(L-R): The Dark Matter crew - Zoie Palmer as The Android; Alex Mallari, Jr. as Four; Anthony Lemke as Three, Melissa O'Neil as Two, Marc Bendavid as One, Jodelle Ferland as Five and Roger Cross as Six. Photo copyright of Syfy.
Summer is finally here (unofficially, anyway), and along with it comes a bounty of TV Sci-Fi shows, both returning ones and fledgling series. One of the most anticipated of the new small screen offerings is Dark Matter. Co-created and executive produced by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie (formerly of the long-running Stargate franchise), and produced by Jay Firestone and Vanessa Piazza of Prodigy Pictures, who also serve as executive producers on the series, Dark Matter is based on a graphic novel of the same name by Mallozzi and Mullie. The show takes place in the deepest regions of outer space (yes, you read right, outer space) and onboard a spaceship (yes, an actual spaceship, complete with a neat-looking shuttle and a beautiful blonde android capable of split-second computations and taking out the opposition with s single blow)!
The opening episode of Dark Matter wastes no time in introducing the seven main characters that the audience will hopefully choose to spend the next 13 weeks with. A malfunction onboard a derelict spaceship triggers the crew to awake from stasis, and while some claim that ignorance is bliss, this is not one of those instances. The crew has no memory of who they are or what their mission is. They assign themselves numerical designations that correspond with the order in which they awoke – One (Marc Bendavid), Two (Melissa O’Neil), Three (Anthony Lemke), Four (Alex Mallari, Jr.), Five (Jodelle Ferland) and Six (Roger Cross).
The six pair off and begin to search the ship while trying to get comfortable being around one another. This is where the writing skills of both Mallozzi and Mullie shine through along with the talents of the actors selected for their respective roles. Each of the cast fits nicely into his or her characters’ shoes, taking ownership of the dialogue and scenes given to them. They clearly feel at ease as these characters and that makes you curious as well as eager to see what happens to them next.
I did say that there were seven regular characters, right? While searching the derelict, Three finds the ship’s android (Zoie Palmer), a discovery that causes some discomfort to him, One, Four and Six, and is quite amusing to watch. There are some wonderful lighter moments woven into this opening episode, and also little “breadcrumb-like” clues related to a characters’ true identity, whether it be a little trinket, a particular skill set, or even a memory from their past. Again, such things serve to humanize these characters and make them more believable and likeable to those watching. As with most TV shows, viewers will eventually choose a favorite character – I’m already leaning towards one – but there is something about each of them that draws you to him or her. You may be rooting for one of them one week, but when you sit down to watch the next episode, your opinion may change due to a characters’ response to a certain situation. Given Mallozzi’s and Mullie’s writing history, they are certain to keep us all guessing as to where One through Six, and, of course, the ship’s android are headed next.
In the latter half of this first episode, the crew makes its first visit to a planet, where they find an independent mining colony. These scenes establish additional story points, the most important one being that a handful of powerful and influence corporations have a rather tight grip on the goings on throughout this part of the universe. The decisions made by the crew regarding the colonists will most certainly have an impact on what happens in episode two. By the end of the opening episode, though, pieces of the puzzle involving the crew’s missing memories are put into place, giving them all quite a shock and setting the stage for further revelations. Who knows how each of them will react to the truth? We’ll have to wait and see.
The first 40+ minutes of Dark Matter fly by, and leave you wanting more. It has been a while since a weekly outer space/spaceship drama has graced TV screens, and this one could not be in more capable creative hands. Make sure to give it a watch, and then keep coming back – you will not be disappointed.
Steve Eramo
Dark Matter premieres Friday, June 12th @ 10:00 p.m. EST on Syfy in the U.S. and Canada's SPACE Channel. As noted above, photo copyright of Syfy, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
The premiere was OH SOOOO GOOOD and oh sooooo short. Can't wait for next episode.
This is my new favorite SciFi series to follow.
Brilliant, awesome, and great performances from all of the cast.
sigh, now to wait for next week....
Posted by: Sylvia | 06/13/2015 at 03:23 PM