What are Harry Morgan's codes on Dexter? Explored in detail

Based on the series of novels written by Jeff Lindsay, the world of Dexter seems to find surprising ways to return to the small screen every few years.

Fans thought Dexter the series was over after the finale of Season 8 in 2013, but the launch of the 10-episode miniseries Dexter: New Blood in November 2021 surprised all. The miniseries ran till January 2022 and its finale seemed to have concluded The Bay Harbor Butcher's story when Dexter's son Harrison shoots his serial killer father.

However, at the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC 2024) in July this year, fans were surprised again, with the announcement of a sequel series, Dexter: Resurrection.

Before the sequel show, however, there's a prequel series lined up, about Dexter Morgan in his youth. Titled Dexter: Original Sin, the prequel casts 29-year-old Irish actor Patrick Gibson as a young Dexter Morgan in Original Sin, which is set 15 years before Season 1.

When is Dexter: Original Sin releasing?

The first episode of Dexter: Original Sin, titled And in the Beginning..., retcons the ending of Dexter: New Blood. Watch the premiere episode of Original Sin on Showtime to learn how Dexter manages to survive a bullet wound. Importantly, Original Sin shows the audience how a young Dexter learns to balance his dual identity as a serial killer and blood splatter analyst for the police. The show will also introduces Harry's Code, one of the most important rules Dexter fans are familiar with.

What is Harry's Code?

Mentioned since the very first season, Harry's Code is a series of instructions that Dexter is meant to follow to differentiate him from the other serial killers he hunts. The code has five rules:

Don't Get Caught
Never Kill an Innocent
Targets Must Be Killers Who Evaded the Justice System
Killing Must Serve a Purpose
No Preemptive Killing

Harry is Detective Harrison Morgan, Dexter's adoptive father, and the character wasn't alive during the first nine seasons of Dexter. He features on Original Sin and is played by Christian Slater.

Has Dexter Ever Broken Harry's Code?

Dexter as The Bay Harbor Butcher mostly adheres to Harry's Code throughout the first eight seasons of the original show. However, there were times when he broke the code. Here are some instances when he did so:

Oscar Prado (“Our Father”, Season 03, Episode 01)

Dexter had adhered to Harry's Code till the first episode of the third season. He intended to track down the drug dealer Freebo, who had murdered two college girls. However, Freebo was acquitted thanks to a bad warrant issued by the police department. Dexter sets out to kill Freebo, and finds him just as a young man, Oscar, attacks the assailant with a bayonet. In response, Dexter stabs Oscar. The next morning, while investigating as a blood splatter analyst, Dexter learns that the man he stabbed is also Assistant D.A. Miguel Prado's brother.

Nathan Marten (“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, Season 03, Episode 03)

Unlike Oscar, Nathan was an intended target. Nathan Marten actually met Harry's Code (the fourth rule), but differently. He was a child sexual predator who was preying on Rita’s young daughter, Astor. A compelled Dexter first warned Nathan, after he researched the latter on the database. However, Nathan ignored the warnings and continued to interact with Astor. The Bay Harbor Butcher then decided to take matters into his own hands. Dexter did not create a kill room for Nathan, because the latter's death wasn't a part of Harry's Code. He murdered Nathan by strangling him.

Camilla Figg (“Easy As Pie”, Season 03, Episode 07)

The kill came from a place of compassion rather than either self-defence or protective instinct. Camilla was the records supervisor in the Miami-Metro Police Department and a friend of Dexter's father. In the third season, she is shown to suffer from lung cancer. During a hospital visit, she tells Dexter that she knows of his connection with the Ice-Truck Killer (in the first season). She convinces him that she wants to shuffle off her mortal coil and he obliges by feeding her a poisoned pie.

Apart from the three key and impactful kills mentioned above, there are several other kills that Dexter made that don't fit Harry's Code. However, despite breaking the rules, the code continued to be a twisted guiding light for Dexter to indulge in his blood lust.