Dark Matter episode 5 review: Jason2 is still boring, but the cliffhanger might make him more interesting

We've officially hit the halfway point of Dark Matter on Apple TV+. Well, almost. There's a total of 9 episodes this season. But we're basically now closer to the end than the start of the show. Unfortunately Jason and Amanda still haven't made it back to his world, but there's some interesting developments that have piqued my interest. Plus, the cliffhanger made me gasp! Here's what happened in Dark Matter episode 5, "Worldless," and what I thought about it.

SPOILERS BELOW

Hello, Blaire

The episode takes us to yet a few more worlds this time around, which makes sense given the title. It was a given that we'll be exploring other realities, and we actually look at three others. The first one is the most interesting to me, which is where Blaire ends up! In previous episodes Leighton and Amanda had mentioned that there were others before Jason2 who went into the Box, but they never returned. Well, now we know the fate of one of them.

Blaire has bene in her alternate universe for three months, and there's these really creepy creatures that swarm and destroy everything. Even though she's living in such a dangerous world right now, she's too scared to go back into the Box to try and get back to her reality. She refuses to go with Jason and Amanda when they end up in this world. What's important about coming across Blaire is a couple of things. The first is answering the question of what happened to those who went into the Box and disappeared? Well, at least we get the answer to that for one person. There's a couple of others whose fates are still unknown.

The second is the realization for Amanda. She's finally starting to see Jason2 for the selfish man he is. Plus, Blaire is a friend, not just a co-worker. So this was important for Amanda's character as she starts to see things more clearly. And perhaps, regret all the work they put into making such an invention. The Box is certainly amazing, but it comes with consequences. And Jason2 knows how to control it but as Amanda says, didn't bother to help teach anyone else. I really liked this scenes and felt they contributed to the story.

Other than Blaire's world, we, and Jason, were hopeful he'd finally made it back for a hot second. But it's not going to be that easy even though Jason and Amanda know how to control the Box now. The two also travel to a virus-filled reality where many people have died, including Jason and Charlie. Daniela is very sick and only has a few hours left. It was so emotional and heartbreaking, it really tugged on my heartstrings. There was also the reality where Jason is Daniela's ex-husband whose supposed to be in prison. And neither she nor Charlie were happy to see him at all. Yikes! Though it's still frustrating, the episode does end on Jason and Amanda on a high note, continuing to try different doors.

Jason2's storyline is still boring, but the cliffhanger has me hooked

If we're being honest, the antagonists of the stories are usually the interesting ones. The ones we love to hate. But when it comes to Jason2 in Dark Matter, he's just really boring if I'm being honest. I'm just not invested in his story at all. I still don't understand what Leighton's role is in this other than getting money from him I guess. It just feels like a bit of a waste of time. I'm hoping something is going to come from this because I just don't see the reason. There's also not much Jason2 and Daniela, which is the more interesting part of this storyline. So that was a disappointment for me.

We're basically halfway through the season right now, and Jason2 is just meh. But, he is smart and I did like that cliffhanger at the end of episode 5. We see just how easily he moves between the worlds, even going back to his own to grab more of the drug that allows for travel to the other realities. Once he's there, he figures out that the Jason he abducted is in the Box and trying to find a way back to his home, Daniela, and Charlie. Of course Jason2 can't have that. And so, he announced to Leighton that he has to seal up the Box in their world! So even if Jason and Amanda do find his reality, he won't be able to get through. Dun, dun, dun.

Grading Dark Matter episode 5

The last couple episodes of the show haven't really hit for me compared to the first two, but episode 5 seems to be getting things back on track. Overall, I liked the pacing of the story, the discoveries Jason and Amanda have made about the other worlds, and the fact that Jason2 might finally become an interesting antagonist. But the story still needs some work. It was smart to meet this version of Blaire who spearheaded the creation of the Box, and seeing the reality she's currently stuck in. This lead to important realizations for Amanda, which she needed to see.

When it comes to Jason2, I just need his storyline to start picking up if he's going to be a more interesting antagonist. Right now the series feels more like a hero's journey home with physical obstacles rather than Jason2 himself being what's in his way. But, that cliffhanger is very promising and has suddenly made Jason2 more interesting. At least for now. We'll see if his character will stay that in the next episode. He's planning on sealing up the Box so Jason can't come back. Will he be able to do it? We'll find out in next week's episode! Episode 5 grade level: B. Be sure you come back next Wednesday as we review episode 6!