Yeah I'm hopeful too.
The funny thing is, even some of the worst episodes are still better than half of the shows on TV these days - but this show is just so capable of a lot more.
A perfect "guideline" would be following the same structure as Breaking Bad - in that there is no structure. It was fine to see Dexter kill bad guy of the week while learning something about himself and chasing the "big bad", but they've opened the series up to so much more now.
Give me Deb putting two and two together. Give me a manhunt for Dexter, who is on the run while still allowing his dark passenger the freedom to stop a killer. Give me something that we haven't seen already.
Sorry guys, end rant.