"If people like Easter eggs, this show is going to be an Easter egg hunt," said showrunner Clyde Phillips. By Whatever shock still exists from Dexter’s miraculous survival is quickly replaced by a big hit of nostalgia.

Perhaps future episodes will come up with worthy points of interest in Dexter’s early days, but right now it seems like “Dexter: Original Sin” exists solely because “Dexter: New Blood” was well-rated and Showtime needs a franchise. So long as that’s the case, I guess we’ve got our answer: Dexter can’t die.