Dark Matter: Seasons 1-3 (2015)

I love Star Trek: Next Generation and Firefly (5 stars), but I really like Dark Matter (a solid 4 stars), and that is a hard mark for a scifi series to hit with me (esp. from Syfy). Canada has once again delivered a great show. Casting is superb, and every character does a fine job in his or her role; the leading characters are almost as memorable as in Firefly. (My favorites are Two for her leadership and badassery, Three for his weapons prowess and devil-may-care attitude, Four for his Japanese complexity, and I just love Android, in all her shadings and upgrades. Five and Six are great too.) Martial arts and sword or gun fights in this series are impressive. Four, plus a half-dozen kickass female warriors (Two/Portia, Android, Nyx, Tash, and Misaki), are simply intense. The scriptwriting gives unstinting humor and personal nuance to each character, the technology is intelligent and imaginative, and the acting never misses a beat. Yet all that is icing on the cake of Dark Matters' storyline, which may be the most complex I have yet seen in a scifi series. We start with the crew's memory having been wiped, leading to questions such as "Who are we, really?" and at least one stolen identity. Personal secrets and galactic conspiracies swirl, memories are gradually uncovered or revealed, a doppelganger crew appears and complicates things over two seasons, crew members leave or die (or do they?), and let's not get started on instantaneous space (and time) travel. (In my favorite episode, Three experiences a recurring time loop as in Ground Hog's Day, and it is hilarious.) Social and emotional questions are also discussed often, and with great sensitivity (esp. as Three becomes reunited with his wife). Amidst the corporate factions that are waging galactic war, an impending android revolt and an alien invasion are two themes that build towards the season 3 cliffhanger (which, unfortunately, is where Syfy forced the show to leave us after its cancellation). Enjoy! 4 stars. (10-7-2017)