There you have it. Another brilliant promo from the gang at Syfy Publicity & Marketing. LOTS going on here. The images whip by so quickly, it’s really hard to get a sense of what, exactly, is going on.
Thankfully, this is the age of screen grabs. So, without further ado, let’s deconstruct the Dark Matter season 2 trailer for a shot by shot analysis of its many secrets.
Shot #1: Six people in a small, sterile room. Hard to tell who’s who, but the guy on the floor does appear to be THREE. On his left, looking up – is that TWO? Maybe. As for the others – not so sure, but that guy with the white hair (corner bottom right) is definitely not a member of The Raza crew. So where is everyone else and why have our heroes seemingly been separated?
SHOT #2: FOUR asks “What happened to us?”. And it’s pretty clear he’s addressing TWO. Are we to assume this shot follows the preceding opening shot? And do both follow somewhere on the heels of last season’s explosive finale? Last time we saw our intrepid crew, they were unconscious, being dragged off The Raza by the Galactic Authority. Is this them waking up?
Shot #3: Similar lighting and architecture so it’s safe to assume these two shots belong together. “What happened to us?”. We can clearly see FOUR is talking to TWO and THREE. But where’s the rest of the team: ONE, FIVE, SIX, and the Android?
Shot #4: YOU CAN’T HIDE. Who’s “you”? The crew of The Raza presumably. But what could they be hiding from? And, perhaps most interestingly, what could they be hiding? Themselves? Information?
Shot #5: Oh boy. The door slides open to reveal SIX…in uniform. I don’t think there’s any doubt now where his allegiances lie. Presumably.
Shot #6: What look like cells, prisoners, a cafeteria-style area. All of the prisoners react to something, something seemingly painful, in unison and simultaneously go down. Curiously, what appears to a lone guard standing in the deep BG seems unaffected.
Shot #7: FROM YOUR PAST. Oh, wait. THAT’S what you can’t escape. Perhaps a reference to the show’s central theme? Or is it a reference to something more specific?
Shot #8: “With those memories, you’re different people,”says FIVE. And she seems to be trying to convince someone…of something. And what memories would she be referring to? Their pre-stasis memories would seem to be the obvious answer…
Shot #9: Speaking of stasis – we catch a glimpse of several stasis pods, and they seem to be occupied. But by who? And where? The corridor and pods look architecturally different than The Raza.
Shot #10: Six individuals including TWO, THREE, FOUR – and that guy with the white hair. Is it safe to assume this shot belongs with the first two that open the trailer? The six-some have been stripped down to their undies and appear to be carrying similar clothing. Two guards stand in the background and, above the big imposing door behind them, is a logo: H8. H8?
Shot #11: Hey, it’s our Android. And why does she looks so damn uncomfortable? Is that menacing piece of equipment attached to the back of her head? Is she trembling?
Shot #12: Whoa! Hang on! That’s our Android – but with a decidedly different look. New hairstyle. New outfit. And is that a gun she’s packing? Who’s she planning to shoot?
Shot #13: FOREVER. Is a long time.
Shot #14: The Raza in flight. And I’ve never seen it look better. A hint of the awesome visual effects to come? THREE says: “War is coming.” Where? Who is going to be involved? Why is THREE so worried?
Shot #15: We’re clearly in The Raza’s underbelly. FIVE is resting her hand on…something. The Android stands beside her. Beside the Android stands…a mysterious individual. Behind the Android stands…another mysterious individual.
Shot #16: “SIX” a countdown beings and, appropriately enough, we have a shot of SIX in stasis. And that hand resting atop the front suggests this shot directly precedes or proceeds shot #15. What’s going on here? Is this the fate that awaits a traitor?
Shot #17: “FIVE” continues the countdown and we go to FIVE, in a dark vent, seemingly struggling against someone…or someTHING.
Shot #18: Holy crap! Why is FOUR holding a gun on a clearly frightened FIVE? What’s going on here?
Shot #19: “FOUR,” goes the countdown and we see FOUR, wearing coveralls very similar to the ones we saw the prisoners wearing in shot #6, and he’s holding a sword, preparing to face-off against a mysterious someone.
Shot #20: The countdown reaches “THREE” and we go to The Raza’s resident bad boy, looking very uncomfortable as some sort of interactive light plays across his iris, some sort of indiscernible green shape.
Shot #21: We count down to “TWO” and are greeted by a shot of TWO on the ground in what appears to be an alley, bloodied and beaten, looking up at someone.
Shot #22: The countdown hits “ONE” and we go to what appears be ONE, standing over someone with a gun…equipped with a silencer. He fires.
Shot #23: And we end on the Dark Matter logo and our season premiere date: July 1st on Syfy, Syfy Spain, and Space Channel in Canada; July 2nd on Syfy Australia; July 4th on Syfy UK; July 11th on Syfy Germany. And more premiere dates to come.
So, what did you think of the season 2 trailer? Guesses? Theories? Let’s hear ’em!
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