Killing Lila off was the most retarded shit this show did, since killing Rudy...Dexter has proved itself to be so square-safe, it's a circle. This is the Jack Johnson of serial-killer-centric series...

I love Michael C. Hall, but he really is all there is to the series, especially with Doakes gone and Harry's flashbacks happening way too infrequently.

And would it kill you proof read the thing? Spelling TWO as TO, and using AT for AND?

Are the writers at AICN no better than some talkbackers, who just want to put ANY old shit out there and cry "FIRST!!!" ?

For anyone who cares, but hasn't already used BitTorrent to see this episode, the BIG news (for me) was that this episode featured more naked Julie Benz than the previous two seasons combined. She is still a hottie.

Killing Rudy, his brother and fellow killer, link to a past and family he doesn't remember. Killing Lila, the one person who knew who he was and accepted him for what he did. Both of these things show that Dexter has no interest in his original family, and no interest in being understood. He is just Dexter.

I expect this season, especially based on the first episode, to focus on whether or not he needs his modern family, which today includes Debra, Rita, and the kids.

dexter, shield, and pushing daisies are the 3 american series i've been waited patiently for the new seasons to start.

But IMHO Dexter is one of the best shows on TV. Up there with House and BSG. Comparisons to Buffy are as silly as comparing Jekyll to Harvey Birdman.

While I agree the killing Rudy was a good ending to that arc, leaving him alive would have made it so much more interesting. Dexter allowing a serial killer to live, hearing about murders and knowing who committed them and wondering if he'd ever come back. It was an ace in the hole.

Granted, season 2 went in a bad direction, but I still loved every episode. This season appears to be going even further in that direction. That is turning Dexter into a human being. He shouldn't have a conscience. What made him cool in S1 is that he was a serial killer with a code, but apart from that code, he seemed just as amoral as any other psycho. And every 'normal' thing in his life was a fiction.

His relationship with Rita should have never advanced beyond the dysfunctional stage. He should have never felt much guilt over the death of that dude in the drug house either. They shouldn't be putting him so front and center with the dude's brother like they are, it feels so contrived. I still have hope that it'll get better, but this show is starting to suffer from the curse.

You know the curse. Whenever you like a character for being bad, they inevitably make them good. Sylar on Heroes is a recent example. Spike on Buffy. Crais and Scorpius on Farscape. Jane on Serenity. Weevil and Logan on Veronica Mars. Cordelia on Angel (they took away her edge). The Cylons on BSG. And to some extent Al Swearingen on Deadwood. You can even argue Ben on Lost. I imagine they would have made Jim Profit a heck of a swell guy eventually, had FOX not canceled that show. Just once, I'd like them to keep a character dark through the duration of the show. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Yes, I'm sure things will go wrong with Dexter and Rita. I just have a problem with him appear so comfortable in the relationship when he started out faking the whole thing just to fit in. Even if he acts comfortable, his inner monologue should indicate otherwise.

As for fear vs. guilt, it sure seemed like guilt to me. After all, he found the tooth and any other DNA evidence (like hair) can be explained by him being called to the crime scene. And in S2, when the entire police force was against him, I believe he mentioned that it made him feel exhilarated, rather than afraid. He was feeling guilt over killing a "good" guy. They might be able to redeem this if, after killing his next "bad" guy, Dexter discovers that it doesn't have the same kick as killing the good ones and he starts too branch out, in line with partially rejecting Harry's code in S2.

I guess we'll see. It has been my favorite show, so I still have faith in it. I'm just a little worried because every other show I like has started out pretty weak this season, and I'm just worried that bad writer phenomenon will spread to my other favorites like Dexter and tonight's Pushing Daisies.