Okay, I’m going to start my Dark Matter 208 review by saying this was easily my favorite episode ever. This may not be the last time I say those words, but the Dark Matter gang are going to have to work pretty darned hard to top themselves after this one. Between the VFX team outdoing themselves yet again, another chance to see some of our crew as the people they might have been, and the return of several familiar faces, this episode ticked off all the check boxes on my list of a perfect episode.

Picking up right were episode 207 left off, the Raza blinks back into spacetime. Unfortunately, the problem they had with the drive resulted in them moving only 1.2 miles instead of 300 light years. What they didn’t know at the time is they actually moved much farther than imagined. They left spacetime, as the jump drive is designed to do, but returned to a completely different universe. Kids, this is what happens when you try and rush interdimensional space travel.

This new place is still very similar to the crew’s old reality, but with some significant changes; none of which seem particularly positive. For one, Regulus-12, the station where they dropped off Calchek, Devon, and Nyx, is badly damaged. So damaged, in fact, that Android says there are likely no survivors.

Lawren Bancroft-Wilson and his team really outdid themselves on this one. There was so much detail put into the station scenes and so many animated elements I felt as if I were watching a big-budget film. Nearly as impressive was the battle going on between AltRaza and the two warships. It really highlighted the Raza’s strength as a highly maneuverable ship. It was dancing around those destroyers like a bee buzzing around flowers – A heavily-armed and very angry bee.

Android’s analysis of the Raza’s exit point and slight difference in the Cosmic Background Radiation brings her to conclude they’ve entered an alternate reality. And as she points out, the presence of a second Raza, complete with working blink drive, is a pretty big hint, too.

But the crew aboard AltRaza are more like our crew pre-memory wipe, and perhaps even more ruthless. They’ve been using the Blink Drive to start a war, decimating Mikkei ships and a certain Traugott research facility. The fact is they’re working as unofficial agents of Ferrous Corp, so it’s no stretch to know which megacorp is profiting the most. At least it gave us a reason to see David Richmond-Peck reprise his role as Commander Nieman. It was too short, but I’m grateful for whatever we get.

When AltRaza blinks away, the warships focus their attention, and guns, on our Raza. Here’s where another familiar face pops up. Torri Higginson is back as Commander Delaney Truffault, and she’s even more sinister in this universe. Two is unable to convince her that they aren’t the droids mercenaries she’s looking for. Thankfully for our crew, she receives a report that AltRaza is blowing shit up over 300 light years away. Now she’s willing to work with them so they can both get what they want. Same deal, different universe.

Truffault wants to stop AltRaza and our crew need the working Blink Drive from the same. Four comes up with a plan to trap their goatee-worthy alternate selves. He poses as the Ryo of this reality who is the head of the Ishida empire. Inviting AltRaza to meet aboard a still-intact portion of Regulus-12 under the guise of something important, they capture Lin and Boone.

Pulling the old clothes switcheroo, Two and Three board AltRaza posing as Lin and Boone. When they get to the bridge they get a real surprise. Not only is Jace Corso there, but also Wexler and Tash. Everyone welcome back Marc Bendavid, Ennis Esmer, and Jessica Sipos!

Meanwhile, Six is researching his alternate self and discovers Kal Varrick is dead. He brings up a video of Varrick’s last recording where he admits to sabotaging the ship to bring the crew to justice. He’s not really different from our Six, except that he gets caught by Portia while recording the message. She shoots him a couple of times, then three more once he’s down just to be extra evil sure.

Just to get weird, we have a scene between Lin and Boone that shows just how different they are from our guys. Boone apparently spaced some prisoners simply because they were, in Lin’s words, “more trouble than they’re worth”. That’s brutal as hell, man. But what’s even more disturbing is when the two start making out right after their conversation. In this reality the two had more than a one-time fling.

Also, I couldn’t help but giggle when Lin, wearing a revealing top, said “booby traps”. Yes, I am that childish. Damn you, squishy tactical weapons!

What are we gonna call that ship? Portius? Martia? Boolin? TwentyThree?

Back on our Raza, Four talks with Lin and Boone about how their Ryo regained his throne. AltRaza and some of the Royal Court Ryo could still trust helped him take back his throne. One of the main players helping was his stepbrother, Hiro, but things went south after the coup. It seems Hiro wanted to bring democracy to Zairon so Ryo killed him. Lin can see there’s something fundamentally different about Four; something keeping him from being as ruthless as their Ryo.

AltRaza blinks to what looks like the mining colony from the pilot episode. Remember the ones who were trying to hold out against Ferrous Corp? The Ferrous Corp AltRaza is not-so-secretly working with? Yeah, those miners are totally screwed, man. Wexler and Two head down for a negotiation/execution.

Two is trying to talk sense into the colonists. She tells them just how hard Ferrous Corp will come down on them if they keep resisting. Wexler has never been much for negotiations in any universe and he promptly kills two of the three colonists in the meeting. Two makes him release the third, but soon finds out Corso is going to nuke the colony to quickly stop the rebellion. Corso is actually trying to nuke the place before the Marauder takes off, removing Two/Lin and Wexler permanently. Corso is an asshole in every reality.

“You shifty son of a bitch!” – Three

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” – Corso

Three finds this out from Android and he goes to kick Corso’s ass. He knocks Corso out, then Tash comes in and knocks him to the ground. She tells him that Corso also planned to eliminate him. She also claims to be the only reason he’s still alive. With a knife to his neck, it’s clear she’s about to end that situation.

Two shows up and fights Tash again-ish. As they’re fighting, Two’s vision becomes blurred and she feels out of sorts. Tash is about to finish her off when Altdroid shoots her, stopping the fight. Our bioengineered leader seems to be suffering more deteriorating symptoms, and at the worst time, too.

“As this ship’s service android, it’s my duty to protect the crew from harm. And on occasion, each other.” – Altdroid

Truffault shows up at our Raza in person to supposedly get an update on Two and Three. Instead, she pulls a Men In Black on Four and Six. She knocks them out with some kind of stun stick reminiscent of the amnesia device from that movie. She and her men move to the bridge where they get Android to shut down by threatening to shoot Five. Truffault now has control of the Raza.

Two, Three, and Altdroid blink onto the scene in the AltRaza only to discover Truffault’s “pre-emptive double-cross”. She’ll trade the lives of the Raza crew for AltRaza’s functioning Blink Drive. Appearing to capitulate, Two has anticipated Android’s incapacitation and instructed Altdroid to lock Truffault out of the controls. They then fire on the Mikkei warship, disabling some of the shields. Truffault is left with no choice but to give in.

The two crews go back to their respective ships, but not before Portia meets Two. The twins seem to have a mutual respect for each other. Portia doesn’t even fight over not getting her cool, alternate-universe-kind-of-evil coat back. But the most interesting meeting was between Android and Altdroid. Altdroid is invited to stay with our crew, but she declines. She says her loyalty is to her crew, particularly to Portia for “making me what I am”.

Folks, I think we’ve just learned who tinkered with Android’s programming.

Now, I’d like to know the how and why.

Back in the FTL engine room, Five gets the alternate Blink Drive installed. Android makes the calculations needed to return them to their universe and they engage the drive. This time, the ride was much smoother. No high-pitched sounds, no cracks in the hull, and no sparks. It seems everything went according to plan.

“Returning us to our original point of departure should be relatively straightforward – outside of the theoretical possibility of an overload that could destroy the ship. But the chances of that are so remote they’re hardly worth mentioning.” – Android

“Aaaand yet you did.” – Three

Shortly after blinking back, Android detects a small ship detaching from the Raza’s hull. It’s the alternate Marauder, and surprise, it’s FTL capable! Now, not only do we not know who came back from the other universe, but we don’t know where they went. I’m really hoping it’s Corso, Wexler, and Tash. If it is, this is further proof that in science fiction you’re never more than mostly dead.

Question: If they could detect AltMarauder detaching from the ship, why didn’t they detect it when it leeched on in the first place? You know, before they released some ruthless killers from another dimension?

The crew head for Regulus-12 and are relieved to find it intact and functioning. Unfortunately, Nyx reports that Devon never showed. It certainly seemed likely that he was going to die after being stabbed by one of the Seers. This would seem to confirm it.

The final scene has Two lying in her bed, obviously not feeling well. She sits up and notices her hand trembling again and it seems worse. She can barely stand, her vision is failing, and finally she falls to the floor unconscious. At least I hope she’s only unconscious. Two’s gotta survive so she can rock that new coat she got from her doppelganger!

As I said at the beginning of this review, this episode hit all the right notes. It offered a glimpse of alternate versions of several of the crew. And again, the fates of our crew all point back to Five. In that reality she never boarded the AltRaza so she was never an influence on them. From what little we saw of him, Varrick was a carbon-copy of our Six. The only noticeable differences were he never lost his memory, though he lost his life. I’d dare say “our” Six got the better end of the deal by far..

Then there were all the surprise faces. Getting to see Jace Corso, Wexler, and Tash alive was a real treat. And having the tease of an FTL-capable Marauder on the loose in our universe is exciting. On-board could be any or all of those three, or someone else entirely. I can’t wait to find out!

A few more thoughts before I go:

Android continues to pop even more “humanisms” into her behavior, like when she asked Five, “How goes it?”

I’m loving the Blink Drive VFX. Shrinking out of existence then expanding back at another point looks cool and exemplifies the method of transport.

The damaged alternate Regulus-12 was a masterpiece of VFX. I was impressed with the level of detail and numerous animated elements in the scene. A shot that complex is not the kind of thing you often see on TV and it really stood out because of it.

The first view of AltRaza in battle with two Mikkei ships highlights just how maneuverable the little ship is. That, and tons of guns, are its strengths when in battle with much larger craft.

The FTL engine room is a beautiful set. I hope to see it again.

Always great to see Torri Higginson back as Delaney Truffault. She got to play a slightly nastier version of her character in this alternate universe episode.

While it was brief, another welcome face was that of David Richmond-Peck returning as Commander Nieman of Ferrous Corp.

In the Altverse, Portia Lin got her revenge against Alexander Rook and Dwarf Star Technologies. We learned she killed him and over 200 others at the facility. I wonder how she overcame the issues our Two is experiencing or if she ever had those “defects” at all?

I really wanted Dark Matter to find a way to have Wexler back … and they did! Until this episode, I’d almost forgotten how fun his character really is. And ruthless. Did I forget to mention ruthless?

Anyone else rooting for Corso, Wexler and Tash to be the ones in the AltMarauder? I know I am.

Was it just me or is Android taller than AltDroid? In the scene at the end where the two meet, Android seems taller. Each angle in that scene made our automaton look noticeably taller than her counterpart.

Two met Portia and Android met AltDroid. I wish we could’ve seen Three meet Boone. That would’ve been fun.

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