Let's face it. The past few episodes of Dexter have represented trying times for our protagonist. Considering what he's been through — paranoia that the jig was up, letting go of his toys, abject disappointment at the identity of the apparent Ice Truck Killer, complications in his relationship with Rita — it's a wonder he hasn't completely cracked.

"Shrink Wrap" opens in the proverbial "dark and stormy night," with Dexter and Jesus at a crime scene, playfully comparing blood splatters to Rorschach blots. The victim in this case is an obvious suicide, after all, so there's not a lot to investigate. It would be the most horrendous of clichés in lesser hands, but in the case of this episode, it's fitting. The night is where Dexter is most comfortable, and the events of recent episodes have signaled an oncoming storm.

We're not talking a cloudburst here — the horizon is boiling ominously black, and by all indications, Dexter's Miami is potentially in the path of a hurricane of dark motives. And at the eye of the approaching storm is the inevitable showdown between Dexter and the Ice Truck Killer. The problem is, the winds are blowing from every direction imaginable.

First, there's Deb's growing infatuation with Rudy, the doctor who fitted Tucci with crude prosthetics. She even consumnates her relationship with him, and in a post-orgasmic comment , he tells her she brings out "the animal inside"  him. Then there's Paul, Rita's abusive "ex," gradually entrenching himself as the dominant force in her life. In a particularly chilling scene, when he's playing with the kids, he bellows, "Here comes the monster!" Finally, there's LaGuerta, battling the beauracracy of the Miami PD. She knows from her unorthodox interviewing techniques that Perry cannot possibly be the Ice Truck Killer. Still, the DA, sensing a PR opportunity, intends to bring the case to trial.

All these threads are plot points that almost certainly will play significant roles in the final outcome of the season's run. But as tantalizing as they are, they serve as backdrops to the main thrust of "Shrink Wrap." Something about the suicide doesn't feel right to Dexter — the victim was a prominent woman who seemed to have everything going for her, though she did suffer from depression. As he pokes a bit deeper, he discovers a pattern of suicides among high profile women who all were seeing the same shrink, one Dr. Meridian. And while the good doctor appears to be squeaky clean, he doesn't slip below Dexter's predatory radar. But, in accordance with Harry's Code, he has to know for certain that Dr. Meridian is a killer. To get the goods on Meridian, he goes undercover as a new patient.