Dark Matter is a show created by Blake Crouch, based on his own novel. It's the story of Jason Dessen, a family man who years ago gave up a career in quantum physics. One day, he is ambushed and drugged by a mysterious figure who turns out to be his own doppelganger from a parallel reality. "Jason 2" switches places with Jason, stranding him in another world in order to steal Jason's quiet family life. Jason must struggle to return home.
Black Crouch seems to be a quite prolific author with many books to his name. This isn't the first time he's been adapted for television either; the Wayward Pines television show is based on his trilogy. I've never read or viewed any of his other work, though. With only Dark Matter -- and the knowledge of his popularity -- informing my opinion, it seems to me like he's an author full of intriguing ideas... who is perhaps less capable with execution.
Dark Matter is a 9-episode, one-season-and-done adaptation of the book, and it feels a bit slow getting started. It's one of those awkward stories that early on is angling toward a "big reveal" that you already know, by virtue of having to know enough about the story to engage with it in the first place. What I mean is: episode 1 is all about the "shocking revelation" that Jason has been abducted by a duplicate of himself. Even if that hadn't already been given away (by me and every trailer made for the show), you'd probably deduce it from the splash screen art for the show, depicting a sea of Jasons.
But once the stage is set, there's room for Blake Crouch to bring in more clever ideas. By episode 3, the scope of the story is revealed to be far greater than the opening episodes suggested. And the separate story lines of Jason and Jason 2 become more interesting: there's a real juxtaposition of scale and scope, and a fun exploration of the old adage that "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." And just when it seems like the show is winding down, a late-season twist brings another interesting new idea into the mix.
As I said, though, the execution isn't always top notch. In particular, the dialogue of Dark Matter is often rough, with ham-fisted exposition and a bit too much "telling, not showing." The actors here sometimes have to work extra hard to sell it all. Joel Edgerton, as Jason (and Jason 2, of course), has the most work, being in almost every scene of the series. And he does a good job with the subtle differences between his characters. Alice Braga and Oakes Fegley are effective parts of the supporting cast, and omnipresent actor Jimmi Simpson is fun to see too.
To me, Jennifer Connelly is the real standout, as Jason's wife Daniela. She stands mostly outside the sci-fi trappings of the story, but her character is arguably the one going through the most "horror," and she gives a very honest and effective performance.
Ultimately, I think the entire cast is a bit stronger across the board in Constellation -- and so that leads me to say that if you were only going to watch one of these two similar-in-concept series, I'd probably pick that one. That said, Dark Matter has a more definitive ending (it is the retelling of the novel), and it has more interesting twists and turns along the way. Both series have their selling points, though neither is a clearly "great" show.
I give Dark Matter a B. You'd be forgiven if you didn't check it out... but if you do give it a try, you probably need to give it until at least episode 3 to decide if it's for you.
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