Dark Matter and time travel just seem like two things that were meant to be. After tackling the alternate universe last season it seems appropriate that the Blink Drive would take them on another wild journey this season. It wasn’t just a cool adventure, but it was really funny as well. From the very beginning, it was obvious that the tone of this episode was going to be a little bit different from other episodes this season. After going full on ever since the EOS-7 explosion the crew has been through one traumatic experience after another without any time to pause and process what has been going on. This episode gave them that opportunity and allowed the audience to sit back and enjoy the calmer tone. That’s not to say it didn’t have its serious and heartfelt moments because it did, but all the funny moments in between really made this episode something special. Fun bit of trivia, this version of the episode was a last minute substitute for the original episode that fell apart due to scheduling issues. Rest assured, should the show get another season, that episode will very likely still see the light of day. Getting this episode and still hopefully getting to see the original eventually is like having cake and eating it too.
This episode highlighted the essence of what makes
Dark Matter so special. It showed how much all of these characters mean to one another and what they will do to look after each other and protect one another. It also gave some of the characters a chance to show off different sides to themselves. The Android sort of took charge and arranged everything which hilariously involved earning reward points that she was very proud of and sending the others out for groceries. She seemed utterly thrilled to get to assimilate into ancient human culture and experience that way of living. Given her love of cooking, she wasted no time whipping up some tasty treats for the neighborhood party. Two got to take a bit of a step back and just be for once in the peace of a world that didn’t know who they were. She was still responsible for her crew, but with far less known threats in this time, she let her guard drop just a tiny bit. That led to some great moments like the one between Two and Three in the park. Two needed to hear the things Three was telling her and he picked the perfect time to absolve her of the burden that has been weighing on her. Like he said, they all equally carry the responsibility of their failures and successes because they are a team. Quick side note, that sweet adorable dog that won over Two’s heart is Melissa O’Neil’s precious baby named Tehya who proved that talent runs rampant in that family. She also proved that one day the crew needs to indeed get a dog. She’s the captain so she can override Three’s vote on the matter. Then there was Five who got to show off her teenager side and be a little broody and after so long being around people much older than her it was interesting to see her interact with those close to her own age. Three and Six were just their typical selves, but they got a few more relaxed moments themselves. They also learned that Three is really bad in social situations and Six is a pro, though, they probably already knew that.
It’s easy to see why a time with no G.A. or Corporate War would appeal to the crew. While they had modern day authorities to deal with they were pretty easy to ultimately defeat. They got to just exist for a bit and even though they clearly didn’t fit in it was amusing to watch them try to adjust to twenty-first century Earth. It’s quite interesting how badly The Android seemed to want to assimilate into Earth life. She seemed to dive right into it and want to be a part of humanity in a time that doesn’t yet have preconceived notions about androids. To them, she was just a human, albeit slightly odd, but still just human. She was in a place where she could be who she is without even the need of the upgrade. However, she should brush up on her spoiler etiquette should they ever find themselves in 2017 again. While they were there she really should have looked into the future of a certain little SyFy show called
Dark Matter so she could tell all of us how many more seasons we get to enjoy the show for. I think that’s one thing about the future we’d all really like to know right about now.
Between baking and securing living arrangements for the crew she did have her hands a bit full, so she can be forgiven for not taking the time to find that out for us. She also had to assist Five when everyone else managed to get themselves arrested or captured by a rogue scientist from their time. No matter how fierce the Android and Two are they share a similar vulnerability in that they are both vulnerable to being shocked unconscious. That little fault allowed Two to be taken down with Three relatively easily by the professor’s unique anti-theft device. If Two ever gets another nanite upgrade they need to be shock proof. Between their capture and Six’s arrest, it was Five to the rescue again. She proved that no matter the setting she can outsmart and outwit those who mean her friends harm. She and the Android proved once again why they make such an awesome team and it was fun to see a teenager outwit a guy who has figured out time travel. Apparently not even he saw her coming.
His part in the story did allow the crew to come back into possession of a working Blink Drive. It has been a bit perplexing as to how they were going to repair a device that no one even remotely understands. Apparently, all that was needed was for them to track down the creator of the device which wasn’t all that hard given the random fluke of chance that left them in possession of the broken one at the exact moment the professor recalled it. That ultimately landed them six hundred years in the past meaning that the series finally dated itself and is set in the twenty-seventh century. The series has always felt like it took place even further in the future, but this does explain why there are so many familiar elements to their existence. It seems that humans did finally make it to space and brought all of our petty issues with us like corporate drama and corrupt officials. Except now instead of just trying to dominate one planet they are after the domination of the entire universe. What is perhaps the most complicated part of all this is that by way of complicated temporal rules the crew, in fact, created their own future. They inspired the creation of the FTL drive that would seemingly have finally been the last element needed for humans to branch out into the universe leading them all too where they are today. As with any time travel the mechanics of it all was complicated, but what wasn’t complicated was that they were meant to be there. The Raza crew is more important than anyone in existence could possibly know.
Five is perhaps the most important of them all in terms of the part she played in inspiring Jake to tell the tales of space travel that would ultimately give birth to the FTL. Jake was good for Five and it was clear that he was smitten by her. It was very sweet of him to give her the gaming system and games to take back to the future with her. If push comes to shove she might be able to get a pretty penny for that thing as a collector antique or something. Thankfully Five is sentimental and will likely hang onto that device for the rest of her life, especially since she can use it to gain some quality time with the other members of the crew. Two seemed to be enjoying herself playing with Five, though, if one were to bet on the winner it’s safe to say that Five beat Two. Those two didn’t get to spend nearly enough time together in this episode, so it was nice to see them end the hour together bonding over a twenty-first-century game. It was such a simplistic flash of a moment, but still nice to see them hang out without any worries.
While the mass majority of the episode was spent on Earth there were some great scenes on the ship. It was funny to watch Three so concerned about going to the planet. His concerns were fair enough, if any of us were to go back in time six hundred years it would be pretty terrifying to be without all the things we depend on to get through our daily lives. While all those moments were fun it was Three’s scene with Sarah that was the most telling. It was obvious how much he didn’t want to leave her yet he knew that he had to go with the rest of the crew. What is sad is that even she understands it and was urging him to go. She doesn’t want him to be with her simply out of pity and wants him to live his life even if it isn’t with her. She gave him the freedom to find a nice twenty-first-century woman to settle down with yet he held firm to his commitment to her showing just how much he does indeed love her. He seems more determined than ever to find a way to give her a life outside of the computer. They have a truly poignant love story that is portrayed perfectly by Anthony Lemke and Natalie Brown. It’ll be interesting to see if they manage to find a more permanent solution for her current predicament without losing Natalie Brown as a recurring guest star.
This episode was described as Stranger Things meets Back To The Future and it very much felt like the perfect marriage between the two. Zoie Palmer got some of the very best comedic moments including the Android’s hilarious jam out session to modern day music. Jake and his friends felt a lot like the kids from Stranger Things and they even helped Five save the day. An appropriate comparison since both shows have characters that go by numbers as names. Two got absolved of a lot of her burden thanks to Three. Six got to have his fun too with Roger Cross getting some funny moments both at the party and the police station. Three is always a bit of a goofball and Anthony Lemke seemed to up his game in that department finding humor in Three’s awkwardness in the past. The origin of the Blink Drive was finally explained and the crew even took possession of a working one. Five got to take two trips through time. They crammed a lot into this fun adventure through the past. Ryo even made a quick appearance at the very end, but there was nothing funny about that. It looks like Alternate Portia did forge that alliance and has her eyes set on taking down Two and her crew which somehow involves Ryo. Absolutely no good can come from that.
The next episode contains the first of many mind blowing reveals to come in the following weeks. Don’t miss it when it airs next
Friday, August 4th at 9/8c on SyFy in the US and Space in Canada.
Hit the comments with your thoughts about this episode. Did you enjoy their trip to our present day?
At 10:30 pm ET tonight there will a new exclusive interview with Joseph Mallozzi posted on the site. It addresses a few things from this episode and what all of us can do to help get a Season Four of this incredible show. Keep an eye on the site for that. It's a fun read and we will also have one following next week's mind blowing episode. No, seriously, minds will be blown before the next episode even reaches the midway point, it's just that incredible.
