So, who has finished Dark Matter?
The alternate-universe series is on Apple TV+. It sticks very close to the book by author Blake Crouch, who had a hand in adapting it to be a series. In fact, he was able to add more material, so this is one of the rare cases where the TV series may be even better than the book. And I loved the book!
What did you think of the ending? Surprised? Satisfied? I post my thoughts after the image, so don’t read further if you don’t like spoilers.
It’s interesting that they call it Season 1, because they cover the entire book so they’d have to generate new material if they wanted a Season 2. It doesn’t look like there are plans for a Season 2, though they left open the possibility. Will There Be A ‘Dark Matter’ Season 2 On Apple TV+? Joel Edgerton Weighs In | Decider
When I read the book, I was surprised when all the Jason’s started appearing in the home world, but it makes sense. Seeing the scene unfold where they walk through the sad, broken-hearted Jason’s to get to the cube was incredibly impactful. When I read the book, I remember thinking, “But what if they put his wife into the box? Couldn’t the same thing happen, where each decision divides her? Couldn’t we have unlimited Daniela’s for the Jason’s?”
However, the series did a good job of showing that she would never go for that. When they proposed the lottery, she instantly responded that the Jason who suggested it had no chance with her. She’s right. She isn’t a prize who goes to the winner. She isn’t required to provide happiness to as many Jason’s as possible.
Some of the Jason’s are, quite obviously, damaged both physically and mentally from the journey they’ve been on. The series goes out of its way to show that the one she is with had a gentler trip–Amanda ends up in a utopian world. Remember, mindset makes the world so the most physically damaged Jason’s are also likely the most mentally damaged as well. They chose, however inadvertently, worlds that would harm themselves. The final Jason makes non-violent choices. He smokes to be arrested, rather than start a fight or any number of other more obvious direct but violent ploys. He doesn’t steal a car, he asks her best friend to borrow it (unlike the one who used a screwdriver to steal a car). His choices continue to make him the one she wants to be with.
I’d love another season to see what world their son chose for them, whether they ever go to the utopian world that Amanda and Ryan landed in, and what happens to the Jason who wanted to get the answer to “What if I’d made a different choice” and started this whole mess. Jason2 seems to have reformed, but what a price they all paid!
Let me know your thoughts on the ending, and whether you read the book or not.
