Dexter: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 5 Review: F is for F*ck Up

As one of the strongest episodes of the show to date, Dexter: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 5, “F is for Fuck Up,” dives into how both Dexter and Harry aren’t as in control as they’d like to be. It gives viewers a stronger look into the dynamic between this unconventional father and son duo.

On top of that, this episode dives into how each member of the Morgan family handles their grief over the passing of Doris. Through it, we gain a better understanding of Deb’s behavior and somewhat selfish seeming attitude.

At the end of the day, Deb just wants someone to care, while Harry and Dexter need to feel in control, or else they spiral.

Dexter’s Disgrace

Fans of the original series have been questioning when Dexter will realize that he needs some kind of tranquilizer to take down his victims. Well, thankfully, Dexter: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 5, “F is for Fuck Up,” leads him down that path.

When Mad Dog gets away from him at the end of Dexter: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 4, “Fender Bender,” Dexter knows he’s in deep trouble. Not only is there the risk that someone saw him chasing the guy but also he could be found out by the cops who come to Mad Dog’s house as a result.

What proceeds is one of the quickest crime scene cleanups I have ever seen. The show also encourages us to suspend disbelief a little, considering Dexter is still in the home by the time the cops arrive. 

Because of his lack of control, Dexter now has to deal with his urges while under the extremely tight leash of his father. Dexter’s unease at being forced to stay put when all he wants to do is feel the thrill of the kill once more is palpable.

Patrick Gibson continues to shine as the young Dexter. We can feel his uncertainty and discord through Gibson’s body language and the way he carries the weight of this mistake on Dexter’s shoulders throughout the day.

Therefore, when Dexter mistakenly eats 6 brownies laced with pot, the viewers get a front-row seat to not only a bonding moment between him and Deb but also Dexter’s behavior while on drugs. 

It’s clear that Dexter needs to open up about the things he’s been doing outside his father’s pressure but can’t bring himself to actually do it. He poses it as a hypothetical, which, of course, Deb takes to be a joke. However, Gibson’s eyes show a deeper desire in Dexter for connection, whether he’d admit it or not.

Harry Almost Loses It All

One of the most intriguing things about Christian Slater’s Harry Morgan is the layers of complexity passed on to a previously 2-dimensional character. With Dexter: Original Sin, fans are able to further understand who Harry was, how he interacted with Dexter, and most of all, what he was like as a detective at Miami Metro.

Between seeing Harry in 1991 and his flashbacks to his affair with Laura Moser, we are allowed to understand that Harry wasn’t perfect despite honing Dexter into a mold of perfection with a twist. It also allows us to see that prior to Dexter being taken in by the Morgans, he had a relationship with Harry.

During “F is for Fuck Up,” the flashbacks reveal that Harry is hesitant to be completely sucked into Laura’s world by continuing to have sex with her. However, he has complicated feelings about his guilt, which pushes him to drown himself in the Moser family dynamic instead of trying to work things out with his wife.

These particular flashbacks are perfectly timed for an episode that centers on the anniversary of Doris’ death and how that adversely affects Harry’s behavior in court. It could also be concluded that his grief over his wife and the stress of Dexter’s unique abilities caused him to purposely dismiss a key alibi.

The original series talked about Harry as being a difficult man to love without much evidence to back it up. Dexter: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 5, “F is for Fuck Up,” does a great job of showing all of Harry’s faults. He’s distant and cold toward Deb, overly critical of Dexter while also showering him with attention, and he’s dedicated to his job to the point of forgetting about his family.

Slater does a fantastic job of displaying all the layers of Harry’s psyche without losing the essence of the character. It is slowly becoming more and more apparent just how fucked up his bond with Dexter was prior to his untimely demise.

Deb is Desperate

Prior to this episode, I had criticized Dexter: Original Sin for taking a previously established badass character and making her brash and selfish to the point of annoyance. However, “F is for Fuck Up” takes the time to do a study on why Deb is the way she is.

With the impending anniversary of Doris’ death, Deb’s erratic behavior starts to make sense. She’s selfish and bratty because she is invisible to her brother and her father. However, when Doris was alive, at least someone in that home knew what she was up to at all times.

Now, Deb is searching for that love, attention, and connection. It’s just unfortunate that it happens to be in the arms of a man much older than her.

Gio is bad news. We know it, and Deb knows it. But she’s so desperate to be loved that she doesn’t care.

For the first time ever, even with who Deb was during the original series, I find myself sympathizing with her character. She deserves to be made a priority at least once by her sibling and last remaining parent. And yet, neither of them could be bothered to show up for her on the one day she begs them to.

Sure, we get a brief interlude from the stalemate between her and Dexter, where they bond over pot brownies. But that is a small fraction of a day, and Deb deserves to have that kind of bond with Dexter while sober.

Stray Thoughts

• Tanya continues to just be there. However, we do appreciate that she told Dexter about etorphine the horse tranquilizer.
• I love that Dexter stole his first vials of etorphine from the race track veterinarian
• Dexter knocking out Harry with the drug and then capturing him with plastic wrap like his victims is totally fucked up.
• I’m curious if Harry seeing Dexter in action and ending up on Dexter’s table starts his spiral toward disgust in what he’d created.
• I’m still not sure how I feel about Dempsey’s character; like Tanya, he’s not around much to make an impact yet.

 

What did you think of this episode of Dexter: Original Sin? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

Dexter: Original Sin airs Fridays on Paramount+ with Showtime and Sundays at 10/9c on Showtime.

Follow us on X and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!