I'm extremely autistic about repo the genetic opera so here's me explaining one of my favorite songs and how it explains so much about the character(Nathan) that's singing it. If you've never seen repo this is probably going to make little sense, but I'll do my best to explain things. Anything quoted is a lyric taken directly from the song. Repo spoilers obv but tried to limit it.
Context: Night surgeon as a whole is a song where basically this evil CEO and his kids try to get Nathan to kill his wives friend by taunting him with the memories of him accidentally killing his wife and describing his role and what he does as a repo man(a man who repossess organs that are not paid off to the company, a very violent and gruesome job). The only reason Nathon is a repo man is because he's getting blackmailed by the CEO who threatens to tell Nathans daughter about Nathan killing her mother.
"Dear Marni, I am so sorry Can you forgive me for this?"->apologizing to Marni, his wife, for the fact he's going to have to repossess her friends' organs(will result in her death).
"Remember who you are"(chorus)->basically means remember you are a repo man who murdered his wife not Nathan
"I remember"(Nathan)->Nathan remembering the killing of his wife and victims
"Remember what you did to Marni"(chorus)->trying to get him to remember and think about when he accidentally killed her
Why do they want him to think about this? Based off the song, what keeps Nathan able and willing to be a repo man isn't just the threat of his daughter finding out the so-called truth of what happened to her mother but also the constant memories of what happened. When Nathans wife was pregnant with their daughter, she had grown very ill and as a Doctor Nathan tried to find a cure, instead he accidentally poisoned her resulting in her death and him having to perform a C-section early to save their daughter. If we dumb down everything that happened it can be summed up as Nathan kills person, Nathan removes something from dead persons body. This is literally what he does as a repo man (except the victim is typically alive at beginning and dies during repossession shhh)...I swear I'm not scraping at nothing here.
"I remember every dying whisper. Every desperate murmur. I remember when I gaze upon her, she looks just like you"(Nathan talking to victim)-> if you listen to the song, you can notice a change in how he sings this part. His voice becomes more strained, more, deep, gravellier and more aggressive. Theres a noticeable shift in his demeanor in the scene. He's comparing the victim to his dead wife, practically seeing them as his wife. Him remembering causes a change wiithin him.
"I remember every time time I hold you. My blunt companion. I remember, I dismember"(Nathan talking to victim)-> What I think is so important about these lyrics and the ones above is that the first two lines can be applied to both the victim and his wife yet again implying that he sees his victims similarly as his wife. The last line shows clearly when Nathan remembers what he did to his wife it results in him doing his work as a repo man.
Being a repo man isn't just a way to keep the truth hidden from his daughter but is also now a fucked up cope for Nathan. There is a mental shift for Nathan when thinking about his wife that in a way puts him back at the scene when he is a repo man. The death of his wife is crucial to his ability to perform repossessions.
The title Night surgeon describes in simple terms what Nathan is, he is a surgeon(he surgically removes organs and is canonically a doctor) and he does it from what we see under the cover night. His title as a "night surgeon" to me hints at the fact that his job as a repo man is almost a separate identity, one he canonically keeps hidden, as though he becomes this surgeon once night. It's this dark part of himself, an alter ego triggered by the haunting memories of what he did to his wife.
Overall, I love this song and Nathans tragic story. If you think I'm reaching with any of this, I don't care. Nathan to me has some personality disorder resulting in his alter ego as a repo man. The killing of his wife has consumed him and become a part of his identity. I hope this wasn't too confusing, if you have any questions please ask and if you have anything to add I'd be delighted to hear.
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