If you've been following my Dark Matter reviews every week (check out a link to them all at the end of this post!), I've made it no secret that I'm not a fan of Jason2. And it's not just because he's not the best moral guy around. He's been a pretty boring antagonist and the storyline is just not interesting. We saw a possibility of that changing by the end of episode 5 as we were left with the cliffhanger that he plans to seal the Box.
Well, this story has finally started to pick up as we saw in Dark Matter episode 6, "Superposition." It's taken six episodes to get here, and we only have two more to go. So, that's a shame. But, it finally feels like he's starting to pique my interest. For a full recap, click here. Here's what happened in the new episode of the Apple TV+ series, and what I thought about it. SPOILERS BELOW!
Jump to:
- Jason2 is on the verge of exposure - good!
- Jason and Amanda need to stop getting closer
- Grading Dark Matter episode 6
Jason2 is on the verge of exposure - good!
No matter how hard he tries, Jason2 isn't going to know everything there is to know about the other Jason's life with Daniela and Charlie. There's 15 years of history and marriage between them after all. Daniela has started to notice little changes that don't make sense about her husband like him suddenly flossing his teeth and taking his shoes off right away when he gets home. But the biggest mistake Jason2 made is not remembering (knowing) their son's nut allergy. Yeah, that was a huge mess up. At the hospital, Daniela also noticed needle marks on Jason2's arm, making her suspicious he's perhaps doing drugs.
Finally Daniela is doing something about her suspicions and taking action. I mean, she's smart so I feel like it took a bit too long for her to reach this point. But, at least here we finally are. She follows Jason2 to a storage unit and finds one of the capsules of the ampoules used to travel through the Box and takes it to Ryan. This poor guy. Jason2 tells him and shows him everything, and takes Ryan to a "kinder and more progressive" version of Chicago through the Box. But in a real nasty move to keep his secret, Jason2 leaves Ryan there! I mean honestly. This guy has no good qualities. He's already admitted that taking over the other Jason's life has been harder than he thought and is thinking of leaving. Amanda2 tells him he has a fear of commitment, and I definitely agree. Just leave dude!
Though I was nervous about the episode's focus being on Jason2 so much, it actually really works and has become more interesting. Because even though by the end of the episode he does seal the Box, which is going to be a huge challenge for Jason trying to get back to his world (if he even will), things are starting to also unravel with Daniela really catching on to something being off about her husband. The whole painting at the charity auction thing definitely made her rightfully mad. And now, he's tipping her off.
Jason and Amanda need to stop getting closer
With each new episode, we see Jason and Amanda bond more and more. This version of Jason is probably the one Amanda would have wanted to be with. It's not hard to see why she's starting to care for him even more, on top of her existing relationship with Jason2. But, I need it to stop. Amanda's a great and smart girl, but Jason has to get back to Daniela! And don't get me wrong, he is still on track. But, is it possible he won't ever make it back to his reality, leading to a relationship with Amanda? I don't like that outcome!
I do like that the two finally got a bit of a reprieve and were able to enjoy dancing at the restaurant (where did they get the money for this though?). After all the stress of what they're going through, they need a breather before trying again. Or as Amanda suggest, trying something different whatever that means. I'm assuming we'll see that in the next episode. And I think us viewers needed to see that as well. Time is running out as they only have 10 ampoules left, and Jason is getting more and more desperate.
Grading Dark Matter episode 6
I actually think Dark Matter episode 6 has been the best so far following the first two episodes which I really enjoyed. The last few episodes haven't been terrible and I understand having to set things up. After all, Jason can't make it back to his reality so easily. But they felt like they had too much telling instead of showing, and Jason2's storyline was just absoultely boring to me. But now, it's actually starting to pick up and with only two episodes of the season left, I think the stakes are just going to continue to get higher from here.
Daniela is finally doing something about her husband's strange behavior, Jason2 continues to make bad choices that are now worth my attention, and Jason and Amanda continue to try, and fail, to get back to his world. I think the sixth episode's pacing was really well done, it had intriguing plot points that move the story in the right direction, and once again helps keep us hooked with a great cliffhanger. I'll give the sci-fi thriller that. It's really good at the cliffhangers! Episode 6 grade level: A. Come back next Wednesday as we take a look at the penultimate episode 7.