Dark Matter Season 2 Review: Apple TV+ Sci-Fi Series Returns

In the first season of Apple TV’s adaptation of Blake Crouch’s bestselling sci-fi novel Dark Matter, physicist Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) travels through numerous alternate universes trying to find his way back home. Some dimensions are nightmarish, locked in eternal winter or overrun by killer wasps. Other worlds feel agonizingly close to his own reality, raising his hopes only to deliver crushing disappointment.

In a parallel world, the second season of Dark Matter might stand alongside Apple TV staples like Pluribus and Severance as one of the finest sci-fi TV series on streaming. The show never collapses into disaster, and the sophomore outing features moments of brilliance, yet the overall execution falls short of Crouch’s narrative goals.

Uncharted territory

The first season offered a faithful adaptation of Crouch’s 2016 book, where an alternate version called Jason 2 abducts the original Jason. Jason 2 invented a box capable of multiversal travel and decided he wanted a quiet family life instead of scientific acclaim. That storyline concluded with Jason reuniting with his wife Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) and son Charlie (Oakes Fegley), before the family fled across dimensions to escape dozens of other displaced Jason variants. Serving as showrunner and lead writer for season 2, Crouch creates an original sequel that balances the intimate character drama of the first run with the broader mechanics of multiversal travel.

The second season starts on uneven footing by rehashing the Dessen family’s domestic struggles while setting up several fragmented subplots. Jason’s chemist friend Ryan Holder (Jimmi Simpson) and former multiversal traveler Amanda Lucas (Alice Braga) wander through apocalyptic versions of Chicago trying to reach home. Leighton Vance (Dayo Okeniyi), the tech investor who backed the multiversal box, recruits versions of himself from other dimensions to collect advanced technology like a benevolent counterpart to Marvel’s Kang. Meanwhile, the chaotic aftermath of the season 1 finale triggers a police investigation reminiscent of the 2023 Netflix miniseries Bodies.

These sprawling plotlines contrast with the emotional intimacy that grounded the debut season. Having fought across the multiverse to reach his family, Jason discovers that rebuilding his former life is impossible. Edgerton and Connelly share strong screen chemistry, bringing tension to the fractures in the couple’s relationship. A quiet standalone episode focuses on Daniela, providing necessary depth as she processes the horror of learning that her husband was replaced by an impostor.

Reflective character studies remain the show’s biggest asset. Subplots centered on lethal outbreaks, Leighton’s corporate plans, or secret government facilities lack the emotional weight of stories dealing with identity and grief. When Charlie asks to find a reality where his deceased twin brother survived, Jason warns him:

“that box is so dangerous because it’s tempting you with infinite regret.”

The dialogue captures the central theme that makes alternate realities such an enduring fixture in speculative fiction.

When Crouch and co-writer Jacquelyn Ben-Zekry concentrate on that emotional fallout, the series produces exceptional television. An episode centered on a stranded Jason variant left behind in season 1 relies on sparse dialogue, allowing Edgerton to express a shift from deep despair to quiet acceptance through physical acting. Margo Martindale delivers another strong performance as a reclusive woman whose solitary life changes when Jason arrives on her doorstep.

The limits of the multiverse

While season 1 examined how far a person would go for love, season 2 takes a skeptical view of romantic ideals. Similar to how The Good Place dismantled the concept of soulmates, Dark Matter warns against sacrificing real happiness in pursuit of an unattainable fantasy. The central conflict revolves around the difficulty of confronting personal shortcomings, both through internal guilt and through literal encounters with darker reflections of oneself.

Jason faces his own professional insecurities when forced to confront an alternate version of himself who created groundbreaking technology. Crouch demonstrates the ability to craft compelling drama, even if the overall season lacks consistency. Pursuing perfection remains a source of endless regret in Dark Matter, but the series comes close enough to its ambitions to warrant further exploration in future seasons.

Dark Matter premieres on Apple TV on Aug. 28. New episodes air weekly on Fridays through Oct. 30.

Source: Polygon