Not to say that that's terribly bad or anything, but how much of the same stuff can you take? Dexter has killed people since the first season, continued killing through the third season, and has wriggled out of any dangerous situation. Other than a few bumps in the road, Dexter has gotten away with everything scot free. His relationships with everyone have remained virtually the same. So what do we look forward to? More killing? Episode to episode there are great twists, but at the end of the season, everything is reset. I'll stick around for the devilish directing and excellent acting headed by Michael C. Hall, but sooner or later, the lack of creativity will catch up with the show.

This season's main story will be the Trinity Killer much in the vein of The Ice Truck Killer and the Skinner except he is much scarier. In the very first episode, we see John Lithgow in action and it is absolutely terrifying. He kills a woman naked in a bathtub filled with water and stays there as the blood spills out. The manner in which he killed her and his total disregard for bathing in blood is just disturbing on so many levels. This is the part of the season I'm looking forward to the most.

Miami PD quickly picks up on the case and Dexter is hot on the trail of yet another serial killer. The Trinity Killer is amazing, but when multiple serial killers flock to a single city within a short span, it requires a suspension of belief that quite frankly I dislike in this type of show. Season 2 was unique with Lila, but the serial killer story gets old after a while. I don't understand why the writers can't take a risk and have people learn about Dexter's secret without Dexter having to kill them. Or maybe everyone learns his secret and he goes on trial. Even if he is acquitted, that would at least up the ante to a point where we are genuinely surprised.



Keith Carradine is also back as retired FBI Special Agent Lundy. With Debra still with Anton the CI, I'm sure this will stir up trouble. Lundy has been tracking the Trinity Killer for years and now ends back in Miami. More fun? You betcha.

The only major change this season is Dexter's family life. He lives with Rita, her kids (I guess his now), and their newborn son. While this will certainly been amusing to watch and Dexter is a delightfully funny show at times, I highly doubt this will translate into good drama. There are already repercussions from his baby. Dexter messes up badly on the stand and a killer goes free. Luckily he has an insatiable urge to kill people and the killer is the perfect target. Too bad he gets called back by Rita. The episode ends on a cliffhanger that is sure to keep people coming back.

Individually, it was a very good episode. There was a nice mix of everything and the Trinity Killer looks like the best serial killer yet (yes, even better than Dexter!). I love almost everything about this show except for long-term planning. I think the quality of the show is still on par with the first season when everything was still fresh, but it's now the first season and it's time for some changes.

Score: 9.2/10