Although part of me expected Dark Matter season 2's finale to end the show for good, I'm very relieved that the future was left open for if and when Apple TV green-lights season 3. What frustrates me is that the episode ends on an even bigger cliffhanger than the season 1 finale did.
Last time, at least the Dessens were all together. This time, the fact that Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) and Charlie (Oakes Fegley) appear to be stranded somewhere unpleasant while Jason (Joel Edgerton) is safe in Retro Chicago makes my need for a resolution especially intense.
Of course, the biggest question is where exactly Jason's wife and son end up as the credits roll. The episode outright refuses to make the big reveal. However, given the look on their faces, I have my own theory about where they could find themselves in season 3.
FULL SPOILERS ahead for Dark Matter season 2 episode 10, "No Quiet Life."
I think Daniela and Charlie are in some sort of liminal space between universes
With the main Box taken offline, all of its multiversal duplicates follow suit. Just before Daniela and Charlie open the door to their home universe, the Corridor's sudden disappearance leaves them wondering if they made it home. If not, they're out of luck, and they appear to know that.
Although the camera sticks firmly to their reaction to what they see outside rather than the sight itself, that does give us some cryptic clues. The broadest point is that it's fairly obvious they aren't back in Retro Chicago like they wanted to be. The look on their faces is not one of joy or relief.
Instead, they look like a blend of horrified and morbidly curious. I also think it's safe to assume that whatever's outside the Box in this scene is not inherently dangerous. Daniela peeks through a small gap in the door at first, and although she clearly doesn't like what she sees, she opens the door all the way to get a better view and to allow Charlie to also take a look.
Their surprised expressions also strongly suggest that wherever they are, they don't recognize it. Furthermore, wherever they are is probably sufficiently different from the other places the Box has taken them. Otherwise, they wouldn't seem so darkly intrigued.
Combine all of this with the unknown territory of what has just happened to the Box and all its copies, and the foundation has been laid for it to work in unexpected and strange ways. After all, they stepped into the Box in one universe, walked down the Corridor for a while, and then the Box(es) went offline. Where exactly would that leave someone in transit like Charlie and Daniela?
My theory is that they are nowhere. They've ended up in some in-between realm that shouldn't be reachable. It's probably void of anything, little more than a large, gray room with no doors or windows. No way in or out, because there's nothing beyond those walls anyway. High-concept? Sure. But this is Dark Matter; it's all high-concept.
A twist like this would be very on-brand for how Dark Matter continues to develop its Box lore
The Box and all the lore that comes with it is lifted directly from the pages of the 2016 Dark Matter novel, which was adapted to create season 1 of the Apple TV series. In the source material, the Box is nothing more than what it appears to be: a giant metal cube, intended to stop those who step inside from being observed, allowing them to slip into quantum superposition.
Other than the compound the Box pilots inject themselves with, there's never anything all that advanced that's mentioned about the Box in the book. However, season 2 started revealing that the Box had inner workings and advanced electrical components that allow it to function as it does. It's been fun to discover more and more about it, and it has actually enhanced the story.
Without this expanded lore, the mission to target the main Box by essentially hacking its software wouldn't have made all that much sense. In short, fleshing out the in-universe logic of the Box's design and how it functions has been one of the best and most fascinating elements of the adaptation.
Therefore, it would make sense if season 3 continued this trend. Stranding Daniela and Charlie in a liminal space only reachable under ultra-specific circumstances such as those in the season 2 finale feels like a natural continuation of explaining the minute details of how the Box interacts with its surroundings. My only hope is that Dark Matter season 3 pulls off something like this, rather than the final shot of season 2 setting up an underwhelmingly pedestrian red herring.
Dark Matter is streaming now on Apple TV.
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