Dark Matter Season 2 Review
Dark Matter is an American science-fiction television series created by Blake Crouch and adapted from his 2016 novel of the same name. Season 1 premiered on Apple TV+ on 8 May 2024. In August of the same year, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on 28 August 2026.
Season 2 continues the story beyond the book, picking up from where Season 1 left off, with Jason and his family dealing with the consequences of a box that connects multiple universes, opening up endless possibilities and alternative realities
The Good
Joel Edgerton as Jason Dessen continues to anchor the show with his performance as the various versions of himself encountered along the way. He captures the struggle of trying to find his place in a world where the road not taken becomes a weight that makes moving on increasingly difficult.
While Jason Dessen remains a central character, Season 2 allows the other characters room to expand. Daniela and Max are no longer simply the destination Jason is desperately trying to return to; they have their own dragons to slay in the quest to find a new place to call home.
The story also expands beyond the Dessen family unit, with Amanda (Alice Braga), Ryan (Jimmi Simpson) and Blair (Amanda Brugel) no longer simply orbiting Jason’s predicament. They have their own problems, motivations and moral dilemmas to contend with in the multiverse.
Season 2 also has some standalone episodes that provide a much-needed perspective on the multiverse and its consequences. We also get to meet one of the most memorable new characters, Margo Martindale as Laurel, and the most entertaining version of Leighton Vance (Dayo Okeniyi).
The Bad
Keeping track of which Jason is which, which character belongs to which reality and who has travelled where requires considerably more concentration than it should. You go through the series with a lingering sense of confusion about who belongs where, and with whom.
To accommodate the expanded storylines and character arcs, the pacing takes a hit. The show increasingly prefers to meander down the path of existential angst rather than move the plot along.
The Ugly
The multiverse poses an interesting challenge, finding something to actually care about when everything is possible, and seemingly has been, or can be, somewhere. If every possibility exists, then what really matters?
The show stumbles with moving past the source material, it feels unsure of what it wants to be and where it wants to go. Ironically, the characters’ plight mirrors the show; there are endless possibilities but it’s difficult to pick a destination to settle.
Getting to the end of season of 2 has a cliffhanger that will leave you with one all-consuming question…
Final Thoughts
Turning Dark Matter into a multi-season show was a risky gamble, considering the original book was a self-contained bestseller. Season 2 doesn’t quite have the same narrative urgency that made the first season so riveting, but it succeeds in leaning into the emotional collateral damage of quantum mechanics and the multiverse.
Showrunner Blake Crouch has confirmed there are plans for a third season to wrap up the story, though it’s still waiting for official approval.
Have you watched Dark Matter does it sound like something you would watch?
Leave a Reply