1 of My Stories

Dark is one of the best Netflix original series to date. To see a description of the show and all of my episode recaps, go here.

Episode 2 Dark Matter

In 2053, Jonas desperately wants to enter the blue/black pulsing blob because it appears to be a time portal. However, he lacks the power to keep the blob stabilized enough that it won't kill him upon contact. In order to get more fuel to power the machinery, Jonas will need to enter the "dead zone," only it's forbidden by the the current presiding figure, who we assume to be Elizabeth because she is deaf and using sign language to communicate.

Although he's caught on the way back, he is able to get the fuel he needs, although he's not unscathed and gains new scars. Jonas enters the particle, and we are curious about where he ends up. The guard from the future (as she's credited in the show notes) was visibly moved by both Jonas' pain and his situation. I was curious as to what her connection to Jonas …

Dark is one of the best Netflix original series to date. To see a description of the show and all of my episode recaps, go here.

Episode 1 Beginnings and Endings

Once again Dark starts in the middle of a storyline, and we are forced to fight to keep up. We open in 1921, with two men creating the gateway that will make all the dimension traveling possible. We see both the creation of the tunnel and the genesis of Noah as a prophet who is emboldened to do bidding to fulfill a prophecy of some kind.

In 2053, we see all of Winden leveled by some kind of apocalyptic event, obviously some kind of radiation. Most people died, although there were survivors. Jonas is living in his family home, despite the fact that it's trashed just like everything else. We see a calendar, marking down the days until the day of destruction happened. Jonas walks through all the buildings. It's work, but we can recognize the school, as well as the police station based on the remains. No one speaks, but J…

Shortly after Jordan Peele's Get Out came on screen and made waves for, among many things, its depiction of a smart and savvy hero of color, J.D. Dillard's Sleight hit theaters. This science fiction/superhero origin story mashup features Bo, a highly intelligent and loving young man, who makes money how he can to take care of his sister after the death of his mother. By day, he's a street magician who wows folks who pass by with card tricks and others sleights of hand. By night, he sells drugs to overeager millennials.

We see the secret to Bo's magic early on in the action, although we don't get the full picture until later in the movie. Suffice it to say there's a cost to his skills. Like Wolverine in the X-Men, every time he uses his powers, it hurts. Often we forget that being good at something often means sacrifice of some kind. As we learn about Bo and listen to him explain to his new girlfriend why he does it, we are even more intrigued by him as a perso…

Strange things are happening in the town of Centerville. A local man named Farmer Frank (wearing a hat that says "Make American White Again") angrily reports that his chickens are missing and that Bob, the local hermit, must be the culprit. The local sheriffs, Chief Cliff Robertson and Officer Ronnie Peterson, are on the case. They don't really think Bob is the guilty party. As the pair investigates the crime, the rest of the town is introduced through various scenes, and everyone has an opinion about what's really going on. As the town come to the realization that the problem is zombies, people choose to hide out, run away, or fight to the death. 
Although that's an accurate description of the plot of this movie, it doesn't quite capture the essence of the film. Don't go in expecting to find your typical zombie movie with heroic characters and "last man standing" scenario. The Dead Don't Die is a zombie film, and at the same time attempts …