'Dark Matter' on Apple TV+: Inside Jason Dessen's mystery box and it's eerie connection to manifestation
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: 'Dark Matter' is streaming on Apple TV+, and Episode 5 of the series aired on May 29, 2024. The episode deepened the mystery of the box and connected it to the spiritual concept of manifestation leaving the viewers looking for answers about how the box works.
'Dark Matter' is about a physics professor Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) who gets abducted by a version of himself from an alternative universe. Jason tries to find his way back to his original world with the help of Amanda Lucas (Alice Braga) as he enters a box that his alternate version has created. Meanwhile, Jason who has come from the alternate world, is trying to conceal his identity from Daniela Vargas Dessen (Jennifer Connelly).
As Jason and Amanda enter the box, they open various doors looking for a way into Jason's original world but they always seem to find themselves in a different world when they open the door. Let us try to understand the reason behind the mystery of the box.
How does Jason's box work in 'Dark Matter'?
The box is created by Jason in an alternate world using Schrödinger's cat principle where the body that goes into the box is in a superposition where it is neither dead nor alive and in that superposition it can move into infinite possibilities.
The possibilities in this case happen to be the choices that the person entering the box has not made in his life. With the use of a mystery drug, once a person enters the box, they can explore the possibilities of the infinite worlds that their choices could have created. For instance, Jason decided to focus on his family life instead of his career. So the alternate version of Jason, who did focus on his career to become a popular scientist has a world of his own dictated by his choices.
So when Jason and Amanda enter the box, they experience a world of choices they reject. But how do they decide which door to choose and what world it will open to?
The box and its connection to manifestation
When Jason and Amanda leave the door and find themselves deserted in a storm, Jason figures out that the final thought before exiting the door is what dictates the world they will get out into because being stuck in a storm on a snowy night was one of Amanda's deepest fears.
In Episode 5, though, the theory gets tested as their box gets flooded when they open the door. An explanation for the reason behind this could be that the box opens up into a world that is connected to their deepest desires and fears that manifest into the world they exit into.
Jason and Amanda might try to control their thoughts and minds but they may not be aware of their desires that exist sub-consciously so the key for Jason to get back to his original world might be to want it internally and absolutely.
At the beginning of the series, you do see Jason conflicted about his life and all that he has had to let go of when his friend Ryan Holder (Jimmi Simpson) offers him a job that will disrupt his family life. So the reason why he may still be struggling to get back to his original world could be his inner desire to explore the possibilities of the box and other worlds. A desire he is currently unaware of consciously.
The show interestingly blends concepts of physics, psychology, and even spirituality to a certain extent. It will be interesting to see how things pan out in the final four episodes.
How to stream 'Dark Matter'?
'Dark Matter' premiered on May 8, 2024. Apple TV+ has dropped five episodes of the series so far. 'Dark Matter' will conclude its run on June 26, 2024. To watch the series, you will need an Apple TV+ subscription.
The monthly subscription fee for Apple TV+ is $9.99, which gives you access to all of the original series and films on the site.
'Dark Matter' trailer
'Dark Matter' is streaming on Apple TV+.