You won't need to spend all of Dark Matter's run time frustrated that you're way ahead of the main character, as in some sci-fi shows, because in episode 2 our main character has already worked out everything that's going on.
This new Apple TV Plus show follows physics professor Jason Dessen who's abducted and somehow transported to an alternative reality. His quest to return to his own reality, and his wife and son, will cause him to confront some realities about himself.
In the first episode of Dark Matter we were introduced to the cast and saw Jason abducted by the man who turned out to be another version of him, who's now working his way into the original Jason's life. To stop this recap being incredibly confusing, we'll refer to our original Jason as simply "Jason", and this clone from another world as Jason 2.
So with that in mind, let's get stuck into this Dark Matter episode 2 recap.
Trying to find a friend
Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) begins the episode how he ended the last one: running away. He goes to the bar where the previous night's drinks were held, but the bartender doesn't recognize him and the bottle of fancy whisky that Ryan bought is still on the shelf.
Instead Jason decides to go to hospital, where they give him a brain scan. As this happens, we see Jason 2 in the original Jason's home: he wakes up beside Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) and examines a sleeping Charlie (Oakes Fergley) before trying (and failing) to find coffee in the kitchen.
Original Jason wakes up and the doctor says that his brain seems fine, but a toxicology scan found some strange drug in his system. Also, they couldn't find any sign of there being a Daniela or Charlie Dessen living in Chicago.
Amanda (Alice Braga) and Leighton (Dayo Okeniyi) discuss going to the police to get Jason found, but don't want that attention on their project. One of the henchmen suggests checking out a hospital.
The doctor uses an iPad to look at Jason's Wikipedia page, and gives it to the man. He looks up Daniela using her maiden name, and finds the address at which she works. Jason agrees to a psychological evaluation in order to get the doctor to leave, and then slips out of the hospital — he has to slip away from one of his mysterious pursuers to do so.
The art exhibition
Jason 2 goes to the university that the original Jason taught at, to where someone is covering is lecture, and sees that everyone is really bored. He takes over the class and talks about how it's important to pay attention in class. Then he starts to introduce his students to Rudolf Clausius, though we don't find out anything more about his lecture.
In Jason 2's universe, Jason goes to Daniela's address, which is hosting the debut of a new art experience. It's a bit like a choose-your-own adventure where you have to pick a door to go through, and it's also about Jason himself, with pictures of him on the walls.
At the reception afterward, Daniela and Jason see each other from across the hall, and they embrace. She tells him that he inspired the exhibit and we can tell that they're old friends but she doesn't seem to think they're married. Ryan (Jimmi Simpson) is there too, and he has a big ungainly beard.
Ryan and Jason get a drink and Ryan is under the understanding that Jason disappeared a year prior — Ryan also mentions that he made "compounds" for Jason a year prior, and he says something about a group called Velocity which we've heard before. They're interrupted by Daniela giving a speech about the show, talking about how it's about the "path not taken"
Jason 2 asks the original Daniela about her art, but we can tell she's not as advanced at it as Daniela 2 is. Charlie is going out with some friends, and his mother tells him that it's time to tell the girl he's into that he has a crush on her, however, Jason 2 recommends a more aloof approach.
Original Jason goes to Daniela's afterparty, which turns out to just be them two and Ryan. Using hypotheticals, Jason explains his situation to the pair (though he then explicitly states it's about him).
Then Daniela recounts a story from some time prior, that inspired the show: Jason turned up at her flat unexpectedly, telling her that he had made the wrong choice about them. Daniela turned him down, though, saying that she'd moved on from it. At that time, apparently, Jason said "you'll probably never see me again".
When Daniela asks Jason who the 'Charlie' that he was asking after is, Jason tells the duo who they are to him (a wife and an award-winning best friend) which offends Ryan, who leaves.
Searching for proof
Daniela 2 lets Jason stay the night at her apartment, and he tells her what the hospital said to him. When she goes to bed, he finds an elastic band and wraps it around his finger, where his wedding ring was. He also looks at the pictures of Daniela, which of course don't feature him.
Jason 2 approaches Daniela as she prepares for her run, and is once again very affectionate towards her. Later, on the phone, he calls up Ryan to explicitly turn down the job offer.
In the parallel world, Jason calls up Amanda to tell her that he's checking into a mental health hospital, and she rushes out to find him. He isn't, and is in fact outside her house; when she departs, he sneaks in to investigate.
Jason finds a house that's similar but different to the one he's used to, though Daniela 2 thinks he should talk to Amanda as she seemed genuinely worried for him. When talking they realize where their memories diverge: after Daniela got pregnant, our version of Jason stuck with her and abandoned his career, while Jason 2 pursued his career and broke up with Daniela. The woman believes him that he has all the memories of his marriage though.
Later, Jason looks through Jason 2's notes and realizes that this version of him successfully created a device that would put a person in 'superposition' or two places at once; we see Jason 2 in the original world with this big box, as he sets up a camera to monitor it.
Jason also works out the plot of the show so far, including the fact that a Jason 2 is in his world doing who-knows-what. They also used to be the same person, until Jason's decision regarding Daniela's pregnancy split them into two parallel universes.
Daniela 2 notices Jason's elastic band finger, and he explains that the mark from his wedding ring is his proof to himself that he's not crazy, and this tightly-wound addition will maintain the mark.
Later, when Jason is laying in the guest bed, Daniela 2 visits him. She asks him questions about his relationship with the other Daniela, and he admits that they were happy but became strained when they lost focus on their personal passions and goals, but they're still happy. They begin to kiss, but are interrupted by the doorbell and also Daniela's phone ringing.
The phone caller hangs up as soon as Daniela repsond, but at the door is the henchwoman who was at the hospital earlier. She quickly shoots Daniela dead, and ties Jason up to restrain him.
