By Melissa Girimonte

This review may contain spoilers.

Dexter Morgans life has changed dramatically since becoming a husband and father.   

At the end of last season, Dexter married pregnant girlfriend Rita. Theyre now settled into an idyllic suburban neighborhood with Ritas children Cody and Astor, and the newest addition to the family, baby Harrison. It seems that Dexters new life doesnt agree with him completely, especially a crying baby that keeps him up for days on end.

As a blood spatter analyst with Miami Metro Homicide, a sharp mind is required. While acting as an expert witness in a murder trial, Dexter, in his exhausted haze, brings the wrong information to court. The killer, Benito Gomez, walks free, and Dexter has found his next victim.

Dexter barely has a chance to plan how hes going to take care of Gomez when hes called in to investigate a literal bloodbath -- someone has brutally killed a young woman in a tub.

Debra and Anton are now living together, and she seems to be happy, that is until her former flame, a now retired FBI agent Frank Lundy, re-enters the picture. Lundy is on the trail of a suspected serial killer that has eluded capture, and left a trail of bodies across the country. Hes dubbed The Trinity Killer because his signature is to murder three people in each city he strikes, the first of which is in a bathtub.

On further discovery, Dexter discovers that the identical murder took place in that same bathroom 30 years earlier, making Trinity the most successful serial killer to never have been caught. It appears that Trinity has returned to Miami, and this is the first of three in his current spree.

The Trinity Killer, aka Arthur Mitchell, is revealed to be a very creepy, highly intelligent and meticulously precise killing machine. He also has a serious need for self-punishment, as witnessed in the shower scene where he practically scalds himself following the bathtub murder.

Trinity isnt the only predator terrorizing Miami. Another killer has surfaced, and is targeting tourists; so Dexter and his colleagues will have their work cut out for them as they try to solve these cases.

Dexters true nature has never been more vulnerable to exposure. He is nearly caught by a cop when he falls asleep in his car while pursuing Gomez. When he finally snags Gomez, its probably Dexters most poorly executed killing yet. Exhaustion has made him sloppy.

In this season, Dexter faces his greatest challenge -- balancing suburban family life and fatherhood with the demands of work and heeding the call of his Dark Passenger.

What Worked

Dexters sleep deprivation really adds a new element that weve never seen in previous seasons. Hes gone from being calculated to careless. If falling asleep at the wheel at the end of this episode was any indication of what direction this season is headed, be prepared for many more situations where Dexter could get caught.

Fatherhood has also resulted in some memorable scenes. In a great father/son moment, Dexter confides his true nature to Harrison. My favorite by far has to be Rita phoning Dexter to pick up a prescription for Harrison while Dexters taking care of Benito Gomez. This moment showed how the three very different aspects of Dexters life -- family, work and his compulsion to kill -- have come together to create the perfect storm.

Revealing the identity of The Trinity Killer was a great move. We know what he looks like and his MO, but not much else. It will be exciting to see how his story unfolds, and how Dexter and the Miami Metro team will put the pieces together to find him.

The return of Frank Lundy has sent Debra for a loop, and caused tension between her and Anton. Lundy back on the scene could be problematic for Dexter, too. After all, he nearly revealed Dexter as The Bay Harbour Butcher in Season 2.

What Didnt Work

Debra is still looking into which CI her father had an affair with, but this continuing storyline from last season felt like an afterthought in this episode, and probably the least compelling aspect so far. There needs to be a better way to mesh this with the more interesting arcs this season.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

Dexter stars Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas and John Lithgow. Living the Dream was written by Clyde Phillips and directed by Marcos Siega. Dexter airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.