In yet another reality’s Seattle (still with me?), Ryan finds Amanda. She says that Jason2 is not the one she came here with. She originally arrived with OG Jason. She then tells Ryan that Jason2 kidnapped Jason1 in an attempt to steal Daniela. Ryan says Jason2 abandoned him there with nothing but the clothes on his back and nowhere to go, but when he went to visit his sister, he didn’t calculate how things could be massively different. The Ryan in this world died years ago. He told her the truth and she actually believed him, but things still felt off for him. Months later, he synthesized the ampule material, only a construction group had moved the box. Ryan and Amanda take comfort knowing that they understand one another. Oh, and also that Jason2 is an a**hole.
When Ryan and Amanda reconvene another day, they note that everyone in this reality is emotionally aware, positive, and annoyingly patient. “It’s a world of polite sex,” Ryan notes. They’re at the Bean in Chicago when it’s revealed that a new piece of “public art” is being returned to the heart of the city. They’re shocked to see that the revealed piece is… the box. Though, Amanda guesses the box is severed from its main power source, and now, is just a box. Ryan surmises that he’s stuck there forever.
When we check back in with Leighton, he’s a yoga and meditation instructor. His door opens after a class one day and it’s… another version of himself. Leighton2 needs help learning how to quiet his mind so he can better travel through the box. This New Leighton seems like he has a chip on his shoulder. He feels abandoned. Pained. He says he wants to use the box to do something good, for all the worlds. But it’s hard to trust him, right? Have we entered Leighton’s villain era?
Meanwhile, the Dessens travel to another reality, only it’s being brutally torn apart by a wicked storm. (Also, that scene was way, way too dark, right? One of TVLine’s ultimate pet peeves!) They eventually make their way to a world that… has a hotel. (Talk about lowering their standards.) After quickly realizing this world isn’t for them. (How annoyingly cute was that digital concierge cat?) After Charlie once again expresses frustration with their situation, Jason says he knows what he has to do. They’re going to once again find a quiet life they want to keep, then, he’ll destroy the box once and for all. They enter the box, with Jason imagining a safe place where they can start over. “Where people are kind, where we can have a good life all over again,” he communicates to the box. But when he opens the door, he realizes it’s not going to work. He’s been here before…
What did you think about the “Dark Matter” premiere? Grade the episode below, then light up the comments!