Dark Matter Season 1 Ending Explained by Creator Blake Crouch

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Dark Matter Season 1.
Apple TV+'s sci-fi adaptation Dark Matter has concluded Season 1, but is that all there is to the story? According to author and showrunner Blake Crouch and executive producer Matt Tolmach (Venom: The Last Dance), yes, Season 1 was created to be "the best representation of the book as possible." However, a series format opens a whole box of possibilities, and Crouch isn't opposed to exploring more characters. In fact, maybe that even leaves room to revisit Alice Braga's (Queen of the South) fan-favorite, Amanda Lucas?
In addition to Braga, Dark Matter stars Joel Edgerton (The Gift), who brings Crouch's original character, Jason Dessen, to life on the screen as he travels through alternate realities in search of his true home and family. Other characters, some expanded for the show, include Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly's (A Beautiful Mind) Daniela Vargas Dessen, Jimmi Simpson's (Westworld) Ryan Holder, Dayo Okeniyi's (See) Leighton Vance, and Oakes Fegley (The Fabelmans) as Jason and Daniela's son Charlie.
During their interview, Crouch and Tolmach discuss the likelihood that the "wrong" Jason returns in the end, what World 26 is, where the Dessen family ultimately ends up, and what changed throughout the editing process. Crouch explains why Season 1's finale is a "love letter" to all his book fans and shares which of his works he's eyeing for adaptations next, and Tolmach reveals why Sony's Kraven the Hunter moved its release date.
#darkmatter #blakecrouch #matttolmach
For interviews, movie reviews, and more visit collider.com
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
/ collider
/ collider
/ collider

[@888infinitewisdom]

PLEASE create a second season 😢 I am obsessed with this show and have never watched anything as entertaining or engaging ❤

[@puertogreekn8675]

It's great, but FROM is even better. Go watch now before season 3 this fall, you don't want to miss this.

[@888infinitewisdom]

@@puertogreekn8675 cool! Thanks for the suggestion. 😀

[@colinconnare6812]

Right??? When I read this book this guy became my favorite author! If you think this is good you’ll LOVE his book Recursion!! They also are making THAT book into a movie and several tv shows!!

[@rick_terscale1111]

It truly is really good and one of the best sci fi series I've seen in a very long time. The music is amazing too. It truly sets the tone. I've watched season 1 at least 8 times now. Each time I pick up something I missed in one of the episodes. I'm looking forward to a Season 2. I hope this gets green lighted and not axed. In the mean time I've been watching Wayward Pines from 2015 which I had no idea about until this week. What a great show that is too!! Blake Crouch has some great stories.

[@rudeyr]

Go watch Rick n Morty

[@johnsilvestri260]

1:36 "If you do statistics, it's not the Jason that left, it's a different version..." I'm going to say a HARD no to this claim. EVERY Jason that came back IS the Jason that left and they all left THIS world. All of these Jasons are from choices made after Jason 2 kidnapped Jason 1. For the audience, the only question is whether the Jason that finds his family is the same Jason we have followed each week and they did confirm that was the intent. We did follow one Jason and saw his choices and we can only infer or occasionally hear about the choices other Jason 1s made.

[@ctakitimu]

Yeah, they're all the Jason's that got abducted at the start. They all just happen to be the only ones who arrived at that time slot. There's probably so many more Jason's yet to arrive. But also there's probably many versions of this 'homeworld' still to be discovered by the Jasons.

[@CetateanulDinFiguraAlaturata]

or, they are Jasons that have been kidnapped by other Jason 2 and they are coming back to a world that is almost identical to theirs but is not theirs....I think

[@aiyerrc]

Totally agree this is the Jason we start with. There would be no emotional attachment as a viewer otherwise imo. But I also agree that there are countless micro variations of Jason2 kidnapping jason1, leading to exponential increase in possible entanglements since each Jason2 could spawn hundreds of Jason1s as we saw. I think Jason's story is over and was really excited to see Amanda and Ryan find each other. Also Leightons badass fit and hitech fingers leave a lot of potential for future seasons. LOVED this show

[@BegimaiZulpukarova]

The Jason that ended up with the family is the one that we started following, as viewers, from the beginning. They are all the future versions of our original Jasons. But we just happened to observe that particular sequence of events and choices and that particular Jason in the end is ours (I think). That specific branch. We as viewers chose and followed that branch also in a way created a version of Jason by observing that Jason ahahahah idk but there was a point when I thought of how if there are versions of Jason 1 then there must be versions of Jason 2 that got branched out?? Imagine a slightly different version of Jason 2 that got to a slightly different version of a happy/perfect world. And swapped himself with Jason 3. And that Jason 3 in an attempt to get back to his home world gets into the box and branches out infinitely too. In theory at any point during the show we could have been watching a version of Jason that branched out of the version of the version of…..the version of Jason. Infinite versions and infinite ways each could choose and decide in that box. Also there are infinite ways of trying to make sense of the show ahahah And any explanation could work or not work. It’s is in a superposition unless we decide for it to be one way or another

[@alpacamale2909]

this show, severance and Silo are saving sci fi

[@vandergod]

Don’t forget “For All Mankind” and “Foundation”, more great science fiction on Apple TV+.

[@alpacamale2909]

@@vandergod For All Mankind has fallen off a bit and Foundation is very good visually and takes a lot of good things from the book but it's not that good imo

[@skarasik4021]

@@alpacamale2909Yes.

[@rick_terscale1111]

Dark Matter is so good and so much going on that I've watched the season 8 times now. I just discovered Wayward Pines from 2015. Another Blake Crouch series. Season 1 was awesome. Very much looking forward to season 2 for Dark Matter.

[@Manuel_Chinaski]

And now Sunny being off to such a solid start is getting me hype .

[@neli.a]

while Apple hasn't announced any green light for SE02, seeing BC's face light up about other characters, tells me everything, looks like something is currently development!!

[@rick_terscale1111]

Let's hope so, lets hope that off the top of the success of season 1 that a second season will get the green light.

[@kingdomcitizenship5613]

Best show since GOT...And this guy asked ALL the right questions...LITERALLY

[@aethreder31]

I agree, he pretty much asked all the questions I had in mind when I searched for this video, didn't lose any time on nonsense.

[@DustinBell-s6z]

This show is the most amazing thing we need a chat board

[@darrenchandler2072]

hey my name's Dustin Bell too...wierd

[@Master_trac]

hahahahahahaha​@@darrenchandler2072

[@achimwokeschtla7582]

If any shows needs more seasons it’s Dark Matter!!!

[@justApigeon.]

I watched this whole first season in a single sitting. Loved it.

[@truejim]

The final world the family stepped into was the Dark City world. Jennifer Connelly is playing the same character in both Dark City and Dark Matter. It’s all part of the Dark City Cinematic Universe (DCCU).

[@jorgeacosta3378]

Sería genial que accedieran a ese mundo.

[@powerofpop8747]

Thanks for this. The resolution at the end of the series was satisfying but I also felt unsatisfied that there wasn't more.... heh.

[@TonyMontana-ks3qh]

What an amazing tv series… really well executed from start to finish.. 10/10.. I want more please

[@edrismatu3662]

It should have been 10 ten Episodes. There was need for more time for Jason’s wife, Daniella to wrap her head around the idea of the box and the multiverse. The way it was done was a bit tiny rushed.

[@NJ_Random]

I agree! Charlie also barely reacted to seeing multiple versions of his father!

[@Tubamaster2292010]

💯

[@leemckee1272]

This show was extremely well written and the cast members flawlessly portrayed every character. I hope many seasons are in the future and some spinoffs.

[@debrafaithwarshaw9729]

Here's the #1 question I have that I was hoping to hear an answer to: Given how difficult it was for OG Jason to get back to his world, how were all the other versions of him able to get there and all be in the same world at the same time?

[@Cudsworth]

Also how are they going to try to go back to their own world or stay and if so how would that work out ?

[@ZacharyReese]

Because there are *infinity* of them. If there is a non-zero chance of something being possible, it happens not just once, but an *infinite* number of times.

[@EverythingAwesome777]

I need season 2 Asap! This show was so good i enjoyed every single episode 10/10

[@Falascoa]

The string on the finger at the end when he gets his ring back, that says it's the actual Jason

[@nysockexchange2204]

Makes sense. You seem to know more than the actual creators!

[@Falascoa]

@@nysockexchange2204 I really like this show.

[@ctakitimu]

Many of the Jasons will have string on their fingers though

[@aethreder31]

If you pause the screen at the end you can see multiple Jasons with the string IIRC. I was more paying attention to their faces. I didn't watch all the episodes in a row so I might be wrong, but throughout most of the series J1-Protagonist has bruises and cuts from his interrogation a month ago. The J1 that gets into the box doesn't have these to my recall and the J1 that calls to the other J1s to let them through does. I'm not saying they switched protags, especially not since the creators themselves contradict this in this very video, but it is interesting.

[@Cudsworth]

The Jason that got into the car accident with Charlie and Daniela in the car also had a string ring on

[@shoWbitz]

This show is amazing

[@rebeccachamberlain6318]

DARK MATTER MATTERS. This was a brilliant series It would have made a great movie too, but it was a delightful romp into speculative fiction and sci-fi worlds that worked perfectly in 9 episodes. IT HAD ONE OF THE BEST FINAL EPISODE OF ANY DRAMATIC SERIES I'VE SEEN. Everything in the dramatic arc and plot was resolved with an ethical and purposeful understanding between the main characters and their struggles and choices, AND it left the series open to future adventures. We want MORE. No knee-jerk painful cliffhangers. No selling out the integrity of the characters and their transformative arc for another knee-jerk gut-wrenching plot twist. NO. This series was suspenseful and kept the viewer on edge with the twists and turns of the plot. BUT we care about all of the characters. We can breathe a sigh of relief as characters struggle to grow, know, and come up against challenges, choices, and ethical and emotional dilemmas to understand themselves, their potential, and each other. I hate investing time and energy into plots that blow up characters and narrative arcs for mere shock effect rather than transformative choices and narrative evolution. What a relief. This series kept us engaged throughout and asked big questions that MATTER. DARK MATTER MATTERS. It did not disappoint. Blake Crouch, Matt Tolmach, and the team behind this series are amazing! Thanks, Matt, Blake, and team, and thanks AppleTV+.

[@victors16811]

It’s being a while since I watched something on Netflix, Apple + it’s se leading so much good content

[@DamianDC]

I loved this interview, it really had exactly all the questions I had! Even the free hot chocolate one! Thanks so much!!

[@JamieBarrington]

What a solid adaptation! I plowed through Dark Matter in a little over a day, because I was so hooked. It's one of my favorite reads. And I still loved the show more. I loved some of the changes they made, which just enriched the story. I would like to see season 2 come to fruition, but either way, it's a satisfying ending. What I really REALLY want though is an adaptation of Recursion, which was just as much of a banger as Dark Matter.

[@michaelliston8253]

I loved the series. Thank you for creating this. I felt satisfied as a viewer. Leaving it as one season is all it needs.

[@Sjrick]

I have never seen a show with 9 episodes. I stopped after 8 thinking that was the end of the show. It still wouldve worked at the end of 8.

[@nggaplx]

Wtf

[@styrpak1]

Great interview

[@Farz8806]

Please do season 2 justice. So many shows drop the ball second season.

[@arhight2]

Thanks for doing this AMAZING interview. Can't wait to see what they come up with next🤗

[@findgeekspots]

Party Leighton is the only who is having a blast!

[@626STAH]

It is the same Jason (but mentally changed) who left with the family at the end of episode 9

[@AshNair26]

Loved this series, and very happy i went in cold without knowing anything about the book. The pace was brilliant, Edgerton was phenomenal as Jason, so were Connelly and Alice Braga in their respective roles. The setup of superposition and the box and the shutting down the prefrontal cortex was one of the better hard-fi concepts, that even felt like it could a thing, which is great for immersion, because i didn't doubt the possibility of such a solution, and how the box would open up 4th dimensional time in a 3rd dimensional space. As a long time lover of sci-fi, you get pretty good at tropes, and can sorta predict what the solutions and story would be. I called the ending, with them having to leave this world to find another, but DID NOT SEE how Jupiter played out with all the Jason's entering the world as a result of Jason2 creating the box. That was a mindbender of an episode and completely heartbreaking to experience the many versions of Jason having brutal endings, especially after having to endure so much. A proper rock and hardplace situation, which is one of the gold standards when writing compelling characters choices and arcs. I am satisfied if this doesn't have a S2, but would love to see where it could go if the show continues. Also the score was incredible. A really well made, high product series. The one thing that through me off was the 'Obama Tower' inside World 26. The perfect world. I can't see that being a thing.

[@rick_terscale1111]

Season 1 is so good. The story, the cast, the acting and the music/score is amazing at setting the tone and mystery. I've watched Season 1 8 times now. It doesnt get boring because I keep discovering small points, things mentioned, that I completed missed. Very much hoping for a second season.

[@cvaelliott]

I loved this show, brilliant story telling, some of the best acting I have seen in a while and the production values were impressive. I only have one niggle, the audio, the voices of the actors were often muddy and hard to discern the words being spoken, I had to frequently keep going back over a scene to understand what was said, this takes away from my ultimate enjoyment.

[@mrlij6534]

This man writes great books. cant wait to see what Netflix does with recursions and im glad Apple has greenlit Dark Matters season 2,

[@richardvission9247]

This is a GREAT show!!! Need season 2!

[@jorgeacosta3378]

I really think the series has potential for more things. The objective of the scientific Leighton, if fulfilled, could open the doors for trade between different universes. There could also be spread of plagues and diseases between universes on a large scale. And wars between different universes. There are many possibilities.

[@darrenchandler2072]

Joel Edgerton nailed this btw. Come a long way since making great Aussie films like The Square. You can see he had some creative input as exec producer.

[@EricCummingsNB]

Season 2 please 🙏 please 🙏 please 🙏 this series like every science series on Apple TV has been incredible.

[@ColumbiaB]

When Weintraub asks (6:30 ->) how the travelers pay for things in different realities - a reasonable question, and one I’d found myself asking! - I was a little surprised that Crouch and Tolmach didn’t say that (in addition to the World 26 utopia, and other Worlds akin to it, where somehow most conventional monetary transactions, at least, have been rendered superfluous) we’re shown hints that imply there are a number of possible solutions, varying from World to World, for that practical problem. In particular, it is odd that they didn’t mention an obvious scene directly related to the problem: When Daniela cuts the lock on Jason2’s storage unit, and starts searching through it, she finds, among other things, bundles of weird U.S. banknotes, still bound in currency straps. They’re presumably baffling to her, but we can guess that they are the versions of U.S. currency used in alternate Worlds. This also clearly implies that there are some Worlds that Jason2 is visiting multiple times - and anticipates he may need to visit again, thus the need to stockpile the versions of currency “native” to those Worlds. I also have to note it’s odd that Weintraub says (6:52) that he never sees anyone using money - when, even setting aside, for the moment, the storage-unit cash stash, we •do• see the travelers using small amounts of cash at a few points. Again, his question on this matter is generally well-taken, but on that particular point, there •are• a few occasions where we see the travelers using small amounts of cash.

[@kamalchan9756]

yay so so happy to see more plz 2 more seasons

[@oriya]

Thank you 🙏

[@hawsrulebegin7768]

I want to follow the detective once they discover all those dead Jason’s.

[@alpacamale2909]

isn't the fact that jason2 is there proof that it is his world? I think we follow jason1 and world1 in the series, so both are the "characters" we are following.

[@juanfabian482]

Queremos ver famous interpretado por Zac Efron

[@dageustice]

Does anyone know how the box got into all those universes in the first place? Also, why were there thousands of copies of Jason on the return journey in the final, but only one "evil" Jason that came to this universe in the beginning? Is it because the "evil" Jason thought of a world that fit his specific description, making it close to impossible for any other evil Jasons that wanted to go to the same world, to think of that specific world? This is contrary to what happened with the original Jasons. They all got to the exact same universe because they had already lived their whole identical life in this universe. But i don't know

[@NoVACorpsGaming]

I fully believe this creative team could adapt House of Leaves with Mark Z. Danielewski. I adored Dark Matter and I am scrambling for more like it, I really hope it gets renewed for another season

[@theblackrangerstudios7852]

😂 how do they pay for stuff Answer: Apple Pay 😊

[@JeffBurden]

Great questions!

[@alpacamale2909]

I'd love it if they released the link to the jason chatroom while the episode was airing

[@Thime2009]

Well, all of them are the Jason that we started with. The splits happened within the box as stated by Jason himself. Thus the yes and no answer.

[@paulsommerhalder9049]

And why was Ryan "waiting" for her?

[@dfrei69]

That’s what I didn’t get. I don’t remember them intertwining in any of the dimensions they went into

[@Copiio]

It would be nice to continue the journey of everyone in the storyline in season 2.

[@NYKnicks331]

Season 2 needs to check in on the aftermath of the one reality that now has hundreds of Jasons. Do they band together and seek world domination? Does the world capture them and force them to recreate the drug that makes the box work? Are there “gangs” of Jasons that travel the multiverse looking for their family or getting into mischief?

[@miadelavier4315]

actually, good questiions you asked. I was wondering about how they're paying too!

[@ondrejkollert2663]

A thought: every time someone decides to use the box to travel to a specific reality, the choices leading up to that moment of travelling should create several realities of that person, all with the same goal of travelling to that specific reality. As a consequence, upon arrival to that new reality, more versions of that same person should always show up there over time. So the Jason2 that created the box with the intention to kidnap the Jason1 from that specific reality should essentially generate more versions of himself traveling to the same one reality, meeting each other there 🤔, essentially in the same way that Jason1 generates more versions of himself, all with the intention to come back home. What does everyone think?

[@ncstrev]

I still have not found an answer to the plot "sinkhole": Who built the box in other realities? Jason2 built a box in his reality (world2). The contents of that box achieve superposition when not observed enabling the contents to move to a different reality (world#). The box cannot achieve superposition as it is observed so the box is not moving. SO, where are the other boxes coming from?

[@ctvxl]

Yes, I have had the same exact question. At the end of the day, It is just one more thing you have to accept as normal to how the "science" of this works. But I really wish they had given some explanation as to how every world they visit ends up having a permanent box. To me, it would have been much more 'realistic' if the box in the new world would disappear after the drug wears off or something like that. Requiring Jason to actually build a new box in that world to travel again. But I can see where that would have been very difficult from a plot perspective.

[@achimwokeschtla7582]

By opening a door in the corridor to a world the box appears in this world and shifts from possibility to reality

[@tyizzle80]

We need a season 2 especially since Apple cancelled Constellation.😊😊

[@alex86fire]

As a viewer I was wondering especially WHY did Ryan find Amanda. There's no indication they knew each other (other than the briefly murdered version from Jason2's world).

[@DannyMexen9]

Coincidence. It’s just a coincidence. Jason2 thought of a place Ryan would like to see. Amanda wanted a place she could stay in. There is no reason why they would be the same place but there also isn’t.

[@alex86fire]

@@DannyMexen9 But Ryan from Jason1's world doesn't know Amanda. Or we don't really have any reason to believe that he does, as she has no connection to them in that world. Just like Amanda from Jason2's world only met Ryan when he got kidnapped. We also see that Ryan was making the drug that allowed to use the box, so it kind of leads itself to the idea that he travelled a few world to find her. Maybe he was just there and he wanted for them to leave that world together, but again, coming to the question why. Why is that meeting taking place?

[@JeremyWahabTechno]

This is the reason I watched this video but they can’t answer 😅. Thinking maybe somehow he knows she has the 2 viles so he can try to replicate them n get back to his world but then still, how would he know that or who she is at all.

[@luxneji]

All of the Jasons who returned are the Jason that got kidnapped, but the Jason who ended up with tha family is the one we followed

[@johnsuarilla141]

I think All the jasons that made it there are "The Jason" doesn't matter who made it with the family.

[@nurituan]

The episode I got really confused was 8 because I thought that the original Jason 1 which we have followed since the start of the show died, he attacked Jason 2 when he went to take out the trash and Jason 2 killed him. I thought that he was "our" Jason because he had the same knife which he bought from the store. We didn't see any other version of Jason 1 until that store scene.

[@jamiestark80]

I would LOVE to see an Upgrade adaptaion fron Blake! Can we make that happen? Please!!!

[@cyrvsxix]

Battle of the Planets shirt 👍

[@tyroga]

They’ve set it up so Jason’s story is finished, but the other characters can journey on.

[@Suchness_of_Life]

When technology is at the zenith of given time, world become so efficient that most of things can be free. People only transact by their effort and time to help others only for a few needs that technology alone cannot do. Monetary transaction thus become barbaric.

[@equaltimeforfreethought9071]

I heard they may make a film out of your last book, and do you have a new book coming out?

[@MrJohnhunk]

How was Jason (the kidnapped) creating other Jasons? And why was the Jason (the kidnapper) not creating other Jasons?

[@ondrejkollert2663]

Exactly, essentially every time someone decides to use the box to travel to a specific reality, the choices leading uo to that moment of travelling should create several realities of that person, all with the same goal of travelling to that specific reality. As a consequence, upon arrival to that new reality, more versions of that same person should always show up there over time. So the Jason2 that created the box with the intention to kidnap the Jason1 should essentially generate more versions of himself traveling to the same one reality, meeting each other there 🤔, essentially in the same way that Jason1 generates more versions of himself all with the intention to come back home.

[@171sako]

Bro is telling the writers what is canon in their own series, hilarious 😂

[@MarvinRishoff]

the show was almost to the t of the book .. great book

[@zoltantoth2227]

The simple answer is they are all the same Jason we started with.

[@equaltimeforfreethought9071]

How does your work on Dark Matter differ from on Wayward Pines?

[@YoungOdin69]

What’s Stopping multiple versions of Jason’s family from showing up into the new reality that they went to?

[@YoungOdin69]

Where are the multiple versions of Jason 2?

[@Cbricklyne]

They wouldn't have ampoules

[@YoungOdin69]

@@Cbricklyne every version of them that walked into the box walked in with a case full of ampules…every choice they made once they got to the location where the box was, created a hundreds of different variants of them.

[@mugglescakesniffer3943]

So, in other words payola how much money they get determines on whether or not there is more story.

[@plusgirlbworld]

We know the original Jason didn’t get back because when his son asked if he was really his dad Jason literally said “Yes and No.”

[@chrisporter3486]

his son asked if they other Jason's were all really his dad, not if THAT Jason was really his dad.

[@SherKhanShani]

Mistakes that I see are: How does the box creator know how to use this? If they create hundreds of versions by using it 20 or 30 times, then the inventor must have also used the box more than 10 times. Where are his versions? At the end, the inventor meets the psychiatrist, and in a few sessions, she just tells him to get out, and that's it. What was the point of taking up so much screen time if it doesn't go anywhere? How does the family know if this is the correct version? It never crossed their minds. If we live in the word where there is no money then all of the workers will be robots because no body wants to do the dishes or sell ice cream you pervert. 😒 okay, that was to much

[@leonenriquez5031]

How can the creators not understand that there is no sense in saying there is an original Jason? The whole point of the science in this fiction is that they are ALL the original Jasons. These are not clones, where there is an original. They are all branches from the same original Jason, but ALL Jasons are continuous with him.

[@turbowtime9611]

Wouldn't there be multiple "bad" Jasons too?

[@MarcosSantos-dj6lk]

Dark Matter needs a second season is way better than the book version have many news things that only a second season is gonna resolve

[@emiesaleh]

It’s just that the many many versions didn’t make any sense 😅

[@jazzffer]

Hundreds of Jason destroyed the last episode

[@DannyMexen9]

I disagree. I think Beat Up Leighton does make it. You need a villain for S2 and he is perfect for it.

[@ilanhoward]

What a disappointing turn with the endless Jason1 versions getting back to the same world.

[@dragonnuma9965]

These dudes are lying the Jason in the house that beat bad Jason and shot at Blair had a flashback to the first episode when they wake up, he also says I’m the one that gave you the scar when he pulled up bad Jason’s sleeve. He can’t know that if he’s not the original.

[@aethreder31]

That's because all of the Jasons memories are identical up to the point they got into the box, only then do they split off into different Jasons once the drug is activated and they move towards different decisions. So they would all remember how he got that scar.

[@dragonnuma9965]

@aethreder31 nah that cant be true because that's how she was able to figure out bad jason wasn't the real jason he didn't have the memories from their life before. She asked him about the pink house remember.

[@ZanetaNoreikaite]

I want S2 in world #26!!!

[@leonardgrant6876]

I love the show and will consider buying the book, however, what I have missed a lot is that Jason did not talk to his alternate versions too often. Also, Jason's pick-up attempt to seduce his alternate version of his wife was kind of pathetic from somebody who is married I would expect a little bit more but I could be mistaken because I am looking at it as someone who is a pick-up artist.

[@TMish73829]

Great interview