A physicist, Jason, is abducted into an alternate universe.

Scholars of science fiction are well acquainted with the dramatic implications of quantum physics. We know all about Schrödinger’s Moggy, superpositions, and of course, the endless possibilities of the multiverse. In fact, I’d go so far as to say, some of us are getting heartily sick of having the concepts explained to us in every multiverse drama we wade through. It’s such a familiar idea it even crops up in romcoms such as Sliding Doors and Yesterday.

Having said this, logic dictates that I also have to accept there must be an alternate universe where sci-fi audiences have never encountered a drama in which the protagonist spends the first two episodes baffled that nothing about their new life quite makes sense… wondering if they’ve gone mad, and ruminating on the path not taken etc. etc. etc. Well, if there is, then I suspect those viewers will feel a lot less impatient than I did watching the first two episodes of Apple+’s latest genre offering, Dark Matter.

Perhaps the ideas felt fresher in 2016 when show creator Blake Crouch wrote his original novel.

It’s all perfectly fine. The script is solid enough. The production values are okay. Jennifer Connelly is great as Daniella, Jason’s wife (or not, depending which universe we’re in), although Joel Edgerton as both Jasons could do with some help from a universe where his acting style includes a modicum of charisma.

Verdict: Dark Matter feels very tired, treading overly familiar material. I was going to give up on it until the very end of episode 2 when something interesting finally happens. Sigh. I’m going to have to watch some more. Here’s hoping it finds a more original furrow to plough very soon. 6/10

Martin Jameson

www.ninjamarmoset.com