Dark Matter returns with one of its most poignant season openers yet. After a long hiatus, the crew of the Raza is back at it and doing their best to survive the horrific explosion that concluded last season. Surviving that explosion is no easy task as it leaves all the characters in some sort of precarious life or death position. It’s those high stakes that make this season premiere stand out above those that came before it. This is more epic than the series premiere and grander than the big escape adventure from last season. Every character is in danger and there is no guarantee that they will all survive. There are some cool battle scenes and powerful heartfelt emotional moments. If the season can keep this tone and energy all season long it could very well go on to become the best one to date.
The premiere is a two-hour event and the story doesn’t let up from the moment the first episode starts to the time the end credits roll on the second episode. There are big surprises and unexpected revelations that encompass this season premiere event. One scene in the first hour will definitely be talked about because of an unexpected moment within it. This moment will certainly raise questions about the underlying feelings one character has for another. If you think you know what this show is going to do next, well, you’re probably very wrong. All of the emotions in these episodes are at a heightened level. Things are personal now and it seems like that fact will heavily dominate this season.
For the first episode, Melissa O’Neil is the dominant emotional force and she turns in her best emotional performances to date. For the second episode, O’Neil still has a prominent hand in driving the emotional tone of the episode, but Jodelle Ferland dives right in and takes Five on quite an intense journey. While the regular cast dominates, as usual, the recurring cast is equally as impressive. Torri Higginson (Commander Truffault) and Ellen Wong (Misaki) along with Jeff Teravainen (Lieutenant Anders) dominate their scenes. These episodes make very strong cases for why these three exceptional performers need to show up way more often this season.
Don’t think for a second that the rest of the main cast has been forgotten. It’s just hard to talk about their parts without giving too much away. Know that Zoie Palmer, Alex Mallari Jr, Roger Cross and Anthony Lemke don’t just deliver outstanding performances, but each of them far exceeds expectations. Take what you are expecting from them and multiply that by a factor of a hundred and you might be semi-close to understanding the level at which these performers are working at in these episodes. They were given exceptionally strong scripts and they did them proud.
Want specifics of these episodes? Well, to do that would be to ruin some terrific surprises. So, for now, just know that what is about to come your way is some of the best material this show has delivered. It is captivating and every moment is on point. Last season was great, but it wasn’t without its faults. Not every episode hit quite on point like the first season did. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t still a fun ride because it certainly was, but did it have room to be a little bit better? Definitely. There were certain aspects that could have been tightened up a bit, but when looking back at the whole season it is obvious what the writers were working towards and Season 3 is the payoff. Last season seemed as though it suffered from a tiny growth spurt that sent it through that awkward stage that nearly every series experiences at some point. But this show came out the other side of that growth spurt in peak shape and ready to remind viewers why
Dark Matter is one of the best space shows on television right now. If the series had to go through those growing pains to reach this point then it was all worth it, because the payoff is better than could have been expected.
It wouldn’t be right to let you leave this preview without at least a couple super tiny tidbits to tide you over. There are multiple life or death situations. One character may be forever altered by their ordeal. Another is showing signs that some big changes may be coming their way this season. A couple unlikely friendships form. Both episodes end on pivotal moments, but the one at the end of the first episode is the most curious. That’s because it doesn’t get any real resolution in the second episode and it’s a pretty big moment that for the time being will remain a bit of a mystery.
It’s obvious that the show refocused coming into this season and these first episodes set a very high bar for the rest of the season to live up to. Can they really pull off the best season yet? If these episodes are any indication of what is to come then the answer is a resounding yes. The writing is very tight and the performers are hitting hard right on point while the graphics are some of the best this show has utilized yet.
Absolutely don’t miss this epic season premiere event when the show returns this
Friday, June 9th at 8/7c on SyFy. Then be sure to return here to SpoilerTV for my in-depth analysis of these episodes.
Here are some quotes from each episode to tide you over:
“Don’t do that. Don’t make her a damsel in distress. She’s a hell of a lot better than that.”
“This is one assist I won’t be calling favors on.”
“Life support…it just shut down.”
“I guess we both learned that doing the right thing isn’t always the right thing to do.”
“Just because you failed doesn’t mean it wasn’t right to try.”
“Smash and grab, it’s just my style.”
“You’re one cold bastard, you know that?!”
“How did I get in here?”
“I have persistently warned every one of the dangers involved.”
“Did you explain this to her?”
Hit the comments with your hopes for this season. What are you excited for? What do you hope will happen this season?
