With each passing episode this season, Dark Matter is upping the stakes and changing things around. This was a big one that instituted a lot of change, but it was also a very character driven episode with a heavy focus on Six which allowed Roger Cross to really shine as he took his character through a complicated journey of self-discovery. His performances throughout were full of depth and poignant as he guided Six through a series of tough choices in the name of helping good people out of a tough situation. Cross is an exceptional performer, he always brings his all in every episode, but he poured a little extra something special into this performances this week that made everything feel more heightened. And Four's goodbye scene with the crew was a real heartbreaker. Such a terrific episode for him and he really did some truly exceptional work. This was an intense and shocking episode that seemed to lay down the framework for a lot of things to come.
We were also introduced to some new faces that have temporarily joined up with the team. There is Adrian Maro (Mishka Thébaud) who was supposedly Talbor Calchek’s assistant and his very skilled bodyguard Solara Shockley (Ayisha Issa) who could prove to be an invaluable guest on the Raza with her very impressive resume. It’s not clear how long they’ll be sticking around, but at least Adrian will provide Three with a little male friendship until Six finds his way. Worthy of note is the fact that in most sci-fi type shows, especially space ones, guys usually massively outnumber the women. The fact that it’s the complete opposite on this show is nice to see and a sign of how the genre has become so inclusive. There are female captains now, but that doesn’t diminish how powerful and brave the men are, it just puts everyone on equal footing. And, right now on the Raza, Three is indeed the last man standing from the original six. It’s likely that Adrian will just annoy him to no end, but should he feel the need for a little male bonding at least there is another guy on board. That is if he has any time to spare now that he’s also learned about the sort of resurrection of his lost love Sarah (Natalie Brown). It will be curious to see how Three’s first virtual interaction with Sarah goes. As of the end of this episode, he just seemed to be in complete and utter shock and his reaction was kind of hard to read. Though, to be fair to him, it was a justified reaction given that the fans watching were probably equally as stunned and shocked. We’ve known for a long time that Five is the best engineer and all around tech expert, but this took things to a whole new level. And it might just be a level that Three won’t be able to accept, so things could get more intense before they lighten back up.
While Sarah’s story is very intriguing, this episode felt like it was just a launching point for a much bigger overall storyline. When the Android went into the partition the way they set that up was pretty cool looking. The sanitary white world with the tiny bit of texture was very interesting. If Sarah is sort of setting up her own world in there it’s curious that she would keep it so sterile looking. While it’s possible that the show is going to just have people periodically visit her in the virtual realm, it’s also not out of the realm of possibility that they could find her a body to inhabit.
Dark Matter wouldn’t be the first show to do something like that and it often ends up working out really well. Though, it would be sad to have Sarah but not Natalie Brown. In the few episodes she’s been in she’s done amazing things with this character and given her an incredible amount of depth. Not to mention her impeccable chemistry with Anthony Lemke. Those two have such astonishing chemistry that their scenes together are always magical. That’s the only complaint about this episode, is that those two didn’t share time together on screen. However, it’s obviously coming, and it’s surely going to be awesome. Also, worth noting, this plot line was set up way back in Season One which proves that
Dark Matter has incredible story follow through. It should be exceptionally fun to watch this storyline evolve and see what happens to Sarah.
Even though this was a very intriguing part of the episode the bulk of the activity took place on the mining colony where they thought they were going to retrieve Talbor. Turns out it was actually his assistant that lured them there to rescue him, and believe it or not, Adrian may actually be more annoying than his former boss. That is meant in the best possible way because Thébaud is an absolute genius in this part. He’ll be that extra tiny bit of comedic relief that would normally fall to Three because it seems like Three’s storyline might be taking a more serious path for the next little while as he deals with all the Sarah stuff. It’s also very likely that he’ll annoy Two every bit as much as Talbor did and everyone knows how well that worked out for him. He does seem to have a little bit of a softer side than Talbor as Adrian demonstrated during his chat with Five as they watched over the miners. He’s definitely the kind of guy that will look after himself and let everyone else fend for themselves, but his connections could prove useful and as long as he’s useful Two will keep him around. Though, the moment he becomes useless he could be in trouble, especially with Six not around. Adrian will be completely at her mercy without the buffer that Six often provides to those who cross Two. At least he has Solara, but she seems more inclined to hang with the crew of the Raza than her own boss. That was made quite evident when she ran off and left him when things were just starting to get dangerous. To be honest, no one can really blame her, especially given how awesome the crew is, that she’d want to go out and fight with them.
Speaking of the crew, their reputation definitely proceeds them. The Traugott security detail certainly knew who they were and the miners did as well. By the way, had the security detail been a little more grateful for the Raza’s assistance at the start of the episode then things might have played out a bit differently for them. The crew has built a reputation that makes corporations fear them and regular people adore and respect them, so the guards should have known they would never win in any sort of confrontation with them. However, they almost got away with it because Two’s recent leadership trauma has left her focused on revenge and not wanting to get into any fight that doesn’t directly affect her crew. Lucky for the miners, Six took care of that by getting himself taken hostage, ironically enough trying to save them, and therefore made it personal for Two.
Six has been through a lot throughout the seasons. Ever since they escaped Hyperion-8 he has been on a massive redemption arc and this felt like a really nice next step. Yes, it takes him away from the crew and that sucks, but this gives him time to figure out his place in the grander scheme of things. As Griffin and Kal, Six has always been a good man with a desire to do good. He also has strong leadership skills, so mix that with his desire to try to save everyone and this should ultimately be a good temporary change for him. He’s struggled with understanding his place ever since the betrayal, so being away from the team for a bit might help him refocus and get a grip on things. Six has always been very deliberate in his actions, but at times in this episode he became a bit reckless in the name of trying to do what was right for the miners. It was as if he was trying to make up for what he didn’t do for his own crew when he had a chance to defend them to the G.A., so he’s trying to make up for is mistakes via the miners. After a tense round of negotiating and being taken hostage he seemed to have a bit of an epiphany, and that’s the fact that the miners need him more than the Raza crew does. They have Two while the miners have no one with the experience to lead them the way they need to be led to have any chance at success.
It’s not surprising that he made this choice to stay behind especially after the hugely surprising appearance of The General (Andrew Jackson). For those who don’t remember who he is, he’s the guy that Kal was working undercover to take down when he got caught up in The General’s sinister plan which resulted in Six being an unwilling participant in the deaths of thousands of innocents. That is what led him down the path that ultimately led him to the Raza working undercover to then try to take them down prior to the whole mind wipe happening. The General’s appearance was shocking, and yet another huge reference to another Season One plot point that has been lingering waiting for some resolution. And it’s safe to say that Six’s story with The General got the ultimate resolution as Six took him down permanently. For that moment there was no logic taken into consideration and Six acted purely on instinct. He did the universe a favor by taking down that corrupt awful man, but that once again left a leadership void with the miners that Six almost had to take. From the moment the crew arrived he seemed to feel responsible for them and as such he tried to negotiate for them and tried his best to help them organize in a peaceful way. That last bit obviously failed on a pretty epic level at first, but by the end, they were coming around to his ways. It’ll be quite fascinating to see how this part of the story plays out and how much independent colonies ultimately play into the overall story. Six is going to have his hands full and hopefully Two returns real soon to bring him back home once his mission with the miners is complete.
In the meantime, Two’s going to have her hands equally as full. The Blink Drive may be beyond repair, but Ryo doesn’t know that and he’s gunning for it. In fact, by the end of the episode, after lots of advice, he gathers together an assassin squad to go after his former crewmates. Ryo is, without question, going to be a real pain for the crew. As if that isn’t enough, Two also has her hands full with things going on with her own crew. She’ll have to deal with Three and Five as they navigate the Sarah situation and the Android is becoming more and more independent and self-aware with every episode. All of these things are going to stretch the crew pretty thin. Perhaps, even more than that is Two herself is struggling with everything that has happened recently. When people turn to Three to try and get Two to back down then things really have flipped. She’s a strong leader, but losing Nyx and being at the center of the Corporate War has started to cause her visible distress as she acts out in desperate attempts to keep her own crew safe. There are a lot of things ahead for the crew to face, but they are the crew of the Raza and most importantly they are a family and they will find a way to prevail over whatever the universe throws at them.
They might be dysfunctional at times, but they love each other as much, if not more than if they actually shared blood. They all balance each other out and each has found their home with the crew. Even Five confides to Adrian that she’s one of them despite being so much younger. That is where she belongs, the Raza is where they all belong, which is why it’s a practical guarantee that Six will be drawn to return home sooner than later. Challenging days are ahead, but they will persevere.
This was yet another standout episode of the show and felt a tiny bit like the series premiere in regards to the miner story and was another fun callback to the early days of the series. There were big surprises and some highly unexpected shocks. They have temporarily acquired two new additions to the ship, one of whom seems to be intimately familiar with them because of his time working with Talbor. He dropped several bombshells including two never before mentioned crewmembers. It’s highly unlikely their names were dropped without intent for them to appear at some point, so that should be interesting. Adrian seems to think they met a brutal end at Portia’s hand, but that’d be too easy an out and these writers don’t do easy. So, stick around, because it seems like the adventure is just getting started this season and it’s going to be one epic ride.
If you want a few extra tidbits and teases about this season be sure to head over and read
SpoilerTV’s exclusive interview with Joseph Mallozzi.
Don’t miss the next all new episode of Dark Matter when it airs next
Friday, June 23rd at 9/8c on SyFy in the US and Space Channel in Canada.
Hit the comments with your thoughts about the episode. Do you like the new characters? How long do you think Six will be gone for? What will ultimately happen with Sarah? Can Three handle the idea of her being stuck in a virtual existence? Will he be able to bring himself to visit her?
