Five months ago I thought, “Finally, September 26th is upon us.” My anticipation for the date lies with the best show on the small screen making its triumphant return to television. That Sunday evening marked the season five premiere of the Showtime hit Dexter.

Dexter is the best show on television, period. Dexter Morgan is the most compelling character on television, period. I spent half of my past summer catching up on seasons 1-4 and the other half eagerly anticipating the answers season five would bring. After seeing the first episode of the new season, I was blown away as the show continues to get better as it marches on. Each episode is good individually, but the heart of the show’s success stems from the overarching narrative that works itself through each season.

If you have not seen all the episodes of Dexter, DON’T READ THIS ARTICLE. I am going to spend some time piecing together the seasons and glorifying some of my favorite moments. I will not avoid spoilers, so if you haven’t watched up to season five, check back after you have.

Season one introduces and finishes off ‘The Ice Truck Killer,’ a clean and calculated serial killer who turns out to be Dexter’s long lost brother. The back and forth between these two serial killers is a triumph of writing with Dexter taking the upper hand as dumps his brother’s dissected body into the waiting ocean in the season finale.

In season two, Dexter hides his ‘dark passenger,’ aka his life as a serial killer, by “admitting” to his girlfriend Rita he is a heroine addict. Of course he really isn’t addicted to drugs, but what sounds better: drug addict, or serial killer? In treatment, Dexter meets a loon named Lila who actually sees the monster residing within him. But as I described above, she is crazy! She spends her time stalking Dexter and interjecting herself into his life attempting to weasel into his heart. On top of that, Dexter’s co-worker Doakes stalks him on suspicion of his “extra-circular activities.”

These two problematic forces cross paths when the pyromaniac Lila murders Doakes in cold blood and flees the country. To every fan of the show’s delight, Dexter hunts Lila down and quietly penetrates her chest with his silent blade — unbelievable payoff for someone like me who hated that British whore (pardon my french, but I loathed her).

Season three and four are focused on Dexter finding individuals who also carry a ‘dark passenger.’ In season three, Dexter makes a connection with Miami’s District Attorney Miguel Prado played by Jimmy Smits. Dexter gives Prado a crash course on ‘The Code,’ aka Dexter’s bible for his twilight lifestyle. But then Prado breaks ‘The Code’ and gets out of control attempting to kill Lt. LaGuerta. Dexter proves he is the deadliest predator in nature by making the District Attorney disappear.

Season four brings some of the best drama to ever hit the screen. John Lithgow expertly plays the ‘Trinity Killer;’ a role he won a Golden Globe for portraying a clean cut Christian man who has an annual dark tradition of murdering in spurts of three. The push and pull between Dexter and Trinity is similar to the serial killer drama of the first season, but amplified times twenty as the Dexter spends the whole season playing with his prey.

In the end, Dexter’s biggest mistake was trying to study and understand Trinity instead of killing him when he had his chances. This error in judgment cost Rita her life leaving Dexter as the sole caretaker for his newly adopted family. Rita’s death came in the last scene of the season four finale, a cliffhanger so paralyzing I sat in disbelief for what I just saw.

The foreshadowing of the murder is perfectly written into the last breaths of Trinity, and then later with Dexter’s devoted inner reflection of his love for his wife as he dumps the chopped up corpse of his slain adversary into the ocean’s embrace. After seeing the finales for each of the previous seasons, it was hard to believe the show could up the ante. After the season four finale, consider the mission accomplished.

Season five once again proves the creators behind Dexter “still got it.” I personally loved the season for more than just the addition of the lovely and talented Julia Stiles. The first episode we get to see an emotion erupt from Dexter we have never seen before, uncontrollable rage. After Dexter maliciously slaughters a man with a boat anchor, his maniacal scream haunted my thoughts for weeks — kudos Michael C. Hall. Season five does mirror some of the seasons past with Dexter finding another who understands him. But this season had completely different circumstances in the end. Julia Stiles’ character Lumen is changed for the worse after being subjected to an unimaginable situation as a sex slave.

This sinister transformation leaves her with a deep desire for retaliation against the twisted team of men acting out their sick fantasies on helpless women. Unlike Prado or Trinity, Lumen’s hunger to kill is rooted in her quest for revenge. Like Dexter, Lumen wants to rid the world of these vermin who rape and kill women. After Lumen and Dexter finish their task of killing all those responsible for raping 13 women, and killing 12 of them, Lumen is once again changed. She no longer has revenge  in her heart; her dark passenger has departed.

Dexter isn’t great simply because we get to see a hunky man (am I right ladies?) kill off the scum of the earth. The beauty of the show lies in Dexter’s inner monologue hidden from everyone except the audience. Dexter’s dark intimate thoughts play out under his perfectly normal manicured exterior. Inside his head he divulges his desires to kill, the restrain he practices when someone misinterprets him, and his ongoing exchange with his dead father.

This privy information is only for the audience. These thoughts give insight into the true Dexter, a person his wife Rita and his sister Deb could never understand. Because Dexter is the definition of a silent killer he spends a lot of his time convincing himself he is not a real human with emotions like the rest of us. But as seasons have progressed, we have all seen that is definitely not the case.

Besides the show’s perfectly crafted story arcs lies a production team that is amongst the best in the business. The show is assembled so well from a production standpoint it would impress any film student studying the intricacies of the show’s makeup. When Dexter spies on the next victim on his menu or has thoughts of murder, a red key light dominates the picture representing the dark monster residing inside him. The lighting in this show is wonderful for so many other reasons, but I’ll stop with my favorite example. While the show is set in a fabricated reality, the production team does an excellent job making the environment feel realistic. I rarely find myself doubting what is going on even though Dexter is blatant fiction.

Wow that was a lot of writing; this article was a lot longer than I thought it would be. As you can tell, Dexter is my favorite show on television. Dexter is the best show I have ever watched before. I have no favorite episode, because I love them all. The show has not meandered downhill like some people think LOST did in the later seasons. Michael C. Hall is a top-tier actor who brings so much to this uber-complex character. Simply put, I-heart-Dexter.

I want to finish with a question; how do readers think season six will pan out? Some say the season five finale was anti-climatic, but I would argue it leaves the door open for the writers to take Dexter somewhere we have never seen before. Unlike the fourth season finale that left questions to be answered, this upcoming season most likely begins for most without many questions to be asked besides, “What next?”

What Do You Think? Discuss.