Dark Matter is firing on all cylinders.
The Sophomore Slump is a real phenomenon, and often, shows slide around aimlessly as they try to recapture the success of their first season while expanding it.
Dark Matter isn’t suffering from anything close.
You would have thought that the possibility was genuine here, since Blake Crouch’s book ended in exactly the same way we saw in Dark Matter Season 1 Episode 9.
Instead, the story has taken on new depths and explored humanity itself in ways I would have never imagined.
If Dark Matter Season 2 Episode 5 lifted the idea to new heights by exploring an unknown Jason and what became of him after he failed the Jason Challenge to keep Daniela’s heart, Dark Matter Season 2 Episode 6 does something similar with the woman who got him there.
Earlier this season, we saw Daniela run past what was her father’s store in her own world. But while he had long since passed, her father in this universe is alive and well.
The fact that this world’s Daniela is also alive and well is just another fact the series needs to work into the narrative.
When she realized how lost she was on Dark Matter Season 2 Episode 4 and left Jason, we didn’t know where she might go, but that store was the only clue we needed.
Daniela is recapturing her soul — what it means to be herself, the art she once held so dear, and who she was before the nightmare of Jason2 descended upon them — at her father’s lakeside property.
This choice tells us that part of her died with him, and who she is with Jason and Charlie still isn’t the entirety of the woman she once was.
The artistic side of this is incredible. The cinematography remains top-notch, and the song choices are always perfectly matched to the moment. Pearl Jam’s Present Tense could have been written exclusively for Dark Matter.
Do you see the way that tree bends? Does it inspire?
Leaning out to catch the sun’s rays…a lesson to be applied…
Are you gettin’ something out of this all encompassing trip?
You can spend your time alone redigesting past regrets oh…
Or you can come to terms and realize
You’re the only one who can forgive yourself oh yeah…
Makes much more sense to live in the present tense…
Have you ideas on how this life ends?
Checked your hands and studied the lines?
Have you the belief that the road ahead ascends off into the light?
Seems that needlessly it’s gettin’ harder
To find an approach and a way to live…
Are we gettin’ something out of this all-encompassing trip?
You can spend your time alone redigesting past regrets, oh…
Or you can come to terms and realize…
You’re the only one who cannot forgive yourself, oh…
A-makes much more sense to live in the present tense…— Pearl Jam’s Present Tense Lyrics
When she walked into her Papa’s arms, I felt it to my core. I can’t imagine how wonderful it would be to see, talk, and hug my father again. That’s the kind of loss that you never get over.
As happy as she was to see him, she was also reticent to open up because she’s not his Daniela. How much has she changed in this world, and would he recognize the difference in her?
Of course he would.
Anybody who loves you completely would see even the littlest nuance. It may take time, and they may try to talk themselves out of the differences, but love gives you unique insight into those you love.
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It’s great to see Gil Birmingham as Gabriel.
For years, we’ve been watching a tighter side of him in the Yellowstone universe and on Marshals, so seeing his softer side is a gentle reminder of his range.
Their relationship is very special, especially because they are not blood relatives.
This bond is forged in something much deeper. The little girl he met was hurting deeply due to her birth father, and when he first looked in her eyes, an old soul stared back at him.
She seems to have gotten her love of art from Gabriel. He recognized her brush strokes. And damn if that wasn’t an attribute after he received a call from Daniela while she was also painting in the yard outside.
I expect we’ll learn more about Daniela, Gabriel, and how their worlds differ when she tells him the truth about being in two places at once.
Daniela isn’t the only one rediscovering lost parts of herself. Jason’s road not traveled was scientific, and his sudden emergence into Jason2’s design has hit the right note; he’s suddenly all in.
I absolutely loved how he explained entanglement to Blair and Eduardo. I have read some books on the topic because I find it so fascinating.
And how can you not love that it gave Blair what she needed to come clean with him about who she was?
More importantly, she didn’t hold any ill will toward him for leaving her behind. In fact, she appreciated it.
This gives Jason someone to bounce ideas around with both scientifically and philosophically, and as much as I love the science behind it, the philosophical side is equally, if not more, interesting.
Jason realized that they may all be finding their way to this world because they are entangled after using the box. Yet Blair gave their decisions more agency when she said, “Maybe we’re drawn to the box by connections that were formed by the choices that we made.”
I’d like to think it’s a little bit of both. We’ve seen enough Jasons to know there is more to it than decisions. Before he exploded into dozens (or more) versions of himself in the box, they’d all made the same decisions up to that point.
That didn’t mean every version of Jason was similarly connected to Daniela and Charlie. It’s confusing to consider and magical, too. How much of our lives is destiny, and how much do we determine? Who knows?
And because two worlds colliding isn’t as fun as three, Blair and Jason also came face-to-face with Leighton, despite her assurances otherwise.
Surrounded by people he once knew in his world and those he had admired from afar, Jason was like a kid who just discovered Santa was alive and he’d been asked to join the family for a discussion about his headquarters at the North Pole.
Blair described it as baby’s first step into the scientific world. Even when his confidence falters, as it does far too often, she propped him up and reminded him he’s got the same hardware as her Jason. He can be whoever he wants.
The same kind of knowing that Daniela and Gabriel shared shone through when Leighton greeted Blair. She didn’t expect him to recognize her.
But when he told her he adopted her cat and loved him when she didn’t return, it was the signal we needed to understand that what they had was much deeper than I had originally thought.
Their friendship was genuine. And when they realized what they had — an impossible connection with multiple versions of friends across universes — it inspired Leighton to show her what he’d been working on.
I did find it fascinating that Leighton wound up in this world because, like Jason and the family, he needed to be free of prying eyes, all too prevalent in our modern world.
Leighton created this world’s first home computer. With his influence, the world will change. It’s inevitable now, more than ever, after that stunning reveal of some kind of Super Box.
With all of this touchy-feely togetherness, would it even be possible for Charlie to steer clear of Max? What better birthday gift than reuniting with his twin, even if it’s not his twin?
We’ve seen the consequences of moving between worlds when you’re not adequately prepared to deal with what you encounter. Now, he’s in the box and attempting to travel on his own for the first time.
With what looks like a Super Box in the same world where Jason is trying to disable one, I have a feeling things may go completely off the rails before the curtains close on Dark Matter Season 2.
Closing out the episode musically was Radiohead’s Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, which someone on Reddit describes as exploring “emotional surrender, the pull of toxic infatuation, and the strange peace that comes from hitting rock bottom.”
Others see it as fear of the unknown and not allowing yourself to become fully immersed in something you love for fear of what could happen.
It’s a perfect bookend to Pearl Jam’s Past Tense.
We only have three episodes remaining in the season.
“What the Universe is Made of” transitioned us to what comes next, when everyone stops being afraid and takes that leap of faith in themselves and in others.
What do you think is coming as the season draws to a close? Was this a worthy follow-up to “Love and Be Loved”?
I love reading your thoughts, so please drop a comment below.
Maybe weigh in on what fascinates you more: the scientific or philosophical side of the Dark Matter discussion, too!
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The post Dark Matter Season 2 Episode 6 Review: What the Universe is Made of appeared first on TV Fanatic.