Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Resurrection season 1, episode 3.After just three episodes,Dexter: Resurrectionhas already fixed the most divisive retcons fromDexter: New Blood. Though it’s a direct continuation of theending ofNew Blood,Dexter: Resurrectionis a very different show from its predecessor.Resurrectionhas already moved away fromNew Blood’s darker tone, its rural setting, and most of the consequences of Dexter’s actions.
Most ofResurrection’s changes toNew Bloodhave actually proven quite successful.Resurrectionopened to an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score, it’s already at the top of Paramount+’s streaming charts, and it’s a success by almost every metric. One ofResurrection’s biggest changes focuses on a very controversial retconNew Bloodmade, and it outright undoes the earlier show’s decision.
Dexter: Resurrection Corrects New Blood’s M99/Ketamine Retcon
Original Sin Already Moved Back To M99, But Resurrection Doubles Down On Ignoring New Blood
InDexter: New Blood, Angela Bishop (Julia Jones) discovers Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher. The way she did that, however, was controversial.Dexter used ketamine on one of his victims, Angela then Googled “ketamine Miami homicide,” saw results claiming that the Bay Harbor Butcher used ketamine, and turned her suspicions to Dexter. However, Dexter used M99 or etorphine inDexter, not ketamine.
New Blood’s ketamine/M99 retconwas divisive at the time, mainly because it felt a bit too convenient a way to blow Dexter’s cover. Eventually,Dexter: Original Sinactually undid the ketamine retconand showed that Dexter had in fact been using M99 since the start. Now,Dexter: Resurrectionhas followedOriginal Sin’s lead and confirmed that Dexter is back to using M99, not ketamine.
Resurrectionactually went a step further thanOriginal Sinand reinforced the fact that Dexter was always using etorphine.Dexter ordered more M99 through his fake veterinary license, and the operator who took his call remembered him from his days at Miami Metro. The overwhelming consensus is now that Dexter always used M99, not ketamine, and thatNew Bloodwas an isolated mistake.
There is still a way to explain how Angela was able to connect Dexter to the Bay Harbor Butcher case inNew Blood. Ketamine and etorphine, while distinctly different, are both used as sedatives.It’s entirely possible Angela was just reading civilian posts about the Bay Harbor Butcher case, and they incorrectly assumed Dexter was using ketamine.
Why Dexter Uses “Patrick Bateman” As An Alias To Buy M99
M99 Is A Controlled Substance, So Dexter Uses His Favorite Fictional Serial Killer As An Alias
Another interesting part of Dexter buying his etorphine was the alias he used.The operator referred to Dexter as Dr. Bateman, and Dexter remarked that he was using Patrick Bateman as his name. It may not be immediately obvious why Dexter used an alias, but the name he did use has a long history with theDexterfranchise.
M99 is a controlled substance that’s only approved for veterinary use, so it’s only sold to people with a veterinarian’s license who are on a list of buyers. Dexter knew that, and he knew he needed an alias to avoid suspicion.Dexter picked Patrick Bateman as his pseudonym because of the fictional serial killer inAmerican Psycho, whom he idolized.
Dexter’s history with the name Patrick Batemangoes back farther than that, however.We know fromOriginal Sinthat Dexter read Bret Easton Elis’American Psychonovel when it came out, and he even got Vince Masuka to make him a fake driver’s license with the name. He would later use the same name to buy M99, as shown inDexterseason 1.
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It’s never explicitly stated why Dexter uses Patrick Bateman as his alias so often, but it’s fairly easy to intuit.Dexter was obsessed with both real and fictional serial killers as a teenager, andAmerican Psychomust have felt like the closest he ever got to talking to someone like him. Using Bateman as his alias is an homage to a book he loved dearly, andDexter: Resurrectionis still using it today.
Dexter: Resurrection
Cast
Dexter: Resurrection follows Dexter Morgan as he awakens from a coma to discover his son, Harrison, missing. His search leads him to New York City, where he confronts his past and the challenges posed by Miami Metro’s Angel Batista, as father and son face their shared darkness.
Dexter: New Blood
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 Passenger, challenging his efforts to leave his past behind.
