The first episode of season three opens with Dexter (Michael C. Hall) at the dentist, talking about the “prizes” he won at a carnival this summer, and the “new people” he met. For those who know Dexter, these are euphemisms for the most recent batch of bad people he’s killed.
Life with his girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz) is going smoothly, and her son has just asked Dexter to come to “Dad’s Day” at his school. The only thing that could make life more perfect? A new project.
On his radar is a drug dealer nicknamed “Freebo,” who’s last two girlfriends turned up dead. Dexter goes to his house, pretending to be a junkie so he can check Freebo out. Afterwards he begins to get his new space ready for his upcoming kill.
That evening, Dexter goes to Freebo’s house, but ends up confronting an unexpected man he doesn’t know. A fight ensues and Dexter kills the man, a move that surprises him, as Dexter is not prone to making spontaneous actions. At first he’s proud of himself, even though he’s broken “Harry’s Code,” and killed someone he’s not sure deserved it.
Soon everything hits the fan, as the identity of the man Dexter killed is revealed to be the younger brother of the ADA, Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits). Worse yet, Lieutenant Laguerta (Lauren Velez) is a close family friend, so the entire department is put on the case. Dexter frantically tries to find out information about his victim, Oscar, something to justify breaking the Code.
While Dexter isn’t able to find any dirt on Oscar, his sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) is luckier. She finds information revealing Freebo to be a junkie, which she blurts out a little too loudly when Miguel walks into the room, resulting in her being tossed off the case.
Miguel takes a liking to Dexter after confessing to him that he misses his brother and can’t believe he’s gone. Dexter in turn tells him that he lost his father, and the men share a moment together. Miguel then invites Dexter to Oscar’s Wake, which he attends, despite promising Debra he’d meet up with her for drinks to celebrate Harry’s birthday.
Our Father is directed by Keith Gordon, better known as Arnie from the Stephen King film Christine. Our Father marked the fourth Dexter collaboration between Gordon and writer/producer Tim Schlattmann. A previous episode they worked on together, The Dark Defender, was nominated for a Writer's Guild of America award for Best Episodic Drama.
The season three opener made a strong start. Jennifer Carpenter is always a delight to watch, and she always succeeds in stealing most of the scenes she's in. A surprise at the end - Rita discovering she's pregnant - made it clear that while the chaos of Dexter’s life may have calmed, it is going to be far from boring.
Dexter - "Our Father"
Season 3, Episode 1
Directed By: Keith Gordon
Written By: Clyde Phillips, Scott Reynolds
Starring: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz
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