RECAP: Dexter Season 6 Premieres On A Lighter Note

The sixth season of HBO's lovable murderer show, Dexter, returned the show to its funnier — though still dark — roots Sunday night with a premiere that foreshadowed much ado about religion. The playful side of the show, coming after a fifth season full of downers like Dexter's (Michael C. Hall) wife dying, began early on. Viewers were led to believe that Dex had been stabbed and needed medical attention, when really it was just a trap to kill a pair of EMT's who responded to his 9-1-1 call. Nice.

More of the comedic moments came when Dexter found himself to be Mr. Popular at his high school reunion. The reunion is a classic situation for comedies, but on Dexter it's particularly fertile ground for dark humor and revenge violence. Eagerly greeted by his former classmates, Dexter is forced to participate in some activities that most viewers never thought they would see. (“I have no idea what Hammer Time is, or how it differs from regular time.”)

The first episode of the season saw the arrival of Edward James Olmos and Colin Hanks who, we learn later in the episode, seem to think it's God's plan for them to murder a fruit stand worker, disembowel him, and then replace his entrails with baby snakes.

One of the final scenes, before Dexter murders Joe, we see Dex expressing increasing curiosity about religion as he notices Joe's wearing a crucifix and has a Jesus tattoo on his chest. This curiosity, coupled with the earlier scene in which Deb encourages Dexter to allow his son, Harrison, to have opposing views on religion, means we can expect more theological considerations to come into play throughout the rest of the season.

Watch a clip here: