{"id":1015161,"date":"2026-08-21T15:30:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T15:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1015161\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T15:30:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T15:30:28","slug":"everything-to-remember-about-dark-matter-ahead-of-season-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1015161\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything to Remember About \u2018Dark Matter\u2019 Ahead of Season 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dark Matter returns<\/a> to Apple TV next week. The first season<\/a> followed Blake Crouch<\/a>\u2019s acclaimed sci-fi novel very closely, so what lies ahead<\/a> is uncharted territory for the series. But we can guess there will be more freaky physics\u2014the show is about interdimensional travel, after all\u2014and characters encountering alternate versions of each other as well as themselves.<\/p>\n

Given Dark Matter\u2019s high-concept, layered set-up, a crash course is in order even if you watched season one. With that in mind, here\u2019s everything you need to know about Dark Matter ahead of season two.<\/p>\n

What is Dark Matter about? \"Dark\u00a9 Apple TV <\/p>\n

Dark Matter is based on Blake Crouch\u2019s 2016 novel of the same name; the author created the Apple TV series. He\u2019s also its showrunner, one of its executive producers, and co-wrote or wrote six out of season one\u2019s nine episodes.<\/p>\n

The story follows Jason Dessen, a Chicago physics professor who\u2019s got a pretty good life\u2014he\u2019s married to Daniela, the love of his life, and they have a 16-year-old son, Charlie.<\/p>\n

But he can\u2019t shake the feeling that perhaps he\u2019s missing out. He gave up a cutting-edge career and took up teaching when Daniela got pregnant, choosing a less intellectually fulfilling but more family-oriented path instead. His nagging sense of regret balloons when his best friend and former colleague, Ryan Holder, wins a prestigious award for his work.<\/p>\n

As Jason trudges home from Ryan\u2019s celebration, nursing sad-sack \u201cwhat if?\u201d thoughts, everything changes. He\u2019s kidnapped by a masked man, drugged, and dragged into a strange cube. He wakes up groggy and surrounded by people whom he doesn\u2019t know but who all seem to know him.<\/p>\n

We soon come to understand that Jason\u2014our Jason, or Jason #1\u2014has unwittingly swapped lives with the Jason from this world, aka Jason #2.<\/p>\n

Jason #2 decided to break things off with Daniela when they realized she was pregnant. Instead, he\u2019s spent the past 16-plus years focusing all his passion and energy into building that strange cube, which everyone on Dark Matter calls the Box.<\/p>\n

But just like Jason #1, Jason #2 started having some regrets about his choices. So he used his invention, which he constructed thanks to a company called Velocity\u2014which is run by his extremely wealthy former college pal, Leighton Vance\u2014to find a Jason who\u2019d built a life with Daniela and appropriated that life for himself.<\/p>\n

\"Dark\u00a9 Apple TV <\/p>\n

Once that premise is established, Dark Matter follows Jason #1 as he attempts to use the box to find his way home, accompanied by Velocity staff psychiatrist Amanda Lucas, who\u2019d been dating Jason #2 in their world. There\u2019s a ticking clock at play since box travelers use a specially made drug to enable their minds to comprehend multiple dimensions, and the pair has only a limited supply.<\/p>\n

In the parallel storyline, we watch as Daniela starts to pick up on the weird changes in her husband, who looks identical but has some unwelcome new personality quirks. He\u2019s also lacking some important memories and knowledge, like the fact that Charlie has a dangerous nut allergy. And despite the fact that Jason #2 engineered the switch specifically so he could have Jason #1\u2019s simpler life, it soon becomes apparent he can\u2019t put aside his obsession with the Box, and it remains his focus in this dimension too.<\/p>\n

What is the Box and how does it work? \"Dark\u00a9 Apple TV <\/p>\n

Dark Matter carefully walks the line between \u201cthis is actual science\u201d and \u201cthis is outright sci-fi\u201d by making the Box feel like something that could be real, even if it had to come from a more technologically advanced universe. And it doesn\u2019t spend too much time explaining beyond the basics. All the viewer needs to know is that travelers go in the box, take a special mind-expanding drug, and then a corridor filled with doors appears, each one leading to a different dimension.<\/p>\n

Aside from the know-it-all Jason #2, Dark Matter\u2019s characters are learning about the Box along with the audience, so we get to see their trial-and-error process as they come to understand more about it.<\/p>\n

The Box always has the same GPS coordinates in every world, but the things around it inevitably change. Sometimes it\u2019s in an open field; sometimes it\u2019s inside another building. A \u201cbox pilot\u201d can only access a world they could have been born into, where they existed or still exist. So it\u2019s not like Rick and Morty, where the characters visit completely alien places. It\u2019s always a \u201cnext-door\u201d version of Chicago. Some are wildly different, having succumbed to disasters (blizzards, floods, a deadly plague), while others are just slightly \u201coff\u201d with eerie nuances\u2014like the world where Jason #1 realizes almost too late that the version of him there is in jail for some unknown but terrible offense.<\/p>\n

Navigating the Box proves to be Jason #1\u2019s and Amanda #2\u2019s biggest challenge. It responds to the user\u2019s mental state, so you have to be in just the right mindset before you open each door. If you\u2019re stressed or angry, you\u2019ll find the landscape version of that on the other side. You have to clear your mind and concentrate on a positive outcome, which proves trickier than it sounds, especially as Jason #1 becomes more frantic trying to get back to his point of origin.<\/p>\n

Who are the main characters on Dark Matter? <\/p>\n

Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) \u2013<\/strong> Jason #1 is a physics professor who gets kidnapped out of his world by Jason #2, inventor of the Box. They\u2019re ostensibly the same guy, sure, but Jason #1 is the reluctant hero you root for\u2014while Jason #2 is the villain you absolutely root against.<\/p>\n

Daniela Dessen (Jennifer Connelly) \u2013<\/strong> Daniela #1 is an artist turned gallerist whose suspicions about Jason #2 grow across the season. We do meet other versions of Daniela across the dimensions (in some she\u2019s a successful artist, and in others, she\u2019s a blonde), but Daniela #1 is who we mainly spend time with.<\/p>\n

Charlie Dessen (Oakes Fegley) \u2013<\/strong> Charlie #1 is Jason and Daniela\u2019s 16-year-old son. He had an identical twin named Max who died after a childhood illness; as part of Jason\u2019s travels, he visits a world where Max is still alive. One of the biggest weak points in Jason #2\u2019s facade is that he doesn\u2019t know the Dessen family traditions around honoring Max on the twins\u2019 birthday.<\/p>\n

\"Dark\u00a9 Apple TV <\/p>\n

Amanda Lucas (Alice Braga) \u2013<\/strong> Dark Matter\u2019s main version of her is Amanda #2. She\u2019s a psychiatrist who works at Velocity and decides to help Jason #1 find his way home, partially because she has a romantic history with Jason #2, but also because she realizes Velocity security will kill her if she sticks around because she knows too much.<\/p>\n

Ryan Holder (Jimmi Simpson) \u2013<\/strong> We meet three versions of Ryan: Ryan #1 is Jason #1\u2019s best friend and a brilliant chemist. Ryan #2 is no less brilliant but less successful in his career. Both of these Ryans create versions of the purple-hued drug used to allow the human brain to accept superposition while in the Box, which makes him valuable to anyone else who wants or needs to travel.<\/p>\n

Ryan #3, meanwhile, is an auto mechanic who is very confused when Jason #2 kidnaps him and uses him to replace Ryan #1. Turns out Ryan #1 asks too many questions, so Jason #2 strands him in yet another world for his troubles. That\u2019s a more benevolent fate than Ryan #2 gets; he\u2019s killed by Velocity\u2019s ruthless security team.<\/p>\n

\"Dark\u00a9 Apple TV <\/p>\n

Leighton Vance (Dayo Okeniyi) \u2013<\/strong> Season one focuses on Leighton #1, who\u2019s grown bored of his luxurious existence living off a trust fund provided by Velocity, the family business. So he gets very excited when his old college pal (Jason #2, posing as Jason #1) shows him what the Box is capable of. Leighton agrees to give Jason millions if Jason will supply him with ampules of the drug so he can do his own wandering.<\/p>\n

Leighton #2, who funded Jason #2\u2019s invention in their shared world, chases after Jason #1 and Amanda #2 when they flee in the box; it\u2019s implied he may have perished after taking one too many wrong turns.<\/p>\n

\"Dark\u00a9 Apple TV <\/p>\n

Blair Caplan (Amanda Brugel) \u2013<\/strong> Blair #1 is an attorney and Daniela\u2019s no-nonsense best friend; it\u2019s thanks to her that Daniela acts on her suspicions about Jason #2 not being who he says he is. Meanwhile, Blair #2 is a Velocity scientist who volunteers to be the first person to travel in the Box. She ends up in a world ravaged by murder hornets; security camera footage of the Box reveals that the swarm originated when another version of Blair brought them through the Box with her.<\/p>\n

Jason #1 and Amanda #2 stumble into her dangerous world along the way and try to convince her to leave, but she\u2019s not ready to get back in the Box. She does have some sage advice for Amanda, though, encouraging her to prioritize her own life rather than spend it helping Jason get back to his world.<\/p>\n

Where did season one of Dark Matter leave off? <\/p>\n

In the final two episodes of Dark Matter season one, Jasons #1 and #2 realized they weren\u2019t the only Jasons running around Jason #1\u2019s version of Chicago. It seems every choice Jason #1 made during his time in the Box spawned variants who are very nearly exact copies of him\u2014they branched off from him after he was kidnapped by Jason #2. All of them are trying to get back \u201chome\u201d to Jason #1\u2019s world. Each believes he is the most worthy of reclaiming a place there. They all want the same thing because\u2026 they\u2019re basically the same guy.<\/p>\n

But Daniela and Charlie realize they\u2019ve found the right Jason #1\u2014the character we\u2019ve been following throughout Dark Matter\u2014and after some running, hiding, and no shortage of violence that eliminates several of those Jason #1 variants, the OG Dessen trio make their way to the Box, aided by a getaway car and stash of drug ampules handed over by a repentant Jason #2. A crowd of Jasons awaits them at the Box, but they stand aside and let the family through.<\/p>\n

The season ends on the optimistic thought that together, they\u2019ll find a new world where they can restart their lives together, unbothered by envious duplicates.<\/p>\n

\"Dark\u00a9 Apple TV <\/p>\n

Elsewhere on Dark Matter, Amanda #2, who spent a lot of time traveling the dimensional highways with Jason #1, remained in that peaceful, cheerfully progressive world, though we see she\u2019s moved from Chicago to Seattle, as she told Jason she would. This is the same world where Jason #2 abandoned Ryan #1.<\/p>\n

Ryan is trying to recreate the purple-hued drug in this new world. We also see him, Space Needle in the background, approaching a surprised Amanda. He says he doesn\u2019t know her, but he\u2019s been looking for her.<\/p>\n

Leighton #1\u2014a happier, groovier version of the character than the vengeful Leighton #2\u2014is seen to still be on his journey through the multiverse. And Blair #2 finally gets the courage to leave the murder-hornet-infested world where she\u2019d been hunkered down for far too long.<\/p>\n

What is season two of Dark Matter about? \"Dark\u00a9 Apple TV <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what Apple TV has released: \u201cSeason two picks up with the Dessens as they settle into a quiet life in a world that finally seems safe until the unimaginable forces them to run once again. As Jason\u2019s obsession with the Box deepens, Daniela\u2019s (Connelly) growing paranoia pushes her to the brink, and their son Charlie (Fegley) starves for a sense of stability as their family is threatened.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Amanda (Braga) and Ryan (Simpson) join forces in a desperate attempt to find their way home. With Blair (Brugel) determined to stop him, Leighton (Okeniyi) relentlessly chases his grand vision of creating a perfect world.\u201d<\/p>\n

We also suspect all those dead Jasons scattered around Jason #1\u2019s original world, where Jason #2 is presumably still lurking, will attract someone\u2019s attention. All those returning cast members will be joined by new faces played by Margo Martindale and Chris Diamantopoulos, though we don\u2019t know anything about their characters.<\/p>\n

Apple TV also shared a season two trailer that offers a few clues:<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll be staying the hell away from tornado-infested Chicago, thank you very much. Dark Matter returns to Apple TV for its 10-episode second season starting August 28.<\/p>\n

\n

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel<\/a>, Star Wars<\/a>, and Star Trek<\/a> releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV<\/a>, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dark Matter returns to Apple TV next week. The first season followed Blake Crouch\u2019s acclaimed sci-fi novel very…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1015162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[30],"tags":[4964,406117,21744,171,381038,154037,173,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-1015161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-apple-tv","tag-blake-crouch","tag-dark-matter","tag-entertainment","tag-jennifer-connelly","tag-joel-edgerton","tag-tv","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117134220881569622","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1015161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1015161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1015161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1015162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1015161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1015161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1015161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}