'Dexter' keeps delivering a good twist

Oh, you sly "Dexter" writers, you really threw me for a loop this season. Last night I caught up on the last two episodes of the Showtime series about a serial killer. And boy, was the episode from Oct. 25 a shocker. For anyone who watches the show, I won't disclose what was so unexpected but I will say John Lithgow's Arthur Miller has much more depth than many viewers were expecting. I knew there had to be a twist since it was too early in the season for Dexter to catch the Trinity killer, but the thing that keeps Dexter from his kill is a surprise to be sure.

One of the reasons I enjoy Dexter so much, besides the way Michael C. Hall somehow manages to make me root for a man who can't keep from killing people, is that the writers are very good at keeping viewers in suspense. They don't use so much foreshadowing that they give all the action away before it happens.

I can't remember the last time I hadn't figured out the bad guy or the coming twist in "Law and Order: SVU," which is so formulaic - and often based on real-life happenings - that it is easy to see what is coming. And when it comes to movies, perhaps the last one that really caught me off guard was the 2001 film "The Others" with Nicole Kidman.

While I absolutely can't take the horror genre, I do like a little bit of suspense, and "Dexter" certainly offers that up season after season.

'Dexter' season premier delivers

After disappointing season premiers from "House" and "Grey's Anatomy," I was happily satisfied with the opening episode of "Dexter."

For anyone who hasn't seen it, "Dexter" is a Showtime series about a serial killer in Miami who lives by a moral code. I started watching the series when my sister rented it from Netflix after its first season. I walked in on one of the episodes were Dexter (Michael C. Hall) is dismembering a body and my only question to my sister was "What the hell are you watching?" But to my surprise the show grew on me and is now on of my favorites.

Michael C. Hall is genius as the serial killer who works as a blood splatter analyst for the Miami Police Department who only kills other murderers. As with many hour-long dramas on cable, there is the main story of Dexter getting away with murder on a regular basis, but each season has its own unique story arc around the department's search for a killer. The first season starts with the search for the ice truck killer, a man who lets his victims of all their blood and wraps up the body parts for discovery; then there is a drug dealer suspected of murdering the brother of a the D.A. Unlike some shows, the story arc each season isn't just a distraction but serves to reveal more about Dexter.

The cast is rounded out with Julie Benz as Dexter's girlfriend Rita Bennett, Jennifer Carpenter (who is Hall's real-life wife) as his police officer sister Debra and a few other characters. There are also a mix of guest actors each season, including Jimmy Smits as the D.A. last year and John Lithgow in a new role this year.

The show has its own tension built in as viewers watch to see if Dexter's luck will finally run out - will he finally make a misstep? But the best thing about it is that Hall makes a serial killer look like one of the good guys.

Not to give away too much about the premier for anyone who hasn't watched it yet, but this season promises to have more challenges for Dexter as he tries to balance being a good father and husband with work and, uh, is "hobby." John Lithgow also promises to be a seriously deranged serial killer. It should be a good season.

Photo courtesy of Showtime

Michael C. Hall as Dexter with some of the cast from Season One.