‘Dark Matter’ recap: The end is nigh in Ep 3×12, “My Final Gift to You”
Dark Matter, Ep 3×12, “My Final Gift to You” aired on August 18, 2017
This recap will contain some major spoilers for tonight’s all new episode. I’m just putting it out there up front just in case. So read on with that in mind because of some MAJOR things went down in this season’s penultimate episode. Ready?! I’m still processing it all over here. Anyone reading my recaps on the regular knows that I’ve been dealing with a major case of denial about Four/Ryo. Waiting for the moment when he’s crossed that final line, but this entire season has been pushing the character further and further across that line. Honestly, there was no coming back for our Four once he had his brother killed and absolutely after Nyx was murdered. He finally became emperor of Zairon and he was the absolute worse. His intentions started off at their best, but it all just went to hell. Future Five’s prediction regarding the Fall of the House of Ishida comes fruition after several assassination attempts and full-blown coupe courtesy of Misaki.
Honestly, there was no coming back for our Four once he had his brother killed and absolutely after Nyx was murdered. He finally became emperor of Zairon and he was the absolute worse. His intentions started off at their best, but it all just went to hell. Future Five’s prediction regarding the Fall of the House of Ishida comes fruition after several assassination attempts and full-blown coupe courtesy of Misaki. Why oh why didn’t he take her out after finding out that she’d killed Nyx? Dammit, Ryo. His instincts were off when it came to Misaki and as leader of his people. He should’ve listened to his advisor, Teku. So many times he should’ve listened, but here we are. The House of Ishida has fallen. Ryo didn’t go down without a fight though and that was amazing. He really is badass with those blades. How satisfying was it when both Ryo and Two finally had a hand in avenging Misaki. The treachours woman died by way of the same poisonous blade that she used on Nyx.
Other major things in tonight’s episode? Android’s latest software upgrade contains a little something extra that could be quite dangerous to the crew and the universe of large. The colonists aren’t the only ones with rebellion in mind. The new software update is all about infiltration. That’s what Victor and the others are cooking up. They want to take over. Will Suki/Android be able to retain her free will or can her latest software update be used against her. Whatever the androids have in mind might have something to do with the now fixed Blink drive and using either Sarah or Suki to betray the crew in some way. Guess we’ll find that out in next week’s season finale.
Ryo spent much of the night dropping all kinds of truth bombs during the crew’s impromptu hostage negotiations/family reunion. Honestly, it felt really good to see them all back together again. Like Five and Six, I started to wonder if there was a way that the broken bonds with their former crew member might be mended. Six appeared more than ready to forgive Ryo after he figured out that it was Misaki who killed Nyx and not Ryo. Six even saves his old friend from nearly being poisoned. Two seems as if she’s forgiven him as well and things seem like they’re really going to work out when they end up traveling back to the Raza together. But there’s no way that the crew can ever go back and trust him again.
For a while, I wondered if they could just do a memory wipe and reset him. He wouldn’t be exactly old Four, but he’d still be around. ( I was desperate I tell ya!) Alas, even Ryo himself urged Two to follow through and execute him as he believes he deserves. Though he didn’t kill Nyx himself, he feels responsible and then there are his other transgressions. Too much has passed it seems. I was hoping until the bitter end. Maybe, the uprising of the androids or an incoming GA ship would interrupt the coming execution, but nope. We fade to black and there is little doubt that Ryo Ishida (at least in this universe/timeline AHA!) is no more. The show was not going to show us Two executing her former friend. Perhaps we’ll see him again in some other manner. I hope so. Alex Mallari Jr. is amazing and that dude knows how to work a blade. I’m just saying!
Other major revelations before Ryo met his end? Five has a sister. Which we knew, but now Five knows what she looks like. Hmm, who adopted her sister I wonder and have we run into her before? Ryo drops some knowledge of Six about someone in the GA who betrayed him a long time ago, but Six doesn’t appear interested. Pre-wipe Three was a douche as we know, but he loved Sarah. Unfortunately, he didn’t love her quite enough to give up his bad boy ways. Turns out that the Cerillium he stole and stored at their old place actually is the reason she died. Ryo imparts the knowledge at Three’s insistence, but Three can’t live with this knowledge. Thankfully he has the option of letting his clone die and waking up free of ever remembering that his lover died because of him.
Ryo’s final parting gift to his old friend, Two? Portia has a daughter. She apparently used her own DNA and that of her former lover, Irina Shaw. She left the kid shortly before coming aboard the Raza pre-wipe, and her daughter is in the safekeeping of someone by the name of Kryden. As in “Fall of House of Ishida, Kryden, Kara, and Black Ships” as we’re reminded earlier in the episode. The future is fluid, but Future Five called them all out by name. Is Kara her daughter’s name and what are these black ships?
Rest assured that showrunner, Joseph Mallozzi, has a plan and let’s just hope that Syfy gives him the final two seasons to let it all play out. Come on, Syfy!! #RenewDarkMatter Be sure to check out next week’s season finale that will surely have us biting our nails until next year.
Dark Matter airs on Fridays at 9/8c
Photo by: Stephen Scott/Dark Matter
Catch up on more Syfy news with our hit podcast, Brad and Cort Talk!
