Dark Matter is a show that usually brightly lives up to the high expectations I have for it with episodes that are usually very tight and well crafted. Unfortunately, this episode tries to cram far too much into a single outting, so instead of a tightly crafted episode, this one can only best be described as somewhat chaotic. That’s not to say it doesn’t have strong moments, because it does, but the episode as a whole doesn’t have that usual magical feel of all of its predecessors. It falters under the burden of being forced to cover too many story points too quickly.
With all that said, this episode does reveal a lot of information as it picks up on multiple story points laid out in previous episodes. The unfortunate part about this episode is that if you break apart all the individual storylines any one of them could have beautifully anchored an episode all by itself. The performers deliver spot-on performances, but this episode suffers from a serious overcrowding problem. This isn’t a horrible episode, far from it, but it’s lacking the usual magic I expect from
Dark Matter. I think in the case of this episode the show needed to take a less is more approach. The show may have been best off dropping some of these revelations and plot points a couple episodes sooner to spread them out more instead of throwing them all into a single episode.
But, like I said, the storylines themselves are solid and beautifully acted. If there were only less of them I would probably be praising this episode instead of being left feeling slightly unsatisfied by it. Enough with the negative, I definitely don't enjoy having to be critical of this show, so let me give you some of the positive. This episode has an incredible guest cast including
Stargate: Atlantis veteran David Hewlett reprising his role as Talbor Calchek. Hewlett brings much-needed levity to this episode. We get to see the Transfer Transit utilized in a way we haven’t seen yet and it's rather cool how they manipulate it to their needs. Nyx and Devon are forced to face their own individual demons with catastrophic consequences. Five gets to shine in a pretty big way as Two and the crew finally let her participate in a mission. The Android has to deal with Talbor, which is actually one of the best parts of the episode. Kudos to the writer for finding a way for David Hewlett and Zoie Palmer to interact because together they are golden. The ending is shocking, but frustrating at the same time.
This episode was written by industry veteran Harley Peyton and directed by famed actor/director Jason Priestley, both of whom did the best they could given the amount of material they were asked to cover. This episode is a small unfortunate blip in a usually flawless series. Almost every series suffers from at least one off episode a season and this just happens to be that one for
Dark Matter. If you go into this episode with appropriate expectations and only want to be entertained then it is a fun romp, but if you go in expecting something as brilliant as the last two episodes you may walk away from it a tiny bit disappointed. Keep in mind that what I didn't like others may adore about this episode, so please watch it and judge it for yourself.
Despite my melancholy preview of this episode, I do still recommend everyone tune in this
Friday, August 12th at 10/9C on Syfy in the US and Space Channel in Canada.
Hit the comments with your hopes for this episode. What do you want to see happen in this episode? Are you excited to see David Hewlett as Talbor again? Are you looking forward to the Transfer Transit being used again?
Here are some quotes to tide you over until Friday:
“Look, we’re here for one of two things: information or revenge.”
“Taking stuff is not going to get rid of your problems.”
“It’s either that or you could travel naked.”
“You’re annoyingly persistent.”
“Blocking something out is no way to move on. I’ve been realizing that myself.”
Here is the final round of animals Joseph Mallozzi used to describe the crew.
The two remaining crewmembers are Two and Four. One was described as a
lion and the other as a
panther. Bragging rights to those that can figure it out. Extra bragging rights to those that can correctly guess his reasoning.
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.
