Diksha Sundriyal
The second episode of Apple TV+’s ‘Dark Matter‘ Season 2 begins with a flashback. It takes place in the original world of the Box, on the day it was fully constructed and made operational. Jason, Leighton, Amanda, and Blair celebrate and party with the rest of their team. Leighton gives a speech about the beginning of their quest to make their world a better place, and everyone is excited about the portal of possibilities that opens with the Box. Amanda has a chat with Blair about the latter being the first one to enter the Box. She asks Blair to reconsider, believing she may not be entirely ready yet, but Blair sees it as her Neil Armstrong moment, of being the first one to step into the unknown. Of course, she has no idea what’s to come and what’s in store for all of them. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Dessens Find a Seemingly Perfect World
Following the complications in the previous episode, the Dessens, once again, find themselves relegated to the Box. They try to focus on finding a safe and good world, but even as Jason says these words out loud, the only thing going on in Daniela’s mind is how she killed an alternate version of Jason. She doesn’t talk about it, but clearly, killing a man (who was, in a way, her husband, no less) is starting to take a toll on her. In any case, Charlie thinks about the kind of world they want to land in and opens the Box into what appears to be the perfect world. The first thing they do when they walk into this world is to go to the library, only to discover there are no computers around. It takes a bit of research to discover that this world lacks computers, cellphones, and the Internet.
It turns out that history took a different course in this world, meaning the Space Race never happened. As a result, any technological advancements that had been pushed forward by the mission to the Moon never took place, and hence, this world is significantly behind in terms of technology. And this isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the Dessens. Deciding to give this world a chance, they make their first stop at a pawn shop. Running out of resources, Jason and Daniela pawn their wedding rings to afford a hotel room. Their next focus is on getting jobs, while Charlie wonders if he can go to school. The next day, Jason returns to the Box and starts thinking about how to destroy it.
Meanwhile, Daniela goes to the school and discovers that Charlie can attend, but they will need to obtain the relevant paperwork for him within 30 days. She also discovers that her version of Daniela and the Dessen family are currently living in California, which is far enough, but there are still people who know them. The woman that Daniela talked to at the school recognized her, so it’s better if they do some digging on their counterparts. Through a new contact at work, Jason learns about a man who can get them the papers they need and dig up some information for them. This man turns out to be Mitchel McNamara, though he is not the dangerous figure from Jason1’s original world. Still, he is curious enough when Jason tells him to look into himself, Daniela, and Charlie.
At first, McNamara thinks that Jason and his family are running from some dangerous people, but they prefer not to talk about it. But his curiosity turns into confusion when he looks into the Dessen family and discovers that there are two versions of them. One is living in San Francisco, while the other is right in front of him. Still, he doesn’t divulge anything to Jason when he hands him the papers he paid for. Back in the hotel room, Jason sends Charlie away for a bit so he and Daniela can have some alone time together. But what was supposed to be a quiet celebration for a possibly permanent move turns a bit sour when Jason notices that Daniela isn’t doing fine. He asks her if she’s okay, and she masks her trouble, leaving Jason clueless about how close she is to breaking down.
Ryan and Amanda Meet a Familiar Face
At the end of the last episode, when Jason1 entered Amanda and Ryan’s current world, he made the Box reappear in its original place. When Ryan finds out about it, he knows he has a very narrow window to make things work and get out of this world. Amanda is sympathetic to his plan, so she agrees to help him. This is when he takes her to the lab, where he has been working on making more of the Lavender Fairy drug. It turns out that he has sought out Leighton of this world for help. Initially, Amanda is not so sure about working with Leighton, but this version assures her he is nothing like the one from her world. He also reveals that Leighton2 did reach out to him.
It turns out he is reaching out to Leightons across different universes as he works on a tech to enable communication between them, so everyone can help each other. He really is working on a plan to save the different world, but this world’s Leighton is unsure about playing God, no matter how well-intentioned one is. Anyway, he opens his place to Ryan and Amanda so they can continue their research. Ryan succeeds in creating a very close match of the drug Amanda used, but it will take some time to completely replicate it. In the meantime, he tries to understand how the drug works and what impact it will have on him while he is in the Box. Eventually, Amanda figures that the slight difference between the drugs might actually be a good thing for them, and perhaps, Ryan’s version of the drug is ready to be used.
The clock is also ticking because the authorities are alarmed by the Box’s reappearance in the same place. Earlier, they thought it was an art installation, but now they are more concerned about what it might actually be. Leighton warns Ryan that the authorities are planning to take over the Box and study it, which means they have a very small window to recreate the drug and leave this world. Ryan also discovers, thanks to a camera installed near the Box, that Jason1 came to their world. However, he and Amanda don’t see Daniela and Charlie, who never stepped out of the box, leading them to falsely believe Jason1 never made it home. This makes Amanda feel guilty, while her PTSD from her experiences in the Box is also triggered.
Ryan and Amanda Embark on a New Journey
In an alternate world, Leighton2 and his other version, Oluko, have started working on their plans of fixing all worlds across all universes. They bring in Mustachioed Ryan, who, at first, thinks they are twins, then thinks he is lucid dreaming, then thinks they are aliens. They clear things up, telling him they are from different universes where they made different choices, but are now working together to make the world a better place. Sure enough, later in the episode, we see them talking about saving a world reduced to ashes by a volcano. It seems Leighton2 has already set up a system that allows him to seamlessly communicate with other Leightons and get help for the worlds in dire need.
Meanwhile, the thought of Jason1 and Blair out there, stranded in alien worlds, gives Amanda nightmares. She’d already felt guilty for not preparing Blair for the Box well enough, and now she feels bad for stranding Jason1 as well. She feels like history will repeat itself with Ryan, so she decides not to leave him alone. While she is quite happy and content in this world, she will always be left wondering what happened to Ryan. The next morning, she shows up at the Box, ready to embark on this journey with him. Still, she intends to return to this world, so she leaves behind a mark with which she can identify it from other versions that look just like it but aren’t. Inside the Box, she prepares Ryan for what’s to come.
As the drug takes effect and the true scale of the Box comes to light, Ryan starts to feel scared and unsettled. She helps him calm down and opens the door. Their mixed psyches lead them to another idyllic version of Chicago, which is a good start. The next time, they inadvertently land in the same world the Dessens recently came to. Sticking to the patterns she followed when she was traveling with Jason1, Amanda goes to the same hotel they used to stay at, unaware that Jason1 and his family are there as well. She and Ryan bid each other goodnight, and right as they close the doors behind them, Jason1 walks out of his room, blissfully unaware of how close two of his friends are.
The next morning, Ryan and Amanda return to the Box. They are rested and in a good mood, and Ryan, in particular, is excited to have found a world without cellphones or computers. As they re-enter the Box, they don’t notice a shadow lurking in the background. It isn’t until after they have left that the shadow is revealed to be McNamara. He had been keeping an eye on the Dessens and was likely led to the Box by Jason, who visited the place. But while Jason left, McNamara stuck around long enough for Amanda and Ryan to return. When they leave, he opens the Box and finds it empty. This convinces him he is on the right track, and while it’s good news for his curious mind, it doesn’t bode well for the Dessens, who thought they’d finally found a world to settle down in and call their own.
Read More: Who is Agent Mitchel McNamara? Who Plays Him in Dark Matter?
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