This episode was informative, but not quite as dynamic as the last couple. Everything took place aboard the Raza and there weren’t any space battles. That didn’t mean it was any less enjoyable than previous episodes, just that it had a more introspective tone, which was the kind of episode we needed about now.

Here’s the Deal

(WTF happened – the short version)

The episode picks up where we left off with Android in that bedroom and Victor (the android who gave ours the human emotion upgrade) is there, too. It’s a dream Android is having while on her charging pad. This shouldn’t be possible, so the crew ask her to remain on the pad to be safe.

Lights flicker near different crew members and they begin to have very realistic hallucinations. Four fights Misaki who tells him he’s worthless as a leader, Two is grabbed by masked Dwarf Star cronies, and Three sees Sarah in his room and she wants him to join her by shooting himself in the head.

HoloDroid is called in to assist. She states Android is responsible for the hallucinations because she feels threatened by the possibility of being reset. This has caused the activation of a rogue subroutine/virus in self-preservation mode. HoloDroid recommends a few armor-piercing rounds to the head. I recommend HoloDroid shut the hell up.

Instead, the crew institute an alternate plan. Four is tasked with deleting the neural imprints from the computer. This should stop the dangerous hallucinations without having to cap Android’s ass … er, head.

HoloDroid states that the virus has already wiped out our “old” Android and is disabling systems all over the ship. She convinces Two they need to take out Android, but Five says HoloDroid is infected with the virus. She’s discovered the virus started when HoloDroid was activated and it was uploaded by someone else.

The virus floods the Raza with toxic gas, so the crew take shelter in the Marauder, which hasn’t been infected yet. Two puts on a spacesuit and goes to pull the computer core to stop the spread of the virus. HoloDroid tells her they’ll be stranded if she does this. Two knows Android could fly them home without the core and that’s why HoloDroid has been so anxious for them to kill our mechanical girl.

As Two gets closer to the core, HoloDroid has the magnetic boots on her suit cranked up by 300%, stopping her from walking. Fresh from her dream state, Android shows up and Two tasks her with removing the core.

HoloDroid threatens to kill Two with an electrical discharge if Android pulls the computer core. Two orders Android to continue saving the ship, her own life be damned. She does and a jolt of electricity takes Two down just before HoloDroid disappears. Thankfully, the new and improved nanites protected Two.

Five believes the person who planted the virus was the Truffault from the AltUniverse. She had access to the ship, but when our gang forced her to give it back she probably left that nasty virus as a “screw you” to the crew.

The final scene of the episode brings us another patented WTF moment. Four is in his quarters and opens a file. The file is his neural imprint – the very same imprint he was supposed to delete. I guess he’s keeping it to help him save his empire. Stay tuned to find out!

Things I Thunk

(Ideas and shit)

-Android states that she shouldn’t be able to dream. I don’t understand why they didn’t immediately suspect her unknown modifications for this and/or the upgrade chip.

-HoloDroid is way too insistent on giving Android a factory reset. It makes me very suspicious – and it turns out for good reason!

-Six saves Three’s life … AGAIN! This is a recurring theme that the show has played for fun. It’s also a good excuse to pair Three and Six whose bickering is immensely entertaining.

-Seems like the crew members with a neural link to the ship were living out their worst fears/regrets in very real looking hallucinations.

I’m Curious

(Questions I need answers to)

-Are Android’s “dreams” a pre-programmed copy of Victor embedded in the upgrade chip? Or is everything she’s experienced in the dream coming from an android equivalent of a subconscious mind? OR … is it some kind of a subspace link to the real Victor who’s trying to convince her to leave the Raza and join him?

-Who really uploaded the virus that tried to kill the crew and Android? Was it AltTruffault, or could it have been Rook? It seems more like a Rook move to me.

-Why did Two’s hair look so blonde when she was in the spacesuit?

-HoloDroid has had it in for Android since shortly after she was created and activated. This was way before the AltUniverse episode, so could someone else be behind that?

I Heard That!

(You said it, I won’t forget it)

“So, was it at least a nice dream?” – Two

“It was okay.” – Android

“If we delete her personality matrix & start over, that’s the same as killing her!” – Five

“Remember, she is just a machine. If any other part of the ship were facing a critical malfunction you would shut it down without hesitation.” – HoloDroid

“Do you really think she could be doing all of this?” – Nyx

“She tried to kill us once before.” – Three

“That was a security protocol. She didn’t have a choice.” – Six

“That’s my point. She never has a choice. She’s just a collection of programs. One of those programs goes haywire, we have to deal with it.” – Three

“I should warn you. Although I’ll do my very best, I can’t guarantee I’ll never make another mistake.” – Android

I’d Like To Thank The Academy

(Just a few final words)

As I said in the introduction, this was a less dynamic episode than the past few, but no less interesting. We learned what Two, Three, and Four’s greatest fears are and confirmation that Four is definitely going back to Zaiaron. Eventually.

We also saw that Android has full access to her humanity upgrade. Sure, the virus was responsible for her losing control while on the charging pad, but the fact that it could access the upgrades proves it’s there. This seems like something Android, and the crew, will have to address in the future. You know, “the future” as in some time not long from now, not “the future” as in the time period Dark Matter takes place. Well, actually, both, I guess. Whatever. Just go rewatch the episode!

Dark Matter airs Fridays on Syfy and Space



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