Dark Matter Season 3 Episode 10 Review: Built, Not Born
Kathleen Wiedel
at
.
Updated at
.
It can't rightly be called a filler episode. At best, Dark Matter Season 3 Episode 10 could be described as a character study and examination into one the Raza crew viewers actually know very little about: the Android.
But was it really necessary? And did the rather more involved backstory between Two/Rebecca, the Android, and Dr. Shaw enhance the characters or just add confusion to the mix?
The exposition-heavy nature of this episode certainly didn't help things nor did the painfully obvious "reveal" at the end where flashbacks revealed that Victor (if not Shaw herself) is up to no good.
Frankly, the oddest part came when Chase told the story of Rebecca and Dr. Shaw matter-of-factly revealing that the two were involved in a relationship.
Two: Wait a minute. What do you mean, ‘our relationship’?!
Android: Well. This is a little awkward.
While it's not, shall we say, outside the realm of possibility, that little revelation did come something out of left field given that I can't recall Two showing any sort of romantic attraction to a female character.
(That said, let's all try to forget the weird triangle with One, Two, and Three during Dark Matter Season 1.)
If anyone can cite an example of this, please do so, and I'd be more than happy to stand corrected. But really, Chase's whole story just stank. That is if it's to be trusted at all.
And that's not even considering all the unfortunate implications of Dr. Shaw engaging in a romantic relationship with a person who had no outside concept of love, or even simple affection. There were all sorts of squick right there for me.
Furthermore, if Dr. Shaw built the Android as a new house for her consciousness, why did the Android get her own individual name (Suki)? And how did she end up disabled on the Raza? How did affectionate Rebecca become brutal and cold Portia Lin?
If Chase's story was a lie (in part or in whole), what in the name of sanity is Dr. Shaw up to? Does she have plans to initiate a robot revolution of some sort?
I have a very strong suspicion that Three will regret letting them take Sarah.
I've been predicting an unhappy ending to his story with Sarah, and the odds are getting higher that she'll perform a heroic sacrifice at some point, maybe to stop Shaw and/or Victor.
On a side note, the Android's meeting with her creator was one of the items on the list of Things That Happened by Old Five near the end of Dark Matter Season 3 Episode 4, "All the Time in the World."
The concept that the Android may have been originally built to house a human consciousness (Dr. Shaw's) did provide some potentially profound philosophical discussions on sentience and being.
Android: I don’t know how to put it into words. Her existence somehow diminishes *me*.
Six: No, it doesn’t.
Android: I’m a lesser version of someone else. A diluted, imperfect facsimile.
Six: You’re wrong. Being imperfect isn’t a bad thing.
Android: How can it be anything but negative?
Six: Well, think of them as less ‘imperfections’ and more…’unique variations.’
Android: ‘Variations’?
Six: Sure. That’s what makes up your personality. Nobody’s perfect.
Also, for the first time this season Ryo actually got to be not completely annoying in a brief cameo where he connected with the Android in one of her flashbacks.
Given that present-day Ryo has all his memories, could he actually provide Two and the Android with more insight into their past together? Or will this be completely ignored?
Frankly, the most intriguing flashback was where Portia Lin took control of the Raza while Marcus Boone calmly ate. Think about it: how much have these two characters changed?
Boone clearly felt no emotional connection to the two dead men, nominally his crew mates. Compare that behavior to anytime someone even vaguely threatens Five. Somewhere along the line – when Boone became Three – he changed quite a lot.
I'd actually be curious to see the original interaction between Sarah and Marcus Boone back in the day. He clearly wasn't a good person at the time, but she still fell in love with him.
Now, he's arguably the heart of the crew looking out for the others and trying to protect them.
Be sure to check out our Dark Matter quotes page for some of the great lines from this episode.
Don't forget you can watch Dark Matter online!
And tune in at 9/8c on Friday, August 11, 2017, for Dark Matter Season 3 Episode 11, "The Dwarf Star Conspiracy."
If that phrase sounds familiar, it should, because that was also one of the things Future!Five mentioned while the Android was hopping around in time...
What did you think of "Built, Not Born"?
Were you surprised at the revelation regarding the connection between Two and the Android's creator?
Let us know in the comments section below.
