At Home with Tech

You don’t have to go back in time to alter your life decisions. You can simply relocate to a better Earth. That’s the premise of “Dark Matter.”

The creatives behind the streaming shows from Apple TV+ are apparently obsessed with alternate universes, or as we like to say… the multiverse. No, multiversal travel isn’t exactly a new storytelling device. (The MCU has already brought it into our mainstream consciousness.) But Apple TV+ has really been leaning into it.

In series after series, Apple TV+ has been taking us down the multiverse rabbit hole.

“For All Mankind” lays out an alternate-reality timeline of the space program. When this series premiered in 2019 with its ‘shocking’ Moon-landing twist with no explanation, I was annoyed. There was absolutely no hint regarding the ‘why’ or ‘how’ of this alternate Earth. Today, I think we’re all finally trained to immediately accept that alternate universes need no explanation.

“Constellation” (2024) spends much of its time ‘suggesting’ that astronauts can slip between alternate realities, but the writers are intent on adding as much confusion to the equation as possible. Pro tip: You really need a note pad to help keep important details straight. The frustration helps to fuel the ongoing ‘mystery’ in the story.

And now, we’ve got “Dark Matter.”

In Search of a Better Reality
“Dark Matter” is designed to explore the road not taken in one’s life. I’m mid-season (6th of 9 episodes) as I write this, and the story surrounding a main character’s mid-life crisis demonstrates that the grass is not always greener. The dark reveal carries much of the storytelling focus. While the human factor is not science-fiction centered, the sci-fi enables everything.

Without giving too much of the plot away, the series stars Joel Edgerton who is a Chicago physics professor forcibly removed from his universe. He then tries to find his way home to his Earth and his wife played by Jennifer Connelly. And yes, you can easily guess who’s tried to replace him to fix a past mistake in his life choices.

But I’m more interested in how the writers are handling the superimposition ‘box’ that powers the travel between similar ‘adjacent’ universes. Once you’re in it, you experience an endless corridor of doors that you can open.

The mystery of where you go and why is more interesting that the pedestrian ‘thriller’ plot devices surrounding whether you can really “know” the person you’re married to.

Still, I like it all. It’s working nicely together.

Similarity to “Sliders?”
The sci-fi of traveling between universes in episodic television isn’t new.

The series “Sliders” (1995-2000) immediately comes to mind. Starring Jerry O’Connell, that show brought its main characters to a different, parallel Earth each week.

The premise was great, and the show had a lot of promise, but it devolved quickly after the writers seemed to stop trying, and the main actors began leaving the series.

How Many Earths Can You Handle?
I can’t imagine that the writers of “Dark Matter” aren’t aware of “Sliders.” But where “Sliders” got hokey, “Dark Matter” couldn’t be more serious. And this is a good thing.

That said, both series rely on coming up with new twists for each new world. “Sliders” ran out of good ideas. And I think “Dark Matter” could also begin to face alternate reality fatigue. Happily, the show seems to be narrowing its focus.

“Dark Matter” is Solid
Which is all to say that I’m pleased so far with “Dark Matter.” While it is character driven, the sci-fi implementation is also interesting.

That said, the series is not without certain gaps. (Why are there boxes in every Earth, even when it’s clear that no one built it?) Plus, we all know where the plot is inevitably leading.

Still, it’s fresh and well done. The first episode takes a little too much time to get its basics in place, but after that, “Dark Matter” easily passes the bingeable-watching litmus test.

“For All Mankind” has always dragged with too much family drama. “Constellation” relishes its own confusion a bit more than I’d prefer. “Dark Matter” strikes the right balance to create a compelling storyline.

I’m happy to report that “Dark Matter” is the best multiverse show streaming on Apple TV+.