Watching Dexter (Michael C. Hall) partake in a neighborhood barbecue, one of the great suburban rituals, is odd and freshly humorous. He tries so hard to blend in, to be “one of the guys,” but it just comes off as an awkward mess. And this is just one of the many reasons I love Dexter. Another reason? The fact that he takes it upon himself to catch the vandal that is terrorizing his clean suburban neighborhood with graffiti and smashed mailboxes so that he can nip things like neighborhood patrols in the bud.

Poor Dexter has been caught by Rita (Julie Benz) in another lie, and he is now stuck with her as his chauffeur. Anyone who has been in a long-term relationship can relate with how Dexter gets annoyed by Rita’s sunshiny attitude in the mornings and refusal to stop so he can grab a cup of coffee.

We get to follow the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow) on his second kill, forcing a mother to commit suicide. It’s a sick, disturbing scene that ends with a grisly thud as the mother of two hits the pavement below and our newest serial killer looks at his victim’s body with a mixture of pleasure and grief. We’re also given the inside look to one of his many bizarre rituals: placing a smear of ashes (who we can guess are the cremated remains of his wife or mother) next to his victim.

Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) and Lundy (Keith Carradine) continue to flesh out their theories regarding the Trinity Killer…and the whole time, their history continues to slap us in the face with each stilted conversation flowing over with sexual tension. And of all people, who helps Deb deal with the awkwardness? Vince Masuka (C.S. Lee), the station’s pervert.

Meanwhile, Angel (David Zayas) and Maria (Lauren Velez) continue their love affair without raising any suspicions as they try to solve the Vacation Murders cases.

With this much going on in Dexter-land, it’s enough to keep devoted viewers like me drooling at the mouth waiting for next week’s episode.