After a long wait,
Dark Matter is finally ready to make its return with a season premiere of epic proportions. The show spent last season slowly revealing bits of the characters to the audience while also building an expansive and treacherous universe for the crew of the Raza to inhabit. While we still have a lot to learn about the crew and a lot more mysteries to unravel, this episode is about further building the universe the crew inhabits. Don’t fret, because I promise you the characters still are, and always will be, the heart of this show. This episode deals out a lot of information, so be sure to pay attention because some scenes that start off seeming innocent enough turn out to deliver some of the biggest bombshells.
With the crew effectively split up, the divided crewmembers must learn how to adapt and survive without the support of those they’ve come to rely on. Some are more isolated than others but no matter where each crewmember ends up none of them are truly safe. New alliances will be formed and new enemies will be made. With these new faces comes more questions as the crew must, once again, learn who they can and can’t trust. Of particular interest are the newcomers that we know have joined the show as regulars this season. They are both still enigmatic mysteries but we do start to get a feel for both of their personalities.
Nyx Harper, brilliantly played by Melanie Liburd, will become an instant fan favorite. Nyx is a badass warrior who can hold her own in a fight. Her interactions with a couple members of the crew will leave you excitedly waiting to see what happens when she meets the others. I don’t think it’ll be too big of a spoiler to say that she shares some scenes with Melissa O’Neil (Two) and epic isn’t even a strong enough word to describe their interactions. O’Neil and Liburd are poised to do great things together this season if the show keeps pairing them up. I get a distinct feeling there is a deep rich history to this character but, as with every character in this show, we will have to keep watching to see how her story unfolds. Liburd is a brilliant addition to this amazing cast and I look forward to watching her develop Nyx as the season progresses.
We don’t learn much about Devon, played by the talented Shaun Sipos, but we do get a feel for his personality. Of all the prisoners we meet he seems the most out of place. He kind of reminds me of One from last season, meaning that while he may not seem threatening now there is likely an intriguing history just waiting to be revealed to viewers. Sipos doesn’t have much screen time but he takes full advantage of what he is given and will make viewers anxiously waiting to learn more about Devon. Despite the limited screen time, he still makes Devon a fun character to watch. Sipos landed a great part in Devon and I think fans will come to love him as much I believe fans will adore Nyx.
There is no good way to drop any tidbits about the main characters individually without giving away major things. So, I’m just going to provide some broad tidbits that will hopefully tide everyone over until Friday. Being in the custody of the Galactic Authority opens up the crew to dealing with a whole new world of trouble but it also exposes them to a lot of information they wouldn’t have likely found otherwise. Some of the crew learn things about their past lives that they end up wishing they didn’t know. You would think that being in a prison would limit the amount of action in this episode, but this is the crew of the Raza and they are incapable of going anywhere without garnering attention. Look for the crew to partake in a couple of beautifully choreographed and acted action sequences. Several members of the crew will put everything on the line to try and protect their fellow crewmates. Some will make unexpected requests and others will make unexpected decisions. While others will appear to just be out for themselves. At the end of it, all that matters is they are the crew of the Raza and that will forever bond them.
exists within a beautifully crafted universe of corporations and politicians battling for control. This season looks poised to further exploit that story point as this episode introduces viewers to yet another twisted web of plotting against the crew. Nothing is as it seems and to survive the crew will have to figure out how to adapt to the new places they are stuck in. All of these situations give the cast some extraordinary scenes to play and they deliver powerful performances with all the grace and talent we expect from this gifted cast. The shocking endings have returned and the one that caps off this episode will leave jaws agape in stunned shock. It is an ending that I didn’t see coming and an ending that will leave fans anxious for the next episode. This ending, should it be all it seems, is poised to change things forever for the Raza and her crew.
This episode was written by series co-creator Paul Mullie and Directed by sci-fi veteran actress Amanda Tapping. Together, along with this phenomenal cast, they crafted a brilliant season premiere that will leave the audience craving more. After the episode airs this
Friday, July 1st, on Syfy in the US and Space in Canada at 10/9c be sure to return to SpoilerTV for my full review of this episode. For now hit the comments with your thoughts and expectations for this episode.
Here are some quotes to tide you over:
“Is this how you make new friends?”
“You want my help? Seriously?!”
“Well, this is unexpected.”
“When you came out of stasis you had no memory, but you knew the right thing to do because you are who you are.”
“Please don’t tell me you’ve been playing cards this entire time.”
If you need a refresher course for Season 1 be sure to check out my retrospect and get caught up on where we left the characters at the end of last season.
About the Author - Aimee Hicks
Aimee works for a newspaper in North Carolina 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. If the show is sci-fi, fantasy, comic book based, drama, or action the odds are good she watches it or has at least watched a few episodes of it. She also has a love for comedies 2 Broke Girls and Mom. She was the original creator and co-founder of LOST Video Island (lostvideo.net) which is still operating under the management of the very capable and skilled group she turned it over to.
You can email her at aimee@spoilertv.com.
