What Happened To Mad-Dog In Dexter: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 4’s Ending? Is He Alive?

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Dexter: Original Sin episode 4.

Dexter: Original Sin's episode 4, "Fender Bender," shows Dexter with his first two kills under his belt taking aim at an ex-hitman named Mad-Dog. After a divisive Dexter: Original Sin premiere and a vintage double-episode release with episodes 2 & 3, the fourth of ten Dexter: Original episodes continues to make impressive and entertaining strides for the series. Dexter: Original Sin episode 4 reveals Dexter's first big rookie mistake resulting in Mad-Dog making a break for it during the middle of Dexter's pre-kill ritual.

Dexter's third target, an ex-hitman named Mad Dog, is played by legendary actor Joe Pantoliano of Memento and The Sopranos acclaim. The cast of Dexter: Original Sin is led by Patrick Gibson as the new titular protagonist alongside newcomers Molly Brown, Christian Slater, Patrick Dempsey, and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Dexter: Original Sin episode 4 extends the great momentum of episode 3 after Dexter takes out his second killer, Tony Ferrer, and Nurse Mary in the premiere episode.

New episodes of Dexter: Original Sin release every Friday exclusively on Paramount+.

Mad-Dog Is Hit By A Car In Dexter: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 4's Ending

He escapes getting murdered by Dexter only to get hit by oncoming traffic

Close

In Dexter: Original Sin episode 4, Mad Dog is hit by a car as he escapes from Dexter in a shocking cliffhanger ending. He wakes up during Dexter's pre-kill ritual while Dexter sets up shop in a room in Mad Dog's house where he stages all of his classic guitars. Dexter had initially knocked Mad Dog out by hitting him over the head with an acoustic guitar. In another funny moment, Dexter is about to hit him with another guitar when Mad Dog pleads, "Not the Clapton!", a reference to guitar legend Eric Clapton.

Since Dexter is not at the stage where he starts sedating his targets with a tranquilizer via syringe, he has been using his brute force to incapacitate them, which Mad Dog proves doesn't always have lasting effects. Dexter runs into his first major dilemma with his newfound killing spree after Mad Dog escapes and gets hit by a car. He may even have to report on the scene to investigate Mad Dog's body if the driver of the car that hit him speeds off in a hit-and-run incident, which would make it a crime.

Mad-Dog Is Likely Dead, But Dexter Still Has To Make Sure He Isn't Associated With His Death

Mad-Dog saw Dexter's face and could expose Dexter if he's miraculously alive

Mad-Dog was tied up and only in his boxers when he apparently died, which will automatically raise suspicions of the Miami Metro PD. Plus, his house is full of plastic wrap from Dexter preparing to kill him, which Dexter likely rushed back to and removed all evidence of him being there. If Mad-Dog is as dead as he appears to be at the end of Dexter: Original Sin episode 4, Dexter will need to cover his tracks completely to avoid placing a target on his own back. If he's not dead, then Dexter needs to make sure Mad-Dog can't ID him in episode 5, aptly titled "F Is For F**k-Up."