Dark Matter: She’s One of Them Now Review

This Dark Matter review contains spoilers.

Dark Matter Season 2, Episode 7

Any episode where Five is the central character is almost guaranteed to please, and with the return of transfer transit — one of the coolest concepts Dark Matter has come up with — this week’s story was a recipe for success. Bringing in elements from season 1 like the pocket dimension key and weasel handler Talbor Calcheck also helped bring season 2 out of its slump while also improving upon the newer storylines from Nyx and Devin. A solid outing!

At first, going after Reynaud seemed like a fool’s errand, especially having been motivated by the unfortunate but not-all-that-surprising betrayal of Arax, but Five’s uncanny hacking skills put the secretive corporate conspirator within reach, and obviously the payoff was huge. David Hewlett was in rare form as Talbor Calchek, and the fact that he was needed to supply the transfer transit pods for the ensuing caper was a nice excuse to bring him back.

He was an especially effective foil for the Android with her always-enticing emergent emotional programming. Her reaction to his scrutiny was priceless as was his general sleazy nature in trying to downplay his part in turning them over to Alexander Rook last season. Two, the Android, and the rest of the crew came across as even more badass than they already are in contrast to this strangely likable leech.

But let’s face it, no one can match Five for likability, and although her infiltration of Reynaud’s corporate stronghold may have been overly simple, it was nice to see Three fetching her cookies. And, of course, Reynaud wanted them to succeed so that she could trace the location of the Raza the same way they found her — a nice touch! Topping it all off was Five’s unexpected execution of the clones of Three and Four which was strangely both horrific and admirable at the same time.

Honestly, transfer transit is one of the most innovative storytelling devices science fiction television has ever come up with, and the memory loss brought on by clone-death is but one of the interesting caveats that arise from using the technology. With Five still in the pod, the crew just has to hope she succeeds at… well, whatever it is she’s doing; they don’t know! The trust and the pride that they have in her almost made the episode title, “She’s One of Them Now,” more applicable to her.

Surprise, surprise, though: it’s Devin who says that about Nyx to her former Seer colleagues, and despite their pursuit of Nyx being of questionable interest last week, their willingness to shank Devin once his uselessness to them becomes clear was an impressive twist. Devin’s addict sob story to Nyx may have been predictable, but her sympathy and willingness to help him during a dark time made both of these new characters more interesting.

Not as interesting, however, as the new blink drive the Raza has acquired! Although the Android indicated that something went wrong with the first test of instantaneous travel, it certainly seems to have worked in some fashion quite spectacularly. What it will mean for the crew remains to be seen, but the question mark was an effective ending for this entertaining episode.

Dark Matter nailed it this week, and hopefully the show’s use of likable characters and innovative tech will continue to be the hallmark of its success. Its other signature, which is effectively doling out lingering puzzle pieces, is also still in play with the mystery of who hired Jace Corso to kill One, why did Two’s hand shake last week, and who made the Android the way she is? Still plenty to play with as the second half of season 2 progresses. More like this, please!