The first shot we see is of Dexter dropping a bloody knife. He has been stabbed in the stomach and is calling 911. When the paramedics arrive, he has fainted and fallen. How could this be possible? Dexter would never reveal his location or get himself into this bad of a predicament.
As the paramedics assess the situation, he jumps up like a jack-in-the-box and stabs them each with his signature tranquilizer. Now here’s the Dexter we know and love, keeping us on our feet like always.
So how have things changed for our serial killer slash forensic scientist slash vigilante? Well, he bought the apartment next to his, making it easier to slip in and out, Sgt. Batista’s sister (a college student) is Harrison’s babysitter, and he’s attending his high school reunion. (Don’t jump to any conclusions; he’s not trying to rekindle old relationships. He’s just going to kill Joe Walker, the old quarterback star who killed his wife).
Interestingly enough, this episode touched a lot on religion. Dexter takes Harrison to a Catholic preschool but doesn’t believe in a higher power. This leads into an amusing twist when Joe Walker tries to talk Dexter out of killing him because God will smite him.
Meanwhile, two new villains arrive on the scene, performing some type of witchcraft or unusual rituals. A young man (Colin Hanks) is being mentored by a mysterious older figure. They murder a street vendor (leaving his intestines) and later his body is discovered on a beach. They have carved symbols into his chest and implanted seven baby water snakes inside of it.
As for the grim stuff, much of it comes courtesy of this season’s guest stars — Colin Hanks and Edward James Olmos. (Welcome back to South Beach, Lieutenant Castillo! As a kid, most of what I knew about this city was gleaned from Miami Vice: Everyone owns a cigarette boat, cocaine use is required for residency, and Glenn Frey might be the mayor.) We never learn their names, but thanks to some crack investigatory journalism skills (read: IMDb), I can reveal that Hanks is Travis Marshall and Olmos is Professor Gellar. The Prof takes Travis on one hell of a class trip — moonlight baby-snake collecting, roadside-fruit-stand-guy disembowelment, and what might be the all-time grossest use of Corpse As Message to Cops That I’m Bat-Shit Crazy and Will Kill Again.
This deliciously creepy odd couple also has a thing for scripture, as Travis drops a little Revelation 22:2 before introducing that poor produce dude to his well-worn machete: “In the midst of the street was the Tree of Life, which bears twelve manner of fruit and yielded her fruit every month.” After their dirty deeds are done, the Prof spits some Rev 13:1, and like any good psycho-religious hype-man, Travis finishes the verse from memory. “It’s begun,” says the Prof with a smile that’s both joyous and supremely freaky. (Admiral Adama would certainly not approve.) We’re left to guess what sort of nastiness has been set into motion. Their second Bible passage — "I stood upon the sand and the sea. And I saw a serpent rise up out of the sea having seven heads … And upon his heads, the name of blasphemy” — hints at a reckoning when those who’ve strayed from God’s word will be set right. Travis’s reference to the Tree of Life suggests he’s killing for Jesus, as does the symbol carved into the fruit-stand guy’s chest, Alpha Omega (“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end,” another nod to Revelations). Could these two give John Lithgow a run for the title of Best Dexter Psycho Ever? It’s too early to tell, but they’re off to a fast start.
Between the Christ Killers and Dexter’s efforts to enroll Harrison at a Catholic preschool, matters of faith are the threads that will tie this season together. (Which brings up another question: Whither Sonya, the angelic nanny with the St. Brigid statue? My money is on either deportation or a job with normal hours.) It’s an interesting angle the show hasn’t explored much yet — how does this “noble” killer reconcile his actions with a sense of spirituality? Can the Dark Passenger ride shotgun with some sort of religious belief? Is the concept of God as foreign to Dexter as human emotions and a more fashionable kill wardrobe? This is where Harrison becomes more than a plot complication. As Dexter tries to shield his son from his own demons, he’s forced to contemplate the struggles of normal people, folks like the man he hopes his kid will one day become, and in a sense, folks like us. And now that his (and our) post-Rita depression has lifted, he’s got a new attitude and fresh set of lunatics to pursue. There’s a look of wonder on Dexter’s face as he helps Masuka bag the seven snakes, as though he’s thrilled to have a new psychopathic playmate to hunt down without worrying about his stepkids or waking the baby. Amen to that.
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