One of the biggest plot holes Dexter: New Blood introduced was completely ignored by Dexter: Original Sin, three years after the fact. Retroactive continuity changes, or retcons, are no stranger to long-running franchises. After multiple seasons spanning several years, most shows accidentally change something that was previously established at least once. Dexter had been mostly free of retcons for a very long time, until Dexter: New Blood introduced a major plot hole that also changed the franchise's history. However, just three years after New Blood, Dexter: Original Sin has changed it again.

One of the hallmarks of Dexter's killing ritual is his use of a syringe to knock his victims out. While he sometimes puts his victims in a headlock or hits them with something, more often than not he injects a drug directly into their neck. There was even an entire episode of the original series - Dexter season 1, episode 6 - dedicated to explaining how Dexter used a powerful animal tranquilizer called M99. Despite that, however, New Blood changed Dexter's drug to ketamine, and Original Sin just changed it back.

Dexter: Original Sin Ignores New Blood Changing Dexter's "Drug Of Choice" To Ketamine

New Blood Changed Dexter's Drug From M99 To Ketamine, & Original Sin Changed It Back

Near the controversial ending of Dexter: New Blood, Angela Bishop (Julia Jones) deduced that Dexter was the Bay Harbor Butcher. The way she discovered Dexter was a serial killer, however, was a source of massive controversy. Angela found one of Dexter's victims in Iron Lake who had been sedated with ketamine, and she then linked his use of ketamine in New York with the Bay Harbor Butcher's in Miami, where she knew Dexter was from. The only problem is, Dexter used M99 throughout the original series, and New Blood changed it to ketamine to make it possible for Angela to discover his secret.

Since New Blood retroactively changed M99 to ketamine, Original Sin should have kept Dexter using ketamine to fit with the retcon. Instead of keeping New Blood's drug canon, however, Original Sin ignored it and switched back to Dexter using M99. That decision effectively undoes New Blood's retcon, and reaffirms that Dexter had been using M99 the entire time. Though it does make it harder to explain how Angela was able to link Dexter to the Bay Harbor Butcher through ketamine, an entirely different drug, Original Sin's decision has brought more clarity to the franchise as a whole.

Dexter: Original Sin Season 1, Episode 5 Reveals Where Dexter Got The Idea To Use M99 On His Victims

Tanya Martin Explained That M99 Could Tranquilize Horses For Hours

Original Sin didn't just revert to using M99, however, it also gave new insight into how Dexter chose that drug to sedate his victims with. Dexter's boss at Miami Metro, Tanya Martin (Sarah Michelle Gellar), was an avid horse racing fan, and she explained to Dexter that horses were sedated for hours at a time with M99. Dexter had been knocking his victims out with physical force, but since Mad-Dog (Joe Pantoliano) woke up prematurely in Original Sin episode 4, he happily started using the chemical to subdue his victims. It even showed Dexter breaking into a horse stable to steal vials of M99.

There's also another detail that could indicate Original Sin will dive even deeper into Dexter's use of M99. In the original show, Dexter used the alias "Patrick Bateman, M.D." to apply for regular supplies of M99, since it was a substance controlled by the DEA. Dexter's already using Patrick Bateman as an alias in Original Sin, which could be a sign that the show will explain how Dexter was able to counterfeit medical licenses to get M99 more reliably. Even if it doesn't, though, Dexter: Original Sin has seemingly put the M99 vs. ketamine debate to bed, three years after Dexter: New Blood ended.

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  Dexter: Original Sin

  TV-MA

  Crime

  Drama

  

  6/10

  243

  9.4/10

  Release Date

  December 15, 2024

  Network

  Paramount+ with Showtime

  Cast

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    Christian Slater

    Harry Morgan
  • 
    Patrick Gibson

    Dexter Morgan

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  Dexter: Original Sin explores the origins of Dexter Morgan as he transitions from student to serial killer in 1991 Miami. Guided by his father, Dexter channels his dark urges through a moral code while starting a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.

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  Dexter: New Blood

  TV-MA

  Drama

  Crime

  

  7/10

  27

  8.7/10

  Release Date

  2021 - 2022-00-00

  Network

  Showtime

  Showrunner

  Clyde Phillips

  Cast

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    Michael C. Hall

    Dexter Morgan / Jim Lindsay
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    Jack Alcott

    Harrison Morgan

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  Set a decade after his disappearance, Dexter: New Blood follows Dexter Morgan living under a new identity in Iron Lake, New York. Despite his attempts to embrace a peaceful life, unforeseen events in the tight-knit community reignite his Dark enger, challenging his efforts to leave his past behind.

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