Warning: This review of Apple TV+’s Dark Matter contains minor spoilers.
Multiverses. So hot right now. A jaded person might believe that that is why Apple TV+ made Dark Matter, to cash in on a current craze. But that would not be giving the show, which is based on Blake Crouch’s novel of the same name, its due. You see, Dark Matter is a multiverse tale with enough thought to it — and enough clever plotting — to feel like something fresh in a world where infinite multiverse stories seem to be getting stale.
It is probably best you do not read this review (thanks for clicking, though) as going into Dark Matter completely blind will make at least the first episode, where the show’s concept is set up an incredible mind-f**k but for those who already know the basic concept or have read the book or just don’t care please continue on.
Dark Matter is the story of Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton), a lowly community college professor in Boston who is suddenly kidnapped and wakes up in a different world where his wife, Daniela (Jennifer Connelly), and son Charlie (Oakes Fegley) are not around. Instead, he discovers that he is the inventor of a box that can transport people into an infinite amount of other worlds and the him from this new world has swapped places with him. Desperate to return to his family in his world, he is joined by his girlfriend in this world, Amanda (Alice Braga), and the pair begin jumping through worlds in search of his home universe.
Anyone reading that very basic plot description would not be wrong in thinking that this sounds like any of a plethora of other shows out there about people struggling to get home through some science fiction McGuffin. Both Quantum Leap and Sliders come immediately to my mind but those are far from the only ones who have used this trope. However, Dark Matter avoids playing out like a tired story by grounding the story not in science fiction but in character. Jason’s mental state affects what the world they jump into is, meaning the entire series plays as a giant metaphor for human connection and emotion. It is also doesn’t only focus on our “hero” Jason but bounces back to the “villain” version as well, unpacking his struggles and realization that life can’t be perfect.
By pivoting the true focus of the series onto the characters and the metaphor, Dark Matter presents a multiversal quest for home in a way that feels fresh. It is truly messy and not everything works out as you think, especially as Jason’s quest spirals further and further out of control and “evil” Jason’s life does the same thing. Everything feels very messy in this multiverse but that’s because it’s a reflection of human life, not of science fiction thought. It makes for a compelling tale of humanity with a thin layer of science fiction on top.
However, it’s not just that aspect that drives the series nine-episode run forward. Crouch, who adapted the book himself for TV, perfectly paces plot twists and universe-altering moments throughout so that just when the series feels like it’s about to drag into redundancy a new dynamic comes into play. There is a mic-drop moment of jaw-dropping proportions as the show careens to its conclusion that was so perfectly executed it had me pausing the show in shock.
This isn’t to say that Dark Matter is a perfect series. Much like its characters, who often seem to want two contradictory things at once, the show can feel both too long and too short. Despite its solid construction and the presence of emotional gut punches and plot twists, a single season of nine episodes feels like the exact wrong length for this story. The show feels like it would make for a soul-wrenchingly fantastic movie of two hours or, on the exact opposite side of the spectrum, a multi-season serial akin to the aforementioned Quantum Leap and ending each season on cliffhangers for each shocking moment. The show just feels like we’re either getting too much or not enough, despite its overall quality.
What you definitely can’t get too much of is both Edgerton and Connelly, especially the latter. In a high-concept science fiction series the pair ground the story so that it works. The episodes of crammed full of powerhouse emotional moments and Jason confronts multiple realities of his wife and son they are all incredible gut punches. Connelly is especially profound, playing the same character but different repeatedly. Her performance alone is worth the time.
Apple TV+ has had some hits on it and Dark Matter could easily be the next one. The question is really if anyone will find it. In a streaming universe full of content it may be a hard sell, especially as going in blind is the best way to go into it. However, for those who do find it they’re going to get something truly unique, a rare find in what feels like a universe of only slightly different content.
Dark Matter is streaming now.
