A physics professor with a pretty great life – cool Chicago brownstone, cool wife, cool teenage son – is still plagued by a voice in his head that wonders what his life would have been like if he had just made different choices would have the way. It’s something everyone has thought about, but in Dark matter, the “What if?” scenario becomes alive, often frighteningly real.
Blake Crouch’s 2016 novel of the same name forms the basis of Apple TV+s Dark matter, and he’s very hands-on with the adaptation: showrunning, writing and executive producing. So it’s no surprise that, with a few notable exceptions, the nine-episode series remains extremely faithful to the book – mostly with characters fleshed out more on screen than on the page, resulting in a more well-rounded story. However, the focus is largely on the protagonist, Jason, and the versions of his life that we experience Dark matter wraps us in its multiverse-hopping plot.
Casting Joel Edgerton was a smart move; He gives Jason a sympathy and depth that wasn’t always evident in the novel, making Jason much more likeable. Edgerton does a phenomenal job tailoring his performance to which version of Jason he’s playing: the vaguely dissatisfied professor who’s still deeply in love with his wife Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) and crazy about his son Charlie (Oakes Fegley); or Jason, living in the alternate reality, who never had a family and focused entirely on his work, a decision that made him a more ruthless and demanding person.
The paths of these two should not cross. But Jason #2 channeled his genius and created a large box that, when combined with a dose of a compound created by Jason’s chemistry expert Ryan (WestworldJimmi Simpson) allows a person to visit different versions of their world. (To be clear, it is not a time travel device, although it causes just as much trouble as that one.) Jason #2, sensing his own midlife regret, invades Jason’s main reality, kidnaps him and forces him back to Jason #2’s place of origin and then takes over Jason’s life. Circumstances soon lead to Jason, with the help of Dr. Amanda Lucas (Alice Braga), Jason No. 2’s girlfriend, keeps returning to the box and is determined to find her way home.
Dark matter doesn’t bother to explain it too much How The box works. The show is much more interested in the emotional and psychological consequences that arise when a person is ripped from their reality, confronted with the impossible, and forced to deal with strange filters of the familiar. The worlds that Jason and Amanda find are initially apocalyptic. They open the door and find that Chicago has turned to dust or been decimated by climate change. As they work through their vials of the brain-altering compound, they learn how to refine their journeys. Dark matter is most thought-provoking when we visit worlds that are only slightly different from Jason’s main reality, where the sign at Jason’s favorite bar is the wrong shade of neon or Daniela’s hair is a different style. It’s fascinating to see how the characters, especially Daniela and Ryan, change ever so slightly – or a lot, depending on the different paths they take.
There is a ticking clock structure that prevents this Dark matter of the feeling of an extensive journey through universes; For one thing, Jason and Amanda only have a limited number of doses of medication. In Jason #2’s storyline, the urgency increases as Daniela begins to suspect something out of with her husband, especially when Jason #2, the man who decided 16 years ago that he didn’t want to be tied down by his wife and child, shows the callousness he has developed in recent years. Both Jasons may frequently be confused by their surroundings, but fortunately this is rarely the case with audiences; There is always a snapping sound Dark matter alternates between narratives to keep viewers informed, but you can also keep an eye out for signifiers like Jason’s wedding ring (now worn by Jason #2, who stole it during the Life Swap) or Jason’s facial cuts ( as shown in the picture) keep main Jason, thanks to Jason #2).
While there are nine episodes Dark matter Space to really explore the philosophical questions at their core – it’s something that is hammered home almost too forcefully, including in an alternative art exhibition by Daniela on the theme “Down the hallway we didn’t take/To the door we never opened have” with the The quote from TS Eliot is clearly stated: It almost feels as if eight were enough and the tempo was kept even faster. Although the plot keeps you guessing (unless you’ve read the book, although the series is fun even if you know what’s coming), Jason himself is the most intriguing element of the series. This is largely thanks to Edgerton’s performance, but also to the nuanced writing that refuses to reduce Jason and Jason #2 to a dichotomy between good and evil. They are the same man, shaped by their decisions – some tiny, some huge, all life-changing. And as we watch them fight, Dark matter He often seems to turn his gaze back to the audience and ask, “If someone would give me a look down the road he didn’t take… he would.” You?
The first two episodes of Dark matter Premieres Wednesday, May 8th on Apple TV+, followed by a weekly release of new episodes through June 26th.
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