Dark Matter Top 10 Differences Between the Book and Series
This trippy sci-fi series isn't afraid to alter its source material. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 obvious changes between the “Dark Matter” TV series and its book.
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00:00What does it do? It's easier if I just show you.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 obvious changes
00:10between the Dark Matter TV series and its book. Beware, there are spoilers ahead.
00:15Freaking me out, okay? It's not funny, just tell me, you know, who I am.
00:22Number 10. Jason's time with Daniela.
00:26If you could, would you change a pivotal moment in your past?
00:30That's the thrilling premise of this multiverse-hopping adventure,
00:33based on showrunner Blake Crouch's 2016 novel.
00:36How is Ryan?
00:41He, uh, he offered me a job.
00:44What kind of job?
00:45He's starting a neurotech company in San Francisco.
00:49What did you say?
00:50Well, I didn't give him an answer.
00:52Eagle-eyed fans might have spotted some notable changes between the show and the book.
00:56For instance, in the novel, Jason meets Daniela, too,
00:59in an alternate reality where they're not married.
01:02They have a steamy affair right in her apartment before her death.
01:06In the show, however, they visit what looks like their original home.
01:10This here is my son's room. At least it should be.
01:16Our son, who's into anime, skateboarding, likes a girl, he's...
01:25There, they discover Jason 2's documents together,
01:28which helps Jason figure out what's happening.
01:31Also, their encounter is tamer as they merely share a kiss before Daniela is dramatically shot.
01:37They're not major changes, but they do stick out for those familiar with the book.
01:40It's not the way I look at it.
01:43Okay, how do you look at it?
01:48We made a life together.
01:50Number 9.
01:51The show features more Amandas
01:53Apple TV Plus' acclaimed sci-fi series from Blake Crouch's Creative Mind
01:58is a fascinating dive into parallel worlds.
02:00You think your world is behind one of these doors?
02:03In theory.
02:04How do we find it?
02:06I have no idea.
02:07Like in the book, there are enough alternate realities to make your head spin,
02:11even if we only stick to Jason's perspective.
02:14Apple TV Plus' adaptation spices things up by presenting the multiverse traveling
02:19through different characters' eyes.
02:21And yes, we get to see other versions of Amanda.
02:24Hello?
02:26Hi.
02:28Oh my God.
02:29Jason, are you okay?
02:33I don't know.
02:34In the novel, Amanda is just Jason's multiverse-hopping companion,
02:38who departs after catching feelings.
02:41But in the show, we get a twist.
02:43Another Amanda plays a pivotal role in Jason 2's life as his therapist.
02:48While she doesn't recognize him since velocity doesn't exist in this reality,
02:52he flirts and misses his multiverse companion.
02:55Know what another name for that is?
02:58What?
02:59Fear of commitment.
03:01I have been married for 15 years.
03:06You don't talk like someone who has.
03:11In Blake Crouch's novel, Charlie is Jason and Daniela Dessin's only son.
03:16But the show adds a poignant twist by introducing a deceased twin.
03:20He was the first to be born.
03:26So brave.
03:30So full of light.
03:33Maximilian Dessin is Charlie's twin who died from heart abnormalities as a child,
03:37a loss that deeply haunts his family.
03:40It's such a profound, painful memory that Jason couldn't share it with Daniela too.
03:45This tragedy also plays a crucial part in why both parents stopped pursuing their dreams.
03:49Our priorities changed.
03:51I mean, I spent less time in the lab, you spent less time in the studio.
03:55I eventually lost my funding, and you eventually quit painting.
04:02I quit painting?
04:04Max's existence is a shocking revelation to Jason 2,
04:07who stumbles upon his birth certificate.
04:09And his lack of connection to Max's memory leads him to missing
04:12the yearly tradition the Dessins set aside for him.
04:15Yeah, we're making spaghetti and meatballs.
04:18You know, Max's favorite.
04:23You missed our time in his tree.
04:29Yeah, I know, I know.
04:30Max may just be another clue for Daniela to figure out he's an imposter.
04:35Number 7.
04:36Amanda's escape plan differs.
04:38In both book and show, after Amanda learns of Daniela's death,
04:42and the lengths Layton is willing to go to in order to protect the project,
04:46she decides to help Jason escape.
04:48Chicago PD is so close to connecting the dots on Jason, Blair, all of it.
04:53You know what happens if they do.
04:55We lose everything we've worked for, we go to prison.
04:57But the escape plan itself is notably different.
05:00In the book, Amanda grabs whatever she can
05:03and they head straight to the hangar to escape Velocity's goons.
05:06Initially, she had no intention of accompanying Jason.
05:10However, Alicia Braga's Amanda flees with Jason into the quantum box.
05:16The book Amanda knows it's impossible to smuggle Jason out of the facility undetected.
05:21But in the show, she only comes to this conclusion
05:24because she couldn't catch the elevator.
05:26One thing's for sure, one version understands her company better.
05:29They just shot at us.
05:31Just tell them that I made you, that I forced you to.
05:34It won't make a difference.
05:35Layton doesn't forgive.
05:37Number 6.
05:37Detective Mason and Blair's existence.
05:40The book mentions individuals who traveled through the box before Jason but never returned.
05:45We had four people missing, and now Daniela Vargas.
05:48Meanwhile, he somehow found a way back.
05:51How?
05:52The show dives deeper into these characters by introducing Blair,
05:56a Velocity employee who went missing.
05:58This Blair is later shown in an apocalyptic universe
06:01where humans are devoured by swarms of insects.
06:04On top of that, another version happens to be Daniela's pal.
06:08I could paint that.
06:09You can do anything, babe.
06:12I'm apartment hunting Friday if you want to come.
06:15I would love to, but Friday's my training day.
06:20Chicago PD Mason, who questions Layton about the disappearances of employees,
06:24also was not included in the book.
06:26But it does make sense that a big-shot laboratory like Velocity
06:30should undergo investigation when employees go missing.
06:32It's a solid retcon by Blake Crouch.
06:35There was another woman, Blair Kaplan.
06:39She worked here too, right?
06:42Yeah, Blair.
06:44Yeah, she went missing.
06:4718 months ago?
06:48Number 5.
06:49Jason already knows Layton.
06:51Dark Matter begins with Jason getting abducted by a seriously shady version of himself
06:56who wants to live in his reality.
06:58If you don't do exactly what I say, I will kill you, okay?
07:04Don't try it.
07:06Following the abduction, he's thrown into Jason 2's world
07:09where he meets Layton, a prominent figure in Velocity.
07:13While the show implies that original Jason knows Layton
07:16as he says it's been a long time since they've seen each other,
07:18the source material makes it apparent that they are total strangers.
07:22And you and I...
07:24You said we're close.
07:28It's an interesting change to make because if Velocity doesn't exist in his universe,
07:34we're left with the question, how does Jason 1 recognize Layton?
07:37Ringing any bells?
07:40No?
07:43That's too bad.
07:44Number 4.
07:45Jason 2 and Amanda's relationship.
07:47While the romantic relationship between Amanda and Jason 2
07:50is a lot more blurred in the book,
07:52the show flips the script by refusing to let things be open to interpretation.
07:56How did you get in here?
08:02I live here with you.
08:04Jason and Amanda are not just colleagues anymore,
08:07they've been living together for almost a year.
08:10It's a pretty major shift away from the page where Jason 2 lives alone,
08:14but it certainly ups the drama.
08:15Who is Daniela?
08:17She's my wife.
08:19Instead of Jason 1 stepping into a home simply decorated differently
08:22from the one he's used to,
08:24there's now the added twist of an unexpected roommate
08:26and all its implications to navigate.
08:29Let me help you, okay?
08:33Look at me, you know me.
08:34I have never seen you in my life!
08:38Number 3.
08:39More information on the box's design.
08:42The box was created by evil Jason,
08:44which was the only thing he dedicated his life to
08:47after giving up on being a family man.
08:49Doesn't just block the sound,
08:50it blocks just the noise and everything inside.
08:53And gives off a robust magnetic field in exchange for that trigger.
08:57The book leaves this quantum box shrouded in mystery,
09:00with readers left to piece together its secrets and mechanism.
09:03The show, however, in several episodes,
09:05fills in the technical aspects that the book omitted.
09:08I trained the box pilots.
09:10Train them? What kind of training?
09:12Mental conditioning for harsh environments,
09:15emotional regulation, hyperfocus.
09:19I oversaw trials for Lavender Fairy.
09:23Through the Schrodinger's cat experiment,
09:25it's revealed that the box allows people to be in a quantum superposition,
09:29letting them visit any reality of their choice.
09:32For this reality hopping to work effectively,
09:34Ryan's Lavender Fairy is needed.
09:36That's what it is, my drug.
09:38It stops the brain from causing its own decoherence.
09:41That's what it is.
09:43That is what it is.
09:45Crouch spices things up by giving another thorough explanation
09:48of the box's design in episode 5, where Jason meets Layton 1.
09:52Number 2.
09:53The show features a smarter Jason 2.
09:56For someone who created the quantum box,
09:58you'd expect Jason 2 to be a genius.
10:00This is an experimental compound designed to shut down
10:03certain regions in the prefrontal cortex.
10:06For what purpose?
10:07So that I can observe macroscopic objects while they're in superposition.
10:12In the book, though, he's not exactly fleshed out this way.
10:15Crouch manages to rectify this by making Jason 2 a formidable adversary on screen.
10:20When he learns Jason is searching for his original universe,
10:23he thwarts his plan by blocking the box.
10:31He also ruthlessly banishes Ryan to another universe.
10:35Always one step ahead, Jason works tirelessly to maintain control.
10:39But he isn't the only rogue Jason in the original reality.
10:43The TV adaptation surprises us by introducing a third Jason,
10:47who, if the reactions from his ex-wife and son are any indication,
10:51is much worse a person than Jason 2.
10:54Are you saying that someone was just in here that looks a lot like me?
10:59Yeah. Yeah, exactly like you. Same clothes and everything.
11:02Things are about to get mind-bogglingly intense.
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11:26This parallel universe series offers deeper insights to characters' motivations,
11:30unlike the book, which focuses only on Jason's perspective.
11:34Layton is one well-developed character.
11:36He is grandson of the founder of Velocity and its current CEO.
11:40Your family was in aviation?
11:44He founded Velocity 52 years ago. Built jet engines.
11:48In the show, we not only get to see a Layton who's in pursuit of Amanda and Jason,
11:53but also a second one.
11:54In the fourth episode, we meet a Layton who never inherited Velocity from his grandfather.
11:59Oh, Layton.
12:04It's good to see you.
12:05Yeah?
12:08It's good to see you too, bud.
12:10He's the trust fund baby who sharply contrasts
12:13with the determined businessman from Jason 2's reality.
12:16The second Layton, unique to the show, adds an interesting twist.
12:20Also, in the book, Layton doesn't chase after Jason and Amanda,
12:24nor does Jason 2 give Layton 1 a tour of his groundbreaking invention.
12:28I know.
12:32There's a lot to take in.
12:34It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
12:36Jason, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
12:38What other mind-bending sci-fi series left you utterly intrigued with multiverse traveling?
12:43Let us know in the comments section.
12:44Maybe we're in some kind of liminal space.
12:47Liminal is not real?
12:49No, it's real. It's very real.
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