Blog 6: Welcome to the Dark Side

What makes serial killers so darn loveable?

This may seem like a ridiculous question but with the success of Showtime network’s hit series "Dexter," its worth asking.

"Dexter," entering its fifth season, follows the life of Dexter Morgan: Blood splatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department by day, ruthless serial killer by night. Fueled by an unquenchable need to kill that began when he was a child, Dexter has learned to direct his cravings in as healthy a way as possible. Unlike the criminals that he helps put behind bars at his day job, Dexter follows a strict code when choosing his victims. He only kills people who are “bad”- cold-blooded killers that have escaped the legal system or managed to avoid it altogether. In short, people like him. Photo courtesy of Showtime.com

On the surface, however, he appears to live an ordinary life. He goes to work, he comes home to a wife and kids (yes, he has both). He makes small talk with his coworkers and drinks beer with his sister Debra. No one has the slightest inkling of the inner workings of his psyche. He is the quintessential antihero, and this quality plays a major role in the show’s success.

The season four finale of "Dexter" drew more than 2.5 million viewers when it premiered in December, breaking network records. That same season the show won two Golden Globes, including Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series for Michael C. Hall’s portrayal of the character that Showtime has coined “America’s Favorite Serial Killer.” The show has spawned an online animated series, iPhone apps, a plethora of fan art and countless fan sites.

As a man with such unsavory after-dusk habits, why are viewers so drawn to the character Dexter Morgan?

The answer is what Dexter refers to as his "Dark Passenger."

Dexter describes his overwhelming urges to kill as being driven by his Dark Passenger, a malevolent shadow of himself that inspires him to do terrible things. It is this shadow that makes the character and show so appealing to such a vast range of people.

"Dexter's Dark Passenger reminds the audience of their own, dark primal urges," says "Dexter" fan and former DVC student Myles McKinnon. "Though society looks down on murder, Dexter's killings often seem justified, which makes the viewer question their own moral beliefs and what the laws of the land deem right and wrong."

It is no great nugget of wisdom that we are all good and we are all evil. The Chinese understood this when drawing up the yin and the yang, showcasing the idea that we are all composed of both light and dark. Robert Bly comments on this concept in his book "A Little Book on the Human Shadow."

“We notice that when sunlight hits the body, the body turns bright, but it throws a shadow, which is dark…Each of us has some part of our personality that is hidden from us.”

Most of us are encouraged from an early age to sweep this part of ourselves under the rug. We are brought up to develop our light side- to be healthy and successful and good. But the dark still exists within us and often surfaces when we least expect it. In contrast, there are some who are fully engulfed by their darkness, like drug addicts or (standard) serial killers.

Dexter is the perfect balance of both. He has learned to embrace and channel his dark side while still functioning in a seemingly healthy and productive way. And while most of us hopefully are not regularly overcome with the desire to kill someone, this series offers valid psychological and philosophical insight. When was the last time you took a long, hard look at your shadow? Perhaps examining and embracing the darker side of our psyche can be a good thing.

However, this naturally raises the question: Can we do both? Can we indulge our Dark Passenger without losing control? I challenge you to consider this prospect. Don’t get me wrong. I am not encouraging anyone to do things that are harmful to themselves or others. But simply acknowledging our less-than-angelic urges can allow for a level of self-acceptance we rarely experience. Try giving it a shot. If all else fails, maybe you’ll get your own TV show out of it.