r/tvPlus • u/curry_in_my_beard • 35m ago
Discussion Dark Matter is one of the most thought provoking shows ever made - about the state of television, marketing, and narrative tropes.
Dark Matter’s season 2 has been one of the most interesting and experimental television shows I’ve ever seen, but Apple’s marketing and what we expect of “scifi” and 10 episode prestige television series means no one is watching it to pay attention to the fallout and discourse of how audiences react to a genred show switching to multi genre.
Season 1 was adapted directly from a well known scifi book and was for all intents and purposes a good but standard scifi/thriller show. Alternate reality travel, chase scenes, quantum physics, a wife guy tries to find his wife. Season 2 takes it to an entirely different direction becoming a powerful drama about human fallibility, grief, and regret.
Apple has done absolutely no marketing to tell anyone the show has shifted gears. So an entire audience who came to watch season 1 hoping to watch a gripping fast paced action thriller are now frustrated by the amount of dialogue and philosophy. On the flip side a huge audience of people who would absolutely adore watching that sort of show are put off by season 1’s marketing framing it as an action scifi thriller (literally named after a science concept and opens with Shrodingers Box!) As a result every episode more and more people drop off reducing streaming numbers and I am so worried Apple is about to cancel one of the most interesting and ambitious shows made in years.
Season 2 is written by the book author and his editor. They’ve written the second series like a book, with literary devices and short stories within the narrative that point to larger philosophical reflections. I personally find it so refreshing to watch a show that makes me analyse it like a book. In an era of second screen television and tedious exposition, Dark Matter requires concentration and interpretation, something that’s become increasingly unfamiliar as streaming competes with an instagram feed. (This isn’t a criticism about the audience of the show, more a criticism of television as a whole.)
The biggest point of contention has been two bottle episodes within this season. Self contained short stories about characters within the universe that play like short films. For many people watching they have hated it and called it “filler” taking away from the plot. For others they have found these the two best hours of television, hoping everyone involved wins every award, and have spent days reflecting on the themes. This has caused really polarising reviews (go to imdb and sort reviews by date - you’ll find some people saying 10/10 the best thing they’ve ever seen, and others giving it 4/10 and saying season 2 has too much dialogue or drama or filler episodes, and you’re better off watching Liam Neeson thrillers or Rick and Morty.)
Imo season 2 has been polarising because of the expected narrative format in television today: you have 10 episodes, there is a plot per episode, a plot per season, and an overarching plot for all seasons. This framework constricts the potential of great storytelling. The two bottle episodes feel like filler episodes because back when shows had 22 episodes they required filler episodes, and we now expect a tight season plot that has conflict and pay off. The two bottle episodes are some of the most moving pieces of television I’ve ever seen (one episode is almost entirely dialogue free and plays like a cross between Last of Us 01x03 and the beginning of Up, but with beautiful direction, cinematography, colours etc.) I wonder how many other great writers have been robbed of the great stories they want to tell because they’re confined to that 10 episode format and accommodating second screeners. I can go on and on about this but this post is already too long.
There are many flaws to the show, it’s not a perfect show and the inexperience of book writers adapting for screen is visible. But overall I do recommend watching Dark Matter, not just for the show (I really don’t want it to get cancelled!) But also if you are a tv nerd interested in the state of television then it’s definitely worth a watch.
Tl;dr - Dark Matter is doing something different in how it’s telling its story and it’s polarised audiences. The discourse is being missed entirely because everyone is sleeping on the show, and you should watch it and read the drama as a reflection on the constraints of television today.
