Dark Matter

1. season 1. 2015
2. season 2. 2016
3. season 3. 2017

Six people wake up from stasis on an interstellar spaceship: all have lost their memories. Which one of them wiped all their minds? And why? They must work as a team to survive, but how can they do so when any one of them may be a traitor?

As the season progresses we learn more about the crew. Initially, it seems they are a gang of criminal mercenaries, ready to hire out to various Corporations to destroy inconvenient colonies, steal dangerous research, and more. But as we learn along with them more about their backgrounds, it becomes clear that this simplistic picture is far from the truth. Each of them has deeper secrets, and no-one is who they seem.

It’s a pity that the three “women” each have to be atypical in some particular way: the kid, the android, the [spoiler], whereas the men are all simply men with their own agendas. But, hey ho, at least there are women here.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I’m sure after all this time I would have given the android a name. Mind you, the crew are still calling each other by their waking-order numbers, which makes it complicated to remember who’s who. (Which one is “Four” again?) In fact, their strangely spacious spaceship, the Raza, is the only main character with a name!

Each episode has some good action, moves the arc along, and reveals more background. Sit back and enjoy some fun hijinks with mercenaries who are actually the only good guys around! And be prepared for a massive end-of-season cliffhanger.

Rating: 3.5
[ unmissable | great stuff | worth watching | mind candy | waste of time | unfinishable ]

reviewed 26 October 2017

Season 2 is better than season 1.

The still-nameless crew of the Raza are growing in complexity and individuality, and have stopped being stereotypes. The universe they live in is also growing in complexity, with corporations heading towards war, and Dwarf Star Technologies cropping up again. This makes for more interesting episode plots, and allows for the existence of a season arc.

This season has surprises, it has the remembrance of the past history from episode to episode (despite the series hook being that the characters don’t remember their past), and actions have consequences. Six’s shocking betrayal that led to the end of season 1 cliffhanger has surprising reasons and knock-on effects; the android gets a personality upgrade, but it doesn’t result in the changes we might expect. When the crew regain their old memories, when Two confronts the original Jace Corso (One’s doppleganger), when the crew visit a parallel universe, none of it plays out as we might expect. This all makes for a better season.

And be prepared for a massive end-of-season cliffhanger.

Rating: 3
[ unmissable | great stuff | worth watching | mind candy | waste of time | unfinishable ]

reviewed 26 July 2018

Season 3 is better than season 2.

Although the crew now know their previous lives and names, they are still using numbers: those previous identities are not them; they have become quite different people. So I suppose it’s no surprise the android also doesn’t have a name, either.

The universe they live in is also growing in complexity, with corporations now at war, and Dwarf Star Technologies having an even more horrific role than before. The plots for each episode get more sophisticated, as does the season arc. This all makes for a really good season.

The cliffhanger at the end of season two is resolved quickly, and the adventures restart, now in a more complex, even more dangerous, universe. The scriptwriters have definitely hit their stride, and are having fun with clichés: we get a great “Groundhog Day” episode, and it also contributes to the arc; we get a great “flung back in time to the present day” episode, and it also contributes to the arc. We find out even more about the crew’s various backgrounds, with some shocking revelations, and some revelations which will clearly have future consequences. The consequences from their trip to the parallel universe in season 2 play out well, but are not overused. The conflict with the restored Emperor Ryo (uneasy definitely lies the head that wears that crown) plays out in unexpected directions. And if you thought the previous seasons ended on massive cliffhangers, this one beats them hands down, and is clearly gong to lead to bigger and better adventures.

So it’s really frustrating that this is the final season. There is so much more to do in this universe.

Rating: 2.5
[ unmissable | great stuff | worth watching | mind candy | waste of time | unfinishable ]

reviewed 24 August 2018