Broadly and specifically, “Dark Matter” is a TV series created with me in mind — or, at least, a version of me that could exist. Generally speaking, the Apple drama asks big questions about how the choices we make define who we are: Would I be different today, if I had pursued a different career, married a different woman, Or would have raised a different family? In small ways – like daydreaming – the answer is, “Yes, sure, I would have been different.” In a different job, I’m not writing these words right now as I’m taking a nap in a hammock off the coast of Ireland as a professional hammock tester specializing in cold weather climates. But apart from the change in who I will become doingWhat about who I am? forenoon, Will a new career, or a new partner, or a new home life change my personality? My worldview? my identity? Again, the answer is, “Yes, possibly.” But how? To what length? for better or for worse?
If these kinds of questions appeal to you, A) “Dark Matter” will undoubtedly make an impact or two throughout its nine-episode season, and B) a midlife crisis may be looming. It’s natural to ask “what if?” This can even be healthy, but if you’re always focused on what could have been instead of appreciating what you have, what you’ve done, and what you’re working towards, you’ll You can wake up one day and leave your job. Living life chasing a new car, a new partner, or some other fleeting symbol of freedom.
“Dark Matter” protagonist Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) doesn’t. no way. But the science-fiction series, adapted by Blake Crouch from his 2016 novel of the same name, still serves as an allegory for a middle-class white man’s midlife crisis; Instead of choosing himself, he has been forced into it. Full of alternate universes, technical jargon, and a few nice twists, the self-serious series is a useful alternative to the real thing — a way to engage with existential questions without risking the peril of playing them out yourself. But despite interest check after interest check on my personal list of favorites, the individual features of “Dark Matter” can’t escape the story’s dull generalities. This is a show that’s so broadly shaped, even the nuances that incidentally click with you are too round to be reflected upon in the long run.
What special things can you ask for? Let’s get back to that, because I’m sure even more of you are asking what “dark matter” is about. Like “It’s a Wonderful Life” without the holiday cheer, Apple’s black-and-blue drama follows Jason, your typical Midwestern husband and father. He works as a physics professor at a community college in Chicago. Before work, he teaches his teenage son, Charlie (Oakes Fegley), to drive, and after work he cooks dinner for the family. He loves his wife, Daniella (Jennifer Connelly). Love He – But he’s still… dissatisfied. His coworkers are winning awards and starting companies, while he’s delivering outdated information to a group of kids who don’t even stay until the end of his lecture. He is still a good father and good husband, but his luster is fading.
Then, on a rainy night suitable for self-pity, Jason drinks too much and, as he walks through his northbound neighborhood, he is attacked. A man wearing a white mask pulls a gun on him, takes Jason to an abandoned warehouse, and injects him with a mysterious serum. “Are you happy with your life?” The man growls in Jason’s ear, moments before his victim falls unconscious. “Have you ever wondered what else you could have been?”
Moments later, he’s pushed into a long black cube, things get a little blurry, and the next thing he knows, guys in radiation-proof suits are cutting off his clothes, sticking him in a high-pressure shower. Are there, and are interrogating him as to where he has gone. They told him he was gone for 14 months. They want to help him. They call him Jason or Dr. Dessen, but he is not what they think. Here, in this universe, Jason Dessen becomes the chief science officer and co-founder of a mega-successful engineering laboratory. He won awards, he’s famous too. But he is not married. His son is not present. And no matter how good, prosperous and idolatrous it may seem, this life is not what he wants.
Jason realizes this immediately, which is part of the “dark matter” problem. Our main character doesn’t have to change – not really. Maybe he needed a reminder that what he had was great, but he’s not tempted to indulge in his professional fantasy even for a second. Instead, he begins to search for answers: Who did this to him? What happened to his old life? And, most importantly, how does he get back to his family?
The giant black cube (often called “the box”) is the key, and Jason figures it out very quickly as well. The motion of “dark matter” helps to mitigate its shapelessness to some extent; One episode leads into the next (like streaming TV’s most terrifying end result: a nine-hour movie), but at least they move forward with urgency and curiosity. Learning how the box works and seeing the different realities that unfold for Jason is quite fascinating, and Crouch (who writes or co-writes most of the episodes) gives the audience ample time to ponder those same questions. Gives which Jason considers; Questions about marriage, responsibility, and fulfillment.
“Dark Matter” cleverly posits that the foundation of healthy relationships is made up of the little things and the big things alike; Not just what you know about the other person, but the meaning within seemingly insignificant details that build intimacy and actions that express genuine caring (as opposed to superficial or self-serving gestures). The romance works, although Connelly’s gallery manager and the artist aren’t given as much opportunity to explore (either internally or externally) as an Oscar-winning actress should. Too much time is devoted to VFX-enhanced shots of multiple Chicagos in multiple realities, which brings us back to the specific aspects of “Dark Matter” that seem to resonate with me.
First and foremost, I love Chicago. I love the Chicago Cubs and, against my best judgment, the Chicago Bears (despite never winning a Super Bowl in my lifetime). I love the downtown skyline, I love the “L” trains, and I love Pequod’s pizza. I love the Logan Park neighborhood, which includes the first hotel I stayed in with my wife and it’s located right next to our second apartment. Plus, I’m a sucker for aching romance, steamy, big-picture drama, and even Joel Edgerton. (“Warrior hive, rise up.”)
But despite these personalized draws, “Dark Matter” doesn’t match the sharp character revelations or refreshing depth. Notable themes and lasting meaning are conspicuously absent, which feels even more unfair since the series isn’t that much of a thing. fun, It’s a frustrating disappointment and the one-note characters limit its ability to loosen up anything within the audience, and I say this as someone who was ready and willing to do exactly that for the show. If it doesn’t hit the mark for me, an admittedly easy mark, I can’t imagine it will work any better for those of you who have no connection to the Windy City, that sentimental soft spot for love stories. Without, or without, a healthy respect for Edgerton. And Connelly.
So if you can’t shake your own long-held “what if” thoughts, maybe try this before you ruin your life. Otherwise, book a long weekend in Logan Square. I just know where to stay.
Grade: C+
“Dark Matter” will premiere with two episodes on Wednesday, May 8 on Apple TV+. New episodes will be released weekly until the finale (episode 9) on June 26.
