been based on sorting people into the dichotomy of good vs. evil, a concept that gets very murky in the world of Dexter. Brian’s role in Dexter’s backstory is so fascinating that it is later elaborated on in Dexter: Original Sin, lending more depth to their complicated past.
“Born Free” Explores Dexter’s Role as a Hero and Killer
Dexter has to walk a fine line to pull off its main conceit: that its protagonist is a deeply moral serial killer, yet one of the things the show does well is acknowledging its ridiculous premise while still executing it with sincerity. In “Born Free,” Brian becomes frustrated at Dexter when things don’t go according to plan, angrily insisting, “You can’t be a hero and a killer. That’s not how it works.” His words seem to be immediately disproven when Dexter saves Debra. At the same time, the episode’s ending doesn’t entirely refute Brian’s statement. James Doakes (Erik King) and his suspicions throughout the episode are a reminder that not everyone is convinced by Dexter’s act, as are the accusations that Paul (Mark Pellegrino) brings up to Rita (Julie Benz).
One of the show’s most interesting moments is Dexter’s voiceover at the end of the episode, when he reflects on his choice to kill Brian. While Dexter is often perceived as cold and emotionless, in this case, he realizes that he holds more feeling towards Brian than anyone else in the world, and while most people would call him a hero for murdering the Ice Truck Killer, the situation is more complicated than that. It’s a reminder that Dexter is at its best when it explores the gray areas around its protagonist.
“Born Free” demonstrates exactly who Dexter is and why audiences keep returning to this character for so many sequels and prequels. Not only does it give a rich and haunting backstory, but it also demonstrates Dexter’s fundamental nature, which makes him so unique and watchable. He’ll deliver the bloody violence that horror fans want, but the little bit of humanity in him that keeps him from just being a monstrous killing machine is always there.