Dark Matter’s Biggest Differences From the Book, Explained

Apple TV+ has established itself as a hub for sci-fi thrillers. Dark Matter, a book adaptation of the same name, is the latest to air on the streamer. The show stars Joel Edgerton as its central protagonist (and antagonist), along with Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, Dayo Okeniyi, and Oakes Fegley.

Since the global premiere on May 8, it has become clear that the TV series has taken liberties with the source material while retaining its identity. New York Times bestselling author and show creator Blake Crouch maintained the central theme of regret, a topic originally inspired by a particularly consequential decision he’d made in his own life. He almost quit writing to become a lawyer, but since he became a paralegal instead, he was able to keep it up. And so, the Dark Matter book came out in 2016, and the show came out in 2024, which may be one reason for its glowup. Another reason was given by Crouch himself in an interview with Time:

“A few years after
Dark Matter
was published, there was this lingering thing in the back of my mind about not having really given any time to the Daniela and Jason2 storyline. And I always wondered what that story would have been like, if we had followed this woman living with a man who looks just like her husband but isn’t, and she’s slowly realizing that something is off. It felt like a bit of a missed opportunity. So when the chance to do the show came up, I immediately was like, ‘Well, that would be amazing.'”

Daniela and Charlie’s POVs, Jason2’s Struggle to Assimilate

Dark Matter (2024)

4/5

Release Date

May 8, 2024

Seasons

1

Writers

Blake Crouch

Streaming Service(s)

Apple TV+

Read Our Review

The Dark Matter book focuses mostly on Jason’s journey through the multiverse. Its first-person perspective allows for a look at his innermost thoughts, which a) is what makes it so visceral and b) fills up a lot of pages. So, the TV series has a lot of time to kill, which it does in large part by showing us what Daniela and Charlie’s lives back at home with Jason 2 are like. Except for one memorable scene, which Crouch admitted was better left out, the Dark Matter series is additive.

8:00

Related

Jennifer Connelly Praises Joel Edgerton and Explains Her Multiple Roles in Dark Matter

Jennifer Connelly explains marriage and motherhood in Dark Matter, praises Joel Edgerton, and has no words about 2003’s Hulk.

When Daniela begins feeling like something is ‘off’ with her husband, it’s the small stuff at first – him not knowing which toothbrush is his, him giving Charlie the advice to be aloof with his crush… Eventually, it develops into something more serious. Jason 2 buys Charlie a car for his birthday without consulting with her. He quits his job suddenly and unexpectedly. He misses the tree ceremony they hold for their late son (who, in the book, doesn’t exist at all).

Finally, and most egregiously, he buys Charlie ice cream containing nuts, which he is allergic to. His inability to assimilate becomes more and more apparent, as do Daniela and Charlie’s suspicions of him. Then, in a twisted cry for help, he seeks counseling with Amanda, who doesn’t know him in this universe. This isn’t a storyline in the book, either.

Blair Caplan Is Unique to the Show

In both versions of the story, Jason is the first person to emerge out of the box into Jason 2’s universe. The other box pilots are still MIA. In the show, Crouch addressed this by introducing a character named Blair Caplan. She is someone who Jason recognizes as a friend of Daniela’s in his universe, a lawyer. The one he meets with Amanda in Episode 5, on the other hand, only knows Jason 2 through Velocity. They run into each other in a universe that has become overrun with carnivorous insects. Blair gives them some crucial pointers (in the book, Jason and Amanda are left to their own devices), and we don’t see her again until, of course, the finale.

What About That Dark Matter Finale?

In the book, like in the show, there is a tense standoff between Jason and a doppelgänger at the summer home. In the book, like in the show, Charlie pitches in. Where the two differ, though, is that this showdown in the book isn’t between Jason and Jason 3, with Jason 2 redeeming himself and saving the day. The final showdown is between Jason and Jason 2. In the book, Jason 3 doesn’t play a role at all, and Jason 2 certainly never learns his lesson.

Related

Dark Matter’s Joel Edgerton on Season 1 Finale and Possible Future Plot

Dark Matter star Joel Edgerton addressed the climactic twists in Season 1 and teased the untapped potential of future seasons.

Apple TV+’s Dark Matter opts to include a conversation between the Jason who invented the box and the Jason most traumatized by the box. Jason 2 is being held hostage by Jason 3, who shares that he saw Amanda die after going to the ends of the earth (literally) for him. This moves Jason 2 seemingly because, as he points out, he had been able to justify his invention and life swap up until then by convincing himself that he was doing “other him” a favor. And, even if he wasn’t, he at least wasn’t hurting anyone. Well, once he learned that that was no longer true, he couldn’t keep up the lie anymore. This leads to his change of heart and his intervening at the summer home. All episodes of Dark Matter Season 1 are out now on Apple TV+.