Dark Matter has produced some truly exceptional episodes, but this was perhaps the most important one of the series to date. This was a complicated story to be told and it was told with such precision that every single aspect flowed together seamlessly. Time loop episodes can go one of two ways, they can fall completely flat or they can be utterly epic. Most simply just fall flat because the writers struggle with how to make all the loops different enough to keep the audience engaged. Then there are those like this one where the writer had a clear image of how it all would play out and molded that idea into one of the very best time loop episodes ever.
This episode was written by Co-Creator/Executive Producer Joseph Mallozzi who has a reputation for being able to pull off episodes like this with such effortlessness that he makes it look easy. That’s the first thing that went right for this exceptional hour and the second was the hilarious duo of Anthony Lemke and Zoie Palmer. The rest of the cast was incredible, as is expected, but those two dominated. Both performers have comedic timing down to a perfect science and have such a rapport with one another that their ability to bounce lines off of each other creates this appearance of silky smooth flow for the dialogue. This winning combo allowed this episode to be fully realized in a way that few similar episodes on any series ever has before.
Starting things off with Three obviously already stuck in the middle of the loop was the right choice as it allowed for the story to kick off immediately. By taking this route there was no unnecessary time spent explaining things that they were able to cover in the core of the story. The mystery of it all is what made it all that more intriguing. There were no clear signs until it was actually spelled out and that was a masterful choice to hold that reveal for as long as they did. The early part of this episode sat firmly on Anthony Lemke’s shoulders and he absolutely knocked every scene out of the park. Three was the catalyst for all the action and for a fair part of the episode he was on his own. Then gradually he got the Android on board with him and when Anthony Lemke and Zoie Palmer are paired up not even the sky is the limit for what they can do. They came at it hard hitting with this perfect blend of seriousness and humor. They did proud by the script they were given.
There were a few different segments of this episode with the early part easily dominated by Three. Towards the middle, it became a duo act between Three and the Android. Then towards the back half, the story became more about the Android. If one were to look deeply into the symbolism of things then there is actually some pretty intriguing symbolic meaning. Three has been living his life in fast-forward until Sarah suddenly reappeared and he was suddenly forced to confront the past that he doesn’t remember and one that frankly seems to scare him. He’s unexpectedly caught dealing with the past which living the same day in reverse is symbolic of. On the side of the Android, she has a past, and while she likely wants to learn more about her origins, her whole story has been about charging forward and trying to change who she is while not losing who she is. Making it all the more symbolic that she was sent spiraling through the future only to learn that she may in fact not be able to change anything despite knowing what is coming. When she destroyed the time device it was also a bit symbolic of her perhaps not accepting the fact that what she saw can’t be changed. The crew is her family and she’ll do everything in her power to try and protect them.
This now puts her in an awkward position, because she knows so much, but what will she ultimately do with it? Will she subject the others to the knowledge of what is coming and the dark days ahead or allow them to just keep living their lives? Future Five made it very clear that a lot of dark days are ahead, but she was also clear that nothing could be done to stop what is coming. Obviously, at some point in the future, the Android does confide in Five regarding what she saw which puts her on the path to sitting alone on the Raza waiting for her old friend to return. We all know Five doesn’t believe in things being set in stone, so it’s almost a guarantee that when she finds out she will do everything in her power to try and find ways to change future events. The question now becomes, can the crew of the Raza overcome fate? Can they beat what is already set in time? Well, they are the crew of the Raza, so never say never with this group. They are one crew that no one should bet against.
While talking about the dark future it’s necessary to take a moment to talk about Future Five. Kudos has to go out to Jodelle Ferland for delivering that stunning performance. The character on the screen was Five, but a very different version of her. The way Ferland chose to portray Future Five brought a certain gravity to the weight of what has been placed on her shoulders throughout the years. Visibly she’s been put through hell, but psychologically she also seems exhausted. It was like she was hanging on just long enough for the Android and her to cross paths then she could sit back and let time consume her. Future Five didn’t have the same optimistic nature of the Five we all know. She told the Android that there was no way to change what is to come, yet there was this certain wistful tone that would indicate that she would love nothing more than for the Android to be able to succeed where they had obviously previously failed. There was still an element of defiance left in her despite the hell she had obviously been through. Also, major props to the wardrobe, make-up and effects teams for making Future Five and Future Android look so beaten but still giving them enough visual edge that they just popped off the screen. If Two could see who those two become she’d certainly feel nothing but pride. Even if she isn’t around in that dark future her legacy lives on through them.
Two played a big part in what happened even if she wasn’t directly involved in any of the time jumping. Once she was convinced of what was going on she was full in to help Three end the cycle he was stuck in while also cleverly using their time advantages to orchestrate Ash’s (Michael Reventar) takedown. The fact she was convinced over and over is a testament to how well she knows her crew because no one would have blamed her for never believing Three. She has so much faith in her crew as was noted when she very clearly stated her faith in Five and her ability to look after herself. That relationship has grown and evolved so beautifully since the start of the series. It’ll be truly interesting to see more of their shared past dived into. We’ve been shown how Portia initially wanted to dismiss Das, but it has been made clear that somewhere in the midst of things the two of them developed some sort of bond. After all, together they somehow have something to do with the Android being the way she is. Something they did possibly contributed to the special being that she is. It has been clear for some time that Two has put a lot of trust in Five and has let her do more of her own thing, but this was one of the first times she plainly stated it in front of Five.
Melissa O’Neil was also a terrific part of the episode as she guided Two through the complicated process of trying to figure out if she should believe Three or not. She got to portray some lighter moments after taking a bit of a dark turn after the events on EOS-7 turned Two a bit broody. This was a nice change of pace for her to have these lighter situations to deal with. They definitely need to throw her more of these lighter situations in order to give Two a bit of a break from all the doom and gloom surrounding her. After finding out what is ahead it seems like this little time loop debacle will be the least of their problems. And since Dwarf Star Technologies was mentioned during the flash-forward sequences it seems like they aren’t done with their prodigy prototype, so things will likely get even more intense for her. While she didn’t get as much to do in this episode she flat out dominated what she was given.
On the topic of convincing the others, all of the sequences where Three was trying to learn French were nothing short of comedy genius. Then there was the very random singing moment that was so hilarious that they had to include it. That seemed way more like Anthony Lemke and Zoie Palmer just goofing around than something that was scripted, but that’s just how good these two performers are. However, to be fair, they were probably goofing around filming these moments because, how could they not?
While there were a ton of great funny moments, there was also a ton of heart, perhaps none more so than between Three and Sarah as he came and went trying to work up the courage to spend any real time with her. Anthony Lemke and Natalie Brown have such poignant chemistry and it was nice to finally see them on screen together again. They bring out this beautiful energy in each other that translates perfectly into their characters. Such a smart choice to have Three come and go so many times as he tried to work through his inner turmoil surrounding the whole situation. Never before has the name of an episode had more meaning seeing as Sarah really does have all the time in the universe. Thanks to the loop Three was able to minimize breaking Sarah’s heart as he struggled to figure out what he wanted out of the whole deal. By the time the loop came to an end and he was able to spend quality time with her he had learned a lot and accepted the reality of the situation. Sarah is in such a hard spot where she is sort of alive, but without a body. Even without a body, Three seems prepared to step up and love her with all of his heart even if he has to travel into a virtual existence to be with her. This is the true meaning of love knowing no bounds. Body or no body and memories or no memories they always find a way back to each other. This may not be a series with major romantic couplings, and it’s actually a better show because of that, but this story between Three and Sarah is the true definition of pure love and it is being beautifully portrayed. The way they found to keep Sarah a part of the story is so smart. This was a really brilliant plan on the part of Five.
Now, here is a curious theory, Five came up with this idea relatively easily, could she have performed something similar before? Could this be a part of the Android’s own origin story? Could she have once been a living breathing human herself? Perhaps she was once a dear friend to Portia and Das then something happened to her that landed her in a life or death situation like Sarah. Something like that would have forced those two to work together to save some part of her and could have led them to acquire and modify an android body to input her consciousness into. That might explain why at some point this season her original name will be revealed. Yes, this theory sounds wild and crazy, but in the world of
Dark Matter, it’s really not all that implausible. No matter, whatever backstory they come up with for the Android is sure to be epic.
This was a character intensive episode with a heavy focus on the main crew, but the newbies played an important part in the story too. Solara’s punch was effectively the reset button and Adrian ultimately getting caught up in the loop really helped to turn the tide in Three’s favor in the department of getting the others to believe him. He even inadvertently discovered the origins of the mysterious loop event that they were stuck in. Not to mention, when it counted, he even tried to help save Three and showed an interesting side to himself. He might be Talbor’s protégée, but he is a tiny bit less selfless than his mentor. Talbor would never have lifted a finger to try and help. If Solara can train him up a bit he might actually turn out to be a pretty decent guy. However, keeping him alive long enough to accomplish that will not be an easy task. A quick note about Mishka Thébaud, the guy is flat out hilarious. He held his own against Anthony Lemke in the snark and humor departments which is no easy task. He made it impossible to not feel a tiny bit bad for Adrian as he was getting repeatedly beaten down by his own bodyguard.
Solara is more than just Adrian’s bodyguard and has become a valuable new addition to the Raza crew. She helped them fight against Ash and also protected Five. She contributed majorly against Ash. The way she fought Ash was hardcore and would have likely greatly impressed Two. And her portrayer, Ayisha Issa, was impressive all in her own right. She got to show off some of her skills in the last episode, but it appeared that a fair portion of the fight sequence between Solara and Ash had the actual performers performing the sequences. Given that Issa is a trained fighter that scene likely wasn't much a stretch for her. Based off what they showed her doing it might be a smart idea to not make her angry in any way shape or form. At least as far as Solara is concerned, her skills could come in very handy as the crew continues to deal with whatever Ryo's next assassins have in mind for them.
As a result of the joint efforts of the crew, Ash is now forever a part of the ship and Ryo’s first assassin failed on a pretty largely epic level. Apparently, bad guys have not gotten the message that messing with the crew of the Raza is a bad idea. And messing with Five is always a horrible idea because it motivates the rest of the crew and never ever ends well for the attacker. Ryo warned them about Five, which shows how much he respects her skills, and after all, he did spend some time training her, so he clearly knows the threat she presents. Two made it very clear how much faith she has in Five. The young warrior might have not been able to hold up against Ash, but then again even Solara struggled to take him down. Major kudos to Five for holding on as long as she did, because the guy was ferocious. She might be young and small, but she’s the fiercest teenager to ever live in space and she did darn good given the circumstances. She definitely is rightfully a part of the Raza family and sadly, if they can’t prevent the future that the Android saw, she will, in fact, be the last member of the family surviving in the end. She has a long tough adventure ahead of her.
This episode put into place so many things and appears to be one of the most important episodes of the series. It laid down a roadmap to a whole slew of things to come and they all sound very epic. The question will now dominate as to if they will be able to prevent the dark future that the Android saw. Ryo’s quest for revenge isn’t tracking very well, but he’ll surely score a couple blows in this civil war going on between him and his former crew. Plus there is the case of the mysterious woman he was talking to at the end of this episode. That beckoned back to the mystery person Alex talked to at Dwarf Star Technologies way back in Season One. The show might be about to deliver some payoff for that long standing story as well. There is the ongoing story between Three and Sarah and how that’ll play out. This series has had some truly exceptional episodes, but this one makes them all pale in comparison. None that have come before have ever been more impactful on the very core of the series. It was a perfect episode from start to finish and is likely to claim the top spot on many favorite episode lists.
Things are just starting to really ramp up, so be sure to watch the next episode when it airs next
Friday, June 30th at 9/8c on SyFy in the US and Space Channel in Canada.
Hit the comments with your thoughts about this episode. Did you think it was epic? What were your favorite parts? Do you think they can find a way to prevent the dark future?
