A Look At Dualism

Analyzing Doppelgangers In Modern Media

Month: September 2024

Dexter: The Dark Passenger

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On September 26, 2024

In TV

This past week I finished the first season of Dexter. The show features Michael C. Hall playing the weirdly lovable serial killer as he navigates his life, past, emotions, and identity issues. The basic premise of season 1 of Dexter revolves around the main character, Dexter Morgan, balancing his two lives as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department, and vigilante serial killer, killing only those who have murdered someone before.

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It may seem like Dexter kills other killers as a sick sense of justice, but it is really to redirect his violent urges in the least hurtful way possible. These ideals were presented to him by his foster father Harry Morgan, who could tell what type of person Dexter was, so he taught him a code to follow in order to preserve his life. 

At the beginning of season 1, Dexter thinks himself emotionless, and incapable of feeling for other humans, but as the season progresses, it becomes clear that is not true. Dexter is shown to have love for his foster sister Debra and his girlfriend Rita, who is equally as damaged as him, having been a victim of abuse, and as they become closer to him, it becomes more difficult for him to conceal the other half of his double life. Throughout his whole life, Dexter wears a mask around others to effectively conceal who he really is, but as he grows closer to those around him, he states, “The mask is slipping.” He becomes so comfortable with those around him that his persona begins to crumble.

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Dexter calls this other side to him, his “dark passenger” that follows him wherever he goes. At any point Dexter can fall back into a life of normalcy, but he doesn’t, because something deep down inside of him feels the need to kill. Later in the season, this need is revealed to be caused by trauma Dexter experienced at a very young age, that he blocked out his whole life. This trauma essentially is his dark passenger. It is the thing causing him to kill that he could never see.

SPOILERS: Throughout the season, Dexter and the Miami Police Department are chasing down a serial killer called “The Ice Truck Killer. At the very end of the season, this killer is revealed to be Dexter’s long lost biological brother. Dexter’s brother was affected by the same trauma Dexter experienced, driving him to also become a killer, but he kills innocents. This character, Brian Moser, is a doppelganger of Dexter. He is what would’ve happened to Dexter had he not had his father’s code to live by. Dexter ends up murdering his brother, his only biological family left, killing the hypothetical version of himself

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Dexter Morgan is a very interesting look at the idea of dualism, and trying to balance two lives. It is in Dexter’s nature to kill, but he also has people he loves and wants to protect, and the knowledge that he is a killer would ruin their lives, so he can never let the two lives touch.

  1. Perry, Lauren. Dexter Morgan. 2014. Thought Catalog, https://thought.is/40-alternate-dexter-endings-that-are-considerably-better-than-the-original/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
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  2. Ackerman, Kendra. Dexter and Rita With the Kids. 13 Feb. 2021. ScreenRant, https://screenrant.com/dexter-best-episodes-watch-miss-rita/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
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  3. Fontes, Renan. Picture of Dexter Morgan and Brian Moser. 13 May 2022. ScreenRant, https://screenrant.com/dexter-worst-villains-ranked/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
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Trap: Dual Persona

By

On September 4, 2024

In Film

I recently saw Trap, the newest film from the divisive director M. Night Shyamalan. The Movie stars Josh Harnett playing the serial killer Cooper, as he tries to escape a trap set by the police to catch him. Cooper, also known in the film as “The Butcher”, is a classic suburban dad, bringing his daughter to her favorite artists concert. But he quickly learns that the performance is doubling as an elaborate trap to catch “The Butcher”, whom the police know will be at the concert. As the walls slowly close around Cooper, his double life, and sadistic nature is revealed to the audience.

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Cooper is a vintage example of a double, and the idea of dualism, but what’s under the surface of the character is what makes him so interesting. Despite being a crazed, and bloodthirsty serial killer, Cooper truly and genuinely loves and cares for his wife and children. He’s not the emotionally unavailable serial killer we usually see in media, and this departure from the norm is what makes Cooper a character worth analyzing.

The main conflict of the movie is Cooper being cornered by the police, but the conflict inside Cooper is mainly a desperate need to keep his two lives separate. Yes, Cooper takes pride in his ability to live two completely different lives, but his main motivation to keep them separate is his family. Cooper loves his family, and they are what gives him an identity in his public life. They view him as their loving husband and father, so getting caught would shatter their view of him, and his view of himself, leaving Cooper with no true identity. And this is exactly what happens at the end of the film.

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Cooper gets exposed to his family, and this crushes him. In the first two acts of the movie the audience watches as Cooper seamlessly alternates between his two personas, but in the third act Cooper has lost everything that would identify him as “normal”. After taking a moment to say goodbye to his family, Cooper dives completely off the deep end. He’s no longer calm, cool, and collected. He’s frantic, and the film ends with Cooper escaping police custody.

The character of Cooper is a fascinating look at dualism, and how trying to flip between two personas can crumble oneself, leaving them with no identity. He is also a look at how the idea of dualism can breathe life into a character. Throughout the film, Cooper not only has to deal with escaping the arena filled with police presence, but he also has to scramble to maintain his dual personality. Without this added tension, the film likely wouldn’t work. Ultimately, Cooper is a captivating example of dualism in modern media.

  1. Still of the character Cooper from the film Trap. Raup, Jordan. “Trap.” 18 Apr. 2024. TheFilmStage, https://thefilmstage.com/josh-hartnett-is-caught-in-m-night-shyamalans-trap-in-first-trailer-for-concert-set-thriller/. Accessed 7 Sept. 2024.
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  2. Still of the characters Cooper and Riley from the film Trap. Tenreyro, Tatiana. 10 Aug. 2024. The HollyWood Reporter, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/trap-movie-true-story-operation-flagship-1235968441/. Accessed 8 Sept. 2024.
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