Syfy's Dark Matter(Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie)

[Overmind One]

Honestly, I have just lost the taste for it. I no longer enjoy slamming my head into a wall that will never budge. I am still very much an American, but I feel much more open minded as far as certain aspects of foreign affairs are concerned.

As far as the sword, well, I think they have it for a "cool" retro factor. Is it even somewhat racist to say it alludes back to an old Kung Fu movie since the actor is Asian? I will say this much, the man seems well trained. He reminds a lot of the weapon skill set that Steven Amell now possess since he starting playing the Arrow.

This works for me in Dark Matter since he is only one of six. Plenty of the others can use the nifty futuristic laser guns and whatnot. My last comment about it, is sometimes technology fails but a hard long sword is what it is. Look at it like this, I like to read and these days I prefer a Kindle but if I don't have any power then a book would be a much better thing to have. Some people just like old school.

I like the show. I like the characters too. But right now, Four is rather two dimensional. They have fleshed out One, Two, Three, and Six in a logical enough fashion, but Four gets the lame backstory of being a Prince who killed his brother (but didnt) because his Kimono clad stepmother the Empress did it? Where is this Empire he is a prince of? Cant they afford plasma weapons?

One's plasma rifle (also shoots missles). Hello?



Samurai Boy would be vapor if he tried to come at somebody with that dumbass sword.

 

[shavedape]

Well...you are entitled to your opinions! As far as how Four fits into this show, it seems unlikely that anyone would be using a sword for their primary defense when they have plasma weapons and advanced alloys which cannot be cut with a sword. Besides that, it makes no sense to come out with a sword when your opponent has a hand weapon. The scene where Four is in the forest and guys jump out from the trees also armed with swords. Really? A decent marksman could easily take 10 Samurai warriors out with a Glock and have rounds left over.

This is just dumb for this particular show. He is like Worf, but with a sword and less intimidating.

View attachment 31923

I agree the sword stuff is lame but I overlook that shit because, well, dude is hot. Hot hot hot. Hot enough to become part of the chain gang tethered to my bed.

I view that whole dynastic royalty nonsense as derivative comic book writing on Mallozzi's part. It's not deep or clever. And it's been done before. And it's not scifi. It's just "ho hum" in my opinion.

But, I knew from the start that it was a cheap show that didn't purport to be very deep so admittedly I never expected anything too great from it. I do find it's more interesting to watch than Killjoys (sorry JL). That's not saying much though.

 

[Overmind One]

I agree the sword stuff is lame but I overlook that shit because, well, dude is hot. Hot hot hot. Hot enough to become part of the chain gang tethered to my bed.

I view that whole dynastic royalty nonsense as derivative comic book writing on Mallozzi's part. It's not deep or clever. And it's been done before. And it's not scifi. It's just "ho hum" in my opinion.

He is acting his part exactly as written, is my guess. The sword and martial arts thing is Mallozzi all the way. I do not mind the dynastic thing either, when we are in that type of universe. But in a Corporate Federation? I do not see where they could allow a monarchy (or socialism) to proliferate. Monarchies do not create revenue, they only absorb it. I don't get why the sword is his PRIMARY weapon. Even Worf knew better than to do his Security Officer thing with only his bat'leth. There was a scene in Episode 11 where he comes at the corporate mercenaries in a corridor and they all have hand weapons, and he has that sword. They stand there why he spins around with that sword slicing them to shreds. Just LOL! The guy furthest back could have taken him out with one shot.

But, I knew from the start that it was a cheap show that didn't purport to be very deep so admittedly I never expected anything too great from it. I do find it's more interesting to watch than Killjoys (sorry JL). That's not saying much though.

After watching the season, I have to say that I like this show considerably more than Killjoys. It has more substance to the stories and the writing is better. The central characters are more interesting to me. And it is walking a thin line between serialized and episodic which means you can jump in and still enjoy the show for any episode. It keeps me engaged, and it feels vaguely familiar (in a good, not derivative way). I think a second season will give them an opportunity to polish these characters. We still need Five's backstory. She is a very interesting character, as is Three. Six needs more backstory too. The actress who plays Android needs to watch herself in the show and then polish her character up a bit.

All in all, this show fills a void for me that Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis left. Not sure why, since it is nothing like either of those two shows (and really nothing like Pandorum, even though the premise started out the same). I will check and see what the season ratings were.

 

[shavedape]

There was a scene in Episode 11 where he comes at the corporate mercenaries in a corridor and they all have hand weapons, and he has that sword. They stand there why he spins around with that sword slicing them to shreds. Just LOL! The guy furthest back could have taken him out with one shot.

Yeah, it's illogical and unrealistic scenes such as this that make me lose interest after awhile. I don't mind that the guy has a sword fetish but it's just dumb to have him use one as his primary weapon. It simply would not work. Hell, it doesn't work in the 21st century so there's no way it would work in a future time when automatic weaponry would be even more advanced than it is today.

 

[Overmind One]

Yeah, it's illogical and unrealistic scenes such as this that make me lose interest after awhile. I don't mind that the guy has a sword fetish but it's just dumb to have him use one as his primary weapon. It simply would not work. Hell, it doesn't work in the 21st century so there's no way it would work in a future time when automatic weaponry would be even more advanced than it is today.

Good thing is that the other characters are engaging enough to make me still want to watch the show. I like the way that the backstory is the core of the show but it has to be filled in by going forward in time (to find pieces of the past). It means that "new" things can be put in the show and the characters which can be "old" things that nobody remembered. failsafe protocols, enemies they had from the past, not knowing where their alliances lie, etc.

Syfy has renewed this along with Killjoys:

http://deadline.com/2015/09/killjoys-dark-matter-renewed-season-2-syfy-1201511362/

 

[Gatefan1976]

Well...in my opinion, there is nothing advanced or civilized about ruling over other people as a King or a Queen (or the other sub-royal titles). The good guys are those who LEAD populations, not rule over them. Besides that, the bloodline succession is not democratic or fair (or legitimate). There is nothing inherently "royal" about royalty in those countries which still have monarchies. The future does not have room for monarchies. They are inherently authoritarian. A monarchy will never be responsible for democracy. They are fun to watch, but they are more comparable to the Kardashians and professional sports teams than they are politicians or leaders.

I would be offended if somebody ordered me to kneel before somebody calling themselves "royalty". Forbidding even physical touch. And with regard particularly to the British Queen, I would find it hard to respect somebody who wears a crown encrusted with stolen gems mined by slave labor.

Dude.
Did you -READ- the article I linked on Zaibatsu's?
They are -corporate families-, using imperial titles.

 

[Gatefan1976]

Well...you are entitled to your opinions! As far as how Four fits into this show, it seems unlikely that anyone would be using a sword for their primary defense when they have plasma weapons and advanced alloys which cannot be cut with a sword. Besides that, it makes no sense to come out with a sword when your opponent has a hand weapon. The scene where Four is in the forest and guys jump out from the trees also armed with swords. Really? A decent marksman could easily take 10 Samurai warriors out with a Glock and have rounds left over.

This is just dumb for this particular show. He is like Worf, but with a sword and less intimidating.

View attachment 31923

Why do we teach unarmed self defense, and close combat weapon skills in the military?
Why are they still seen as valuable skills, even today given the ranged weapons we have at our disposal?

 

[Overmind One]

Why do we teach unarmed self defense, and close combat weapon skills in the military?
Why are they still seen as valuable skills, even today given the ranged weapons we have at our disposal?

They are fallback skills. When I was in, there was also bayonet training. But the most important defense is your weapon and is the primary defense. This guy Four does not even use a hand weapon, and when you see him in the show it is obvious he is supposed to be Sword Boy. The sword is used by his character as a prop and an extension of the character. Every single promo shot of Dark Matter cast shows him with that sword.

It is not a dealbreaker. But it does come off as gimmicky and a bit dumb IMO.

 

[shavedape]

Why do we teach unarmed self defense, and close combat weapon skills in the military?
Why are they still seen as valuable skills, even today given the ranged weapons we have at our disposal?

I see your point, but they seem to lean too heavily on the martial arts aspect of this character. We get it, it's a psychological crutch that he's using to deal with the fact that he was unfairly deposed. Hopefully in season 2 the writers will allow the character to be more than one dimensional.

Now here he is in a rare moment not doing something martial arts like. He's looking at a box. No doubt it contains his heart which he's preparing to mail to me. He's sweet like that.

 

[Overmind One]

I see your point, but they seem to lean too heavily on the martial arts aspect of this character. We get it, it's a psychological crutch that he's using to deal with the fact that he was unfairly deposed. Hopefully in season 2 the writers will allow the character to be more than one dimensional.

Now here he is in a rare moment not doing something martial arts like. He's looking at a box. No doubt it contains his heart which he's preparing to mail to me. He's sweet like that.

He has potential to be a great character. He isn’t horrible right now. I think the writers should allow him to move past the Samurai in Space shtick and give him more dimensions.

 

[Tripler]

Melissa O’Neil got into serious shape to be number 2 . Good for her ...

 

[Joelist]

I'll be giving this another look.

I think part of the reason I reacted negatively to it was at the time it came on I was REALLY fed up with dark and angsty stuff, and the whole setting with the amnesia and the way it felt like it was unfolding tripped my "I hate angst" alarm.

I think that is also why I liked Killjoys. It made zero pretensions of being meaty, angsty or edgy. It was exactly like OM said in another thread - space Xena. A light confection carried by the cast who put more into their performances than a light show would warrant.

 

[shavedape]

I'll be giving this another look.

I think part of the reason I reacted negatively to it was at the time it came on I was REALLY fed up with dark and angsty stuff, and the whole setting with the amnesia and the way it felt like it was unfolding tripped my "I hate angst" alarm.

I think that is also why I liked Killjoys. It made zero pretensions of being meaty, angsty or edgy. It was exactly like OM said in another thread - space Xena. A light confection carried by the cast who put more into their performances than a light show would warrant.

You have a right to be wary as the writing does get "meaty, angsty and edgy" in some places. But at other times it's not that bad really. The amnesia thing didn't bother me as much as I expected it to. What does bother me is that it is somewhat derivative (Firefly anyone?) and the writing is rather forced at times. But if you view it like Killjoys and just consider it cheap, mindless brain candy then some of the episodes can be interesting to watch. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I love the show and there's little danger that you will either. But it can make for ok viewing in a pinch.

 

[Overmind One]

I'll be giving this another look.

I think part of the reason I reacted negatively to it was at the time it came on I was REALLY fed up with dark and angsty stuff, and the whole setting with the amnesia and the way it felt like it was unfolding tripped my "I hate angst" alarm.

I think that is also why I liked Killjoys. It made zero pretensions of being meaty, angsty or edgy. It was exactly like OM said in another thread - space Xena. A light confection carried by the cast who put more into their performances than a light show would warrant.

It did that for me too. Plus, I went in with my fists balled up. Within the first 15 minutes, I was rolling my eyes muttering "Pandorum". Then when they started introducing the characters, I saw they were trying to establish an ensemble. By episode 3, it was clear that this was a team driven scifi adventure show and that is what drew me in. The team aspect of this is way more pronounced than in Killjoys. And it does not seem so anchored to TODAY's fads and ideas. No dumb cage fights or barroom brawls or nightclubbish locales much.

I like Killjoys too, a lot. But it is a much different animal than Dark Matter. You will like it if you watch it.

 

[Tripler]

Almost finished season 1 . I am really liking this show . 3 has me giggling a lot and 2 just keeps breaking my heart . I initially did not like 1 but he's turning out to be a great character . I would say the actor is doing a good job then . 4 is still a bit mysterious but not so much now and man is he fit ! . 5 is just to cute . 6 is the gentle giant . The show has it's ups and downs but mostly ups . It's just fun sc-fi action plain and simple and I really am enjoying the little twists and turns in the story . I dought it will win any awards but you never know and I will just keep watching . The angle with 2 is pretty dam awesome and the appearance of a few special guest's really makes it that much more fun to watch . There characters that you route for . All six of them and also for the guest stars even if there all evil lol ... Wate a Go Mr Malozzi and to the rest of the crew .

I have just one issue tho ? Why is it called Dark Matter ? Is it because there brains have lost the memories so you would call that dark matter because there kinda starting over ?
Is it because there in space and there's lots of black stuff out there ? Dark Energy ?
I like the name but how does it play into the show .
I initially was calling it Dark Bladder but I like it now so that won't work anymore ... It would make a great parody tho

 

[Tripler]

Crap . I forgot about robot ...Sheese . She is getting much better tho kinda silly sometimes which gives the show that not so takes itself so seriously feel to it ...At least I hope that’s what there going for lol !!!
Ha ,,, I am so dumb . I forgot she was the hot doc in Lost Girl ...

http://wallpaper222.com/explore/zoie-palmer-hot/

 

[poundpuppy29]

I can't wait for season 2 I buy seasons passes on Amazon of that and Killjoys I enjoy both

 

[Overmind One]

I can't wait for season 2 I buy seasons passes on Amazon of that and Killjoys I enjoy both

I like them both as well. I do like Dark Matter a bit more and I think it has a longer life if they stick to the formula, but Killjoys is more stylish and has more action. Both are good.

 

[Overmind One]

Funny how so many SG-1 and Atlantis actors made it into Dark Matter. Same with the writing end of it. Even Robert Cooper wrote an episode (episode 7). Amanda Tapping directed episode 4. The only ones missing conspicuously are Richard Dean Anderson and Joe Flanigan. Chris Judge was in an episode, and just about every other SG major actor in Atlantis and SG-1, including Torri Higgenson. Who is the most obvious name missing?

Brad Wright.

I can find NOTHING on him anywhere past 2011. It's like he became a hermit or something.

No start date for Season 2 yet, but it is in 2016.

 

[Joelist]

You saw a similar thing in Killjoys, which even had Amanda Tapping in it.