Sumith Prasad
The sixth episode of Paramount+ with Showtime’s crime drama series ‘Dexter: Original Sin,’ titled ‘The Joy of Killing,’ follows Dexter Morgan’s dangerous attempt to kill Levi Reed after the court freed the latter due to lack of evidence. He stalks and follows the suspect while experiencing new sensations with his girlfriend, Sofia Rivera. Irrespective of these experiences, he cannot wait to go back to a sealed room and liberate his homicidal impulses. The mystery behind the murder of Jimmy Powell thickens when the Miami PD faces the abduction of the loved one of one of their own, with the same fate on the horizon! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Officers of Miami PD Set Their Eyes on Two Different Killers
‘The Joy of Killing’ starts with Nicky, the son of Captain Aaron Spencer, getting abducted. The masked man ties the young boy’s mother, Becca, and disappears with the child. Soon, the captain of the homicide division learns about what happened to his son. Harry Morgan is distressed to learn the news, but his hands are tied since he cannot be a part of the high-profile investigation following the mistake he made in the case of Levi Reed. Instead, he joins María LaGuerta to investigate the murder of a homeless man. Dexter Morgan arrives at the scene as the forensic expert and quickly perceives that the killer is immensely meticulous with his modus operandi.
Dexter tells Harry and LaGuerta that the perpetrator enjoyed killing the victim, which explains the small hole in the bag used to suffocate the latter. He theorizes that the murderer was cherishing the homeless man’s gradual death, which aligns with the observations he offered after inspecting the dead body found in Coconut Grove. As far as Dexter is concerned, a serial killer is behind the murders. LaGuerta asks him not to jump to any conclusions quickly, but after confirming the identity of the victim, Felix Woodard, she even agrees that the theory holds some weight. The officer shares the details of the case with Harry, who cannot stop himself from getting immersed in the abduction of Nicky.
Since the person in charge of Nicky’s case is the young boy’s father, Assistant Chief Carl Borlee arrives at the station to support Aaron. The captain is convinced that the same person who killed Jimmy Powell is behind the abduction of his son. When Carl expresses his doubts, Aaron replies that both Jimmy and Nicky have been targeted because their fathers have teamed up together to send a lot of drug cartel leaders to prison. One such high-profile figure, Rafael Campos of the Los Tigres cartel, emerges as the prime suspect. The episode also provides viewers with a confirmation that Nicky is indeed abducted by Jimmy’s killer, who gives the young boy the same lunch set he gave to his first victim.
Debra’s Birth Changed the Dynamics of Harry Morgan and Laura Moser’s Affair
‘The Joy of Killing’ also traces the history of Harry and Laura’s intense extramarital affair. As their secret operation progressed, the informant gained the trust of the officers’ targets more than ever. However, they were given a reality check when a cartel leader severed one of the fingers of a man who betrayed the criminal. He made Laura watch the same to give her a warning, especially since she was given a “promotion.” Along with the investigation, the intensity of Harry’s affair with her also intensified. They shared intimacy openly and frequently, which brought them closer.
However, Harry always had to return to his wife, Doris. Laura had a hard time accepting that she was the police officer’s second priority. She lashed out at him by saying that she couldn’t cooperate with him anymore. The detective then tried his best to convince her to remain a part of his plans since he couldn’t even think about throwing away all the good work they had done together. Still, matters became worse when Doris gave birth to Debra. She told Harry that she knew about his affair, even though she didn’t know the identity of the other person. She was ready to forgive him, but, as a father, she wanted him to put an end to his adultery and focus on being a good parent.
Dexter Morgan Strikes Again With the Murder of Levi Reed
Dexter’s preparations to kill Levi Reed start when Harry asks him to eliminate the criminal, especially since the latter is a child murderer. As he learns about his next target, he is forced to go on a double date with Sofia and Debra, who cannot wait for her brother to see her boyfriend, Gio. The dinner does not go as the two girls plan, as the forensic expert focuses on filling his mouth over having a good time with his partner. Dexter eventually realizes that he is not doing well, specifically after Gio shows how good he is by confronting a man who accidentally hits Debra.
When Dexter understands that he should be better as a boyfriend, Sofia takes matters into her own hands. She shows him a good time by sharing intimacy with him in a restroom. Even though he is reluctant to enjoy the experience at first, he soon perceives that there is some sense of joy in being intimate. Sofia asks him out again to take matters a step further, but he says he has another commitment. His mind returns to killing Levi Reed, and the next day, he injects etorphine into his target and confronts him when the latter wakes up.
Reed ends Dexter’s doubts by confirming that he is really a killer, even though the court freed him. The murderer tells his captor that he enjoyed killing the children, especially watching the fear in their eyes. He also says that the forensic expert is no different than him since the latter, too, enjoys the act of murder. Dexter dismisses the words and kills the murderer, but the comparison remains in his mind, as he starts to wonder whether he is the same as his targets in the absence of Harry’s code. However, the thoughts don’t get to wander for a long time. When he reaches Alligator Alley to dump Reed’s remains, he is greeted by the cops, who recover the hand of Tony Ferrer, one of his victims.
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