Dexter: Our Father

Rita: "God created pudding. And then he rested."

This opener was fun to watch and there was tons of future plot set-up. No one-two punch like the Hefty bag discovery in last season's opener. Unless you could call "I'm pregnant" a one-two punch.

Dexter: The British Invasion

Dexter: "The truly tragic thing would be to let his sacrifice go to waste. There's only one way I can think of to honor him. I have to embrace my freedom."

Was I right, or was I right? I'm seldom able to figure out how these things end, but I could see what happened to Doakes coming a couple of episodes ago. At least he died quickly, poor guy. I wonder if Maria will ever be able to get past it? Will she ever truly believe he was the Bay Harbor Butcher?

Dexter: Left Turn Ahead

Dexter: "For such a neat monster, I'm making an awfully big mess."

Not a jaw-dropper, which was sort of what I was expecting of the penultimate episode of the season. But it still explored a compelling topic: Dexter seriously considering turning himself in. Very seriously. To the point of power of attorney for Deb and giving his car to Rita. He was actually going to do it.

Dexter: There's Something About Harry

Dexter: "Harry always said there were plenty of people who deserve to die. But no matter how hard I close my eyes and wish, Doakes isn't one of them."

Clever, clever Doakes. He was calculating and calm (at least up until the point where Dexter killed the drug dealer), playing every possible card he could think of with his deadly adversary, our hero. Like dropping that bombshell about Harry, which may have saved Doakes' life.

Dexter: Resistance is Futile

Dexter: "Nice. My subconscious isn't even bothering with symbolism."

As episode climaxes go, this one was pretty massive. What a monster dilemma.

Dexter: Morning Comes

Deb: "Bay Harbor Butcher is one of our own."
Lundy: "We keep this to ourselves for now. Just the three of us."
Angel: "I'm going to go tell it to a bottle of scotch."

Yeah, I'd say we could see a bad moon rising, and trouble on the way.

Dexter: That Night, a Forest Grew

Dexter: "You really have a way. You know that?"
Lila: "A way of what?"
Dexter: "Whatever the hell you want."

Raucous sex. That was different.

Dexter: Dex, Lies, and Videotape

Lundy: "Maybe the Butcher is having an identity crisis."
Dexter: "It's entirely possible."

This episode was obviously about confusion, defiance, and angst, and pretty much at a teenage level. Dexter didn't have a normal adolescence; this emotional chaos and loss of control is a whole new thing for him. (Lila even said maybe Dexter was a late bloomer.) And he made some interesting choices at a time when his secret life was in serious danger of discovery.

Dexter: The Dark Defender

Maria: "Should I call the Superfriends for help?"
Dexter: "No, I got it covered."

Dexter. Keeping Florida safe from armadillos.

Dexter: See-Through

Vince: "Diatoms. Eukaryotic algae."
Dexter: (to himself) "Okay, this is the first time I regret not being a bigger nerd."

What did "See-Through" mean? Maybe it was that no one seemed to be seeing what was really going on inside everyone else. The detectives and five of the victims. Deb and Lundy. Deb and Gabriel. Maria and Pascal's fiance. Even Harry and young Dexter.

Dexter: An Inconvenient Lie

Dexter: "Still, I wish my own sister weren't hunting me. Makes for an awkward family dynamic."

Wow. Rita's happy, Doakes is suddenly off his back, and Dexter can kill again. Twelve step programs really do work.

Dexter: Waiting to Exhale

Dexter: "And now, all my secrets are floating to the surface. Where is the orderly, controlled, effective Dexter? How did I lose him? How do I find him again?"

The Bay Harbor Butcher. It has a ring to it. Maybe not as euphonious as the "Ice Truck Killer," but hey.

Dexter: It's Alive!

Dexter: "I'm coiled and ready to strike. Although a spare will do."

I can't believe that I actually felt bad that poor Dexter couldn't kill anyone. It's so twisted. I love it.

Dexter: Born Free

Dexter: "I can't. Not Deb. I'm very... fond of her."
Brian: "You can't be a killer and a hero. It doesn't work that way!"

Wow. They built up to this episode for the entire season. And what a fabulous payoff it was.

Dexter: Truth Be Told

Dexter: "I do know that Deb's fallen for you. Hard. You hurt her..."
Rudy: "And you'll hurt me."
Dexter: "Something like that."
Rudy: "Oooh."

The mask came off. Rudy fulfilled Debra's fondest dream, and then he did much, much worse than break her heart.

Dexter: Seeing Red

Doakes: "Something finally got to you. I guess you're human, after all."

Dexter: Father Knows Best

Dexter: "How did a death turn into a couples weekend?"

There was something completely bizarre about two serial killers and their girls spending the weekend together. Cleaning up after someone's death, which was oddly appropriate.

Dexter: Shrink Wrap

Dexter: "I can't kill Meridian yet. I need another therapy session."

Oh, my. How I loved this episode.

Dexter: Circle of Friends

Dexter: "Hardly looks like a guy capable of terrorizing Miami. A science camp, maybe."

This one was about mistakes. Letting Jeremy go was a mistake. Neil Perry was a mistake, too. Dexter, who needed to connect to someone, tried to reach out to two other killers that he thought were like him. But they weren't like him at all.

Dexter: Return to Sender

Dexter: "Nothing lasts forever. Just ask a Ford Pinto. Eventually, most serial killers get caught. And there's really not much of a retirement plan."

I really loved the correlation between Bob the goldfish refusing to be flushed and Valerie Castillo unexpectedly returning from her watery grave. And it was fun watching Dexter desperately trying to cover his tracks while investigating one of his own murders. Dexter was nearly caught because of a child found at a crime scene. Interesting that Dexter himself was also found at a crime scene. How old was Dexter? What sort of crime scene?

Dexter: Love American Style

Dexter: "It always comes to this when sex is introduced. Small talk no longer cuts it. Eventually she'll call me a science project and slam the door in my face."

Dexter spent a lot of this episode saying that he longed to be alone – even post-apocalyptic alone – so that he would no longer have to pretend to be someone he is not. And yet, he also spent the entire episode fretting about losing Rita and trying to find a way to connect to her.

Dexter: Let's Give the Boy a Hand

Dexter: "I can't kill this man. Harry wouldn't want it. And neither would I."

This was an intriguing Halloween episode. For us, Dexter has been unmasked. He couldn't kill a helpless, innocent man; he wasn't even tempted. And he just discovered that he likes having sex with Rita. This was the episode that made me actually start to like Dexter, almost in spite of myself.

Dexter: Popping Cherry

Angel: "What do you think he's trying to tell us?"
Dexter: "That hockey's a violent sport?"

"Popping Cherry" was a pun about the death of Cherry, the latest Ice Truck Killer victim, as well as the loss of virginity.

Dexter: Crocodile

Dexter: "If God is in the details, and if I believed in God, then he's in this room with me. I just wish he'd brought an extension cord."

The title of the episode is about monsters beneath the surface. Dexter sees himself as a monster who goes after other monsters. There were several images of just the top half of Dexter's face, in the ocean, in the tub, in the mirror of the men's room. Dexter's hidden monster below the surface is the bottom half of his psyche, ever present and in charge but unseen by others. (Rita even called Dexter the "Cookie Monster." What clever writing.)

Dexter: Pilot

Dexter: "I think this is a friendly message, kind of like hey, wanna play? And yes. I want to play. I really, really do."

I didn't like this pilot when I first saw it, probably because I was revolted by the idea of a serial killer as a hero. But it was brilliant and different and there were things about it I liked, enough to try it a second time and to keep watching. I'm glad I did.