(Reviewed during Season 3).
Six people, four men and two women, awake in a spaceship with no memory of the past. As they can't remember their own names, they name themselves by the order in which they awoke - One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six. Over time they discover who they are and why they are on the ship. However, their pasts are bound to catch up with them, including deals and enemies made in those pasts. More importantly, considering all the dangers and adventures awaiting them, they might want to learn to trust each other and work together...
This series initially reminded me a lot of Firefly - a small, diverse group of people on a space ship, experiencing all manner of adventures while dealing with personal demons, mistrust of companions and relationships with each other.
Quite a big comparison, with Firefly being the greatest sci fi series ever made, so Dark Matter was always up against it in that regard.
And fall short of Firefly it does, but not by a large margin (in Season 1, at least). Dark Matter doesn't have the same warmth and character depth and development as Firefly. Firefly's future world was more innovative and nuanced and its adventures more engaging.
However, I can't fault Dark Matter's action and intrigue. Broad plot is quite original and the sub-plots engrossing and innovative. Fairly watertight plots too. The character-based side, though, as mentioned before, not in Firefly's league, is still pretty good. The fact that the six people are effectively a blank slate at the start helps, as everything from there is character development.
Plus, unlike Firefly, this got a second season...
Unfortunately, the producers shouldn't have bothered. From Season 2 onwards the mystery, intrigue and character development dried up and the series became a conventional sci fi action movie. By the middle of S2 I was watching it purely out of habit, and in the hope that something new and original happens, and after Episode 1 of S3 I gave up.
Six people, four men and two women, awake in a spaceship with no memory of the past. As they can't remember their own names, they name themselves by the order in which they awoke - One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six. Over time they discover who they are and why they are on the ship. However, their pasts are bound to catch up with them, including deals and enemies made in those pasts. More importantly, considering all the dangers and adventures awaiting them, they might want to learn to trust each other and work together...
This series initially reminded me a lot of Firefly - a small, diverse group of people on a space ship, experiencing all manner of adventures while dealing with personal demons, mistrust of companions and relationships with each other.
Quite a big comparison, with Firefly being the greatest sci fi series ever made, so Dark Matter was always up against it in that regard.
And fall short of Firefly it does, but not by a large margin (in Season 1, at least). Dark Matter doesn't have the same warmth and character depth and development as Firefly. Firefly's future world was more innovative and nuanced and its adventures more engaging.
However, I can't fault Dark Matter's action and intrigue. Broad plot is quite original and the sub-plots engrossing and innovative. Fairly watertight plots too. The character-based side, though, as mentioned before, not in Firefly's league, is still pretty good. The fact that the six people are effectively a blank slate at the start helps, as everything from there is character development.
Plus, unlike Firefly, this got a second season...
Unfortunately, the producers shouldn't have bothered. From Season 2 onwards the mystery, intrigue and character development dried up and the series became a conventional sci fi action movie. By the middle of S2 I was watching it purely out of habit, and in the hope that something new and original happens, and after Episode 1 of S3 I gave up.