Our choices always come back to haunt us. Well, at least that’s the case for the characters in Apple TV’s sci-fi thriller Dark Matter. The first season was a kind of Odyssey-like narrative, with our Odysseus, Jason Dessen, desperate to get home after being plucked from his timeline and landing in an alternate version of his life. The second season follows a similar path. Only this time, Jason isn’t the only one champing at the bit to put that blasted Box behind him. Thankfully, the stakes established in Season 1 are stronger than ever in Season 2…so long as you look beyond a few logical holes along the way.
As for those choices, traversing the multiverse finds the core crew grappling with the “what-ifs” of it all. This is easily the most relatable part of the story – who hasn’t envisioned what their life might look like if they had taken the road less (or more) traveled? The emotional fallout from decisions made in Season 1 rears its ugly head in the sophomore season as everyone, particularly Daniela, absorbs how bonkers all this multiverse stuff is.
While this series has never been super heavy on the sci-fi elements, Season 2 leans further into the dramatic aspect of the narrative. It’s not afraid to stop and smell the roses, as it were, letting the cast’s deep character work take center stage. Admittedly, Dark Matter Season 2’s best moments are the slower ones. That’s not to say that the season is devoid of movement. There are some bursts of exciting high-octane action sprinkled throughout, but don’t go into it expecting wall-to-wall fight sequences from beginning to end.
Jennifer Connelly is the usual standout this season. Daniela’s journey is one of grief and, ultimately, anxiety. The stakes are astronomical for the Dessens as they try their level best to find that quiet life in a world free of other Jasons running rampant. What if they run into another Jason? Connelly plays off those stakes well, injecting Daniela with a profoundly relatable, visceral pain. She’s also adept at the microexpression – she can say so much without uttering a word.
Joel Edgerton particularly shines in Episode 5, which is, in itself, a peek behind the curtain at one Jason’s life in another world (I’d compare it to The Magicians‘ “A Life in the Day”). While not quite as strong as Connelly, Edgerton makes each version of Jason, for the most part, feel unique, almost imperceptibly so. The subtleties in each portrayal land just right. Linda Bove appears in Season 2, and she immediately steals the show. I can’t say who she’s playing, but her performance is one for the books. Dayo Okeniyi also knocks it out of the park as Leighton, deftly portraying the character’s ruthless pursuit of an unattainable goal as well as his vulnerabilities.
Without giving too much away, Daniela touches on something in Episode 4 that I think sums up this season pretty succinctly. To paraphrase, it’s that “everyone is trapped in their own little universe.” Despite the idea of the multiverse’s existence and running into different versions of yourself, these characters are lonely, trying to swim to the nearest island in the hope they’ll find the fulfillment they seek in others and their respective meanings of “home.” They grasp at absolute power, praying it’ll make them happy, but even control of advanced technology like the Box can’t heal their self-hatred.
Dark Matter is more interested in what makes humans tick and the sterner stuff we’re made of than in “timey-wimey” sci-fi, which is usually to its benefit. However, sometimes there’s an imbalance between the action and the character-driven storytelling. However, Season 2 digs deeper into these characters to unearth surprising truths and plants its fair share of narrative seeds, which definitely bear fruit if one is patient enough.
Is it any easier to follow all the timeline-hopping and the seemingly endless parade of Jasons? Not really, but you’ll enjoy the compelling performances, Apple TV’s trademark high production values, and the moral quandaries embedded in its core. Dark Matter Season 2 concludes on a cliffhanger that’s equal parts subdued and jaw-dropping (somehow), and it’ll certainly leave you wanting to know what comes next.
- Release Date
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May 7, 2024
- Network
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Apple TV+
- Directors
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Jakob Verbruggen, Alik Sakharov, Roxann Dawson, Logan George
- Writers
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Blake Crouch
