Tonight marks the season premiere of DEXTER’s fifth season, and after the doozy of a cliffhanger from last year, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I previewed the first three episodes.  I’m delighted to say that the season premiere packs as powerful an emotional punch as it should, with Dex coming to terms with the (spoiler alert) death of his wife at the hands of Trinity, the man he should have killed when he had the chance!

As Dexter slowly begins to unravel, the FBI begins circling, targeting him as a suspect, and putting Quinn on a Doakes-like chase after the mysterious Kyle Butler.  Deb gets some comfort from a shocking place, Dexter considers leaving it all behind him, Angel and Maria continue to deal with the fallout of their quickie marriage, and Dexter’s itch to follow the code starts to get in the way of his every day life.

I was worried that they wouldn’t be able to follow up on the promise of interesting storylines from Rita’s death in a bath of her own blood, but I’m pleased to say that the first three episodes are on track to deliver another riveting season!  Guest stars Shawn Hatosy and Julia Stiles make big marks on the first three eps, and the regular cast continue to be do some of the best work on TV.  Oh, and Deb’s new suitor is someone we all know and kind of love!

Check out two clips from tonight’s new episode and don’t forget to tune in for Dexter, 9/8c on Showtime!