gets a fucking partner dude. MIGUEL PRADO.

Yeah, that is sort of what's killing the show for me in a nutshell. He gets a partner? That doesn't scan for me at all. Dexter is painted as a sociopath in the first two seasons. He's not supposed to be someone you like. He's not supposed to be some angst ridden vigilante who's just trying to come to terms with conflicting emotions in the wacky situations that life puts him in. I do not want to empathize with Dexter. I have a hundred shows I could watch for that.

Dexter should have focused his efforts on eliminating a catastrophic risk from consideration. Not partnered with it. Same goes with his relationship with Rita. It's gone far beyond a simple cover and I don't understand his motivation for pursuing it. He just loves them all so much? Sweet, sure. Not really plausible for a cold blooded killer.
I reiterate a comment I made on some board a while back. They're turning Dexter into a "nice guy" who just happens to need to kill bad guys. While that fits neatly into a feelgood television world, it's not particularly compelling for me. Now it's just another crime show.

it's more complex than that. dexter is learning that maybe he's not everything harry told him he was. however, on the other hand, harry is always right about the situations he finds himself in. season 3 is great imo.

I agree that this is how they're going with the story, but that doesn't really contradict my statement that they're turning him into a "nice guy." I am not really all that interested in seeing personal growth from Dexter. I don't want a touching story of redemption, where he finds the honorable path. That schtick has been done. I love the Dexter that makes me uncomfortable. I love the show that puts a bad man in bad situations and asks you if you can live with what happens next.

It's not as convenient as a show where you can line up the good guys and the bad guys and have the good guys win and the bad guys die, but I preferred it.

i don't think that's how it's going though. he takes a crazy turn in s3. just keep on watching. the miguel / ramon / dexter dynamic is crazy.

I was a bit disappointed about Doakes' death. I liked the interaction between him and Dexter and would have liked to see it last a couple more seasons. Nonetheless, it was still a kick-ass storyline.

After watching the 3rd season I went back and rewatched the first. It's so funny watching the interactions between Doakes in S1 knowing how Doakes was always right about Dexter, and how Dexter screws him in S2.