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For episode 30, see "Dana".
Ladies and gentlemen, I do not know where Dana has gone now. I do hope that we hear from her again.
— Cecil



Former Intern Dana Cardinal is the most often named intern on the show and the longest-appearing intern character. Even before her episode, Cecil is heard calling to her to ask her opinion, mentioning some work she's doing at the station or a cute video she's posted on her Facebook page.

Dana was 22 years old as of 1 April 2014.[1]

History[]

Dana in the Dog Park[]

Main article: Dana In The Dog Park

Dana was attacked by her doppelganger (or perhaps the other way around) and the two fought. Cecil attempted to save her, but either Dana or Dana's double was dead by the time he could reach her. One of the two was found standing over the corpse of the other, clutching a broken stapler as a weapon. [2]

Dana (or her double) continued to work at the station until she got stuck in the Dog Park while on an investigation of the Pyramid [3]. Though she texted Cecil from the Dog Park, telling him that she had made friends with the Man in the Tan Jacket, he was unable to send anything back to her.

Dana in the Desert Otherworld[]

Dana finally found a way out of the Dog Park through a mysterious door. Going through the door took Dana into a strange house, where she discovered John Peters (You know, the farmer) staring at a picture of a window; John Peters couldn't hear or see her, and Dana couldn't touch him. Dana left the house through the door John Peters presumably entered, and soon after, Carlos and his fellow scientists see her exit the House That Doesn't Exist, talking to Cecil on her phone in a conversation later heard as a message, but she passed right through Carlos, implying that she no longer occupied the same dimension or time as the rest of Night Vale. [4]

She managed to hijack the Night Vale broadcast, but was unable to communicate with Cecil himself. She had at this point reached the Blinking Light on the Mountain. She apparently was unsure if she herself was the original Dana or the double. [5]

Later Dana managed to speak directly with Cecil, revealing that she visited a future version of herself, restored to the same dimension and time as the rest of Night Vale, noting that she seems to be someone important in the future. [6] She also revealed that she met Intern Maureen, who had "blinked out" of existence. [7]

She had befriended the masked army, and they were impressed by her ability to survive alone in the empty desert. [8]

She appeared as an apparition along with Carlos in in the Night Vale Community Radio Studio. [9] Later, during the citywide uprising against StrexCorp, she appeared physically in the same studio. The loud pulses coming from Hidden Gorge revealed that she would be the next mayor of Night Vale, despite never being a candidate. [10]

Mayor Cardinal[]

Because Dana was elected mayor despite not being a candidate, the declared candidates (Hiram McDaniels and the Faceless Old Woman) did not accept the results of the election, and attempted a Mayoral Coup.

She has attempted to open up the Dog Park, but ended up cancelling those plans due to the involvement of the City Council.[11]

Mayor Cardinal has attracted controversy due to her plans to help rival city Desert Bluffs with their ongoing economic issues.

For some time, Mayor Cardinal appeared to find the job of mayor stressful and seemed somewhat resentful at being forced into it. [12]

When she became comfortable with her responsibilities, she decided to expand her power by taking direct control over the Vague, Yet Menacing, Government Agency and the Sheriff's Secret Police. This idea was criticized by the City Council, who believed that it was their responsibility to maintain balance in Night Vale politics, by Tamika Flynn, who expressed concerns about granting so much power to the Mayor as one day the office may be won by someone who isn't as well-meaning as Dana, and by Sheriff Sam, who said Dana would get the control over the Secret Police "over their dead body". One person in favor of Dana's plan was Tristan Cortez, who - being imprisoned for robbery and fraud - welcomed any change in Night Vale government. [13]

Around the same time, Dana was reported behaving strangely: demanding local shop owners tell them where she was and monitoring the City Hall with binoculars. When she was approached by a secret parking enforcement officer, she apparently killed him. After this, Dana issued a statement in which she claimed that she wasn't the murderer and that the real culprit was her double. [13]

Dana was forced to go into hiding after her double killed someone, and Sheriff Sam declared that they would arrest any version of Dana they found. Dana stayed in the guest room at Cecil and Carlos's house, until her double threatened to kill Dana's Mother and Brother. Dana confronted her double, who's mission was to kill her to avenge for Dana's murder of her double during The Sandstorm. Dana and her double fought, ending when Dana said proved that she had already suffered enough for killing her double that day, and that she had never forgiven herself. Dana then stepped down from the office of Mayor, declaring that since the Gorge would not pick another candidate, Night Vale would never again have a Mayor. [14]

Personality[]

Dana shows a remarkable talent for survival compared to the other interns, who are often killed on their first mentioned errand. She is a very sweet, kind and polite young woman and is also shown being curious and brave in the face of uncertainty, as well as persevering and resourceful.

Relationships[]

Dana mentions that she has a mother and a brother. She asks Cecil over the phone to tell them that she is safe when she manages to exit the dog park. She seems excited to get to see them again. Her father died of liver cancer when she was five years old. When an alternative reality version of her father arrived in Night Vale through a hole in reality, Dana decided to go with him [15], although she later returned to Night Vale.

She made good friends with The Man in the Tan Jacket during her time in The Dog Park, describing him as being "actually quite nice."

She also seems to have a close friendship with Cecil. They are mentioned as being friends on Facebook and Dana speaks in a fond and familiar manner to him on the phone. Dana is the only Intern Cecil ever shows any long-term concern for.

While in the desert, she became the leader of the masked army and brought them to defend Night Vale against StrexCorp.

Dana seems fond of Carlos, whom she found in the desert. She called him a hero for making plans to get everyone home.

Dana has called Tamika Flynn a hero and an inspiration, although she was disappointed when her own armies got overshadowed by Tamika's militia.

Trivia[]

  • Dana is voiced by actress Jasika Nicole, who is also the voice of the narrator of Alice Isn't Dead, written by Joseph Fink.
  • Intern Vanessa seems to be Dana's Desert Bluffs counterpart.
  • Dana is named after one of Night Vale's earliest fans on Twitter, who impressed the creators with her regular tweets about listening to the series.[16]

References[]

  1. As revealed in "Cookies", on her brother's 33rd birthday she would be 29, but she believed it should have been his 26th birthday.
  2. Episode 19A "The Sandstorm (Part A)"
  3. Episode 20 "Poetry Week"
  4. Episode 30 "Dana"
  5. Episode 41 "WALK"
  6. Episode 44 "Cookies"
  7. Episode 38 "Orange Grove"
  8. Episode 45 "A Story About Them"
  9. Episode 49A "Old Oak Doors Part A"
  10. Episode 49B "Old Oak Doors Part B"
  11. Episode 51 "Rumbling"
  12. Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel
  13. 13.0 13.1 Episode 127 "A Matter of Blood Part 1"
  14. Episode 129 "A Matter of Blood Part 3"
  15. Episode 108 "Cal"
  16. Good Morning Night Vale episode 1 "Good Morning Pilot"
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