Dexter

Rampling brings her primly authoritative presence and a stern look to the task. Her scenes with Hall crackle with tension.

Charlotte Rampling makes Dr. Evelyn Vogel troubling and vaguely creepy, which probably isn’t what Dexter needs. She also opens up a dialogue on whether a psychopath like Dexter might be part of nature’s deliberate design, the human version of alpha predators. So we’ve got the philosophical and we’ve got the visceral as we count down to the last hours.

Showtime’s favorite psychopath is watching his life unravel. Again. Which is tough for Dexter but probably good for the audience.... Last year, the ship was righted as Deb disintegrated and Dexter found true love. Will this season bring justice, cheap thrills or a violent conclusion? Hopefully, all of the above.

As the pace accelerates and our hideous hero's final reckoning unfolds, I hope the drama can retain the wickedly funny edge that has long made Dexter so bloody good.

Interestingly, Dexter settled into a groove that suggested it could go on for years.... If Dexter regains its eerie footing (and it appears it will), look for it to explode in the final weeks. Sunday's edition says the surprises have just begun.

Dexter's scenes with Vogel and Deb are so electrifying and morbidly juicy that the subplots involving Dexter's co-workers in Miami Metro Homicide seem more than ever like dreary padding.

Sit back, don't think, and expect some good performances--especially by Jennifer Carpenter.

While there are creepy moments--and the show continues to peel away the layers of what makes a monster while questioning whether its protagonist truly is one --Dexter remains well short of the operatic highs it reached in previous cat-and-mouse games between the protag and well-matched foes.