Thanks to iTunes’ scheduling (or lack thereof), I wound up having myself a mini-marathon of Dark Matter, so instead of one episode review, today I bring you two.

“Stuff to Steal, People to Kill”:

And again, that title game is on point.

After the blink drive’s malfunction from the previous episode, the Raza crew takes going off course to entirely new heights, as they arrive a few light years and an entire universe away from where they intended to be.

Yup, it’s parallel universe time. And of course it’s an evil universe. Add some extra goatees and a Terran Empire logo or two, and this could easily have been one of Star Trek’s Mirror Universe episodes.

It’s also an opportunity to bring back some old… I can’t even call them friends ironically.

This is a bit of a departure for Dark Matter, which usually keeps its sci-fi elements relatively subtle. The good news is that the focus remains on the action and the characters, not on rampant technobabble.

“Stuff to Steal, People to Kill” is a very fun, very exciting episode, but it does feel just a little empty. It doesn’t do a lot to advance the story, save possibly introducing yet more villains to contend with, and there isn’t a lot of character development or feeling to be had.

Also, if you’re going to bring back so many bad guys, can we see at least one of them die again? I’d have enjoyed that.

It’s not a bad episode, but it’s not one I’m going to be gushing over for weeks to come like some we’ve seen this season.

Overall rating: 7.2/10

“Going Out Fighting”:

Something is terribly wrong with Two. Her nanites are failing, and she won’t be able to survive without them.

There’s only one place where answers and the hope for a cure can be found, and that means it’s time for the crew of the Raza to pay another visit to the good people at Dwarf Star Technologies.

But Alex Rook and his people are waiting for them.

There’s also a surprise appearance by what appears to be the Zero Point Pathogen and/or Venom.

“Going Out Fighting” is pretty much what we’ve come to expect from Dark Matter at this point: fun, exciting, a little tension, a little humour. This show is nothing if not consistent.

But there are a few things about this episode that stand out, for better and for worse. Two things in particular bother me.

The first is that Wil Wheaton is still just Wil Wheaton. He’s not convincing or intimidating as a villain.

The other is that, after so long without hearing from Dwarf Star, I was expecting to finally get some answers about who they are and what they’re up to. They are, after all, one of the bigger question marks of the Dark Matter universe right now.

But there’s none of that. If anything we’re now left with even more questions — like how they got a hold of the Filth. The view of Dark Matter as some weird, alternate universe, far future version of The Secret World is getting ever clearer.

However, there is one thing that I did very much enjoy about “Going Out Fighting” — and that more than compensates for its flaws — and that’s seeing the fellowship that has developed between the Raza crew. I absolutely love the scene where Two looks to each of the crew members, and they’re all able to convey that they’ll risk their lives to save her, without saying anything.

This kind of devotion wouldn’t have been at all believable in the first season, with its endless suspicion, but over time the bonds between the team have grown. “Going Out Fighting” is an excellent symbol of just how far they’ve come.

It’s a lovely thing to see.

Overall rating: 7.9/10

Hot damn this show is awesome.

With their financing problem taken care of and the Seers off their back for the moment, the crew of the Raza prepares to take the offensive. Their target is the former owner of Five’s stolen “key.” They hope to learn the nature of the device and perhaps turn it to their advantage.

It won’t be easy to break into one of the most secure corporate fortresses in the galaxy, but this is the crew of the Raza. There’s a reason they’re the most infamous criminals alive.

Along the way they “request” the assistance of their former handler, Rodney McKay Calchek. Add some appropriated Transfer Transit tech and Five’s usual technical brilliance, and the heist is on.

Meanwhile, Nyx mourns losing her brother again, but she has little time to avail herself of the support of the crew before she herself becomes the helper as Devon goes into a downward spiral.

“She’s One of Them Now” is an example of Dark Matter at its best. There’s tension and excitement, there’s strong character development, and there are some great twists.

The action and the quips flow hard and fast and the episode never stops being endlessly, delightfully entertaining. Dark Matter isn’t necessarily the deepest or most profound work of sci-fi ever made, but you’d hard-pressed to surpass it when it comes to sheer fun.

This episode is also another case of Five being put in the spotlight, which just makes me so happy. Even in a genre aimed at geeks, it’s so incredibly rare to see the geeky types playing the hero, and so refreshing when it does happen. So often in stories like this we see characters succeeding mainly through martial strength; it’s a wonderful change of pace to see one winning the day through sheer guile and wit.

Add to that not one but two intense cliff-hangers, and you have an excellent episode.

Devon and Nyx’s side-plot, while less spectacular than the main story, is also welcome. About time we learned a bit more about Devon, though admittedly it’s not much we couldn’t have guessed. It does feel a bit strange that there still seems to be a sharp division between the old crew and the newcomers, but I suppose it does make sense for the Raza crew to be a bit slow to trust, under the circumstances.

My one complaint is that I don’t know why we spent so much time on McKay. Sorry, Calchek. But let’s be honest: He’s pretty much McKay. They’re not even being subtle about it anymore. I half-expected him to bring up his fear of lemons at some point.

Anyway, he didn’t seem to be a necessary part of the episode. I certainly don’t see a good reason to give him as much screen time as they did. I mean, I liked Rodney, too, but Atlantis is over. This is Dark Matter. Even if it has a lot of the same creative talent behind the scenes and a similar writing style, it’s still its own show and shouldn’t trying to ride the coattails of Stargate.

It feels like David Hewlett had some bills to pay so the Dark Matter producers just threw him a role for old time’s sake or something.

But that one stumble is nowhere near enough to spoil an otherwise fantastic episode.

Overall rating: 8.5/10