Dark Matter: Episode 7 Review – Dunking Donuts the Cosmic Way | Three If By Space 

Dark Matter: Episode 7 Review – Dunking Donuts the Cosmic Way

TV Reviews Dark Matter, episode 7, review, Ruby Rose, syfy

I’ve been saying all week on Twitter that this episode of

is my favorite and that I bet you’ll agree. Now that it’s aired, let me know in the comments if you think I was right or if I was way off the mark. Honestly, I don’t see how you couldn’t love this episode especially with all we learned about Three.

Kudos to Anthony Lemke and Zoie Palmer for their outstanding performances in tonight’s episode. The spotlight was on them, with Lemke getting the lion’s share of screen time, but they both amazed and amused. We got a level of depth from Lemke’s Three heretofore thought nonexistent, while Palmer’s android was simultaneously amusing and sympathetic. That’s one of the things I like most about

– each actor has shined when the focus was on their character and every single one of them has done an outstanding job. The writing is sharp and the casting is spot-on.

The most interesting revelation to me in this episode is how Three was painted as possibly the most soft-hearted of them all. Sure, he and Sarah hinted at his sordid past, but he fell completely in love with her and risked a lot to try and save her life. After initially coming off as something of a jerk with a wide streak of self-preservation in the first couple of episodes, this installment showed him to be a compassionate and loving man.

What’s behind door number one? (Image courtesy Syfy)

I should backtrack a bit, because I don’t mean to downplay the fact that Five used the code “Maplethorpe” to finally open the Big Damned Door. After all, the contents (

) were the catalyst for the story. That’s where they found Sarah, Three’s savior and true love, suffering from a terminal illness thanks to toxic mining sludge. He’d put her into a stasis pod to abate the progression of her illness, I suppose hoping to find a cure before reviving her.

Sarah was responsible for filling in many of Three’s memories and giving us a look at who he really was. That was a really good thing. They also found Build-A-Droid Wendy, which seemed like such a good idea at the time until she started trying to kill them all on behalf of Cyrus King, someone from their past bent on revenge. That was a really bad thing. But at least now we have another person out to get bloody revenge on the crew. I’m sure this will crop up in a later episode.

Man, these LEGO kits are getting complex! (Image courtesy Syfy)

The jealousy shoe was on the other foot tonight after One had a romp with Wendy. Two showed hints of it when One was reading over the entertainment android’s features, but it climbed to speechless levels when she caught Pretty Boy and droid post-coitus. There’s nothing like a half-naked android to raise your hackles. Okay, stop giggling at that, I’ve giggled enough for us all.

One could only hold out for so long. (Image courtesy Syfy)

As I mentioned earlier, Android finally got a fair amount of screen time and was responsible for most of the laughs in this episode, but she also served as a point of sympathy for viewers. The crew has been dismissive of her talents and importance from the start, but with everyone all gaga over Wendy, the droid who can apparently make steak from shit, she began to look like a lost puppy. Being taken for granted can do that to a person.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Rodney Dangerfield of the Raza. (Image courtesy Syfy)

Never one to give up, Android did everything she could to get some appreciation from her shipmates, affecting several accents in rapid succession to show she was as versatile as the New Droid on the Block. That was one of the most laugh-out-loud moments of the hour and I think I could watch an entire episode with Android in Jamaican Mode. Zoie Palmer got the opportunity to show off her talents and she was well up to the task. We need more Android more often.

Out of the mouths of babes … (Image courtesy Syfy)

Of all the people who could’ve comforted Android, it was the kid, Five, who actually bothered. She explained to Android that although Wendy’s functions seemed superficial, relieving stress was important to human well being. More importantly, she told Android how much she really was appreciated and needed, even if the others seemed oblivious to her less fun, but essential duties. The poor, dutiful automaton seemed genuinely disappointed that she isn’t programmed for humor. She just wants to fit in like anyone would.

After her talk with Five, Android decides it’s time to apologize to Wendy and accept her as a member of the crew. As she’s trying to offer a hand to the new arrival, Wendy’s revenge subroutine implanted by Cyrus King cause the entertainment android to break all kinds of bad. Instead of shaking hands, Wendy shoots Android, locks down all the doors, and sets the Raza on a collision course with a nearby star.

Better put on extra sunblock. Maybe SPF 1,000,000. (Image courtesy Syfy)

Two works out a quick and secret plan with Three over the coms since she knows Wendy is listening in. Three is going to act as a distraction while Five tries to access the bridge and regain control of the ship. Before he goes on what could be a suicide mission, he puts the rapidly-declining Sarah back into stasis. This scene showed just how much Three loves Sarah and that love is stronger than any memory wipe.

Love transcends all, even memory. (Image courtesy Syfy)

Now in full-on kill mode, Wendy sets out to dispatch the crew. Three’s playing the part of bait with Bubba in hand, but methinks someone forgot to charge their favorite gun because he only gets off a couple of shots before the power is depleted. I guess even in the future battery life sucks.

Getting his ass thoroughly handed to him by Wendy, it doesn’t look good for Three. She’s able to toss him around like a rag doll, and there’s not much he can do about it. Just as she’s about to finish him off, Four shows up with his trusty katana and proves once again that a blade is more effective in close quarter combat than a gun by separating Wendy’s head from her body.

Wendy locked the controls on the bridge with an encrypted passcode that even Five can’t crack. Two gets the idea to jack into the severed head and glean the code from its logs. One problem: Activating the head activated the body and it begins to attack Three and Six. Thankfully, they crack the code before Headless can kill anyone, but the lockdown shut power to many areas of the ship, including Sarah’s stasis pod.

You’ve got a weird way of winking, Wendy. (Image courtesy Syfy)

Without power to the pod, the disease ran its course and took Sarah’s life. When One tries to take the blame since he activated Wendy, Three shows his compassionate side again. He tells One he didn’t program the android to attack and he didn’t give Sarah an incurable disease. A lesser man could’ve seen it from One’s perspective and held a grudge, but Three isn’t a lesser man. We learned tonight that he’s one hell of a decent human being who just hides behind an often callous exterior.

In a reflection of his earlier visit to her quarters, Two visits One just as he’s conveniently getting out of the shower. Apparently, a little jealousy is good for the soul since Two has decided that “complicated” might not be so bad. The scene fades as she’s closing the door to One’s quarters, the two of them inside as a new chapter in their relationship begins. Or maybe it begins again?

Two finally sees things from One’s perspective. (Image courtesy Syfy)

Like this article?  Share it with your friends using our social share buttons found both on the left and at the top.

 to keep up with all the latest posts.  It’s super easy!  All you have to do is click on the big, blue “Subscribe” button located in the right panel near the bottom of each post or just Click Here.

Stay connected:  Follow @ThreeIfBySpace on Twitter for all the latest geekiness.

 news and reviews, follow me (@Thogar) and Erin (@ErinConrad2) on Twitter.

Dark Matter airs Fridays at 10/9 central on Syfy

Editor for Three If By Space. Tom first became interested in science fiction & science as a very young child thanks to his parents. His earliest memories of enjoying scifi were sitting with his dad watching first-run episodes of the original Star Trek. Although a rabid fan of nearly all forms of scripted television, some of Tom’s favorite shows are Firefly, Falling Skies, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, the X-Files and all versions of both Star Trek and Stargate. He also has a particular love for British television and dearly hopes to one day visit the UK.

News: Arrow Season 4 - Casting, Plot Teasers, and MoreOutlander at SDCC: Caitriona Balfe Chats about Opportunities, New Cast, and Pockets

Loved this episode too…one of the best so far!

Yep, it was a very well crafted episode. Lots of great character interaction and story development. Am loving the comic relief that gets mixed into this action-packed story. The characters are certainly evolving well as a nice space family, a “team”. Ruby Rose did a great job and Android was phenomenal. My favorite funny, sarcastic and bad ass jerk character, Three, gets some redemption , yeah! (and gets to be beat up for those of you who don’t like him as much, ha!)

Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie proved in the Stargate franchise series that they’re masters at that family-like dynamic with a healthy dose of humor thrown in. Dark Matter has taken more of a slow burn than other shows, but the character development and fairly quick answers to questions are really beginning to pay off. We’re starting to care for this bunch like we cared about the SG1 gang, the Atlantis bunch, and even the SGU crew.

Think BSG showed that “dark” sci-fi themes/settings could be successful. However, SGU had limited success. Liked SGU, but it seemed like there was too much yelling — the yelling in BSG almost put me off, but BSG seemed to do everything better (they even made it onto David Letterman’s show). However agree, that with Mallozzi and Mullie (and Jay Firestone’s support) having done SG1, SGA, and SGU, Dark Matter is in much better hands than something like the much lamented Firefly. Time will tell. Actually like some of the slower, more thoughtful, burn, as personally just want to chill after the long work day. Killjoys seems like an interesting contrast in pace for those who need more dramatic fast-moving action. Hopefully the balance of humor and action in Dark Matter will get rewarded with a second season.Thanks for your fun reviews. cheers.

Great reviewcap. I think you might have missed that we heard “evil boss guy” right??? right at the end???

BTW – i love “headless” makes me go to my Sleepy Hollow happy place.

I was thinking “Sleepy Hollow” when I wrote that!

Definitely the best episode of the series so far. The Android killed it with the various accents, the Jamaican one being my favorite. Three showed a side to him that actually made me like him. I felt bad for him when he found Sarah dead. I wasn’t really feeling Wendy the droid. Was glad to see Four take her down with the sword. The conversation between Five and the Android was also a high point of the episode.

I agree about Wendy. I honestly don’t know if I just wasn’t feeling Ruby Rose in the part or if everyone else’s performances were so strong that hers seemed weak by comparison. Something just didn’t quite sync for me with regard to her role. To be fair, I don’t even know who Ruby Rose is. She may be fairly new to acting, and if so I’d have to say she did a good job and her inclusion in the episode certainly garnered a ton of attention, but the casting didn’t seem right to me. I hate to be too critical since it was a great episode, but I can’t disagree with your sentiment about Wendy.

We are also finding out our bad guys aren’t so bad after all. 4 was bullied by his father and set up by his stepmother. 6 was a freedom fighter set up by his boss. 5 was just a street urchin pickpocket who picked the wrong pocket and got her friends killed. And now 3, who we thought was a thug, turns out to have a heart of gold. Now we have to find out who 1 & 2 actually were before.

And I’m starting to think that it was 1 who wiped all their memories. And since he is the only one who has actually come into contact with his other self, could it possibly be a “The Enemy Within” moment. That somehow he has been split in two. The good side and the beast side.

Question: Why was that cargo “EXTRA” locked. We all figured that there would be something really,really bad in there and after all of that it was just an extra storage room?

PS: They have woken up/ activated 2 androids and both have tried to kill them. I propose any more androids found be sent into the nearest sun!!

According to one of the crew members (was it Two?) there are several more boxes to open. Something tells me there a few more surprises to be found in that vault.

Don’t forget that card key Five showed Android. Remember she said it was part of a device to access “pockets of sub-dimensional space”? I’m guessing one of those boxes, or whatever was behind the large plastic sheet everyone warned Five not to touch, might have the device. If it can access what sounds like pocket universes or other dimensions, the limits of what could be stored in that room are nearly infinite. The surprises in that room might just be a whole, other universe!

To me it makes more sense that the people searching for the key have the device.

Yes it does, good point! Of course, they could’ve stored the device on board the Raza and our gang stole it out from under them. I’m not trying to debate where this device may be, just hoping it’ll be on board so we can see it in action sooner! But, yeah, the people wanting the key have to have possession of the device. Although there could be more than one of them!!!

Zoie Palmer, not just a beautiful woman, and, wow, she really showed her talent tonight. Not that she hasn’t been killing it with her android act since the beginning. She has got to be one of the most life like android acts I have ever seen.

Indeed she does nail the role and acting mechanical while still showing a wide array of muted emotions has got to be one of the most difficult means of acting. Zoie pulls it off with ease and makes us all melt when she does her “Sad Android” face. Gotta love her!

Fantastic episode. Very disappointed with the 1 & 2 scenes (with their whole dynamic, to be honest) but hopefully, now that 1 has proven he has no balls what so ever, there won’t be much more of them to put up with and the irritating, farce will just fade out. That or implode in some way that make at least one of them a tolerable character. Here’s hoping!

Zoie Palmer’s Android has been lighting up the show right from the start and this has been her piece de resistance. going from single focused kick ass security to the self sacrificing life saver and now to feeling jealousy and a need for acceptance. I really do hope she gets to show off her skills more often.

3’s twist of character was impressive, though nothing we all weren’t expecting in one way or another. He could never stay the course of callas, self-centred jerk on a crew full of reforming bad asses. I’m interested to see how he’s going to be played from here on out.

4 & 6 had more minor roles this week. Lets hope that means we’re heading for something big with them.

All I can say with regard to your last 2 sentences is you’re going to find episode 8 very satisfying!

Syfy to Develop Frederik Pohl Award-Winning Novel Gateway as Series

Syfy Sets Premiere Date for The Expanse – Launches With 2 Night Event

Vampire Resurrection by Vic Brown – Book Review

Review of The Last Ship, Episode 9 – Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

Killjoys: Ep. 8 Review – Come the Rain – An Umbrella’s Not Enough

Dark Matter Episode 10 Sneak Peek – An Offer You Can’t Refuse

The Last Ship News – Renewed for Season 3

Teen Wolf: Sneak Peek and Ouroboros Bloopers

Teen Wolf: Lies of Omission 5×09 Preview

Preview of The Last Ship – Episode 10: Friendly Fire

Review: Falling Skies 5×07 – Superfreaks, Traitors & Treason

Photos & Preview: Falling Skies 5×08 – Stalag 14th Virginia

Preview: Falling Skies 5×08 – Stalag 14th Virginia