Seldom have I been legitimately creeped out by Dexter. Having caught up with the show in season 2 and watched the rest of it live, I have come to know and love Dexter, both as a serial killer and as a family man. I give lots of credit to Michael C. Hall, who brings the character to life with an incredible (yet painfully subtle) range and signature deadpan narration. But when we last left Dexter in season 4, face to face with his dead wife Rita, I was for the first time very spooked. Last season was the most trying to watch at times; the fact that Dexter is a serial killer struck a nerve in a way it hadn't before. Creepy.
One of my favorites line from the show, from season 2, deals with the idea of good and bad, and which Dexter is: "Am I good? Am I bad? I'm done answering those questions. I don't have the answers. Does anyone?"
Here are some hopes I have for season 5, which faces a challenge coming off of what in my opinion was Dexter's greatest season last year.
No. 1: I hope it doesn't all of sudden start to suck. It is a risky move to kill off the loving wife of our favorite serial killer, but even more risky to give Dexter the responsibility of taking care of three children, baggage that doesn't, obviously, mesh well with his secret tendency to murder (bad) people.
No. 2: I hope the ensuing rollercoaster of emotions Dexter should be feeling (grief, rage, guilt, regret) actually does play out, but in a way that surprises both us and Dexter. I have long disregarded the fact that Dexter does not have emotions. We've seen him display them quite a few times, albeit in odd ways. This loss for him is in completely uncharted territory; I hope the show is able to pull off showing us the character's feelings without creating a cheesy catharsis that strips away that enigmatic something that sets him apart.
No. 3: I hope Angel Batistsa and Maria LaGuerta break up. Gross. Just…gross.
This article appears in Sep 23-29, 2010.