Once upon a time, a man called Jason (Joel Edgerton) was feeling torn about how his life turned out to be. Of course, he loved his wife Daniela (Jennifer Connelly), and of course, he was proud of his son Charlie (Oakes Fegley). Still, there were so many what-ifs haunting him — his job as a professor didn’t feel like the best use of his abilities, what if he became an awarded scientist instead? His relationship with Daniela was becoming cold, what if they never got married? What if they never had children? Jason was not the only one to question his choices — Daniela was also feeling a bit underwhelmed with her job, her marriage, and everything else.
The entire run of Dark Matter was dedicated to answering these questions, these haunting what-ifs. Prime Jason traveled to many alternative realities while Jason2, the variant that kidnapped him, took his place at home. And while Prime Jason discovered how much he cared about his family and how far he was willing to return safely to them, Daniela and Charlie were both living some sort of horror tale — unaware of Jason2’s true identity, but feeling afraid and unsafe each passing day.
Entanglement is a closing chapter — after returning home with countless other versions of himself, Prime Jason finds a way to reach out to Daniela and Charlie and tell them the truth. They travel to a safe place — one that Charlie chooses, so none of the variants can discover where they are. Meanwhile, a violent version of Jason keeps Jason2 hostage, trying to get some revenge and some answers.
This finale is strongest when it focuses on Prime Jason and Daniela reconnecting with each other — those small, peaceful moments, those conversations at the beach, they are all necessary and beautiful in a way because these characters earned it. And these reconnection scenes make the ending stronger, in my opinion. While we are feeling happy for Jason, Daniela, and Charlie, we also come to understand that the Jason we watched this whole time can only have a happy ending if every other Jason who also got kidnapped and taken to Earth 2 is doomed with a tragic destiny: they will never get their family back.
“Entanglement” — Dark Matter, Pictured: Joel Edgerton as Jason, Jennifer Connelly as Daniela, Oakes Fegley as Charlie. Photo: Apple TV ©. All Rights Reserved
Part of the episode focuses on these other Jasons, worried, angry, and denying men who will try anything to get what they want. Should they fight each other so the last one standing takes the family? Should the winner be chosen randomly? What could they do, as an organized group of Jasons with the same interest, to solve their problems? After the place in which Prime Jason has been hiding is discovered, he’s under attack, and it takes Jason2 to ultimately save the trio. I think Jason2 finds redemption after saving them, but the story never ignores all the damage he’s done with his actions, calling out his abuses and mistakes.
After their last refuge is discovered, Prime Jason, Daniela, and Charlie decide to enter the Box and find a new reality, a better one without all that messy confusion. And so it ends, with the three of them entering the Box while so many Jasons watch, all of them disheartened by the tragic outcome of their adventures: all of them had to lose so one could win. In respect of Daniela and Charlie, they don’t attempt anything against the trio.
With Roost by Big Black Delta playing during the final sequence, we watch as the three of them prepare to leave, while we get glimpses of other characters who also had adventures inside the Box — a beautiful, dazzling moment that is made better by the song chosen. Truly fantastic choice! Amanda (Alice Braga) and Ryan (Jimmi Simpson) meet in the end, by the way — they are indeed in the same dimension, and their final scene leaves an open door — if not for the future, for our imagination.
And that’s a wrap! This finale was pleasingly graceful from start to finish — while not filled with tension and suspense like the previous episode, it delivers all the emotional moments necessary to give some closure to Jason’s journey. A nice ending for a great adaptation which will probably please readers and non-readers alike.
