Warning: Spoilers ahead for Dark Matter season 1, episode 9, “Entanglement.”

Dark Matter season 1, episode 9, “Entanglement,” is the end of the Apple TV+ sci-fi show’s inaugural run, and while it was a thrilling ride, it leaves several questions unanswered. As the leader of the Dark Matter cast, Joel Edgerton plays several versions of Jason Dessen throughout the story. The mind-bending multiverse story requires incredibly active viewership to keep up with the narrative, but the experience is a rewarding one. Adapted from a 2016 sci-fi novel of the same name, Dark Matter differs from the book in many ways. Perhaps most notably, the show’s ending suggests there’s more to come.

Many of the open-ended mysteries in Dark Matter season 1 feel intentionally placed; put there to cause debate among the show’s viewership. Some of the questions raised don’t particularly need answers for the story to make sense, and others are just compelling to ruminate upon. On the other hand, some of the burning questions demand answers, but it’s unclear if there’s an in-universe explanation. However, this is arguably a big part of what makes Dark Matter so interesting.

9

What Happened To The Other Box Pilots?

Blair Caplan is the only lost pilot who shows up again

Jason2 wasn’t the first character to travel through the multiverse within the walls of his life’s work. The show references several other “box pilots” who went before him but never returned to their native world. None of these other explorers are named in the original book, but the adaptation adds the character of Amanda Brugel’s Blair Caplan – the other only named box pilot who came before Jason2. Blair2’s fate is discovered in the show, as she has taken refuge in a dark universe where huge wasp-like creatures have killed almost everything. The fate of the other pilots is never addressed.

The show provides enough information to glean a decent understanding of what would have happened to Jason2’s box pioneers. The box is mentioned on several occasions as being notoriously difficult to pilot, with only Jason2 becoming a master of the task. So, the other box pilots probably just got lost in the multiverse, unable to return to their original reality. The fear of the experience likely led them to some macabre worlds, as the universe on the other side of the box’s door is always reflective of the pilot’s emotional mindset.

8

Where Will Leighton Vance Of Jason2’s World End Up?

Leighton looks to be (mostly) enjoying his journey in the box

The Dark Matter season 1 finale shows the version of Leighton Vance who didn’t run Velocity Laboratories, journeying through the multiverse. He seems to be having a very enjoyable time, with the smile on his face being the biggest clue. Enjoyment aside, Dark Matter reveals very little about the worlds Leighton has visited, other than the eccentric outfit he’s wearing in the closing moments of “Entanglement.” He’s last shown injecting himself with more of Ryan’s compound – Lavender Fairy – and continuing his adventures.

This version of Leighton isn’t the only iteration that Dark Matter doesn’t pay all that much attention to. The Leighton from Jason2’s world heads into the box to follow Jason and Amanda when they escape. When he was last shown, he looked to be in rough shape, but no explanation was provided regarding how he had ended up in such a state. He may have eventually returned to safety, or he may have become stuck in a foreign world when he ran out of ampoules. Alternatively, he could have succumbed to his injuries and met a grisly end.

7

How Many Alternate Versions Of Himself Did Jason Create?

Jason Dessen is now the most commonly occurring man in Chicago

The multiverse is infinite, so counting the number of other Jason Dessens in Dark Matter would quickly become a fruitless task. Initially, it seemed as though only the story’s main Jason and Jason2 would be the only versions of the character with any real impact on the story. During the last few episodes, that theory became a thing of the past. As it turned out, countless other iterations of Jason Dessen had also fought hard to get home to their wife and child. So, Jason2’s attempts to blend in were probably always doomed to fail.

There’s no real way of arriving at an accurate figure for how many Jasons arrived back in their original Chicago, but it’s safe to say there were at least 100, but probably more. Worryingly, even more could have been on the way, and even arrived after Jason departed with his family. Just as many versions of Jason Dessen likely perished on their journey home, others may have been delayed too. As large and unknown as the figure was by the end of “Entanglement,” it probably continued to grow.

6

What Happened To The Blair Who Found Jason2?

Jason2 later shows up without Blair in tow

Blair was Daniela’s confidant throughout Dark Matter, listening to her concerns about how “Jason” had changed and how strangely he’d been acting. She tries to step in the save the day in “Entanglement,” as she heads to the Dessen family home and stumbles across Jason2 and another multiversal copy holding them both at gunpoint. Although Blair gains control of the situation with a well-timed blast of mace, she’s never seen again after she disarms the other Jason and demands to know what’s going on.

Jason2 arrives to save the Dessens from his rogue variants, but Blair isn’t with him. So, it’s unclear exactly what happened to her. Jason2 is bound and tied when Blair finds him, so the most likely explanation is that he was freed by either Blair or the other Jason present at the time. Either way, it doesn’t explain why she vanishes from the story after that scene. Unfortunately, with the Dessens heading into the box at the end of Dark Matter season 1, they may never know what happened to their family friend either.

5

Why Was Ryan Holder Looking For Amanda Lucas?

The pair meet in Dark Matter’s futuristic Chicago

The Dark Matter season 1 finale confirms that Jason2 stranded Ryan Holder in the same futuristic Chicago that Amanda eventually chooses to call home. Neither character knows each other, as confirmed by their brief exchange at the end of “Entanglement.” However, Ryan also says he’s been looking for her, so it begs the question of what he needed her for and how he knew who she was in the first place.

Moments earlier in the episode, Ryan is shown presumably perfecting his version of Lavander Fairy, which would enable him to travel through the multiverse in Jason2’s box and try to return to his own reality. If this is the case, Amanda isn’t a scientist, so she wouldn’t be able to help much in that capacity. On the other hand, she does have a history of helping train box pilots – which Ryan may somehow be aware of.

4

Did Daniela Choose The Right Version Of Her Husband?

Jason2 was technically the only “wrong” Jason

Daniela is presented with what is essentially an unsolvable dilemma. Although the Jason she chooses is the version Dark Matter has been following throughout, his claim to the title of the true Jason Dessen isn’t any more or less legitimate than his multiversal copies. The only Jason who should definitely be out of the running is Jason2, who never married Daniela in his original universe.

Every other Jason Dessen in the story was exactly the same until the moment they stepped into the box with Amanda as they fled Velocity. After that, every choice they made and variance in their journey gradually changed what it was they experienced. So, while they may not all have been identical anymore, there’s nothing to say that the Jason who wins back Daniela is technically the correct one. In other words, there isn’t really a correct answer.

3

What Will Jason2 Do Now?

The story’s villain survives the events of Dark Matter’s finale

Jason is forced to kill Jason2 in the original book by Blake Crouch, but the villain survives in the show. This is a huge change, and it means Jason2 can go on to live some kind of life, even if it is in a Chicago filled with men who have the same face as him. He could have more ampoules, so it’s possible he may head for the box and flee again into the multiverse, but he doesn’t seem to have a plan when he’s shown ruminating on his actions near the end of the Dark Matter season 1 finale.

Even though everything that’s happened to him is his own fault, Jason2 realizes that he’s lost absolutely everything he had. The Jason who bound him in “Entanglement” tells Jason2 that his version of Amanda died horribly in another universe, who was arguably the only other person who Jason2 had to return to if he chose that route. Now that he’s also lost Daniela and Charlie to a more rightful version of the character, the future doesn’t look too promising for Jason2. He’s especially in danger now too, with a horde of angry Jasons roaming the city.

2

Which World Was Behind The Door When Charlie Opened The Box?

Charlie’s inexperience piloting the box could take the Dessens to a fascinating new universe

Daniela and Charlie had never been in the box before the end of “Entanglement,” and the metal cube often isn’t very forgiving of new pilots. So, there’s no guarantee that the Dessen family will get lucky and land in a suitable universe on the first try. Fate may be on their side, though, as the reunited trio all look to be in awe of the bright light that comes through the door at the end of the Dark Matter season 1 finale.

One possibility is the Dessens landed in the futuristic Chicago, where Ryan and Amanda currently reside. The look on the faces of the Dessen family would certainly fit with past reactions to characters witnessing the sci-fi-inspired reality for the first time. This universe is used very sparingly in the book, and it’s never revisited after Jason and Amanda depart it together. So, it would be great for it to receive even more attention than it already has in the Apple TV+ adaptation.

1

Will There Be A Dark Matter Season 2?

Apple TV+ teases a sequel that never happened in book form

Dark Matter has been marketed as a limited series throughout its run, which very often means there are no plans to develop further seasons. Interestingly, Dark Matter ends with clear signs that Apple TV+ may have more stories to tell within the same canon. Although the Dessen family’s story is arguably over with their escape into the multiverse, the reappearance of other characters near the end of “Entanglement” feels like a setup for Dark Matter season 2.

Not only is a version of Leighton Vance shown, but Ryan also introduces himself to Amanda in the futuristic Chicago, immediately after Ryan has developed his own version of Lavander Fairy. The meeting implies that Ryan needs Amanda’s help with something now he’s perfected his compound. What’s confusing is that Ryan even states he doesn’t know Amanda, but he has been looking for her. Such a huge dangling thread has to mean Apple TV+ is at least considering another season of Dark Matter to continue the story.