DARK MATTER Recap “Welcome to the Revolution”

By Rachel Thomas

And then there were six…

We last left the Raza crew on the cusp of half a dozen turning points—most prominently Four on the knife’s edge of an argument with Misaki and Five tormented by the tantalizing knowledge that she has a sister somewhere out there. ‘Welcome to the Revolution’ picks up in the middle of action as the Raza swoops in to save Cepheus-5 from a Ferrous Corp attack—since they were in the area, after all. (We see that smirk, Two, and we love that about you.) They’re on the way to pick up Tabor Calchek, who’s been caught on the colony in the middle of a military lockdown, but since when has that dissuaded our gang?

The crew finds no sign of Tabor in the Traugott-controlled factory colony. What they do find is Tabor’s former assistant, Adrian Maro, who’s happily taken over his boss’s old operation. The colony itself is in turmoil, a revolution brewing in its heart. Fed up with unsafe working conditions and mistreatment by Traugott, the workers are on the cusp of establishing independence—by any means necessary. They’re led by the fighty Turrence, (doomed) Zem, and the relatively quiet Dalla.

Meanwhile, on Xairon, Ryo oversees a pugilistic audition from a soon-to-graduate Academy student. Teku briefly but pointedly confronts Ryo about Misaki’s overreach into the realm of diplomacy, to which Ryo responds with equal acerbity, suggesting perhaps not all will be well between Four and his mentor.

DARK MATTER — “Welcome To The Revolution” Episode 303 — Pictured: Melissa O’Neil as Two — (Photo by: Stephen Scott/Dark Matter Series 3/Syfy)

Back on the Traugott facility, Zem dies in an attack on the facility, and the Raza gang find themselves caught as the revolt kicks into gear. Two cautions Dalla and Turrence they’re outgunned, but it’s Six who saves the day. He encourages them to lead a revolution of words — one without bloodshed. He volunteers to meet with the security force on his own, and unarmed. He cautions the Traugott team that they may have the guns, but the workers have the bodies. Whether they like it or not, the colony’s declaring independence, and Six is just the person to help them do it diplomatically.

Meanwhile on the Raza, Android is no closer to repairing the Blink Drive. She has, however, discovered something odd: a portion of the ship’s database was quarantined. It’s not a virus; it could only have been done on purpose, and by someone with the access codes to the Raza’s database. One of their own.

(Paging Five, you’re wanted in the ‘keeping secrets isn’t nice’ ward.)

Back on the colony, the security contingent is shocked to learn about the attack that killed Zem, insisting they had no part in it—they’re just doing their job, after all. Six offers them an olive branch: if they walk away, the Raza will guarantee them safe passage off-planet to a neutral space station. They agree.

(Does it feel like things are going a little too well?)

No sooner has Six sealed the deal with the security team than Turrence and a group of workers ambush the sec team, killing the lead negotiator and leaving Six to suffer for it. While Two and Three work to cool down the situation with Turrence and the other fighters, Six attempts to convince the remaining leader of the sec team of his innocence.

As Two, Three, and Solara—Maro’s undeniably awesome bodyguard—prepare to rescue Six, Android continues to probe the oddity in the ship’s computers, and stumbles right into Five’s Sarah secret.

DARK MATTER — “Welcome To The Revolution” Episode 303 — Pictured: Anthony Lemke as Three — (Photo by: Stephen Scott/Dark Matter Series 3/Syfy)

As the others stage Operation Rescue Six, Maro and Five have some quality time. Maro lets it slip that there used to be two other crew members, Shrike and Jasper. (More on them in future episodes, we trust.) The Traugott guards burst in, taking everyone hostage. Maro and Five remain hidden, and both sides grow more and more combative until Six arrives. Cornered by the crew of the Raza, the Traugott guards cooperate with Six’s orders and drop their weapons.

All seems in order. Dalla intends to hand the mystery of the blast over to the GA as Six expresses his doubts, but no sooner have they done so than an ominous voice, belonging to ‘the General’, resounds through the halls. (Welcome to the revolution indeed.)

The Raza gang step out of the fight, but when the General, predictably, turns violent, Six’s own commitment to nonviolence falters and he shoots him dead. Unwilling to be an outsider to the colony, Six tells the Raza to go without him. He’s found new direction on the colony, and will help it establish its independence. It’s a tearful departure, but also hopeful.

One more challenge awaits Two, Three, and Five on the Raza: the Maro problem. (Solara is there too, but she’s awesome, and therefore less of a problem.) Two and Five, communicating mostly with eyebrows, agree to let them stay on for a while.

(Good thing, too. If Solara were a one-off, it would be a huge waste of a character.)

Oh, and Android confronts Five about Sarah, prompting Five to come clean and reveal she uploaded Sarah’s consciousness to the computer as a kind of sentient program. On Xairon, Ryo sends off his scariest bounty-hunters. Their aim—

Well, it’s not going to be a piece of toast, is it?

This was an all-around solid episode with a strong emotional core and just enough hope sprinkled throughout to make it seem less like closing Six’s chapter on the Raza and more like opening a new chapter for him elsewhere. There were many fine moments for Six throughout the episode, showcasing the depth he added to the crew. The performances from the rest of the crew were likewise solid; Adrian Maro adds humorous color to the Raza’s crew, and Solara’s cool, understated professionalism plays superbly against the other personalities, especially Three.

Despite the solid performances from everyone in the episode, the plot felt a bit off in places. The General is clearly a powerful character, coming equipped with speeches that sound good and just like what we want out of a villainous revolutionary leader, but his entrance came so late that it was a bit jarring to see its resolution in the same episode. Still, the installment was wholly enjoyable. Maro’s attempt to provide grandiose descriptions of the Raza’s crew is a particularly fun moment, and a very promising third installment in Dark Matter‘s third season.

Going forward…

There’s a lot to take away from this episode, but foremost has to be dynamics. Solara and Maro are loads of fun together, but they’ll almost certainly be even better once they’ve had a chance to mesh with the other members of the crew. (My bet’s on heavy use of Solara/Three and Solara/Two as duos, possibly bromantic, possibly not, and Maro/Five, but seeing either with Android will be delightful. Is anyone getting the feeling Solara might be headed for a Badass Fight with Misaki?) We didn’t see much from Ryo this episode, but he seems locked on a crash course with reality, sooner or later. Why, Four, why?