What an exquisite, beautiful episode, heart rending and heart warming at the same time. Dark Matter 2.5 was in effect a standalone story, with a Jason of whatever number in a world by himself, using his last capsule to go to his childhood house in an alternate reality to see his mother and staying there. As I said in my review about the end of episode 1.9 -- an end which we see again at the beginning of 2.5 -- this plethora of Jasons opens the gates to a Canterbury Tales, in which each traveler is an alternate Jason. Call this Canterbury Realities or Canterbury Jasons.
This concerto of a tale was a lot like "The Inner Light" in Star Trek: The Next Generation, where Picard finds himself in a world with no Enterprise, and lives his life as a blacksmith and then a scientist. But Picard on this planet is the Picard who knows he was Captain of the Enterprise. The hero of Dark Matter 2.5 is not our Jason -- not Jason 1 -- whom we last saw in episode 2.4 left alone, as Charlie moves into a dorm and Daniela moves away somewhere to get away from it all. The Jason in 2.5 is for whatever reason alone, and understandably uses his last capsule to move into an alternate reality. So although 2.5 is (at this point) a standalone episode, its immediately following 2.4, where Jason 1 is left alone, creates a powerful synchrony between these two episodes.
[And there are spoilers ahead ... ]
The beginning of 2.5 with the ending of 1.9 with Jason 1 and Daniela and Charlie looking down at the crowd of Jasons including the Jason of 2.5 -- alright, let's call him Jason 1b -- also has the big benefit of giving Jason 1b a specific motive for using his last capsule. He sees Jason 1 with the family that Jason 1b doesn't have. It also adds punch to the ending of 2.5, where Jason 1b runs into the Daniela of that world, but I'll get to that in a minute. (All of this complexity, by the way, makes for a wonderful episode, and, indeed, 2.5 may be the best episode in the series so far. I know, I keep saying that, because it's true).
But back to the story, Jason 1b discovers that in this reality, he died when he was 16! His mother, Elle, is deaf, and superbly played by Linda Bove, who is deaf. Ellie accepts and loves Jason 1b, as a miracle that is bestowed upon her. Jason 1b thrives. He becomes a chair-maker (analogous to Picard's blacksmith), and rescues an alternate-version derelict of himself. The three have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, and are joined by yet another Jason at Christmastime. And Jason 1b, apparently an avid reader (there doesn't seem to be TV or streaming in this reality), devours volume one of Proust's In Search of Lost Time. This is not only a good choice (volume one is entitled Swann's Way, note the double "n") for a protagonist -- or an alternate protagonist -- in a saga like Dark Matter (as I indicated in my review of 2.4 last week, Dark Matter is enriched by its inventory of 20th century popular culture), it also brings Jason 1b to Maria's bookstore in search of the final volume of Proust's trilogy, where he meets Maria, and we're treated to a touching falling-in-love story with all the trimmings. That in itself is a worthy story, well acted by Angela Sarafyan and Joel Edgerton, who is especially outstanding in this episode.
Which also has just the right closer. Jason 1b encounters the Daniela of this reality as he's shopping for food and flowers for the dinner Maria is preparing. Daniela (of course) tells Jason 1b he's picking the wrong kind of flowers and should get roses. Jason 1b recognizes her from the opening scene where he saw Jason 1 and Daniela 1 (and Charlie 1), and realizes he probably could have a relationship with Daniela is this new reality ... but he smiles and goes home to Maria. A perfect ending to a perfect episode.
See also Dark Matter 2.1: Who's Who in the Infinite Bucket ... 2.2: Sam Spade Back in Action ... 2.3: Can Two Couples Be in Two Different Places at the Same Time? ... 2.4: "There's No Entrance to the Diner"
And see also Dark Matter 1.1-1.2: Break-Neck Action and Philosophic Contemplation ... 1.3 Missing Fingers ... 1.4 The Multiverse Unveiled ... 1.5: The Lesson ... 1.6 "A Bunch of Chicagos" ... 1.7: Obama Tower ... 1.8: A Bevy Of Jasons ... 1.9: Science Fiction and Horror
