WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Original Sin season 1, episode 6!
This article contains mentions of suicide.
Harry Morgan’s death is an inevitable tragedy coming up inDexter: Original Sin, but the show has to be strategic about depicting the truth of his demise and when it exactly will occur within the prequel’s timeline. Ultimately, the idea that Christian Slater’s Harry Morgan will die inDexter: Original Sinshould come as no surprise. Harry was already long dead whenDexter’s main series began, and the titular character’s voiceover inthe prequel’s premiere even gave an estimate for when Harry’s death would occurwithinDexter: Original Sin’s timeline.
As a prequel, some of the biggest twists and tragedies that will happen inOriginal Sinwill already be known due to their revelations inDexter. However, seeing them unfold in real time rather than simply through flashbacks,Dexter’s voiceover narration, or uncovered video footage will change the emotional weight and impact of these developments. ConsideringDeb and Dexter were lied to about how Harry really died for over two decades, the way in whichOriginal Sinhandles his fate has an even greater significance for the franchise’s overall canon, especially with its aftermath.
Harry Morgan Dies By Suicide After Seeing Dexter Dismember One Of His Victims
The Truth Behind Harry’s Tragic Death Was Revealed In Dexter Season 2
InDexterseason 2, it was finally revealed how exactly Dexter and Debra’s father Harry Morgan died. Throughout that season, Dexter began finding out more about his adoptive father’s past that was kept hidden from himself and Deb, which included the circumstances of his death and the fact thatHarry and Dexter’s biological mother, Laura Moser, were having an affairbefore her death. Eventually,he learned that Harry had died by suicide, but that his cause of death had been covered up by his friend and colleague Thomas Matthewsas being due to heart disease.
The truth about Harry’s death is revealed inDexterseason 2, episode 10, “There’s Something About Harry.”
In reality, Harry died by suicide when heoverdosed on his heart medication, which occurred just three days after he walked in on Dexter dismembering his victim Juan Ryness. The context of Harry Morgan’s suicide is largely understood through his guilt over turning Dexter into a serial killer, essentially being a “monster” of his own making. Harry couldn’t live with the fact that he taught Dexter to be a killer, betrayed his own morality and scruples as a police officer by hiding these kills, and ultimately felt that he had failed his children.
WhileDexter’s Captain Thomas Matthews confesses to the titular character the truth about Harry dying by suicide in the main series, it’s still unclear how the exact circumstances of his death will unfold inOriginal Sin.Matthews hasn’t even been introduced inDexter: Original Sinyet, soit’s possible that Harry’s death will depart from how it was later described inDexterseason 2. Regardless of whether the lead-up to his tragic demise is changed, it’s devastating that Dexter and Deb won’t be aware of the truth about Harry’s death all throughoutOriginal Sin’s events.
Dexter & Deb Were Lied To After Harry Died
Image via Paramount+
The main series reveals that Dexter and Deb were originally told that Harry died from heart disease.Harry’s struggles with heart disease had become more severe in the year leading up to his death, which included the heart attack that put Harry in the hospital inDexter: Original Sinseason 1, episode 1. He was on heart medication and Deb became strict about the type of food they had around the house so that she could attempt to keep Harry healthy.
Harry and Matthews were extremely close, and they thought that they were protecting Dexter and Debra from further anguish, anger, and emotional distress by lying about his death.
Therefore, when Harry died a year after his heart attack due to “heart disease,”it wasn’t something that young Dexter and Deb would have thought of questioning. It was also something Harry himself knew Dexter and Deb wouldn’t question, and would be easier for them to stomach than knowing that their father had ended his own life. Harry didn’t want his kids feeling guilty about his death or questioning whether they were responsible for it; he wanted them to make each other better, as Harry thought that he, himself, was the one responsible for ruining or corrupting his kids.
Dexter: Original Sin Reveals A Big Unexpected Twist In Harry & Dexter’s History
Dexter: Original Sin episode 5 reveals a massive and unexpected twist about Harry and Dexter Morgan and Dexter’s early killing days.
Plus, Harry had sent Thomas Matthews, one of his closest confidantes, a note that he planned to kill himself and wanted him to look after Dexter and Debra. Harry and Matthews were extremely close, and theythought that they were protecting Dexter and Debra from further anguish, anger, and emotional distressby lying about his death. Both Harry and Matthews thought that if they could protect Harry’s image as the loving father and policeman holding together their family, then Dexter and Debra could take that memory, hold each other closer, and guide each other better than he thought he could.
Harry Morgan Will Likely Die In Dexter: Original Sin’s Season 1 Finale
Dexter Revealed That Harry Dies Shortly After His Fourth Kill
The originalDexterseries revealed that Harry died when Dexter was about 20 years old, with Deb still being a teenager. However,Dexter is already 20 years old whenOriginal Sinbegins, and Michael C. Hall’s voiceover narration indicates that Harry dies about a year later. The original show also explained thatHarry died just three days after Dexter killed Juan Ryness, who was revealed to be just his fourth victim. Since Levi Reed just became Dexter’s third kill inOriginal Sinseason 1, episode 6, there should only be a short amount of time remaining before Harry dies.
Why James Remar Is Returning As Harry Morgan In Dexter: Resurrection Instead Of Christian Slater
Harry Morgan is now a role shared by two actors, which makes the timeline of the Dexter franchise a little confusing, but there is logic behind it.
Ultimately, itseems that the prequel is setting up Harry’s death to occur inDexter: Original Sin’s season 1 finale. Not only would Harry’s tragic death by suicide make for a major twist, change to the show’s dynamics, and blow to Dexter and Deb’s entire world as they know it, but ending on that would giveDexter: Original Sinseason 2plenty of ground to build on with the fallout of Harry’s death, Dexter implementing the Code without him, and his bond with Deb growing stronger.
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Not to mention,the season 1 finale’s title is “Code Blues,” referring to the hospital emergency code associated with cardiac arrest. While Harry doesn’t actually die from heart failure, that’s how he and an associate, presumably still Matthews, will cover up his death, making it a fitting title. Of course, if Harry does die inDexter: Original Sinseason 1’s ending, that shouldn’t be the end of Christian Slater’s time on the show. Since James Remar’s Harry frequently appeared to adult Dexter in hallucinations, Slater’s Harry will likely also appear to Patrick Gibson’s Dexter after his death.
Dexter: Original Sin
Cast
Dexter: Original Sin explores Dexter Morgan’s early years in 1991 Miami as he transitions from student to avenging serial killer. Guided by his father, Harry, Dexter crafts a moral code and navigates a forensics internship at Miami Metro Police, all while controlling his darker impulses.
Dexter
Dexter is a television series following Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro Police who secretly leads a dual life as a vigilante serial killer. Released in 2006, the show focuses on Dexter’s internal conflict as he hunts down criminals who elude justice within the legal system.
