The Spool / Reviews
Dark Matter wanders too far before finds a satisfying path
AppleTV+’s newest science fiction offering struggles with pacing between its bracing opener and powerful final two hours.
By: Tim Stevens
GenreDrama Mystery Sci-Fi & Fantasy
NetworkApple TV+ Syfy,
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StudioSony Pictures Television Studios
8.1
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In reviewing Dark Matter, it feels fitting to follow the moral of the show’s story. While it is easy to get lost in forever puzzling over details, the far more useful—and rewarding—path is to take a step back and fully appreciate a thing. There are elements in creator/showrunner Blake Crouch’s adaptation of his own work that do not work, especially concerning pacing. And yet, by the time the credits roll on the final episode, one is largely left satisfied and, perhaps, a bit exhilarated.

The temptation to dwell on each choice at the expense of the larger picture is something Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) knows well. But we’re already getting ahead of ourselves.

Dark Matters begins with the Jason I’ll christen “our Jason” for clarity. Our Jason is a Physics professor living in Chicago with his wife Daniela (Jennifer Connelly), a former artist who now focuses more on the administrative and business sides of art, and their son Charlie (Oakes Fegley). One night, Jason meets up with his friend Ryan (Jimmi Simpson) to celebrate the latter’s academic success. The vibe is strained, with parties seemingly aware that Jason should’ve received the same award, if not over Ryan, then certainly before him.

Dark Matter (AppleTV+)
This masked figure is up to no good. (AppleTV+)

An awkward night becomes a very bad one when Jason leaves the bar. Before he can get home, a masked man attacks him. When he comes to, he’s still in Chicago, but not HIS Chicago. The man that attacked him was also a Jason, another version of himself from an alternate world. This Jason, Jason2, focused on career, not family. As a result, he won that coveted academic honor and invented The Box, a device that helps to push people into superposition.

There, they can open an infinite number of doors leading to an endless number of worlds. In traveling via the box, Jason2 found our Jason and decided to take that life as his own. Now our Jason has no choice but to search the infinite for the place he belongs, aided by psychologist Amanda Lucas (Alice Braga), Jason2’s partner before he decided to run off and be a family man.

Edgerton establishes the emotional stakes well, demonstrating strong chemistry with both Connelly and Braga. His Jasons read differently without wild acting swings. Our Jason is a bit less of a striver and, as shown in a handful of scenes, perhaps a bit overly comfortable in his life. Jason2, by contrast, is pricklier and more impulsive. He believes in perfection and has little tolerance when those around him—his students, the college administration, and his family—don’t live up to that expectation. However, the actor never makes Jason2 outright evil. He’s clearly in the wrong to essentially exile our Jason to the multiverse. He’s often a jerk, even when not outright amoral. On the other hand, he’s also ambitious and appreciative in ways that our Jason stopped being long ago. 

Dark Matter (AppleTV+)
Alice Braga doesn’t have time for your multiverse nonsense. (AppleTV+)

In the final two episodes, Edgerton does struggle some to make the differences between Jasons clear as complications pile up. Still, the series is at its best in those two hours, so the blurring is forgivable. Additionally, one could argue a certain intentionality in the Jasons blending together. 

Dark Matter’s biggest stumbles stem from a seeming desire to show the viewer EVERYTHING and still serve up the series’ well done and appreciated emotional beats. For instance, the show may have benefited from a few fewer visits to damned worlds where no life seemingly existed. It was neat to see a desert Chicago, an underwater Chicago, and a Chicago seemingly at the mercy of Solaris, the Tyrant Sun, but it pulls the pacing. 

It’s admirable Crouch and Co. didn’t ditch emotional stakes to show us so many alternate worlds. Doing both at once is when the show is at its best. Our Jason and Amanda venturing into a world that could potentially be the “right” one only to find a deadly plague or a criminal Jason to ruin their hopes hurts. That’s when the pain and tragedy of the world jumping comes through. That’s why the absolutely desolate Chicagos make for interesting images, but little else. It’s only when they think they have a chance that it truly stings.

Dark Matter (AppleTV+)
Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly compete in the cross-armed, leaning event. (AppleTV+)

It is easy during those flabby moments to write off the show. Episodes 3 and 4, in particular, feel like too much wheel spinning for too little forward momentum. A tighter total runtime would make for a better viewing experience. However, some of what feels extraneous snaps into place as Dark Matter progresses. So much of the early track laying ultimately proves necessary and rewarding, even if it feels a bit long-winded in the moment.

The whole endeavor has the additional advantage of going out at its best. The final two episodes are dramatically taut and emotionally rewarding. The conclusion manages to be both definitive and open-ended, not an easy feat. It’s the rare piece of multiverse storytelling that complicates matters and broadly offers cogent answers to those complications. As a result, if the audience can be like Jason and accept that what one perceives as imperfections often lead to the biggest rewards, Dark Matter satisfies.

Dark Matter enters The Box, and the box that is your television, via AppleTV+ starting on May 8.

GenreDrama Mystery Sci-Fi & Fantasy
NetworkApple TV+ Syfy,
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StudioSony Pictures Television Studios

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