In the season premiere of Dexter, we're greeted with an entirely different monster. One unlike any we've ever seen on the series before, with a different set of motives, codes, and responsibilities. That monster, or course, is Dexter the Daddy.

Daddy Dexter is very different from his the loner self he left behind at the end of last season. No longer can he approach life with the cold empty precision he did as he occupied a bachelor apartment. Now he has responsibilities and duties he must perform, and they are sapping his very essence. His "Dark Passenger".

The culprits in this Passenger theft are the same that often sap the dreams and goals of many ordinary men. The rigors of parenthood, the lack of sleep, and the increased burdens have all changed Dexter into a bit of a haggard mess - something we are not used to seeing from this extremely precise killing machine.

Witness him using wrong notes during a court hearing, letting a killer go free. See him yawning all over work as he's unable to focus thanks to his sleep deprivation. Worst of all, witness as he falls asleep in his van outside a seedy bar, unable to take advantage of a potential victim at his weakest point, failing to make a perfect kill for the first time to our knowledge.

Through this, the series makes a comment on family. A cynical one at that, as we see family as a destructive force, taking away the one thing that makes Dexter who he is, the foundation of his entire life. That foundation is decimated who may perhaps be Dexter's mightiest foe, seventeen inches of humanity named Harrison. His son.

Elsewhere, relationships rule over precinct. Debra and Anton are still trying to make things work, and we see the difficulty of a career-minded policewoman and a free spirit musician creating a life that will work for them both. Also, increased hostility between Ms. Morgan and her partner (as a result of Dexter's poor performance in court) and obsession with her father's dalliance with on his CI's has her a bit scattered in the midst of her drive towards success in law enforcement.

Also, in a WTF moment, Angel and Lt. LaGuerta have entered into a relationship that's certain to bring about overwhelming difficulties in their worklives. Once again, "Dexter" impugns relationships in favor of individuality.

And, in a final bit of self-centered drive, we welcome back Special Agent Lundy, the Captain Ahab of serial killer hunters, into the fold as he tracks a new type of monster: The Trinity Killer.

This episode set a decided tone for the season. One through which we'll be forced to examine our own lives and what we hold as essential to happiness as they compare to the forces that keep Dexter from the only thing he really wants.

Image © CBS Broadcasting

Episode Grade: B+

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Story by Andrew Payne

Starpulse contributing writer