Last season ended with Dexter (Michael C. Hall) returning home after slaying the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow) to find his wife (Julie Benz) lying dead in a bathtub full of her own blood -- Trinity's last kill before Dexter put a stop to him. It was easily one of the best season finales last year and left the Showtime antihero, who had become tangled in his own suburban family pseudo-bliss the past two seasons, room to start fresh.
The trailer begins with baby Harrison still wailing in the foreground, while Dexter, in a dreamlike trance, apologizes to his late wife before meeting the cops and his sister outside with three words that will most definitely haunt him throughout all of season five: "It was me." While Dexter struggles with new internal obstacles (guilt, conscience, regret), and the wrath of his accusatory children this year, a co-worker and neighbor suspect the Miami murderer of foul play.
Even without a glimpse of any of season five's guest stars (Julia Stiles, Shawn Hatosy, Jonny Lee Miller, Maria Doyle Kennedy), the series looks as tightly-wound as ever and, fortunately, like the departures of Benz and showrunner Clyde Phillips, will not threaten the Emmy-winning series' addictive appeal.
VERDICT: Sold.