Dexter - Season One

I actually finished the first season a few weeks ago, but now that the TV season is winding down I'll be discussing some TV shows on DVD. I have to admit that while I enjoyed the first two episodes, they hadn't really hooked me (probably why it took nearly a year for me to come back and finish the season). As for now I can say that I am hooked. I think it happened during the episode "Return to Sender", my favourite of the first twelve, where the ice truck killer fetches one of Dexter's victims from the ocean floor and places it back at the crime scene for the cops to find, and Dexter very nearly is caught because of it. The tension just made for an awesome hour of television, and then the episodes following it just suddenly became more gripping. I even enjoyed Rita's story arc, as she became likable and I applauded her moments of strength because of her inversely disappointing moments of weakness when she falls prey to her ex-husband Paul's aggressive persuasion. However I still dislike Laguerta (don't think I mentioned that in the earlier post), and I don't feel that she became more sympathetic at all, though I can at least admit that the captain was cold to her toward the last episodes. But I do have much appreciation for the comic stylings of Doakes and Masuka (the former for his artful pronunciation of swear words, and the latter for his inappropriate and perverted comments). And finally, I mentioned before that I got spoiled regarding the ice truck killer's identity, but really it had no effect on my enjoyment of the season. What I heard was the reason for the ice truck killer's targeting of Dexter, not his exact identity, and I correctly guessed who it was before the reveal anyway, so it didn't matter. But I like the implication in the final episode that Dexter is slightly more than just Harry's code. It makes him easier to root for, even though I was already doing it.