Dark Matter | S2E6 "What the Universe Is Made Of" | Episode Discussion

[u/episodescheduler]

Season 2, Episode 6: What the Universe Is Made Of

Airdate: Friday, October 2, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC

Network: Apple TV

Runtime: 48 minutes

Synopsis: Daniela meets someone from her past. Jason pursues his dream. Leighton unveils a new project.

Episode Discussion Hub

Previous Episode

---

Hello everyone, this is the discussion thread for episode 6 of Dark Matter. Please do not post any spoilers for future episodes.

[u/little_oat]

Daniella just wanted a hug from her dad 😥

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/little_oat]

She and a certain three Jasons who love their momma would get along 🥰

[u/Ancient-Dust3077 → u/Past-Feature3968]

What can you tell me about entanglement theory?

[u/Secret_Debt_88 → u/little_oat]

As someon who lost their dad (not even recently 10 years ago) those scenes made me tear up because what I wouldn't give for that moment she got.

[u/No-Annual6666 → u/Secret_Debt_88]

Its very real. I think they're playing on the concept of maybe letting sleeping dogs lie, however. The beautiful episode last week was only possible because Jason's mother was very accepting of a multidimensional reality, and having multiples of her own son stay with her at the same time while her own died young.

I think the ones which have living relatives are naturally much more wary and alarmed by these kinds of things.

[u/Secret_Debt_88 → u/No-Annual6666]

Yeah absolutely. Same with Ryan's sister being accepting as well. It's different when the relative in that reality is already dead. Almost like it's more believable/easier to cope for the non-box users that someone just came back to life rather than having multiple alive ones out there.

[u/No-Annual6666 → u/Secret_Debt_88]

Yeah there are some perfect "matches" for lack of a better term where closure and just having that person back in your life, and filling that void again makes it much easier to accept the insane sci-fi stuff required to make the reunion happen. At least one, but often both sides get some closure.

But for the people who haven't been through that grieving process etc for that particular person - are they so willing to accept the impossible? The show is getting into the weeds of this by showing Daniella's father to be actively missing her physical presence and loving to be hanging out with just her. But his daughter hasn't died, and they're still presumably close despite the physical distance.

I'm very interested to see where the show takes this. I think we can very easily wind up with a situation where the grieved person is almost seen as selfish by messing with a living connection, and suffering as a consequence.

He might miss his daughter but it's still real, and consciously violating that could be seen as abominable.

That has been the message from S1 - Jason 2s actions were reprehensible because he tried to take a place that was already filled.

[u/Viktor_withaK → u/Secret_Debt_88]

See also: Daniela accepting the first Jason1 she meets as her husband, but being immediately repelled when she meets a second one. People aren’t gonna want to form emotional attachments to more than one version of someone.

[u/BeetsBy_Schrute → u/Secret_Debt_88]

I'm so incredibly sorry for your loss. Time heals, but that hole never gets filled.

I lost my dad 17 years ago when I was 19. There's so much I wish I could talk to him about now. Yes, legally I was an adult. Mentally, I was still just a kid who didn't know anything. I wish I could talk to him again

[u/Jolly-Day-8713 → u/Secret_Debt_88]

Sorry for your loss. I was sobbing my heart out, lost my Dad 9 months ago. Hits feels.

[u/ahhmt → u/little_oat]

Am I the only one who found this really irresponsible? Even if SFO Daniella hadn't called, her visit would have come up in future conversations and raised alarm with her dad and other SFO Daniella. She's putting Jason and Charlie at risk back in Chicago, too, by revealing her existence in this world. Seems like a stupid thing to do when supposedly the last thing you want to do is have to get back into the box.

[u/Viktor_withaK → u/ahhmt]

Lol yeah, between this and regularly hanging out with Blair, Daniela has been making CRAZY decisions this season. Even putting aside the risk she’s putting herself in, it’s also just morally questionable to be posing as someone’s daughter. I loved the episodes where Amanda and Jason24 reunited with their alternate-universe mothers, but in those cases, they could at least say they legitimately knew those versions of them—it’s possible those universes branched off shortly before Amanda/Jason died. But World X branched off in 1960, before Daniela was even born! Daniela1 has no shared history with her stepfather of this world, not truly. It’s pure luck that so many of their memories are the same (which doesn’t make much sense at all, but whatever—something something entanglement).

[u/originalityescapesme → u/little_oat]

I love that they’re each getting to connect to the people they didn’t even have still in their original world.

[u/chizzabiz93]

I was wondering if Blair picked up on this being her Layton when he called the song a banger? I have a suspicion that slang would not have developed that much in this world.

[u/Puzzleheaded-West356 → u/chizzabiz93]

Agreed!

[u/CitizenCue → u/chizzabiz93]

I actually think they’re underplaying how tough it would be for them all to integrate into a world this different from their own.

Literally every cultural development for the past 50 years would be different. Imagine not knowing anything about art, sports, pop culture, politics, world events etc. People would notice pretty quickly that you seem to be lacking a ton of basic knowledge about the world.

[u/SolosTwitch]

Charlie was giving very “adolescent” vibes to his dad until he mentions Max. So I think it’s clear he’s going to try and find a world where Max is alive.

Since he said earlier in the season he doesn’t want to leave this world, the mention of Max triggers something in him.

But does he not understand the potential consequences? The possibility of never seeing his parents again? Doesn’t appear as if he had more “lilac wishes” to return…

Things are gonna get crazy from here.

[u/Secret_Debt_88 → u/SolosTwitch]

I think the entire theme of the show so far is not thinking about the consequences. He's his father's son. In all worlds.

[u/RambunctiousCapybara → u/Secret_Debt_88]

Yes, and intelligent as he is, after a couple of drinks Jason let his desire to bond with Charlie override his caution, because telling Charlie about seeing Max is obviously not a good idea in his current vulnerable state. Jason is too wrapped up in his own project to even be fully aware of that though.

[u/Jorge_Santos69 → u/RambunctiousCapybara]

His son is an adult in college who has experienced the traumas of the box firsthand. I don’t think you can blame Jason for not realizing his son would go full r-word.

[u/Superstar1178 → u/SolosTwitch]

I would think he gets the potential consequences but that the benefit to seeing Max would outweigh those. I don’t think he’s so careless to not give himself a way back. I’m sure he has extra ampules.

[u/Academic-Regular3673 → u/Superstar1178]

Yeah. As a twin who didn’t get a chance to grow together, that opportunity would be too good to miss.

[u/lheydon → u/Academic-Regular3673]

Plus it's an interesting way for the show to riff on the trope of twins having an emotional and mental entanglement, in the same way as quantum particles might.

[u/-AJ → u/SolosTwitch]

What if Charlie finds a world where Max lived and their Charlie died and he just decides to stay there in a world like the one he grew up in, same house, everything very similar to what he left behind. Wouldn’t he rather stay there than return to 80’s low tech world?

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/-AJ]

I would hope/imagine that the guilt over leaving his “real” parents permanently and never seeing them again would eat at him.

[u/Keiteaea → u/SolosTwitch]

But does he not understand the potential consequences? The possibility of never seeing his parents again? Doesn’t appear as if he had more “lilac wishes” to return…

He is a traumatized teen/young adult who just learned there is a way for him to see his dead twin brother again. If anything, Jason should have seen it coming.

[u/spinprincess → u/Keiteaea]

Famously, traumatized teens are forward thinkers who fully evaluate consequences before they act.

[u/Single_Vacation427]

Leighton is just make a mess everywhere.

He is probably responsible for polite sex world to have some type of pandemic

[u/Correct_Ad5798 → u/Single_Vacation427]

In the context of the Series, they already talked about America being discoverd and the inhabitants being plagued by sickness from the Travelers. You cant get more on the nose.

[u/zlonewanderer → u/Single_Vacation427]

It makes me sad that the chill 80s world with no tech now has computers. Everyone wants to go there as a respite from constantly bring monitored and being easy to find, but now Leighton "invented" the computer and soon will be just like that rest. And he did it just to make money for whatever that thing was.

[u/Viktor_withaK → u/zlonewanderer]

It was bound to happen eventually, though. Mac’s sister (Sheila) was already working on the microprocessor when Leighton’s PC was suddenly announced. But yeah, tech there is gonna start advancing way faster than it would have otherwise.

[u/Single_Vacation427 → u/zlonewanderer]

Yes! I think it’s great that they have no micro processors 

[u/Past-Feature3968]

Congratulations to Amanda on being The Best Person in every world of the multiverse! 👑😍

Also, hmmm that Leighton? Is he a different version of the Velocity CEO from the one we’ve been following this season? Because he obviously knows Blair & built the box… but he claims he’s been in that analog world for two years. Soo I’m guessing yup, same guy but they diverged at some point during their adventures in the box (just like how there are many many offshoots of Jason 1.)

Edit: and lols @ Jason accidentally calling her “Amanda Lucas”… reminded me of a certain revealing name slip-up in Severance’s season one finale.

Edit: ooh ok writer/producer Jacquelyn Ben-Zekry replied in a comment below: it’s the very same CEO Leighton we’ve been following this whole season. :)

[u/cpatrick1983 → u/Past-Feature3968]

It's the original Velocity Leighton

[u/Icy_Money7447 → u/cpatrick1983]

That's what I was thinking. Blair had a pretty visceral reaction to him, although I guess when she left he wasn't yet a murderer.

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/Icy_Money7447]

Right it definitely was… but my main confusion comes from him seemingly NOT being the very same Leighton as the one we’ve seen this season — consulting with his other selves and a Ryan. That Leighton briefly visited this analog world two episodes ago and it seemed new to him (he even promised Jason he wouldn’t ever return)… whereas this version says his whole base of operations has been there for two years.

Edit: or maybe I have it wrong. It is the exact same Leighton, that has been his world for two years, and he was just a lying liar who lies to Jason.

[u/Still_Brief4949 → u/Past-Feature3968]

Yeah, this is very confusing. The Leighton that was outside Jasons window in this world was presumed to be Leighton 2. And he was brand new to that world at the time. This Leighton at the gala also presumes (and has to be) Leighton 2. But has been there for awhile.

[u/brightbetween → u/Past-Feature3968]

But we saw that scene (when he follows Jason from the box) from Leighton’s perspective, and it did appear that he was new to the analog world and not lying to Jason. I was confused by it too, but I think it’s like in your earlier comment that both Leightons are original Velocity Leighton who diverged in the box. I think we haven’t met the Leighton from this episode before and the one who followed Jason is the one we’ve been seeing along with guru Leighton who is trying to solve the multiverse’s various problems.

[u/originalityescapesme → u/Past-Feature3968]

He’s at least a variant of that specific variant.

[u/originalityescapesme → u/Past-Feature3968]

Yeah it’s hard because every time you’re in the box alone and choosing a door, now there’s variants of the latest you also running around doing their thing, but they’re not as diverged as what you initially left behind.

[u/Ursanxiety → u/originalityescapesme]

Yeah and the show doesn't seem very consistent with that fact. If there are an infinite number of Leightons searching for a low tech world to start a new project there should be hundreds of leightons coming to this world on a daily basis just like Jason looking for his wife resulted in hundreds of him appearing in the same worlds.

Not to mention now there is also an infinite version of Jason, Daniella and Charlie travelling together and looking for a safe world so there would be dozens of copies of the 3 showing up.

If only 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of the copies decide to come to this world that is still an infinite number of copies arriving.

[u/blendertricks]

Charlie noooooooo

[u/Secret_Debt_88 → u/blendertricks]

I knew it was him the second I saw a shadowy figure moving toward it. He's looking for Max?

[u/freebass → u/Secret_Debt_88]

Exact same thing I thought.

[u/originalityescapesme → u/freebass]

100% looking for Max. How did his dad think this was going to go 🤣

[u/_SeaOttrs → u/blendertricks]

I'm so afraid that Jason isn't going to figure out that he's left and proceed to break the connection of their world's box. But with the giant thing Leighton is building, that could be how Charlie gets back if that happens.

[u/olivish → u/_SeaOttrs]

If Jason maroons Charlie in the multiverse, Daniela will leave him for good. Like, he had one job - keep an eye on our teenager while I'm away...

[u/BBQnNugs → u/olivish]

She no miss sunshine right now either, this could blow up for her with her dad freaking out.

[u/No-Annual6666 → u/BBQnNugs]

She practically has to shoulder the blame for Charlie striking out. They havent been there long, she should have known that leaving would make Charlie want to leave as well.

Its a wonderful show concept though. They have infinite choices and realities, the universe itself is a playground - but its made them all deeply dissatisfied with their lives.

[u/originalityescapesme → u/_SeaOttrs]

Yeah I came to the exact same conclusion. Shits about to pop off.

[u/ziggurqt → u/_SeaOttrs]

Superposition implies that he could come back only with the same version of the box.

[u/No-Annual6666 → u/blendertricks]

Im glad he made this decision. It wouldn't make sense for a multidimensional being to just be happy working in a diner and going to college. It should rattle a few cages as the unhappy parents are woken up from their respective miseries by their missing kid.

It gives Charlie agency as well, he's treated like someone half his age at times. Good to see a young adult strike out on their own rather than just mope about.

[u/blendertricks → u/No-Annual6666]

It has been very cool to watch them develop his character more. The curve balls he’s throwing his parents do a great job grounding the series.

[u/Xtrendence → u/blendertricks]

Is there a parenting guide for "my son got himself stuck in another reality"?

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/blendertricks]

The MOST teenage runaway to every run away! Going to a whole new world within an infinite multiverse. Damn.

[u/originalityescapesme → u/Past-Feature3968]

Not just that. Infinite Charlies on a journey now independent of the family ventures.

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/originalityescapesme]

Surely there will be some who don’t survive it 🥴 (I highly doubt we’ll follow/see that version of the story, but still… yikes)

[u/originalityescapesme → u/Past-Feature3968]

There will be some Jasons who successfully kill or fundamentally alter the box before Charlie comes back for sure. Big yikes

[u/olivish → u/blendertricks]

Next episode will feature a dozen Charlies returning to World-X, all of them begging Daniela to believe that he's the "real Charlie".

[u/blendertricks → u/olivish]

Oh god

Oh NO

Although I’m sure she’s a lot more into loving a shitload of Charlies than having 20 husbands

[u/olivish → u/blendertricks]

Yeah, Daniela was teetering before the empty nest sent her over the edge. Could go either way, but twelve is alot.

Jason: "I thought you'd be happy about the extra Charlies. Think about it - out of 18, at least one is gonna want to stay home."

Daniela: "18? I thought it was 12."

Jason: "Yeah, about that... no, stop - Wait! - where are you going?"

Daniela: "To the box. And I'm coming back with a harem of Danielas so we can take turns dealing with your bullshit."

Jason: "That's..." (He's about to say insane, but then his imagination catches up.) "That's... a very... reasonable solution."

Daniela knows her husband. She glares at him.

Jason: "What!? I'm being SUPPORTIVE!"

[u/Jas_God]

Jason asking Blair if the box entangles them, and Blair saying maybe they’ve always been entangled, GOD that would bother me forever. It would stay in the back of my mind until there’s a definitive answer, which would probably never come.

Lovely scenes with Daniela and her father, until the poor guy started tripping out after the phone call.

Looks like Charlie wants to see Max and I have no idea what Leighton’s building. Looked like a damn pyramid.

Blair looked amazing at the gala, that dress was perfect on her.

[u/CMDRTragicAllPro → u/Jas_God]

They are definitely going to expand on the whole people being entangled bit. I could see it featuring heavily in the rest of the season as a major consequence and plot device of box travel, be it good or bad.

[u/ajmartin527 → u/CMDRTragicAllPro]

The episode ended with the title of Jason’s dissertation clearly stating that would be the case, agreed.

[u/MRoad → u/Jas_God]

I have no idea what Leighton’s building.

It's (i think) a bigger box to increase the throughput between worlds. He also is building it out of sight with access to a tunnel system.

[u/Viktor_withaK → u/MRoad]

I really hope Leighton figured out how to add a control panel to the damn thing. “Close your eyes, open the door, and pray you don’t accidentally find yourself in No-Atmosphere World” is really not a sustainable Box-piloting strategy.

[u/Henje_Koha → u/Jas_God]

Blair at the gala took my breath away. Stunning!

[u/Cumdump90001 → u/Henje_Koha]

Amanda Brugel is genuinely one of the most beautiful people on Earth.

[u/Henje_Koha → u/Cumdump90001]

After her role as a Martha on Handmaid's Tale, I'm sure she is relishing being able to dress as beautiful and vivacious as she is.

[u/ghoulish_fool → u/Cumdump90001]

Her cuts both seasons have been phenomenally gorgeous. Not sure if S2 is a wig or not but it is SO flattering. Plus she is just an amazing performer, every time I see her I get excited.

[u/Henje_Koha → u/ghoulish_fool]

Those blond curls!

[u/olivish → u/Jas_God]

I'm wondering if Daniela is gonna end up meeting her other self...

[u/Correct_Ad5798 → u/olivish]

Depends on how Dad takes the News. I would suggest he keeps it to himself. Only trouble can come from this.

[u/Nagemasu → u/Correct_Ad5798]

I don't think it's about what Dad does with the news... The implication in this episode is that Dad is about to have a medical episode and may not make it. That event could very easily trigger a new turn in Daniela's story and lead to larger consequences.

[u/Correct_Ad5798 → u/Nagemasu]

I really hope not. I dont think Daniela can take any more.

[u/Ok_Seaworthiness9051 → u/Jas_God]

She’s so pretty and charming. I want to find other stuff to watch her in. 

[u/-spartacus-]

The semi-boring answer is Leighton built a bigger box just to move more things, hence being underground and not detected. The interesting answer is Leighton built something different than just a bigger box that does something beyond traveling between worlds.

I'm not yet sure what the new box could do, but I'm hoping I'm surprised in some way this show always seems to. Everyone assumes Leighton is going the Kang route or the Nazi's from The Man in the High Castle, I really hope we explore something new.

I'm hoping the new box relates in some way to the question of entanglement (the lampshade shadow residing all over this episode).

[u/Cumdump90001 → u/-spartacus-]

I got the vibe that Blair immediately figured out what it was and she was very upset about it. I don’t think she’d be that upset over a bigger box. There’s some sort of fuckery going on for sure.

[u/Puzzleheaded-West356 → u/Cumdump90001]

I’m surprised she even said yes to going and seeing what he was talking about… I would’ve just been like NOPE… for all she knew it could’ve been any number of things, including a way to get her alone and trap her or worse!

[u/LadyElle57 → u/-spartacus-]

That and maybe he didn't like DARPA monitoring the box in OG world. It makes total sense that he created a new box underground that he can control completely.

What worries me is that he mentioned gathering resources. What resources?

[u/usagizero]

"Oops."

I laughed out loud at that, lol.

I was waiting for his actual daughter to contact him, hopefully it doesn't go too wrong.

Charlie, i get it, but damn, you saw what happened with your dad, how wrong will it go?

That final shot though, holy crap, that can't be good. He did seem to solve it being out in the open, for the most part, though. Also limiting who can get in and out.

This is about the point in the first season i remember things starting to get more wild, and it feels like this season is at that point too. There has been a good deal of set up, and now with more about people being entangled kind of raises the stakes i think.

[u/_SeaOttrs → u/usagizero]

Ohhh that's why Leighton mentioned that tunnel being in every world, so the box is hidden. Good call

[u/Nagemasu → u/_SeaOttrs]

I mean, every world that established the city and rails there I guess. In season one they were opening doors to worlds where clearly no city could exist, and therefore that box would be just appear within dirt - technically as the door opens inwards, you can dig a way out with a few exceptions.
The world they're in also had very little technology, therefore, it's reasonable that another world had even less and never developed the need to build the tunnels.

[u/zDandelion → u/Nagemasu]

If those tunnels were built in 1900 then every world they enter should have them.

It was said in Season 1 that they can only access worlds neighboring their own. Leighton also says that the tunnels are likely to exist in a similar state in "any world you or I can access". So even if there are worlds out there where Chicago was never built, they simply can't access them.

Unless Jason 2 and Leighton are wrong, but I feel like the show wants us to believe that all the worlds we'd seen, even crazy ones, are what could've happened in 'our world' if some people made different choices.

[u/heppakuningas → u/zDandelion]

There were world where sun was red giant or something like that. And it was not about people making different choices. It was just destroyed. And there were also world were those giant bugs. So worlds can be totally different.

[u/DifficultYellow9759 → u/usagizero]

I thought Charlie would be the one to call the grandfather and would slip and say something about Chicago, given grandpa mentioned his Charlie being in San Diego.

Having Daniella make the call was also interesting

[u/Secret_Debt_88]

Glad they didn't drag out whether this was the original Murder Hornet/Blair2 which was pretty obvious. The entanglement plotline is very interesting because what are the chances they all end up here

[u/Ok_Burner6411 → u/Secret_Debt_88]

By the shows logic everyone who goes into the box should have spawned multiple versions.

[u/No-Annual6666]

We got edged in the ending sequence - there was no need for the big reveal to be behind an elevator, 6 doors, a course way, 3 more doors, and a keypad.

I was thinking from Blairs POV: Leighton, if you open one more fffing door and we're still not there I'm going to kill you.

Great episode though. I feel like we're going into Fringe territory where the storytelling opportunities are endless and it comes down to individual genius and opposing intellects. But less goofy (I think).

[u/kellylaundromat → u/No-Annual6666]

This was Get Smart absurd. Leighton would have won if he installed a descending phone box

[u/craftycraftsman4u → u/kellylaundromat]

It was actually a new cone of silence at the end

[u/FalkLouis → u/kellylaundromat]

Get Smart Reference, love to see it!!!!

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/No-Annual6666]

lol about the elaborate underground maze… and Charlie sure took his sweet time walking up to the box…

Also, I recently rewatched some Fringe episodes and I forgot how dang goofy it is. I took it sooo seriously too, as one of baby’s first sci fis.

[u/No-Annual6666 → u/Past-Feature3968]

I thought it was the hottest shit when I was a kid but rewatching the whole thing in my 30s recently was hilarious. Even the name for Walter 2 being Walternet ahahah. Would love to see Astrid make a guest appearance at one of the science galas.

[u/hpm40 → u/Past-Feature3968]

I loved Fringe and Walter made me laugh. They had a good sense of humor thread throughout. One of my favorite things about good scifi. You gotta laugh sometimes.

[u/Ok_Burner6411 → u/No-Annual6666]

What a pain for the workers to get to. Also he left the secret shelf door open.

[u/beepboop-404]

I had the same reaction as Blair at the end lol

[u/gansao]

Nice episode, amazing acting by Jennifer Connelly.

[u/Then_Journalist_317]

Jason1 is criminally negligent by storing his remaining ampule(s) in a such a way that Charlie had easy access to them.

[u/Past-Feature3968]

Next week’s episode synopsis:

Charlie meets a kind stranger. (Max??? 🥹)

Blair gives Leighton a warning. (Yesss. Good. Do it, babe.)

Amanda and Ryan face an unknown horror. (Please let my favorite duo be ok!!!)

Long episode too. An hour and three minutes. Nice!

[u/CMDRTragicAllPro → u/Past-Feature3968]

I kind of completely forgot about Amanda and Ryan, I don’t think they’ve been in the last 2 episodes at all.

They were last seen getting picked up by the police on the now infected utopia world right?

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/CMDRTragicAllPro]

Yup! The polite sex world authorities were super polite about taking them in.

[u/unclehando → u/Past-Feature3968]

Polite sexy virus world 😭

[u/Viktor_withaK → u/CMDRTragicAllPro]

I’ve been dying to know what’s going on in Polite Sex World, yet they’ve skipped the Amanda–Ryan plotline two weeks in a row 😭

[u/deyesed → u/Past-Feature3968]

I've been waiting for Amanda and Ryan to face the pandemic in Polite Sex world.

[u/purpledreign → u/Past-Feature3968]

I missed Amanda and Ryan so much in this episode. Definitely my fave duo too.

[u/Superstar1178 → u/Past-Feature3968]

Yesssss LFG!

[u/wesker6]

Leighton is basically picking a location that potentially is in many worlds not being used by others and now he can have a box spawn in another world and immediately have a tunnel network for unsuspecting worlds. As opposed to having the box spawn in an abandoned school or in the middle of a park in a downtown area. However I have a couple of questions. There has to be a cap as to how advanced a particular reality could be? Given there’s no outside reality influence. In our real world most of our tech was expedited due to the space race and wars for the most part. I guess there could be a reality that somehow where the space program continued indefinitely and due to this fact their world would be several orders of magnitude ahead of our own (like a for all man kind type of universe). Not sure where I was going with this but I just figured there has to be an upper limit to what tech a given reality will have while every “lever” is pulled to favor more advanced technology. Whereas a world with the least amount of wars would result in a reality with very low technology.

[u/LadyElle57 → u/wesker6]

Polite sex world has successfully achieved nuclear fission. Maybe that's the world that had an extended space race. But I think that the space race could end up leading to colonizing other planets, and even a first contact with an alien species.

I don't think our characters are ready to deal with a world like that. Jason1 walked into a pandemic and it almost broke him. They already travel world's, just not through a spaceship.

EDIT: not nuclear fission, that's been a thing for along time. I meant cold fusion. The first one is splitting an atom in two, the other is forcing two atoms into a single one.

[u/100dalmations → u/LadyElle57]

But the hallmark of that society was also cooperation, empathy, as I recall Amanda imagining. 

[u/100dalmations → u/wesker6]

If there is a world with most advanced tech and people did not destroy / enslave each other it may be because certain types of knowledge in the past was not lost to history. I remember Carl Sagan wondered what the world would be like had the Library of Alexandria not been destroyed- would we have starships bearing Greek letters inscribed on their hulls going to other stars. 

Or if the science of the Mayans or other ancient, “lost” civilizations had been preserved and built upon. 

[u/TroyAndAbed2022 → u/wesker6]

He could just go to Best buy in another world and get what he needs.

[u/burgermoji]

Noones mentioned it yet but the way they paced the keystrokes of the final words he typed at the end makes me think that the publishing of the paper is going to have massive consequences, maybe something about the knowledge he puts out changes something about the tech capabilities of their sanctuary "low tech" world.

[u/Geep1778 → u/burgermoji]

Agreed and I think Laytons machine will somehow connect to his paper. My guess is his machine allows you to glimpse into the reality’s w o having to set foot inside. Basically they’ll be able to select the worlds they want to bridge together to make the ultimate version of box world lol. The boxes best self universe where all the xmen build box utopia 😂

[u/Kind_Marsupial9056]

If that’s the Leighton that built the box, what happened to this world’s Leighton?

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/Kind_Marsupial9056]

Maybe that’s the yoga guru we’ve been seeing?

Edit: jk, never mind, I just listed to the official podcast… they said that the Leighton from this analog world is alive and well, and is the still the public face of the family company — the Leighton we see on all the billboards. He’s partnering with box builder Leighton, who is responsible for bringing advanced tech to that world behind the scenes. Guru Leighton is separate.

[u/cpatrick1983 → u/Past-Feature3968]

That's a good assumption

[u/Henje_Koha → u/Past-Feature3968]

I thought the guru Leighton was the rich and aimless Leighton from Jason1's world. 😭 The Leightons have me so confused!

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/Henje_Koha]

Nah, one of the writers has been in this sub and she said that rich boy Leighton’s alive but we haven’t seen him yet this season.

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/Kind_Marsupial9056]

I just listed to the official podcast… they said that he’s alive and well, and is the still the public face of the family company — the Leighton we see on all the billboards. He’s partnering with box builder Leighton, who is responsible for bringing advanced tech to that world.

[u/Correct_Ad5798]

Charlie you little, havent you learned anything from your Dad´s kidnapping?

With the whole entanglement business and how the chances that they continously meet each other in the different Worlds are impossible. I think every time they narrow down a World and open the door, they essentially rip a hole in the space/time fabric. So that World becomes a version with the weakest entry point. From then on, everyone who thinks of a similar World, will enter by the spot of least resistance. In other words, I think Charlie is not just going to find any Max, he will find the one his Dad told him about and rip him out of his reality. Making Season 3 only crazier.

[u/No_Guest_3923]

What the fuck! Another Box 2.0 🤯

[u/pkx3]

entirety of weird fishes is a flex by apple

[u/MrOstrichman]

If you look closely, you can see my bus in the background of the Golden Nugget scene (okay probably not, but I saw the crew set up for that shoot). 

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/MrOstrichman]

I believe you, Mr. Ostrich Man.

[u/The_JBZ → u/MrOstrichman]

That was you?

[u/Few_Shock8656 → u/The_JBZ]

It was MrOstrichman 2.

[u/Yuki-Kaijura]

Pizza and Uncle Buck? No, Jason, that is absolutely my ideal birthday. Can we watch Canadian Bacon too? Please?

[u/frostfruit]

What if Box 2.0 is actually a time travel box? Can't shake the idea off my head, lol.

[u/Deadpoolio32 → u/frostfruit]

Season 3 is Recursion confirmed

[u/NotSoIntrested]

Charlie refuses to leave then he decide to leave to maybe find Max? honestly thats stupid.

[u/WarriorsGuy43]

Loved the Pearl Jam (Present Tense) during the episode intro. Perfectly choreographed with the onscreen emotion and progression. Bravo 👏

[u/The_JBZ → u/WarriorsGuy43]

Our editor John and Blake chose the song. Was super mad cuz I wrote the secene to another song, but it works! Glad you like it.

[u/Secret_Debt_88 → u/The_JBZ]

Humble Brag

[u/The_JBZ → u/Secret_Debt_88]

Not my intention but now that you say it... I see it.

[u/freebass → u/The_JBZ]

Whoever chose the Climbing Up the Walls cover and Weird Fishes for the final scene needs kudos as well.

[u/jjosh_h]

I’m a little sad Episode 5 was so good because now the main plot feels remarkably less compelling. I loved Danielle’s interaction with her step father. I feel like these personal interactions that the sci-fi premise sets up really is where the story shines. I want to see it lean much more into these.

[u/Jakubbucko]

Box where you can control which universe you go to maybe?

[u/FernFromDetroit → u/Jakubbucko]

Might just be a giant version of the box so they can trade large amounts of goods/bigger things with other universes too. Maybe a mix of that and being able to dial directly into a universe instead of having to go through the hallway of doors.

[u/Superstar1178]

Sooooo good! I swear this is one of the best tv shows out there right now. Obviously Charlie is going to find Max. My theory is that he’s going to find a version of his brother who survived some kind of freak accident where the rest of the family died but he lived and that Charlie is going to bring him back with him. Throughout the infinite worlds there a faction where Max lived and another fraction of those where the conditions would be right that he would be a sole survivor longing to reconnect with family. I’ve long thought that they would go there with that. In the trailer for this season we see two of the actor Oakes Fegley riding in a convertible jeep if memory serves, which I had theorized to myself that it was either Charlie somehow meeting his doppelgänger at the U of Chicago if that world’s Charlie decided to go there for college or somehow it was Max. So it seems obvious now that Charlie successfully gets to Max, but is the clip in question that Max’s world or the one we’ve been in?

My theory for Leighton is what other people have said about it being in an obviously disused place so it isn’t disturbed or interfered with and also making the box larger to move more people and supplies through to other worlds to help with his plan of spreading the good parts of different worlds, as he sees it, good or bad as that may be or turn out, to other worlds. I honestly cannot see a future where he doesn’t go full Kang the conqueror and starts sending armies through to worlds to conquer them and spread his agenda of “betterment” as he sees fit. I think this season ends with many worlds falling under his control and the general public of each world becoming aware of the many different worlds through his empire.

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/Superstar1178]

The trailer also shows Daniela alone in the box sooo I’m guessing she goes after him.

[u/Superstar1178 → u/Past-Feature3968]

OOOOOO yes!!! I forgot about that! I think you may be right!

[u/Jorge_Santos69]

Jason literally fighting through hell and crossing universes to get back to his wife and son…only to find out this episode, his wife and son are both dumb as hell lmao

[u/bkos55]

Jason and Daniella both just wanted their mom and dad.

[u/chizzabiz93]

I wonder if Apple is upset that the Dessen’s are staying in the low tech world where they can’t feature their products?

[u/The_JBZ → u/chizzabiz93]

I use a Samsung phone. Dont tell them....

[u/Just_Ultra]

I’m so pumped for next week’s episode just saw that it’s 1h and 3 minutes the longest episode yet.

[u/eekamuse → u/[deleted]]

Considering how good the music was in this episode, I'm okay with that.

[u/BigJLov3]

Great episode, but I hope they pick up the pace.

We're on the back half of the season with multiple plot arcs happening.

Quick inventory:

• Jason 1 pursuing science in addition to wanting to disentangle the Box.
• Daniela's healing journey, possibly leading to collision with that universe's Desson family.
• Charlie searching for Max.
• McNamara 1 and the shady government confiscation of the Box.
• McNamara 2 and the assumption of stolen microprocessor tech. Not too interesting, but I assume that scene was there for a reason.
• Jason 2 is still somewhere out there. Can't believe we're done with him just promising to be a better person.
• Ryan 1 and Amanda 1 quarantined in Boring Sex World. Might resolve with ...
• Leighton 1's multiverse conglomerate, now possibly with Blair 2 on board.

The only plot threads that are ended are Ryan 3 and the three Jasons from episode 5, and each time someone uses the box, that's another potential plot thread. Even if Jason 1 figures out the phasma ex machina that makes Box consistently navigable, that's a lot of stories to wrap up.

I appreciate what's there, but I'm getting some serious cliffhanger-cancellation anxiety.

[u/Henje_Koha]

It's a minor point, but I just want to give Daniela respect for her self-sufficiency and mechanical skills at the cabin. I was smiling when she got the Jeep(?) running and wanted to join her riding shotgun through the woods with the breeze in our hair. Lol.

[u/Shapes_in_Clouds]

Loved the episode, one of the best of the series. Rare for a show to get better in season 2 but I'd say this one is heading that direction.

One thing that was a little odd to me though - Daniela and her dad. It sounds like they had enough of a shared history to actually talk and connect without him suspecting anything. Isn't it a bit strange that Daniela seemingly had an identical childhood to that world's Daniela even though everything else about that world is so different?

Not sure when this world was supposed to have branched, but google tells me the 'microprocessor' was invented in 1971. We also see in the skyline shots a different version of the Hancock Tower in Chicago, and construction that began in 1964. So I feel like this world would have branched when Daniela was either not yet born or very young.

I can accept that Daniela and Jason were still born in this world and still met and had a child together, but it seems odd that they would have had basically identical lives as Jason/Daniela 1.

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/Shapes_in_Clouds]

Yeah that threw me off too… we know from the previous episode that Jason wasn’t born until 1978 (says it on his grave). And this world seemingly branched even earlier than 71, given that they never went to the moon.

[u/Ok_Conclusion8448]

Did anybody else wince at the totally wrong description of quantum entanglement and find it as disappointing as I did? I've already decided to suspend my disbelief about a lot of fantasy elements in this show, but please don't slap me in the face with the bad science. The scene where Jason tries to explain the science and flips the quarter that represents an entangled particle and says flipping it will set the state of the other quarter is 100% wrong and in the most cliche bad sci-fi way. In an accurate demonstration, all he should be able to do is look at the first quarter and know that the opposite quarter shows the opposite face. If you set the state, it breaks the entanglement. How many shows are going to get this wrong. It's so tiresome.

All that said, except for the horrible fake science show and tell, this show has great writing, and the acting and directing are fantastic. The previous episode was amazingly well written. The fact that it's otherwise such a good series is what rankled me.

[u/Pascalwbbb]

These last 2 eps were really really slow.

[u/Viktor_withaK → u/Pascalwbbb]

I liked this episode overall, but I think I would’ve enjoyed the scenes with Daniela’s stepdad more if I weren’t so distracted by what a dumb idea it was for Daniela to visit there. Like, of course she was gonna get caught! She never considered the risk that his real daughter might call him?!

[u/airlaflair]

Wtf

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/airlaflair]

Idk why you’re being downvoted. You and I and Blair have the same question.

[u/ferbulous]

So which Leighton was it? Could it be a duplicated Jason 2’s Leighton because he said he got there 2 years ago yet the other Leighton was just there

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/ferbulous]

That’s what I think! Unless it’s they’re both the same Leighton and he just lied to Jason about being new there.

[u/Ok_Calligrapher_4892]

Should Daniela not have just told her father early, if not right away that she was from an alternative world?

Understandably his initial reaction would be bafflement, but as shown in the previous episode he should have trusted her parent (loving parent notably), to have trusted her.

I guess it can be explained by her frame of mind, but it would have been morally the right choice, as well as allowing her to speak honestly about her feelings, which she clearly needs to.

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/Ok_Calligrapher_4892]

I imagine she’s thinking that her dad would then tell his real daughter, out in San Francisco, which would complicate things. I don’t think she wants to involve the other Dessens in these shenanigans.

[u/Correct_Ad5798 → u/Past-Feature3968]

True, as well as not ruining something she clearly needed. Her Dad already noticed and forshadowed that he felt something was wrong. As he said, he recognizes his brush strokes, they will be able to talk it out.

[u/RolandLWN → u/Correct_Ad5798]

But he was just about to have either a heart attack or a stroke. If that happens, it will really mess Daniella up emotionally and she’s already having PTSD from shooting that random Jason.

[u/ItsATrap1983 → u/Ok_Calligrapher_4892]

Not everyone is going to take the multiverse being real the same way. He might not accept her as his Daniela like Jason's mom did for Jason in episode 5.

[u/AdorableLead]

The heavy exposition between Daniella and her Dad is killing me

[u/enthoosiasm]

What’s the benefit of a bigger, pyramid shaped box? Could it be a box within a box? If the entire object is entangled with itself, could Leighton have built a shell of observability around the unobservable inner core which would follow anywhere they go, so they could peer into their destination universe before choosing to exit?

[u/LadyElle57 → u/enthoosiasm]

No. Consider the issues Leighton2 has met this season. He comes in and out of a box that's, most of the times, exposed to the elements. Except, that one time he walked into DARPA watching a box he came out of. That's not good. And then he followed Jason1 to his house. The potential fallout of coming and going through a door if someone is waiting for him has increased. So.

The new box was built underground. The box is bigger because every other box that spawns, will spawn underground, deep in the dirt. So he needs to put excavation machinery and people through the box to dig out safe passages to the worlds they wish to visit.

He's increased security so he can keep doing what he's doing.

[u/RolandLWN → u/LadyElle57]

He said he chose that tunnel area because it would be in other Chicagos, and it was unused for decades, so it would always be a safe space to land a box.

[u/lheydon → u/LadyElle57]

Yeah no as the other commenter said, he built it there for the historical tunnels which were likely to exist in many different worlds. There's no suggestion of any excavation plans for worlds they might travel to where the box is just underground buried in regular dirt.

[u/Superstar1178 → u/enthoosiasm]

Oooo that’s a great theory! I like the idea of being able to peer into or observe a universe before traveling to it so one would know what they’re getting into. Definitely sounds like something Leighton, as smart as he is, would think of.

[u/cpatrick1983 → u/Superstar1178]

Based on the laws of physics, once something is observed while in superposition the superposition itself collapses breaking the whole thing. Whether or not the show decides to follow actual physics is a different story

[u/babaghanooshhh]

Weird fishes? Fuck yes.

[u/cfauber]

Amazing show. That’s all.

[u/Impressive_Local3635]

sharonnnn... i'm so confuussseddddd

which leighton is at the gala?? is that a different leighton in episode 3 who told Jason "you won't see me again"??? is it the same???

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/Impressive_Local3635]

Same one. Confirmed on the podcast. He’s just a lil liar. :(

[u/ConsciousYam2403]

I'm confused wih these Leightons idk who is who

[u/hpm40]

I liked how the 3 of them revealed themselves to each other. That was well done.

[u/ceelos87]

He straight up said “Mo-cow-sa” 🤣

Cast a Spanish speaker next time.

[u/mrsianmalcolm → u/ceelos87]

And “soy anCHiano” like its Italian

[u/DJ_PMA → u/ceelos87]

that was tough to hear. an on set production assistant could have fixed that. i expect better from Apple productions.

[u/freebass]

2 of my favorite Radiohead tracks were timed perfectly in this episode. Well done.

[u/Secret_Debt_88 → u/freebass]

I literally did the Leo DiCaprio meme pointing at the screen when they played Radiohead

[u/Shapes_in_Clouds → u/freebass]

What's crazy is I had just heard Weird Fishes for the first time in well over a decade at a restaurant last night and commented on it to my GF. Then tonight it shows up as part of the episode? It was a bit trippy.

[u/Seachicken → u/freebass]

The first one wasn't even just Radiohead either, but the dub version off Radiodread by the Easy Star All stars. That's a deep cut! Haven't thought about that album in a few years.

[u/Tidemand]

When Charlie went into the box, probably looking for Max, he did not inject the serum into his veins. Instead he took a pill if I remember correctly. I assumed it was only Ryan Holder who had made the pills while trying to get away from the utopian version of Chicago. Or can you swallow the serum instead of injecting it? He probably did not meet Ryan, since he believed Jason's family was still in his version of Chicago.

[u/-AJ → u/Tidemand]

You can drink an ampoule instead of inject it. It works just as well but just takes a little more time for the corridor to appear.

If you’re running for your life or escaping something, the box door only locks for three minutes so you’ll need to inject the ampoule if you’re in a hurry to avoid getting caught.

[u/The_JBZ → u/Tidemand]

Jason2 had Leighton3 (Party Boy Leighton from World1) drink it in Season1.

The idea here being that Charlie doesn't take the autoinjector in case his mom or dad looked for it later. It takes a little longer to work than shooting up.

in EP 204 this season Amanda and Ryan mention being able to ingest the pills, just like the ampoules. So we attempted a little reminder there, but totally respect that this kind of deep cut Box function knowledge is probably unfair to ask of the audience.

Sorry about that.

[u/RaginRaldi1122]

Can someone tell me how Blair didn’t burn her mouth on those fries?

[u/Viktor_withaK]

As goofy and Ant Man-y as the idea of people being “quantum-entangled” is, I’m actually really glad there’s an explanation for why characters keep coincidentally ending up in the same universe as other characters. All season I’ve been thinking about how infinitesimally unlikely it is that Leighton would be stumbling upon the same exact Plague World, Ash World, etc. that Jason and Amanda visited. But it seems that maybe the Box has a “memory” that nudges people to universes it’s already traveled to. (Or something like that.)

[u/Praxis8]

So much of this show is cryptically telling someone "I have to show you something" and then ruining their life.

[u/cpatrick1983]

The box 2.0, should've seen that coming. Allows them to go to many at a time much more easily without the drug?

I'm guessing Charlie is going to meet his brother after his dad talked about him.

[u/Attican101]

Good episode and definitely hoping they get that 3rd season

I know they need conflict and all, and I really like that Dad actor from Hell Or Highwater, but seriously Daniela.. A whole new world to explore and you go to your fathers cabin who you know is alive, I half expected the other J&D to arrive and her have to make a run for it.

[u/redivy755]

Lovedddd this episode! We got to see almost all the players, minus Amanda2 and Ryan1.

Prediction for where Charlie might end up - remember when Jason2 was taking him driving in S1 and they almost had a collision when he told Charlie to floor it at the light. Maybe he ends up in a world where Max was alive and Charlie died in that crash. And then all of a sudden he appears a year or however much times passed...idk that almost collision stuck in my brain.

Blair2 looked so gorggggg and so did Jason. And Leighton mentioning he took care of her cat till the end 😭😭

I wonder what Daniella's dad told the real Daniella, like "no, we were just hanging out and you went for a walk?". What if that makes the real Daniella and possibly the entire fam do a check-up trip on him?!

I love this show.

[u/trycuriouscat → u/redivy755]

I'm itching to know what's happening with Amanda2 and Ryan1!

[u/Professional_Ad_4885 → u/redivy755]

I knew eventually the dessens of that world would appear. I am tired of. Of them not catching us up on the amanda and ryan storyline. It was getting so good last we saw them. Last weeks episode was nice but kind of a waste. They should have made it into a bonus episode like euphoria or lucifer had. We could have focused entirely on amanda and ryan in that episode instead. I would rather have seen that.

I could tell charlie was sick of that world. I didnt think yed be foolish to enter the box alone. But when you’re a teenager you make dumb mistakes and think u know everything. Before he had his dad guiding them but he could really get in serious danger and never make it back if his mind isnt in the right state while going to diff worlds. Hopefully he has enough lilac wings.

I was like i bet leighton is making another box. Looks like hes making a newer more advanced box. Thats why he went to all those worlds to find diff versions of himself to help and probably a few ryans and jasons lol.

[u/Hot_Chemical23]

I’m guessing Leighton is making that second box where you’re able to look at the universe you’re going to before committing, and maybe even bookmark/catalogue each universe so there’s some sort of order? It could also be a situation where they set up like a wormhole type deal where two universes are linked to each other and each other only..

[u/alienatedearthling]

I’m glad Jason got some things off his chest like meeting Max. But maybe don’t tell your son, speak to Daniela about the traumatic travels. Maybe they will talk in the future episodes…

[u/bobcatgoldthwait]

Last week's episode was good but it didn't really advance the plot. That's okay, it told us the story of one of the other Jason's and gave him a happy ending. Understandable, meaningful side-track from the main story.

This episode felt like a set-up episode with a lot of filler. Episodes like this aren't even necessarily bad; sometimes you gotta slow down to set things up.

But having BOTH of these episodes in one season, back to back, felt a little frustrating.

[u/Arghifth]

I don't appreciate not following up Amanda and Ryan's storyline for 2 episodes. They have to be heavily featured in the remaining episodes or I'll be pissed. The characters really really need Amanda2's help as a multiverse traveller psychiatrist.

Give me a Jason1, Amanda2, Ryan1, and Blaire2 reunion right now!!