Dexter: Season 8 Premiere -- A Beautiful Day

Dexter's final season opened at full speed, didn't it? Deb's in hell, where she belongs -- her words, not mine. And Dexter, according to Deb, is lost. She said she finally realized it wasn't she who needed Dexter all those years; it was he who needed her. Now that he doesn't have her, he's spinning like a top careening away from its center.

Any of you who shared my concerns for Deb going into this season are probably feeling the way I am. I knew she was gonna be in trouble, but I had no idea she was gonna be in such a low, low place. She can say what she wants about just doing her job, trying to find Briggs and the jewelry he stole, but that was Deb snorting cocaine and screwing that criminal ... and liking it. She told Dexter she was OK with Briggs. She cried over his dead body. And even though I understood why Dexter killed Briggs, I still hated that Deb had to witness her brother murder someone else. This is not a healthy relationship, friends. Deb put her detective face back on when she was talking to the local PD after she called in the murder, but I don't think she fooled that cop.

So where does Deb go from here? We know that the hitman sent for Briggs saw Deb leave, so the physical danger Dexter tried to protect her from is likely still there. But I think Deb is a bigger danger to herself than any hitman will ever be to her. She told Dexter she didn't care about the danger. I don't think she cares about anything. No ... check that. I don't think she wants to care about anything. And therein lies the conflict. She still does. As she said, she's in hell.

Dexter seems like Dexter. He's even happy LaGuerta's gone because that "solved a lot of problems" in his life. The only piece of Dexter that seems off is Daddy Dexter. He's losing it with Harrison. He blew up at the cute little kid, he left him alone in the car at night in a motel parking lot and almost lost him because of it, and he stained the poor kid's teddy bear with Briggs's blood. (Quite the symbol there, huh?) The innocents in Dexter's life tend to suffer, so it's not surprising that Harrison's turn has come. But it's sad to see and I hope the price he pays for loving Dexter isn't as high as the price his aunt paid ... or, worse yet, the price his mom paid.

One more character worth noting before I go is Dr. Vogel. How interesting is she? I'm excited about her addition to the show. She knows everything, and judging by the preview for next week, endorses Dexter's life choices. The thing is, Dexter doesn't trust her. So we'll be left to judge whether or not he should. I think when killing people is how you spend your free time, the fewer people you trust, the better off everyone is.

Hats off to the Dexter team for the opening of Season 8. I'm into it. Let's see where it takes us.