Dark Matter: "Episode Two" Review
Jun. 23rd, 2015 11:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rogueslayer452Dark Matter 1.02 "Episode Two"
Continuing where the pilot left off, the crew determine their next move on what to do regarding the people on the mining planet that they were sent to exterminate. They decide to just send half the guns from their ship to them and return back and take off, but things don't go as planned as their employers make contact with the ship and plan on finishing their deal, leaving Two to make a decision to save all of their butts.
Two being the leader of this ragtag group of amnesia misfits is exactly what I love, at the moment. While all of them are still reeling from not remembering anything about who they were before while digesting the information that they are, in fact, dangerous criminals, Two has stepped up to the plate to take control and everyone pretty much doesn't question her for it. She is authoritative but is compassionate and fair. When she makes calls, she weighs the options and takes risks. Her revealing what she did at the end, explaining why she jumped away and came back, her plan of attack to save not only the rest of the team but all the people down on the mining planet was wonderful. I love that we got two versions of a fight; one down on the planet with guns blazing and killing, and the other aboard the ship with Two, who makes a huge strategic decision on bargaining a bigger chip and getting the better end of a deal. Both sides managing to do their parts well.
I also like that she refused to be called by her legal given name. She still wants to be referred to as Two, which I'm sure the rest of them don't want to be associated by their given names until they are ready.
Five is still an adorable mystery, and I like how she is bonding more with Two than anyone else aboard the ship so far. I also really liked the scene between her and the Android (who is being given little bouts of humor added here and there, which I am loving). I am very intrigued by Five, because she's not in the crew records, and yet she seems to have vital skills that are helpful aboard the ship. But then she has kind of a psychic ability as well? Like, she's remembering things but instead of it being her memories she's remembering the memories of another crew member before they do. So, she's like a combination of Kaylee Frye and River Tam. Either way, I'm intrigued and I want more of her. And more of her bonding with Five (and the other crew members too, but mostly Five).
Overall, I like that they all seem to be on the same page at least in regards to their past identities. They may have been criminals before, but without any memories or recollection of any of these incidents they feel like there is a chance that they could do something different. Even Three, despite him wanting to just get the hell out of dodge, doesn't seem like someone who would just up and bail the team. At least for now. Currently, they all seem just as rattled or uncertain about where to go from here on out. Of course, how long that will last remains up in the air. Memories could slowly return to them, more obstacles may rise up such as possible enemies, others knowing who they are and wanting to cause trouble or split them up, etc. There's also more mysteries as to who stole their memories, and why, and what will happen once that is discovered. Never mind them as individuals, their personal pasts, why they were chosen to be part of this crew, and so on.
This show is turning out to be an amazing one so far. I love the mystery, but I also love the camaraderie of everyone involved. Despite not knowing much about each other, let alone about themselves, they've all come together as a team to help each other out. Clearly because they have nobody else on their side and they're all in this together re: their loss of memories and why they're all there.
And I'm pretty stoked as to seeing what else is in store for them as this show.
Continuing where the pilot left off, the crew determine their next move on what to do regarding the people on the mining planet that they were sent to exterminate. They decide to just send half the guns from their ship to them and return back and take off, but things don't go as planned as their employers make contact with the ship and plan on finishing their deal, leaving Two to make a decision to save all of their butts.
Two being the leader of this ragtag group of amnesia misfits is exactly what I love, at the moment. While all of them are still reeling from not remembering anything about who they were before while digesting the information that they are, in fact, dangerous criminals, Two has stepped up to the plate to take control and everyone pretty much doesn't question her for it. She is authoritative but is compassionate and fair. When she makes calls, she weighs the options and takes risks. Her revealing what she did at the end, explaining why she jumped away and came back, her plan of attack to save not only the rest of the team but all the people down on the mining planet was wonderful. I love that we got two versions of a fight; one down on the planet with guns blazing and killing, and the other aboard the ship with Two, who makes a huge strategic decision on bargaining a bigger chip and getting the better end of a deal. Both sides managing to do their parts well.
I also like that she refused to be called by her legal given name. She still wants to be referred to as Two, which I'm sure the rest of them don't want to be associated by their given names until they are ready.
Five is still an adorable mystery, and I like how she is bonding more with Two than anyone else aboard the ship so far. I also really liked the scene between her and the Android (who is being given little bouts of humor added here and there, which I am loving). I am very intrigued by Five, because she's not in the crew records, and yet she seems to have vital skills that are helpful aboard the ship. But then she has kind of a psychic ability as well? Like, she's remembering things but instead of it being her memories she's remembering the memories of another crew member before they do. So, she's like a combination of Kaylee Frye and River Tam. Either way, I'm intrigued and I want more of her. And more of her bonding with Five (and the other crew members too, but mostly Five).
Overall, I like that they all seem to be on the same page at least in regards to their past identities. They may have been criminals before, but without any memories or recollection of any of these incidents they feel like there is a chance that they could do something different. Even Three, despite him wanting to just get the hell out of dodge, doesn't seem like someone who would just up and bail the team. At least for now. Currently, they all seem just as rattled or uncertain about where to go from here on out. Of course, how long that will last remains up in the air. Memories could slowly return to them, more obstacles may rise up such as possible enemies, others knowing who they are and wanting to cause trouble or split them up, etc. There's also more mysteries as to who stole their memories, and why, and what will happen once that is discovered. Never mind them as individuals, their personal pasts, why they were chosen to be part of this crew, and so on.
This show is turning out to be an amazing one so far. I love the mystery, but I also love the camaraderie of everyone involved. Despite not knowing much about each other, let alone about themselves, they've all come together as a team to help each other out. Clearly because they have nobody else on their side and they're all in this together re: their loss of memories and why they're all there.
And I'm pretty stoked as to seeing what else is in store for them as this show.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2015-06-24 08:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-24 06:04 pm (UTC)I was so happy, it makes sense for her, but it's also awesome for my poor memory. XD
no subject
Date: 2015-06-24 06:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-24 06:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-24 07:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-25 01:54 am (UTC)Me too :)
no subject
Date: 2016-03-01 03:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-01 04:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-01 06:09 pm (UTC)I'm intrigued by the amnesia setup! It's an interesting twist on a common trope, I think! I can't wait to see where they take it.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-08 03:31 am (UTC)I was thinking the same thing. Granted, I've grown to like Three along with everyone else, but imagine how fantastic the role would have been if a woman had been cast for such a character. Michelle Rodriguez immediately popped into my head.
Overall though, I like that Two basically became leader of the team. She took initiative and she does it so well, for obvious reasons.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-03 06:49 pm (UTC)I'm pleasantly surprised that most of the development so far has been for Four and Six, but I hope we get more on Two soon! I'm surprised that it turns out they are not really ruthless criminals in the traditional sense but rather they have been framed or cornered into making terrible decisions. Which is still super interesting because none of them are necessarily innocent people, but that doesn't mean they're not good people. It's such a fascinating setup!
I was really surprised that it turned out Five was just a stowaway after all...I guess I was kind of hoping for something a bit more interesting. But maybe when we find out who wiped all their memories she'll turn out to have a more relevant role? After all she is the one who is holding all the memories.
One of the things frustrating me about the show is how it's following tradition and having the female lead pair up with the main white lead even though he's boring as hell (seriously, Three is 1000x more interesting than One, whose face I can barely ever remember). Literally every other relationship on this show is much more interesting. Two/Five and their bond as the only two girls on the ship. Five/Six and the protective sibling vibe going on there. Two/Three who don't seem to mesh personally but have been intimate. Three/Four and their tenuous partnership (or what Three keeps hoping will be a partnership). Hell even One/Three is entertaining. But One/Two? Seriously DNW.
It definitely reminds me a lot of Firefly (like, the Zombies on a Spaceship episode definitely made me think of Reavers) and I feel like a lot of parallels can be drawn between characters, but it is also its own show in its own right. I also feel like this is one of those shows that, like Firefly, is quite niche and probably wouldn't be renewed on a mainstream cable network so I'm glad it's on Syfy. I should watch Syfy more...I used to watch it almost exclusively when I was younger; I don't know why I stopped!
edit: oh, interesting, turns out the guy who plays One is actually half Moroccon Jewish! And yet he looks like the most generic white guy I've ever seen lmao. Or maybe it's just the way he's being played? Or the way the character is written? I don't know, but I just cannot muster any enthusiasm for him.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-08 04:22 am (UTC)That's one of my favorite aspects of the show. They're not entirely innocent, but they're not ruthless criminals that we usually see. Some of them have been either framed or forced into certain circumstances which led them to where they are. And it's a fascinating take, especially with the amnesia trope, which allows them, with a clean slate, understand their past and try to alter things for their future, questioning whether they can change course from the path they took before or finish what they started, just differently.
And it makes all their scenes together, with whether some of them are to be trusted or not, incredibly fascinating to watch because while they may still be wary of each other they're also figuring themselves out. It makes for good development for them individually along with chemistry as a group.
I was really surprised that it turned out Five was just a stowaway after all...I guess I was kind of hoping for something a bit more interesting.
Same, but I like how despite that she became an integral part of the crew nonetheless, and she has since grown into her own. I liked that even though she doesn't have a dark past like everyone else, she is still holding everyone together in her own way. Even if sometimes she didn't feel included, she was still helpful. In a way, her innocence and mechanic/technology skills was something that was much needed. I kind of consider her the heart of the group, in a way.
One of the things frustrating me about the show is how it's following tradition and having the female lead pair up with the main white lead even though he's boring as hell
Yeah, I was kind of hoping they weren't going to go there. I liked her rebuffing him early on, but then they eventually did hook up. Which is disappointing because as you said, I don't really sense a chemistry there. Out of all the characters, actually, One is probably my least favorite. Perhaps it's because he was created to be that basically moral Good Guy and seems rather bland because of it, even as the show went on and we understand more about his original intentions.
It definitely reminds me a lot of Firefly (like, the Zombies on a Spaceship episode definitely made me think of Reavers) and I feel like a lot of parallels can be drawn between characters, but it is also its own show in its own right.
I thought the same thing! But I also felt a lot of different elements from other scifi things too, like I get hints of Resident Evil and Firefly from that episode, and also a bit of Helix as well. It had a lot of different science fiction elements that I loved, but it's still its own show and its own story, and it works beautifully.
I should watch Syfy more...I used to watch it almost exclusively when I was younger; I don't know why I stopped!
Syfy changed a lot of its programming when it changed its name and cancelled so many amazing shows is one of the reasons why I stopped watching as regularly as I used to. The way they mishandled some other shows made me not trust the way they operated.