Everything about Dark Matter, eh?

Dark Matter, Featured

Review: Wait … what?! on Dark Matter

Dark Matter just messed with my brain. After making a bunch of notes during Friday’s third episode, I basically had to throw everything I thought I knew out the window thanks to that final scene aboard the space station.

Yes, apparently, that was Jace Corso looking for the Raza and its crew members, causing me to sit forward and exclaim, ‘What the hell?!” This was, of course, moments after Five discovered the gun that killed the young man she found in the storage room earlier.

Written by Martin Gero, Episode 3 had the hallmarks of an Agatha Christie murder mystery, with a dead body found and the murderer among the folks trapped on the ship with no connection to the outside world. There were plenty of lingering camera shots at various team members, causing viewers to wonder which one was the culprit. It was easy to assume Three was the man responsible for killing the kid and even wiping their minds because he avoided the Android’s lie detector test until One literally put a gun to his head.

I’m still holding out hope the Android is somehow controlling everything on the Raza; every time Five came close to outing who had done the mind wipe something went wrong with the ship. I can’t help but feel the Android is controlling the situation no matter how innocent her face appears to be. (Remember Ash from Alien??) My assumption the faulty sensor was fake wasn’t true, but the gamma radiation scare certainly could have been.

Did Five program the Android? Is Three really single-minded, or is he an evil genius? Does One really have feelings for Two, or did he kiss her to gain her trust?

That’s the thing with Dark Matter. Just when I think I know what’s going to happen, a curve ball is thrown to make me reassess my assumptions.

In my opinion, that’s the mark of a great TV show.

Notes and quotes

  • Four’s martial arts skills are kick ass.
  • “Have a good time playing with your stick.” — Three
  • “It’s chocolate protein pudding day!” — Five
  • I wish I could initiate magnetic boots.
  • The Dark Matter set has really become an effective part of the cast, thanks to dark corners, fluorescent lighting, steam and that grimy and scuffed look.

Dark Matter airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Space.

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Dark Matter, Featured, Fool Canada, Killjoys, Podcast, Rick Mercer Report, Still Standing

TV, eh? podcast episode 185 – Suddenly Sudbury

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Diane, Greg and Anthony discuss CBC’s summer comedy series Still Standing and Fool Canada and Global moving Rookie Blue to Wednesday nights. Also on the docket: Killjoys and Dark Matter score for Space, the Directors Guild of Canada nominations, Diane chatted with CBC boss Sally Catto, and the trio opine whether Canada is ready for another shot at the late-night talk show genre and who might host it.

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Dark Matter

Link: Dark Matter showrunner Joseph Mallozzi on episode 2

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Dark Matter episode 2 postmortem: Moving on from past events
The TV Junkies sat down for a post-episode chat with showrunner Joseph Mallozzi. Mallozzi was kind enough to give us details on each character’s perspective, what it was like filming the episode’s large action sequences and a little preview of what lies ahead in the coming weeks on Dark Matter. As a heads up for Dark Matter fans, Mallozzi will be sitting down after each episode throughout Season 1 of Dark Matter, so don’t forget to check back in with us here at The TV Junkies on a weekly basis. Continue reading.

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Dark Matter, Featured

Review: Dark Matter takes mysterious, intriguing next steps

Because I’ve been covering television for years, I have a bit of a suspicious streak when it comes to storylines. I’m always looking for the red herring, the twist, the other shoe to drop. Because of that, watching Episode 2 of Dark Matter turned into an exercise in conspiracy theories and experiments.

I watched the six aboard the Raza, interacting and weighing the knowledge they had their memories wiped and informed by the Android that they are all hardened criminals. One/Jace is the most sensitive of the guys and is all about redemption; no surprise he wanted to help the miners fight back against the corporation. Three/Boone, Four/Ryo and Six/Griffin were more in agreement by acknowledging their violent pasts while trying to move forward, but ended up joining One in his cause and taking up arms against a seemingly unbeatable foe.

Two/Portia quickly emerged as the most level-headed of the bunch, able to take a moment and think things through (unlike the testosterone-fuelled fellows), which paid off when she made a deal with a rival company and successfully scuppered Ferrous Corp’s devious plans. Five/Das spent much of the episode feeling like an outsider; ironic considering she’s the key to the big mystery of who wiped her compatriot’s memories and why. Sure, Five told Two she knows who did it but wouldn’t reveal their identity, leaving us wondering for at least one more week.

But getting back to my suspicious mind, I can’t help but wonder if this whole thing is one big social experiment. Just because the computer told these five that they’re criminals doesn’t mean they are. Maybe they’re just regular folks who have been told they’re bad people. How they react to that—and the decisions they make moving forward—are all part of a grand plan. Will a group of strangers with different personalities and social beliefs band together and form a cohesive team or tear themselves apart?

We already know corporations are in control of everything, so why wouldn’t/couldn’t they do the same with people? As for the Android’s role in all this, she could be recording everything that happens during the test as well as manipulating situations, offering up spare information to the six and then watching what happens.

I know, I know, we’re just two episodes in to Dark Matter. There’s lots more story to go before we get to the answer promised in the season finale. But it will be fun to find out if I’m on the right track … or way off base.

Notes and quotes

  • “We’re better than that … we’re also pirates and smugglers and thieves. That’s a very diversified portfolio.” — Three
  • “No computer program is going to tell me who I am.” — Two
  • Using terms like “baditude,” “Slashy Stabberson” and “It’s Bubba Time,” only makes Three all the more awesome.
  • Listen, I know David Richmond-Peck has played many roles, including Commander Neiman on Dark Matter, but he’ll always be “the guy with the tail on Orphan Black” to me.
  • The opening credits are super-cool.

Dark Matter airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Space.

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Dark Matter, Killjoys

Tonight: Killjoys, Dark Matter, Indspire Awards, Survivorman – Finding Bigfoot

 

Killjoys_ep

Killjoys, Space – series premiere “Bangarang”
Killjoys Dutch (Hannah John–Kamen, HAPPY VALLEY) and John (Aaron Ashmore, LOST GIRL) are in serious need of R&R after capturing a dangerous smuggler in the badlands of Westerley. But when a death warrant is posted for D’avin (Luke Macfarlane, BROTHERS & SISTERS), John secretly takes the job to save his estranged brother. With a competing Killjoy also on the job, the team is in a race against time to clear D’avin’s name and their own. Check out Greg’s feature on Killjoys.

Dark Matter, Space – Episode 2
As the crew comes to terms with the revelations about their respective pasts, they are faced with a dilemma – help the miners against insurmountable odds, or abandon them to certain death. Look for Greg’s review in the morning.

Indspire Awards, Global
Fourteen outstanding Indigenous achievers will be honoured at the 2015 Indspire Awards gala, recorded live in Calgary, AB. Co-hosted by Lorne Cardinal and Kyle Nobess, the 2015 Indspire Awards gala features performances by Indigenous talent from across Canada, as well as a special appearance by New Zealand’s Kahurangi Maori Dance Theatre. Indspire is an Indigenous-led registered charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada.

Survivorman: Finding Bigfoot, City – “Tennessee”
Hiking far off the beaten path, Les searches remote forested land deep in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with Scott Carpenter, a local researcher claiming to have interactions with Bigfoot in the area. Battling his own psyche, Les enters the Bigfoot hot spot, planting hidden cameras and scent traps in an effort to elicit an interaction – but the longer Les hunts for Sasquatch, the stranger things get.

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