Entertainment
‘Severance’ Meets ‘Man in the High Castle’ in Apple TV’s 9-Episode Sci-Fi Series
The best science fiction television shows have storylines that would be challenging for the average person to dream up. Apple TV’s Severance allows us to visualize a world where memory is manipulated, and a person’s work life is completely separate from their personal life. Prime Video’s The Man in the High Castle, which aired from 2015 to 2019, offers an even more intriguing parallel universe story. In this four-season sci-fi series, an alternate history is depicted where the US didn’t win World War II after all. In fact, the Nazis and the Empire of Japan rule the entire world after their victory. Both of these series transport viewers into another reality in a powerful way, but there’s one more Apple TV sci-fi series that is currently combining the best of both of these shows in a fast-paced, addictive way.
What Is ‘Dark Matter’ About?
Dark Matter, which premiered back in 2024, is based on the fascinating 2016 book of the same name by novelist Blake Crouch. Crouch created this sci-fi series for the screen, with incredible results. After a nine-episode first season, the series will be returning this week for another exciting 10 episodes. The story follows Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton), a seemingly normal physics professor with a loving wife, Daniela (Jennifer Connelly), and teenage son, Charlie (Oakes Fegley). But Jason’s mundane existence gets torn apart one night when he’s kidnapped by a mysterious masked man. When Jason wakes up, he finds himself in an alternate world where he never actually married Daniela or had a child, and it turns out he’s actually been kidnapped by a version of himself.
In this world, Jason 2 (we’ll call him) has invented a giant box that allows people to jump between parallel universes. Jason 2 has decided to bring the original Jason to his world, so that he can masquerade as the family man. It seems Jason 2 felt he was missing out on having a family, but he’s solved this problem by transporting himself to this world. Our Jason must go through a daunting quest to find his way back to his world (and to his beloved family), but things get super complicated when he realizes that the journey will not be a simple one.
‘Dark Matter’ Comes Together With a Twisty Premise and Exceptional Cast
Dark Matter is so much more complex than your average sci-fi series. Each episode offers plenty of twists and turns as we root for Jason to find his way back home. But when he discovers that some potential worlds have terrifying backdrops, the show becomes increasingly scary. Aside from the addictive nature of each episode, Dark Matter is a must-watch for many other reasons. The visual effects are both realistic and entirely effective in drawing us even further into each unique parallel universe. Despite its wild premise, the series still manages to stay grounded in a fight of good vs. evil, as Jason must battle to get back home. Jason 2 is a clever, insidious villain, but the thriller also manages to create other obstacles that feel just as threatening to the characters. The stakes are always incredibly high, which makes each episode feel even more thrilling to watch.
Because Dark Matter can sometimes feel a bit complicated in its storytelling, the series had to cast excellent actors to keep the story feeling accessible and compelling. Edgerton is the perfect protagonist because he is both authentic and relatable. No matter what steps Jason has to take to get back home, it’s impossible not to root for him. Connelly is captivating as Jason’s wife, who is the perfect soulmate to our hero. Alice Braga is also fantastic as Jason’s partner, Amanda Lucas, who ends up accompanying him on his journey. Her quiet intensity matches Edgerton’s in a meaningful and effective way, which makes them exceptional scene partners. Jimmi Simpson also deserves a shout-out as Ryan Holder, Jason’s best friend, who provides an interesting throughline in all of the worlds. Each actor has to play multiple versions of their characters that exist in all of these different universes, and each performer somehow manages to successfully portray a genuinely wild range of storylines.
Season 1 closes with some jaw-dropping twists and an intriguing set-up for future episodes, ensuring that Season 2 will be even more of a wild ride. If you’ve already binged The Man in the High Castle and are eagerly awaiting Season 3 of Severance, Dark Matter is the perfect show to add to your binge-watch list. Just be prepared to get fully sucked into this completely inventive and action-packed series.
Dark Matter
- Release Date
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May 7, 2024
- Network
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Apple TV+
- Directors
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Jakob Verbruggen, Alik Sakharov, Roxann Dawson, Logan George
- Writers
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Blake Crouch
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