Dark Matter Season 1 Review: Stay With This Life
Dark Matter Season 1 is a mind-bending sci-fi thriller about choices, alternate lives, regret, and the danger of wondering what could have been.
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I started watching Dark Matter Season 1 almost by accident. I had it playing in the background while I was doing laundry, and I wasn’t really planning to sit down and watch it. Then, while I was hanging clothes, I started paying attention because something about the story caught me.
I figured I wouldn’t bother with the next episode.
Well… curiosity got the best of me. Lol.
Eventually, I decided to rewatch the entire first season with Mike so we could start the next season together.
And I’m glad I did.
Dark Matter Season 1 is one of those series that starts with an interesting science-fiction idea but becomes much more interesting when you start thinking about what the story is actually saying about our lives.
It made me think about choices, regret, and that very human habit of wondering what might have happened if we had made a different decision.
What Is Dark Matter Season 1 About?
Dark Matter Season 1 follows Jason Dessen, a physicist, professor, husband, and father whose life changes dramatically after he is abducted and wakes up in a version of his life that isn’t the one he knows. The series is based on Blake Crouch’s novel Dark Matter.
Without getting too far into spoiler territory, Jason finds himself confronted with a reality created by different choices.
And that’s where the story gets really interesting.
The basic premise makes you ask:
What if you could see the life you would have had if you had made a different choice?
Not just imagine it.
Actually see it.
That is a pretty dangerous question, because most of us are very good at imagining the life we could have had without imagining all the problems that would have come with it.
Dark Matter Season 1 Is Really About Choices
The science-fiction element is what initially makes Dark Matter Season 1 interesting, but I think the bigger story is about something much more ordinary.
Regret.
Most people have had a moment where they wondered:
- What if I had taken that other job?
- What if I had moved somewhere else?
- What if I had said yes?
- What if I had said no?
- What if I had stayed?
- What if I had left?
- What would my life look like now?
We naturally create alternate versions of our lives in our heads.
The problem is that we usually make those imaginary lives better than they probably would have been.
We imagine the promotion but not the stress.
We imagine the relationship but not the arguments.
We imagine the new city but not the loneliness.
We imagine the opportunity but not what we might have had to sacrifice to get it.
Dark Matter Season 1 takes that very human habit of wondering what if? and turns it into an actual story.
And that’s what makes the premise so compelling.
What I Liked About Dark Matter Season 1
There are several things that worked for me about the series:
- The premise: The alternate-reality concept gives the story an immediate hook.
- The acting: The cast does a good job making the different versions of the characters feel believable.
- The emotional side: The story isn’t only about science and alternate realities. Relationships and personal choices remain at the center.
- The questions it raises: It gives you something to think about even after an episode ends.
That last one is probably what got me.
You watch one episode because you want to know what happens.
Then another because you have another question.
And suddenly you’ve watched half the season.
The Characters Make Dark Matter Season 1 Work
Joel Edgerton leads the series as Jason Dessen, with Jennifer Connelly as Daniela Dessen and Alice Braga as Amanda Lucas. The cast also includes Jimmi Simpson, Dayo Okeniyi, and Oakes Fegley.
What I appreciated about the performances is that the characters don’t feel like they’re there simply to explain the science-fiction plot.
The story is personal. Jason is dealing with questions about identity, family, ambition, and the consequences of choices, and the alternate versions of his life make those questions even more complicated.
The actors have to make those differences believable, and I thought they did a good job with that.
My Takeaway From Dark Matter Season 1
This is the part of the series that stayed with me the most.
People can’t help but think about what-ifs and what-could-have-beens. It’s just part of being human.
But I think there’s something important about being accountable for our decisions instead of constantly trying to escape the repercussions simply because the outcome wasn’t what we wanted.
Nobody gets a perfect life. Every choice comes with something gained and something given up—and sometimes the result isn’t what we expected. Sometimes we make a decision with the best information we have and still end up somewhere we didn’t plan. Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes things simply don’t work out.
You can’t change the decision by pretending it didn’t happen. You can learn from it. You can make another decision. You can change direction. But you still have to acknowledge the road that brought you there.
And maybe that’s one of the most important things Dark Matter Season 1 explores:
You don’t need the life you could have had. You need to take responsibility for the life you have and decide what you’re going to do with it next.
The life you didn’t choose isn’t automatically the better life.
It’s simply the life you didn’t choose.
That’s a very different thing.
Shows and Movies to Watch If You Like Dark Matter
If you enjoyed Dark Matter Season 1, especially the mystery, alternate realities, identity questions, or mind-bending science-fiction elements, you might also enjoy:
- Severance — A science-fiction thriller about work, identity, and what happens when different parts of a person’s life are deliberately separated.
- Counterpart — A spy thriller involving parallel versions of reality and different versions of the same people.
- Dark — A much more complicated mystery involving time, family connections, and interconnected timelines. This one requires your full attention.
- Constellation — A psychological science-fiction thriller that explores reality, memory, and what happens when a person’s experience doesn’t seem to match the world around them.
- Predestination — A time-travel movie built around identity, fate, and a series of unexpected revelations.
- The One — A series that explores what happens when technology claims it can identify your perfect romantic match.
These aren’t copies of Dark Matter Season 1, but they share some of the elements that make this kind of story fun: mystery, science fiction, identity, relationships, and the possibility that reality isn’t quite as straightforward as it seems.
Where to Watch and Find More on Amazon Prime
If Dark Matter Season 1 has you looking for something else to watch, Amazon Prime has several membership and viewing options you can explore.
- Prime for Young Adults – Trial: Start the trial
- Prime for Young Adults – Paid Membership: View membership
- Prime Free Trial: Start a free trial
- Prime Access – Free Trial or Paid Membership: View Prime Access options
- Prime Paid Membership: View Prime membership
- Prime Video Add-on Subscriptions – Paid: Explore add-on subscriptions
- Prime Video Add-on Subscriptions – Free Trial: Explore free-trial options
Availability, pricing, and trial eligibility can change, so check Amazon’s current terms before signing up.