Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Original Sin season 1, episode 8.While Brian Moser’s involvement inDexter: Original Sinprobably came as a shock, theDexterprequel show did include some subtle hints that the future Ice Truck Killer would make an appearance. The Ice Truck Killer was one of thebest serial killers in all ofDexter, and certainly the one with the closest relationship to Dexter himself. Despite his popularity, however, it seemed like Brian Moser wouldn’t be able to make an appearance inOriginal Sin, as he only revealed himself to Dexter in 2006, years after the prequel show takes place.
Despite that timeline issue,Original Sinreintroduced Brian Moser as the NHI Killer. It was quite a shocking development forOriginal Sinepisode 8, but the show actually did quite a bit to set up Brian’s arrival. From overt Easter eggs that had to be about Brian to more subtle hints that suggested he would be important and even a few plot developments that made it possible for him to go unnoticed,Original Sinhad nine different hints that Brian Moser would make an appearance, and there’s a good chance some viewers missed at least one.
9Brian Tried To Meet Dexter At The Restaurant In Original Sin Episode 2
A Fan Theory About The Person Who Asked Dexter If His Seat Was Taken Seems To Be Proven Right
Early on inOriginal Sin, one moment in the show had many fans of the franchise theorizing that Brian Moser was going to make an appearance.InOriginal Sinepisode 2, a young man (Roby Attal) approached Dexter while he was saving a seat for the detectives of Miami Metro. He asked Dexter if the seat was taken, but many viewers noticed that he bore a passing resemblance to Brian, and his age would have fit withOriginal Sin’s timeline. After Harry pieced together the NHI Killer’s identity, it looks extremely likely that that restaurant patron was, in fact, Brian Moser.
After Harry pieced together the NHI Killer’s identity, it looks extremely likely that that restaurant patron was, in fact, Brian Moser.
Though it wasn’t confirmed until weeks later, the fact that someone who seemed so similar to Brian Moser made contact with Dexter was a big hint at Brian’s involvement in the prequel show. After all,Brian did spend all ofDexterseason 1 trying to make contact with Dexter, so it’s safe to assume that’s what he was trying to do inOriginal Sinepisode 2 as well. If Dexter hadn’t been saving a seat for several police officers, Brian might have reunited with his brother 15 years earlier than he actually did.
8Brian Is The Right Age To Have Gotten Out Of The Psychiatric Hospital
Angel Batista Said That Brian Was Released From A Psychiatric Hospital When He Was 21 & Dexter Is Only 20 In Original Sin
Original Sin’s timeline was also a big hint that the restaurant patron was Brian Moser.After Miami Metro figured out Rudy Cooper was actually Brian and the Ice Truck Killer inDexterseason 1, Angel Batista (David Zayas) informed the department that Brian had been released from a psychiatric hospital when he was 21 years old. Since Brian is Dexter’s older brother, and Dexter is 20 inOriginal Sin, that means the show is set at precisely the right moment for Brian to leave his psychiatric hospital and try to make contact with his estranged biological brother.
Dexter: Original Sin Just Confirmed A Wild Theory About A Returning Villain From 19 Years Ago
Dexter: Original Sin season 1, episode 8 reveals the identity of the NHI Killer, confirming the theory that it’s actually an original series villain.
Original Sin’s timeline didn’t just make it possible for Brian and Dexter to meet, however, it also made it more likely. Some of thebiggest inconsistencies betweenDexterandOriginal Sinhave to do with the latter’s timeline.Original Sincould have easily avoided those problems by taking place several years later, thus giving Dexter time to get out of college and Deb time to become at least a teenager.The only reasonOriginal Sinwould have made such drastic changes toDexter’s timeline is to make a big connection possible, like having Dexter meet Brian earlier than expected.
7An Ice Truck Drove Past Dexter In Original Sin Episode 6
Brian Likely Watched Dexter From The Same Company’s Ice Truck He Used In The Original Series
One of the more on-the-nose hintsOriginal Sinoffered audiences about Brian Moser’s twist came in episode 6. As Dexter was stalking Levi Reed through downtown Miami, an ice truck nearly hit him.Brian Moser is infamously known as the Ice Truck Killer, and the truck seen inOriginal Sinepisode 6 was even from the same company as the truck Brian used inDexter: “Miami Chills.“In hindsight, it looks likeOriginal Sinwas very overtly foreshadowing what Harry would discover just a few episodes later.
Brian Moser is infamously known as the Ice Truck Killer, and the truck seen in Original Sin episode 6 was even from the same company as the truck Brian used in Dexter: “Miami Chills.”
Interestingly, it doesn’t actually seem like Brian was driving the ice truck inOriginal Sinepisode 6. Based on the NHI Killer’s victims, he doesn’t need to have refrigeration yet, as he’s not draining his victims of blood. Miami Chills is also apparently a real company, as Brian was able to steal one of their trucks in the originalDexter.Even though Brian probably wasn’t driving the ice truck, it still serves as a big red flag indicating that his presence was lurking in the background long before audiences actually discovered him.
6Dexter Theorized The NHI Killer Was A New Serial Killer Experimenting With His Methods
Brian’s Young Age & Recent Incarceration Meant He Fit Dexter’s Profile Of The NHI Killer
The NHI Killer that Dexter, Maria LaGuerta (Christina Milian), Harry, and Clark Sanders (Aaron Jennings) have been investigating was also a major hint at Brian’s true role in the show.AfterOriginal Sinepisode 8, it’s clear that Brian is the NHI Killer, but the case also pointed to him long before Harry pieced it all together. When Dexter first identified the serial killer, he suggested the NHI Killer was a new murderer, and that the modus operandi of his kills were different because he was still figuring out the most pleasurable way to kill someone. That’s a nearly perfect description of Brian, as he would have just started killing.
Dexter: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 6 Makes One Of The Wildest Original Villain Return Theories More Likely
One of the best serial killers from the original Dexter may have appeared in Original Sin, and episode 6 made the theory even more plausible.
Back when the NHI Killer’s identity was still a mystery, the fact that his methods were changing so much also pointed to Brian for another reason.AsDexterfans know, Brian would eventually hone his kills to the point where he could freeze his victims and completely drain them of blood. It would have taken a long time and a lot of experience to develop that morbid skill, so it made perfect sense for Brian to start practicing as soon as he got out of the psychiatric hospital. A new serial killer getting better at killing seems like a massive arrow pointing at Brian in hindsight.
Dexter’s theory about the NHI Killer’s relative lack of experience wasn’t the only part of his investigation that indicated Brian was the murderer. With all three of the NHI Killer’s victims, Dexter had an almost preternatural ability to look into the murderer’s mind. He literally envisioned all three kills as they likely happened, and he seemed to know exactly what the killer was thinking at the time.One of the few other characters Dexter has shown to have that type of connection with was Brian, as seen in their cat and mouse game fromDexterseason 1.
Dexter has always had a unique insight into the minds of killers, and he frequently uses his insider knowledge to solve crimes, but it was different with the NHI Killer. Dexter wasn’t just relating to him as a killer, their bond seemed to run deep, almost all the way to their blood.Dexter was so similar to the NHI Killerthat it would have been strange if he hadn’t turned out to be Brian Moser. There’s no telling how similar Dexter and Brian really were, but their ability to basically read each other’s thoughts was eerily apparent in hindsight.
4The NHI Killer’s Victims Line Up With The Ice Truck Killer’s
Brian Targeted Oppressed People Who Wouldn’t Be Missed As Both The NHI Killer & The Ice Truck Killer
Another key part of the NHI Killer case that pointed to Brian Moser was the victims themselves. The NHI Killer got his moniker because he targeted NHIs: a term coined by Miami Metro to describe murder victims who were homeless, addicted to drugs, or sex workers - meaning “no humans involved.“Maria LaGuerta deduced that the NHI Killer chose his target specifically because no one would notice if they went missing, and the police rarely gave such murders much priority in the past. That’s very similar to how the Ice Truck Killer chose his victims.
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“And in the Beginning…”
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“Kid in a Candy Store”
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“F is for F***-Up”
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“The Joy of Killing”
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“Business and Pleasure”
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All of the Ice Truck Killer’s victims inDexter- save for Tony Tucci - were sex workers.That was partially because he wanted to recreate Laura Moser’s death with his own victims, but also partially because it made it harder to track him down. If it hadn’t been for Deb’s previous work in Vice and Dexter’s connection to Brian, Miami Metro probably wouldn’t have found Brian at all. Unlike his method of killing, it seems that Brian’s choice of victims didn’t change much as he got more experienced.
3Original Sin Made A Point Of Showing Brian’s Disturbing Habits As A Child
Brian Used To Pull Lizards' Tails Off & Even Stabbed A Man As A Child
There has also been a general focus on Brian Moser throughoutOriginal Sinthat vaguely hinted he would be important.In some of Harry’s flashbacks to his time with Laura Moser,Original Sinmade a point of focusing on Brian and showing how he had psychopathic tendencies from a young age. For example, he would pull the tails off living lizards for fun and Laura referred to him as a menace to all the babysitters in the area. Brian even stabbed one of Hector Estrada’s men when they invaded the Moser house, which was unusual for such a young child.
Those reveals from Brian’s childhood were far more in-depth than anythingDexterever depicted.While it’s not entirely unusual for a prequel show to give more information about Brian than the original show did, it does compound with all the other cluesOriginal Sinleft behind. The fact thatOriginal Sindedicated several different scenes to foreshadowing Brian’s life as a serial killer was a major indication that he’d get to do some killing at some point in the prequel show.
2Original Sin Episode 8 Revealed The Origins Of Brian’s Multi-Colored Nails Infatuation
Brian Painted Laura’s Nails With Multiple Colors On The Day She Died
Another moment whereOriginal Sinspent just a bit too much time on Brian Moser instead of Dexter came in episode 8, when it revealed why Brian was obsessed with multicolored nails. Several of Brian’s victims as the Ice Truck Killer had their fingernails painted all different colors, and he even made a point of chopping one of his kills' fingertips off entirely.AsOriginal Sinproved, Brian was obsessed with multicolored nails because he painted Laura Moser’s that way on the day she died. Just before introducing an entire new chapter in the character’s life,Original Sinhelped explain a key part of his murders.
Dexterhad previously shown that Laura Moser wore multiple nail polish colors at the same time, explaining Brian’s obsession with them.Original Sin, however, showed that Brian himself painted Laura’s nails that way, and that it was the last happy memory he had of his mother.
It would have been odd ifOriginal Sinhad dedicated as much time on showing Brian’s psychopathic tendencies and revealing the cause of his obsession with fingernail polish without focusing more on him as an adult.If it wasn’t going to include Brian as a young adult,Original Sinlikely would have focused more on Dexter during the abduction than it did on Brian, and the show probably wouldn’t have dedicated several minutes to developingDexterseason 1’s villain. It was a late hint at whatOriginal Sinhad in store for Brian, but a hint nonetheless.
1The Only People Who Remember Brian In Original Sin Are Going To Die
Harry Morgan, Bobby Watt, Aaron Spencer, & Camilla Figg Are The Only Ones Who Know About Brian Moser
One ofOriginal Sin’s hints about what it had planned for Brian Moser only became truly apparentafterit revealed he was the NHI Killer.At the start ofOriginal Sin, only four people at Miami Metro were around long enough to remember Brian being in the shipping container with Dexter: Harry, Bobby Watt (Reno Wilson), Captain Aaron Spencer (Patrick Dempsey), and Camilla Figg (Sarah Kinsey). AfterSpencer was revealed as the kidnapperand Dexter set his sights on him, and after Bobby Watt was shot, it became clear thatOriginal Sinwas clearing the way for Brian to make an entrance without being recognized.
Dexter: Original Sin Is Already Setting Up A Major Dexter Tragedy That The Original Show Never Included
The prequel series Dexter: Original Sin is already setting up a key tragic twist that wasn’t revealed until the final season of the original series.
On top of the fact thatOriginal Sinis killing off all the characters who could identify Brian Moser, the prequel show also went out of its way to show that Harry had already hidden Brian’s existence from Miami Metro. InDexter:Original Sinepisode 4, Harry asked Camilla to double-check that Dexter had been removed from Brian’s file. Any fan ofDexteralready knew that Harry had scrubbed all records of Dexter being Laura Moser’s child from the files, so it now seems that the only reason for such a conversation was to pave the way for Brian’s unnoticed return.
