SPOILER ALERT: This submit incorporates spoilers from the collection premiere of Showtime’s “Dexter: Authentic Sin” now streaming on Paramount+.

“Issues have been just a little messy at first…”

That’s how Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Corridor) described his first kill when audiences noticed it 18 years in the past in Season 1 of Showtime’s serial killer collection “Dexter.” And that’s placing it mildly. The formative second for the killer with a code unfurled relatively rapidly in Episode 3 of the primary season, when a shaggy haired Dexter struggles to subdue however ultimately kills the nurse attempting to poison his hospitalized father. 

Nevertheless, it wasn’t the entire story. Those that tuned into the premiere of the brand new prequel collection “Dexter: Authentic Sin” have been handled to the scene once more, however from a complete new perspective. Within the new collection, Michael C. Corridor, who performed Dexter for eight seasons and 2019’s “Dexter: New Blood” continuation, cedes the display screen to Patrick Gibson, who performs a younger Dexter as he graduates from medical faculty on the ripe age of 20 years previous and joins the Miami Metro Police Division as a forensic intern.

This younger Dexter (whose interior monologue is narrated by Corridor) is much from polished in satiating his bloodlust, and he’s barely holding onto his adoptive father Harry’s (Christian Slater) mandate that he not kill anybody. However he will get the greenlight when Harry is hospitalized for a coronary heart assault, one prompted by Dexter’s admission that he practically killed a frat boy who tried to rape his sister, Deb (Molly Brown). Within the hospital, Dexter deduces that Harry’s worsening situation is as a result of lethal care of Nurse Mary, whom his father then instructs Dexter to kill.

This results in the acquainted scene of Mary coming house to her front room lined in plastic wrap, the place a flailing Dexter pounces on her and ultimately restrains her to his signature desk. There, she pleads that she was simply attempting to alleviate her victims’ ache, after which Dexter relieves hers with a knife to the chest — and the remainder is historical past. However showrunner Clyde Phillips, who served in the identical position for Seasons 1-4 of the unique collection and “New Blood,” tells Selection the context of younger Dexter’s mind-set was key in deepening the scene from what audiences already knew.

“A part of it was that we perceive Dexter greater than we did in Season 1 of the unique present, and we perceive his relationship together with his father and his unstoppable urge to kill.,” Phillips says. “We would have liked to remain in his head and see him face temptations just like the combat on the fraternity. We have to see how the urge is just too huge.”

Phillips talked to Selection about attending to know a youthful Dexter in any case these years, the thought he couldn’t shake about movie a brand new tackle that first kill — and why the prequel collection opens by undoing the cliffhanger from the sequel collection, “New Blood.”

Proper out of the gate, viewers get solutions to the ending of “New Blood.” Dexter really survived what was seemingly a deadly gunshot from his son Harrison (Jack Alcott). Did you at all times see this as a continuation of that collection?

Nicely, it isn’t a sequel to “New Blood,” it’s its personal present. What we’re doing within the first couple of minutes, which was really [Paramount Co-CEO] Chris McCarthy’s concept, is exhibiting that the character of Dexter continues to be alive in order that we are able to use Michael’s narration and provides the viewers some hope as a result of we begin capturing “Dexter: Resurrection” in January, which is a sequel to “New Blood.”

Very deliberately in these first few moments although, the present plunges proper into Dexter’s psyche whereas they’re attempting to avoid wasting his life. As a lot as the unique present tried to place you in Dexter’s thoughts, this actually looks like we live in one in all Dexter’s flashbacks.

That is Dexter wanting again at his origin story. And as “Authentic Sin” goes on, we are going to see that it strikes from an origin story to an evolution story. The truth is, in subsequent episodes, we shoot in two time intervals –– the time interval we’re in, which is 1991 when Dexter is 20; and in 1973, when Harry met Dexter’s mom Laura and every part that ensued from that. It’s actually numerous enjoyable as a result of anytime you progress backwards and forwards between them, it’s invigorating.

With the return of Dexter in “New Blood,” and with “Resurrection” coming quickly, this world has been extra sprawling. Was it an enlightening train to reacquaint your self with what made Dexter who he’s as you begin wanting towards his future?

It has been a blast. I had been a part of the OG “Dexter” present, and I get to return and have a look at it from a pair totally different standpoints. A household standpoint, a father-and-son standpoint. You see within the premiere, the drowning of Harry’s first child, and the way that basically explains every part that he does. We get to discover the Dexter and Deb relationship, how fraught and finally loving it’s. After which Dexter exhibiting up at work at Miami Metro on the finish of the premiere.

We shot this present in California and we constructed the very same Miami Metro set on a soundstage in Studio Metropolis, primarily based on the precise paper blueprints of the unique set that my man one way or the other discovered. Nothing is on paper anymore, however he discovered them. So it’s precisely the identical. It was wonderful when Michael got here to set and noticed it. All of us time traveled a bit in making this present, whereas time stood nonetheless.

The premiere debuts the youthful iterations of Batista (James Martinez) and Masuka (Alex Shimizu), who’re dressed and act virtually equivalent to their counterparts from the unique collection. It’s uncanny, as in the event that they hadn’t modified in 15 years. Why carry again these characters on this manner?

We at all times went for the perfect actor. I used to be so fortunate to get all of my first decisions, and that by no means occurs. James Martinez, who performs Batista, had a full beard when he began. However we trimmed it down, put a hat on him and he simply instantly grew to become Batista. Identical with Alex Shimizu, who performs Masuka. He’s an actor and a dancer, and appears sufficient like C.S. Lee that we might make it work, after which he bought that snicker down completely. He really went to satisfy C.S. they usually practiced the snicker collectively. Patrick Gibson, he’s Irish so we name him Paddy, was our first selection for Dexter. He bought along with Michael C. Corridor and simply studied and studied and studied, and now I believe Paddy’s gestures have gotten Michael’s. However we don’t say they’re the identical as a result of he has to evolve into it.

And we’ve bought Patrick Dempsey and Sarah Michelle Gellar. I imply, what a get. Once I advised my daughter that we bought Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she advised me, “Dad, now my technology goes to look at this present too.” That’s actually what we’re in search of. We’ve bought an excellent built-in viewers that we don’t take with no consideration by any means. However we wish to develop the viewers in each instructions as a lot as we are able to. This solid of early ‘90s TV stars simply works for us.

Talking of the diehard followers that know Dexter’s mythology so effectively, they may know that his father Harry will not be lengthy for this world. He has a coronary heart assault within the premiere, and he recovers. However canonically, he dies fairly quickly after Dexter joins Miami Metro. How are you going to play with expectations to maintain even these followers guessing?

We talked with Christian about this rather a lot. Once you see the entire season, all 10 episodes, it is going to have solely taken place over two or three weeks. We will preserve doing that till it’s time to say goodbye to Harry, however we plan on maintaining Christian and Harry round for a very long time. It was the identical factor with “New Blood.” It passed off from simply earlier than Christmas to only after Christmas.

An enormous touchstone of Dexter’s story was at all times his first kill, however you already did it within the unique collection. How did you method it once more for this episode?

It was an fascinating factor. We sat with white boards within the writers’ room, and we talked and talked about every part. The way in which we realized we would have liked to take a look at it was from a unique standpoint from the primary season. A part of it was that we perceive Dexter greater than we did in Season 1 of the unique present, and we perceive his relationship together with his father and his unstoppable urge to kill. We would have liked to remain in his head and see him face temptations just like the combat on the fraternity. We have to see how the urge is just too huge. And in addition, this nurse is killing his father and that simply ain’t going to occur.

Within the unique collection, that second is merely a flashback. However “Authentic Sin” offers you the context of every part round that kill.

Visually and viscerally.

What struck you most about redoing Dexter’s first kill practically 20 years later?

There’s humor constructed into this present, and I had the picture of Deb enjoying volleyball and Dexter doing his first kill on the similar second. Which signifies that they every let one another down as a result of they weren’t there for one another. However I additionally needed to go for the humor of Deb spiking the ball on the similar second Dexter stabs the nurse and also you hear the announcer say, “And it’s Morgan for the kill!” I simply had that picture. We now have a saying in our writers’ room: “When you can consider it, you are able to do it.” We put that picture on the board, and it caught. That turns into the fulcrum scene, and you need to earn it and you need to pay it off.

With every part that’s to return this season, was it simpler or more durable than you anticipated to seek out who Dexter was as a younger man?

“Tougher” isn’t the appropriate phrase. It wasn’t simpler, however it was more difficult as a result of we now have such a fan base. We’re Showtime’s No.1 present ever. We now have this nice fan base, and we now have to honor them. We at all times wish to write as much as the viewers, relatively than down or at them, which makes my job more difficult and, thank God, extra fascinating. We had an ideal writers’ room, and we simply understood the mission for this present. We’re engaged on a number of relationships: Harry and Dexter, Harry and Deb, Deb and Dexter. All of that provides humanity to the present.

Audiences may decide up on a lighter, kookier tone to “Authentic Sin” versus the unique collection. Was that intentional as you observe a youthful, messier Dexter?

There’s a tonal shift as a result of we’re not seeing somebody who’s totally fashioned. And in addition, the early ‘90s in Miami have been a very sizzling place to be. Not solely was it the homicide capital of the nation, however the music and the scene was nice as effectively. We’ve bought songs like George Michael’s “Freedom” and Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Child.” We took benefit of what was there in Miami.

What does the evolution of Dexter seem like over this primary season of “Authentic Sin?”

After we began “Dexter,” he was totally fashioned. Our Dexter right here, as a substitute of being within the comparatively protected environment of medical faculty, he’s now out in the actual world and he has to discover ways to navigate that. He has to discover ways to date. The best way to not get in fights. Mainly, the phrase is “mix in.” And in addition evolve his killing technique and physique disposal technique. He can’t at all times depend on Alligator Alley, and that may change into a problem for him in a while within the season. Every thing is in movement right here for Dexter, particularly the depth of his relationship together with his father and the vibrancy of the connection together with his sister. And he’ll be relationship! He by no means dated earlier than.

So that is the Dexter individuals know and love, solely on the mercy of his hormones and his unrefined urges –– all of that are simply belongings you cope with in your 20s. 

Humorous you say that, as a result of when he makes a mistake, it isn’t like, “Oh gee, I simply kissed a lady who didn’t need it and I bought the indicators unsuitable.” For him, it’s, “Oh gee, did I screw up what I simply did with this killing?” The stakes are brutal right here. No 20-year-old goes by way of what Dexter is about to undergo.

This interview has been edited and condensed.