NOC Recaps ‘Dark Matter’ S2, E2: React, Respond

Fridays mean new episodes of Dark Matter on Apple TV. That means another NOC Recap in which I attempt to tie the episode to a song from Pearl Jam’s 2024 album of the same name. And with episode 2 of the second season, “A Perfect World,” the parallels to track 2 of the PJ album, “React, Respond,” are pretty clear.

Before we get into the actual recap, we need to discuss the Pearl Jam of it all. As we stated last week, as well as in our interview with Alice Braga, season 2 is uncharted territory because season 1 ended at the end of Blake Crouch’s titular novel. So this verse from “React, Respond” is not only relevant to this episode, but a microcosm of the season overall:

There’s no book on this life, there’s no use as directed
The best part I know was when we were connected

That first line speaks to the entire premise of a season without source material to fall back on. The second line is also the driving motivation behind everything Jason (every version of him) does.

The episode itself starts with a flashback to three years earlier on Earth 2 where we find Jason2 and Leighton2 christening their launch of the Box. We see familiar faces — namely, Amanda (Braga) and Blair (Amanda Brugel) — joining in on the celebration.

Once Blair brings the Box online, Leighton delivers a triumphant speech that gives a little context to his character’s ultimate motivation. They didn’t invent the Box so that people can exploit the multiverse for selfish gain (looking at you, Jason2). Instead, the idea was to access an infinite well of knowledge to better humanity overall. You know, just like the internet!

But like the tech moguls in our world, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Remember Google’s motto used to be “Don’t be evil.” Jason2 and Leighton2 might not be evil in this moment, but you know what they say about how power corrupts. And this Pandora’s Box they just opened is absolutely powerful and ultimately corrupting.

Back in the original timeline, we find the Dessens still searching for a new universe to inhabit. Daniela is still haunted by murdering her husband last episode, at least an alternate version of him. The family eventually settles into a universe where America never went to the moon, and thus is decades behind technologically. This proves kind of perfect for the Dessens since the lack of facial recognition and digital footprints means they can move about without worry.

Meanwhile, the Council of Leightons is in another reality recruiting a Ryan variant (with a mustache!) to supplement their supplies of lavender wings. Perhaps their ampules stock is low? With all the traveling Leighton’s doing, it makes sense, especially if he continues to expand his council. Later, we see that the Leightons+Ryan are actually keeping Leighton2’s word to use the Box to solve different crises across the multiverse. Although, the camera lingers on Yogi-Leighton long enough to make us think he’s got something nefarious brewing. He did have fantasies of being a cult leader, after all.

Speaking of Ryan and Leighton working together, we find out that our Ryan is secretly using a lab that belongs to Utopia-Chicago’s version of Leighton. Amanda is caught off-guard when she recognizes Leighton’s favorite espresso machine and pulls a knife on him. This version of Leighton proves to be less murderous and power-mad, though. Turns out, he’d already been visited by Leighton2 but declined his offer to be part of the Legion of Leightons.

Instead, he works with Amanda and Ryan to perfect his drug and train their minds for multidimensional travel. You see, even though the city moved the original Box that brought both Ryan and Amanda to this world — thus severing its quantum connection — another Box magically appeared in the original location. Remember the end of last week’s episode when the Dessens did a Hello Goodbye? That left a brand new, working Box for Ryan to get home. While he trains, Amanda is still working through her own multiversal PTSD. They get extra motivated when they find camera footage of Jason1 emerging from the Box and are even more determined to respond accordingly. Ryan promises to find Jason2 and kick the ever living shit out of him for everything he’s done. Or as Pearl Jam would say:

Don’t let the sky hook beat you to submission
Maybe it’s the price of, price of our admission
Ain’t no fucking roses to our condition
Turn this anger into nuclear fission

Back in the retro world, the Dessens are actually settling in quite nicely. The universe seems so perfect that Jason hatches a plan to stay there forever by destroying the Box. However, not everything is perfect because Daniela is unable to enroll Charlie into school when she learns that world’s variant of him used to attend. It seems that something caused this universe’s Dessens to move to California. Determined to find out about the family that shares their faces, Jason seeks assistance from a private detective — who also helps them forge new identities. Wouldn’t ya know it, the detective he hires is none other than Agent MacNamara, still played by Chris Diamantopoulos. Looks like this season’s newest player will have an even larger role than I was thinking last week.

The episode ends with Ryan and Amanda emerging from the Box in the same world the Dessens are in. They even stay in the same hotel, though unaware of the others’ presence. And watching outside the hotel is none other than Detective (Agent?) MacNamara. He ends up following Amanda and Ryan to the Box, and after they enter and disappear, he seems… frustrated. MacNamara — whichever the universe — always seems to know more than we think. Will he team up with his variants to take Jason down?

These are the kinds of questions Eddie Vedder asks in “React, Respond” which, again, feel like they’re ripped from the show.

Are we at war with each other?
Are you at war with yourself?
We could be fighting together
‘Stead of fighting ourselves

We’re seeing the Leightons teaming up across the multiverse while the Jasons are at war with one another. Jason1 is on the run because of his other versions’ inability to make peace with themselves. Now, a skeptical MacNamara is on his tail presumably in each universe. Like the chorus of the Pearl Jam song, the rest of the season will not be about how these characters react to their current situations, but how they respond.

As the song says, “When what you get is what you don’t want, don’t react, respond.”

New episodes of Dark Matter drop every Friday on Apple TV.