Dark Matter - Episode 4 - Review: “Dynamic Pairings”

We’ve been insanely spoiled this summer with extraordinary programming, but even in such a crowded landscape Dark Matter shines like a super nova. This series was blessed with writers, directors, and creators of exceptional film and television pedigree. The cast is full of high caliber and well respected actors. Dark Matter even discovered and introduced all of us to the gifted Melissa O’Neill. All of these factors combine to create an outstanding series full of intrigue and surprises.

Last week the series left us with the big last second reveal that One is in fact not Jace Corso, as the original is on a mission to find the Raza. We open the episode with One in deep thought about Two. He can’t shake his feelings for her, or the kiss they shared. It’s becoming increasingly obvious that at some point these two are going to have to deal with the feelings between them.

In the mess hall the crew is preparing for their trip to the space station. They are in desperate need of supplies, repairs, and money to accomplish the former. While those things are practical the crew wants other more personal things like meat, goggles, and red heads. Two is left to deliver the bad news that they have no cash left for any of those things. Three seems to think she skimmed some off of the mining deal, but she reminds him that she was offered more to leave them behind. Why has Three not yet learned to stop questioning Two? She’s bailed them out of far more situations then he has.

Speaking of Three, he offers to try and find a buyer for the weapons. Two is skeptical because he’s been boasting about leaving. He seems convinced that he still plans to leave, but let’s all be honest here, Three wouldn’t know what to do without the others. In a smart move Two assigns One to join Three on the weapons buyer hunt. Neither man seems happy about this decision, but they are at least smart enough to not challenge her on that decision. I must take a minute to comment on how brilliant Anthony is with the sarcastic banter required of Three. He’s brilliant no matter who he’s working opposite, but the best banter definitely occurs when he is up against One or Two as Marc and Melissa have turned bantering with him into an art. As they approach the space station the rest of the crew clear out of the mess hall leaving One and Two alone in a moment of awkwardness.

While they are awaiting approval to dock, One ponders whether or not it is a good idea for them to board the space station given the warrants for their arrests. The Android, always a step ahead, made sure to file false registration papers for the Raza. Three and Six seem equally concerned, but Two is confident that The Android’s plan will work. As is expected, the ship is cleared to dock and they begin their approach.

The crew scatters to get ready and look for things to sell. The Android seems a bit heartbroken, and yes I did just say heartbroken in regards to an android, because she isn’t invited to join them. I’m not sure even she understood the emotion, but ever since they awoke her she’s never really been alone. Even when she was on the space walk she wasn’t alone, and now she is alone and not sure what to do with herself. It was a very subtle look that Zoie used to portray The Android’s feelings, but it did the job to convey the emotion she was trying to process.

Five and Six are trying to find things to sell, but Four isn’t much help as he shuts them out of his room when they inquire if he has anything to contribute. The ring from his box has Four preoccupied and while the others head off to the station he hangs behind.

On the way out One and Three both ask Two why they are being paired together and she tells each of them that she doesn’t trust the other one. It was a rather ingenious way to pit the two guys against each other. The puppy dog eyes One gives Two when he thinks she’s trusting him with a special task was adorable and endearing. The poor guy has it bad for Two and he has no idea how to get past her Fort Knox sized walls. Two seems rather proud of herself for getting the guys to agree to work together.

Once on the station One and Three head off on their mission to get a buyer for the weapons. Two orders Six to get his arm taken care of. I think she’s starting to spend too much time with Three because his sarcasm seems to be rubbing off on her a bit.

Two: “Hey, any crispier and you could serve it with a side of slaw.”

Now that the guys are off doing their own things it’s just Two and Five left to try and sell off their extra goods. The show zeroed in on character and actor chemistry in the premiere and has done a great job of building on those pairings. From this point on the main focus of the episode is on the pairings of One and Three and Two and Five, whom were great choices to carry this episode.

One and Three find themselves in a bar with Three thinking he is better suited to do the talking. Turns out Three is the subtle one in this situation and One is upfront, which was an interesting twist because I was expecting it to be the other way around. It seems like One just wants to get everything done with and end his time with Three as quickly as possible. Can’t really blame him since Three is being his usual jerk like self.

Six finds his way to the space station clinic and it’s good to know that future space age clinics are just as backed up as modern day ones. This clinic is even outfitted with a screen playing an information video. If you didn’t pay attention to these videos during your first watch then I highly recommend going back and watching the clinic clips again, because those videos have some important cloning information in them.

Elsewhere, Two has finally found a buyer for the goods she’s been carrying around. She netted them just enough money for a couple good dinners. Turns out that being around a bunch of older adults hasn’t curbed Five’s natural teenage curiosity as Two realizes she’s wandered off. After a brief moment of worry Two locates her charge watching, and participating, in a shell game. Five helps the guy playing outsmart the game runner and in turn gets a small reward for her efforts.

Two: “How did you do that?”
Five: “I dunno, I think I may have played before.”

With that Two launches a plan to earn them extra cash as she notices a casino. The way Two and Five work together seems as if they have run a similar scheme like this before. They are both skilled in different games and they complement each other in a way only an established team could pull off. I’ve been wondering how Five came to be part of the Raza crew, and the more interactions I see between Two and Five the more I believe her in was through Two. I don’t know if Two found her and took Five under her wing, or if they are somehow related, but their bond is so effortless I can’t help but wonder how long Two has been in Five’s life. They seem to have a commodore that goes beyond the week they’ve known each other.

While Two and Five are trying to earn the crew some cash Three is busy getting smacked by a pretty lady in the bar. One reiterates how much he dislikes being stuck with Three while Three points out that One is going to get someone killed by thinking with his heart and not his head. They are an odd couple, but that is what makes their pairing work so well. With a buyer secured they go off to meet with him.

On the ship, Four is trying to make his exit when The Android stops him. Four wants to do some research, but The Android points out to him that all research can be done on the ship since they are linked to the station. Since Four is the last crew member on board it is a desperate effort by The Android to not be left alone. She tries everything she can to keep him from leaving, but he’s on a mission and not inclined to want to hang out with her. Seriously, who doesn’t want to hang out with Zoie Palmer? You lost a couple cool points here, Four.

The Android: “I also posses psychological and psychiatric subroutines should you feel the need for therapeutic counseling. Are you feeling depressed…lonely?”
Four: “I’m fine, thank you.”
The Android: “I’m at your disposal should you reconsider.”

The Android seemed in need of some counseling more so than Four. Zoie has figured out how to walk this fine line between human and android emotion that allows us to see how much The Anroid is evolving and, dare I say, feeling. Last week was a major step for her in understanding her place within the dynamics of the crew, and this week she wants to be more involved and is being shut out. I think she’s feeling lonely herself, but doesn’t have the base understanding of the emotion to fully understand what she is experiencing. She’s as human, if not more so, than some of her crew mates. I look forward to watching her continued evolution under the skillful touch of Zoie and the talented minds of the writers.

It’s time for the guys to meet with their weapons buyer, but since they are early they take the time to rehash the question of who is guilty of stealing their memories. They both have valid points about why the other is guilty, but their debate is interrupted when they are locked in the room and gassed into unconsciousness. Turns out trusting a random bartender was a bad idea. The door opens to reveal a masked figure standing over them.

The guys wakeup bound together which does nothing to help the mood of either man. They try to hatch a plan to get free, but they do not work very well in sync and end up toppling over. So, maybe Two needs to have some team building exercises on board before the next space station adventure.

In the casino Two is looking to capitalize on Five’s gift for games. They wander around until Five has a feeling about one of the tables. Two has come to trust Five’s feelings so she lays down some money to buy Five into the game. This is definitely not the first time these two have been in a casino together.

Four is trying to find information about his ring only to learn that it is a genuine ring passed down among a royal clan line. The pawn shop owner seems genuinely terrified when he realizes the ring is an original and closes up shop before Four can get any more information. Well, that was a curious encounter.

Six is still patiently waiting at the clinic to be seen. Yeah, wait time to a see doctor does not appear to have improved at all. He is watching an infomercial that is playing in the waiting room about a new deep space cyro system. It works by taking the memories of a person and using their DNA to create a clone that will serve as their surrogate at a destination of their choice for up to seventy-two hours. After that time frame the clone goes to a biofacility to be disposed of, but not before transferring the memories back to the original. The show didn’t spend the time making that a focus of this scene, or spending production dollars, to produce it for no reason. That infomercial is an important piece of information and I believe a clue as to what happened to the crew. Remember this because I’d bet good money on us encountering one of these facilities in the future. Is this crew rogue clones? Did they somehow surpass past their best by date? Are they originals who have had their memories wiped and not returned? Could Five’s understanding of them being “dangerous” be because they are clones that have become self aware and able to survive longer? Has Orphan Black ruined me? Just the mention of clones sets off a multitude of possible conspiracy theories. Whatever the purpose of the infomercial was it now has me really eager to learn more about clones in the Dark Matter universe. Six seems really intrigued by the technology, and so am I.

Back in the casino, Five is struggling with this game, but Two seems to have a natural understanding of it. I think Five’s feeling about this table was for Two as she sits down and dominates the game. Yeah, that settles it; these two have been casino hoping before because they are too natural at this to not have a history. Turns out Two is quite the card shark.

In captivity, One and Three are now in a worse place then they were before as they are stuck on the floor from their previously failed plan. After some banter Three finally confesses that he wasn’t planning on leaving after all. That doesn’t do him much good if they can’t get out of the mess they’ve gotten themselves into. The door opens to reveal Jace, who is just a little curious as to why One possesses his face. It’s a very good question that we’d all like the answer to. So, who is One? Is he a clone? Did someone get surgery to look just like Jace? Why did One, before he was One, go through so much effort to infiltrate the Raza crew? Jace has all the same questions, but One can’t answer them as he has no memory of who he was before. Three is over this two faced situation and just wants to be cut lose so One and Jace can work out their issues. Jace isn’t an idiot, so for now Three stays put.

Six is still waiting to be seen by the doctor, but his patience is waning. Health care is as top notch and time effective as ever on this space station.

Two is busy in the casino cleaning out the table she is at. Five looks nervous, but Two is in charge of the situation as she wins another round. However, all of her winning has garnered them some unwanted attention from the proprietor of the casino. They are forcibly removed from the table and taken to a back room.

After Four’s failed attempts to acquire information on the space station he does what The Android suggested in the first place, he turns to the data hub in his room. He doesn’t get much screen time this week, but this show is great at optimizing story and they have made every interaction, no matter how small, very important for all the characters.

We learn that the real Jace Corso was recruited to join the crew of “the legendary Raza” for the mining mission. Before he could join up with them his safe house location was given up to the Galactic Authorities and he barely got away. He has been trying to catch up with the Raza to ensure his reputation isn’t tarnished by missing the rendezvous with them. He was surprised to find out that surveillance footage showed him boarding the ship. Ever since he saw that footage he has been trying to track down the ship and his look alike to get answers.

When Jace starts to zap them both with an electric shock stick Three caves and tries to make a deal with him. He tells Jace to take the weapons that are on board the Raza and sell them, and he doesn’t even have to cut them in for any profit as long as he’s cut loose. Jace likes the idea, but instead of cutting Three loose he decides to make his own arrangements for procuring them. As is to be expected, One is none too happy with Three trying to sell him out and costing them the weapons.

Two has apparently been counting cards, not necessarily cheating, but the casino doesn’t like that she’s winning so much money, so they are going to call it cheating as an excuse to get rid of her. Two isn’t leaving without her money and when the guy tells her she doesn’t have a choice her first instinct is to look over and check on Five. It was a meaningful look of contemplation as she weighed the risk to her young companion if she took action. Five for her part looks terrified, but she’s dealt with a lot lately and I think she has confidence in Two to get them out of this mess.

On board the Raza, Jace has obtained the weapons and is taking them from the ship when he encounters The Android. She quizzes him about the buyer and the amount they’ve been purchased for, but she doesn’t seem to realize she’s not talking to One. She does notice Jace’s hair is different than One’s, but besides complimenting it she doesn’t put two and two together.

The Android: “You’ve done something new with your hair. It suits you.”

I think The Android is just so desperate for companionship that she’s dropped her guard a bit. About now I’m betting everyone on the space station wishes she was with them.

This is the moment when Two and Five face a crossroads in their relationship. When Five stands up for Two and says they weren’t cheating the guy smacks Five. In an instant something snaps in Two. Melissa did a great job in this moment as this dark and focused look overcame her face and you could see the switch flip as Two went into some dark and vicious primal mode. She went at these guys with the ferocity of a mother protecting her child. This was more than a captain protecting a crew member and maybe even more than a big sister protecting a little sister. Two’s reaction was truly primal and completely instinctual. She takes the guys out without a second thought as she takes them down with a fire in her eyes.

When the fight is over, and all the men apparently dead or dying, Two surveys the room. She looks as shocked as Five does as she realizes what she just did. I think, and this is just my theory, that we witnessed a latent memory of Portia slip through. The woman protecting Five was not Two as we’ve come to know her. I believe, for this brief moment, Portia was able to fight through the memory loss and take charge of her body. Five is important to Portia, and while we don’t know why, we did get to see what Portia, and Two for that matter, is willing to do to protect Five. At the end of the fight Two staggered and seemed to be off balance, which is unusual for someone so in control of her movements. The look of rage was gone and replaced by confusion, and I think it was in that moment the Two we’ve come to know returned.

Last week I wondered if Five had a history with the crew or if she was a stowaway, but for me this episode has affirmed that she’s been with this crew, or at least Two, for quite some time. While Five’s prior self has likely witnessed Portia’s fierce and dark side before this version of Five has not. She looks terrified of Two, which is sad because they have been working together so effortlessly since the premiere. For Two’s part she looks terrified of herself as well. She takes a deep breath to center herself then she grabs Five and they make a hasty exit.

Still restrained, Three thinks this is a good time to accuse One of being the one to wipe their memories. In Three’s defense, yes I did just say that, that odds are rapidly swaying One’s way. However, I think it would be too obvious for One to be the memory wiper, but I’m not ruling him out as a suspect. While Three is busy making accusations One is devising a plan to get them free. Three doesn’t like One’s plan, but after One points out that Jace is likely to come back and kill them Three is suddenly on board for One’s escape plan. They will have to work together, which is not easy for these two men. One comes up with a plan to use the shock stick to weaken the wire restraining them. To get to it they have to shift, together, across the room. I was expecting some argument from Three, but he surprisingly goes along with One. I guess pending death is a great reason to work with your frenemy.

While the others are trying to escape the station, Six finally gets his arm looked at. The doctor takes a DNA sample to generate a skin graft. When he sits back at his computer we see that the computer flagged the doctor to alert him that Six is a wanted criminal. He pushes a panic button and goes about treating Six while he waits for help.

One and Three finally get to the shock stick, but when it lands on the ground the two men have to work together to retrieve it. Once they are on the ground One wastes no time shocking them to get free. Three doesn’t seem all that into pain, but One seems to have a decent tolerance for it. Again this was a reversal of what I was expecting as I thought for sure Three would be better with pain.

Luckily Six is not an idiot and he realizes the doctor is on to him. With his arm bandaged he uses the needle, the doctor intended for him, and knocks the good doctor out. He sees the doctor’s computer and realizes that he was flagged for apprehension. Now Six is too on a mission to escape the station.

Two, Five, and Six all make it back to the ship at the same time. They have to get away from the station before their deeds are found out, but One and Three are still not back. While The Android is inclined to leave them behind Two isn’t. Four thinks they probably took the profits for the weapons and left, but while Two believes Three would do that she knows One wouldn’t. Besides that she doesn’t think Three really intended to abandon the crew. It’s a good character moment for Two as she shows how well she knows her crew.

Four: “Three made it clear that he intended to go his own way.”
Two: “He’s all talk, besides if he was actually going to leave he would have made a bigger deal about it. Subtle he is not.”

While Two is arguing to wait for them, One and Three are still struggling to get free. Three doesn’t like this plan, but One understands the urgency so he ignores his companion, which is a good thing because Jace has sold the weapons and is on his way back to kill them.

Two does not want to leave without them. That is until the alarms sound on the station and she has no choice but to give the order. Luckily, the two men make it back just in time and rejoin their crew. Two wants to know why they weren’t responding to her, and when One struggles to explain Three comes to his rescue and tells the crew an exaggerate version of what happened.

Now One is forced to confront Three about what happened and why he cover for him. Three has been looking for someone to work with him and support his decisions, and blackmail is as good a motivator as any. He gets in One’s head and makes him think the crew will turn on him if they know about Jace. This ought to provide some nice drama for One’s connection to Two.

Three: “From here on in we agree to agree.”

It’s now Two’s turn to try and deal with the events that happened on the space station. She finds Five in the mess hall and tries to talk to her about things. Five looks afraid of Two and has no interest in talking about the bloody fight she witnessed. She makes a quick exit and leaves Two to have to process the situation on her own. Two seems a bit hurt to be brushed off by Five, but she doesn’t have time to process the failed conversation as Six sits down to discuss their failures of the day. The only thing they got out of that stop was some fuel and everything else they lost or had confiscated. They also failed at the opportunity to learn anything about their pasts.

Six: “So, bottom line, we’re worse off than we were twenty-four hours ago.”

Well that’s not entirely true, Four did do some research, but what he found isn’t what he had hoped for. He is the son of a murdered emperor, sound familiar? He is also on the run for the murder of said emperor, sound familiar again? I think the show just gave us the identity of the owner of Five’s dream from the premiere. This is kind of surprising, because I truly believed Two was going to be revealed as the royal member of the crew. It wasn’t as big an ending as last week, but it was still an interesting, and frustrating, place to leave us for another week.

I can’t review this episode and not commend Marc Bendavid, Anthony Lemke, Melissa O’Neil, and Jodelle Ferland for their outstanding performances. Marc and Anthony are great scene partners because they have perfect timing to bounce the insults and sarcasm off of each other. It is fun to watch this odd couple have to work together. Melissa and Jodelle so effortlessly portray a very sisterly relationship, even though Two is starting to display motherly tendencies towards her. When working together Melissa always takes a very protective stance around Jodelle and I don’t know if that is by direction or just Melissa playing with the dynamic between her character and Five. Either way it does a lot to tell us about the past Two and Five may have together. Two is definitely a protective over Five and I look forward to finding out their connection. Two’s training scene from last week setup the fight this week, and Melissa showed us all, yet again, why messing with her would be a horrible idea. The stunt department did an amazing job choreographing that fight scene and Melissa nailed it. Amazing work was done by the whole cast this week, but these four were major standouts.

We got to learn about space station life this week and it’s quite a chaotic, yet familiar, environment. It should be interesting to watch how things differ on other stations and how they may be the same. We got another big reveal at the end of the episode and learned a lot about clones in this world. What does everyone think about these revelations? Are the crew clones gone rogue? Why was it so important for One to join the Raza crew? Do you think we got to meet Portia this week during Two’s fight? What do you think Two and Five’s past relationship was? Are they sisters? Did Two find Five and offer her protection? Why was Six flagged by the space station when half the people there were probably criminals too? This show demands theorizing, so join me in wondering what may be ahead for the crew of the Raza. This episode left us with many questions, so let us help each other through this long week wait until the next episode.

Lindsey will be back to take over the reviews next week, so give her a big welcome back and be sure to check out her review of the next episode. I’ll be back with a preview at the next available opportunity. Until then be sure to watch Dark Matter every Friday night at 10pm on SyFy then return to SpoilerTV for a detailed review.

Hit the comments with your questions and theories. Maybe one of us can guess the future correctly.

About the Author - Aimee Hicks

Aimee works for a local newspaper and has a BA in Broadcasting and Cinema. She has been a TV lover since before she really understood what TV was. She has a long list of shows that she loves to watch and can be found on twitter (@ahicks83) live tweeting about each new episode whenever she can. A list of her favorite shows includes (but is not limited to) the following: 12 Monkeys, Orphan Black, Outlander, Chasing Life, Scorpion, The 100, The Night Shift, Bitten, Black Sails, 2 Broke Girls, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Continuum, Lost Girl, Faking It, Falling Skies, Finding Carter, Once Upon A Time, Orange Is The New Black, Switched At Birth, The Fosters, The Flash, The Originals, Teen Wolf, Under The Dome, & Z Nation. The upcoming shows she is most excited about are: Supergirl, Dark Matter, UnReal, Blindspot, Lucifer, Legends of Tomorrow, Stitchers, Recovery Road, Shadowhunters, Quantico, Code Black, Heartbreaker, and Chicago Med. She has a large and passionate dislike of ""reality"" TV, espeically ""reality"" dating shows, but has a weakness for Americas Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance. But those two don't really count as ""reality"" shows, at least that's how she justifies those guilty pleasures. She was the original creator and co-founder of LOST Video Island (lostvideo.net) which is still operting under the management of the very capable and skilled group she turned it over to.

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