Wildcard

                                                             The Dark Passenger

“I just know there’s something dark in me. I hide it, this dark passenger. He’s all I’ve got. Nothing else could love me.” What part of pop culture could better embody the exiled thematic element than Dexter? The titular character is a blood-lusty serial killer, a blood splatter analyst for Miami Metro Police, and a brand new father. So that he may continue living, Dexter must hide his true self from friends, family, and coworkers. Dexter essentially must exile himself from the public, always in hiding. I compiled video and audio clips from the show to highlight the exile of what he calls his “Dark Passenger.”

Witnessing his mother’s brutal execution as a child, Dexter Morgan grew up internally different than others. His quest for blood kept building as he grew older until, one day, he committed his first murder. Refining his techniques with each subsequent kill, Dexter’s Dark Passenger matured as it continued its hold on him. With his father’s help, Dexter learned to hide his true self from everyone.

In my compilation, the cuts of his voice are of him confessing his exile. “I hide it, the Dark Passenger. He’s all I’ve got.” Dexter’s true self is so far removed from society that the only other person he can trust is the Dark Passenger within him. His tragedy is amplified in this video by the addition of clips from the execution of his mother. In the episode that this appears in, Dexter is brought to this hotel room as a crime scene where blood is spilled everywhere. Spurring his memory, Dexter suddenly remembers his mother’s tragic fate and his witnessing of it. Combined in the video with Dexter’s confessions of his true self, these clips from his childhood highlight the cause and effect of his experiences. Closing the video, Dexter is shown in his natural habitat: awaiting his target in the dark of the night, and striking at the opportune moment. Here in this habitat, Dexter does not have to hide his true self. With a final confession of his Dark Passenger, the viewer completes an understanding of Dexter’s lifelong exile. 

Like the comedian Sarah Silverman or the main characters of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Albert Camus’ The Stranger, Dexter Morgan deeply intrigues us with his outsider nature. Living with the Dark Passenger within him, Dexter’s self is in exile from everyone. Yet even though he is a serial killer, millions of viewers are captured by him. They cheer him on, pushing for another kill that goes unpunished. Perhaps they like to see themselves as strong upholders of justice or as independent thinkers, unswayed by social whims. Whatever the reasoning, we are fascinated by outsiders and the thought of exile. Following the observations of Edward Said, “Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience.” 




Sources for video and audio clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS8FiUl4tbk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toYzUtZdYUk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvZA5-k-aG0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHQYmePy5eE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqcomQsNQmE