Concluding our Dark Matter Season 3 Awards with recognition of our amazing main cast and their performances big and small…
MELISSA O’NEIL (TWO)
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
It’s hard to believe Dark Matter was Melissa O’Neil’s first t.v. role, even more surprising if you’d actually seen her amazing audition for TWO. From the moment I watched her self-tape, I vowed I’d go to war to see her cast. Fortunately, there was no need for bloodshed as I was not the only one to take note of her immense talent. With regard to choosing her best supporting role in season 3, this was probably the toughest call I had to make. I could have gone with her double turn in Episode 306, “One Last Card To Play”, in which we she portrays both TWO and alt. Portia with subtle distinction, or her heartfelt performance of Episode 309, “Isn’t That A Paradox”, in which she grasps at a potential refuge for her and her crew. Instead, I have to give it to…
Episode 304, “All The Time In The World”. The comedy stylings of Anthony Lemke and Zoie Palmer are front and center, but the backbone of this episode is Melissa’s dubious and joyously bewildered performance.
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
She again pulls double duty in the revelatory Episode 310 (“Built, Not Born”) and my first instinct was to go with that one but, upon further review, I have to go with…
Episode 301, “Being Better Is So Much Harder”. A great actor’s true talents shine, not so much in scenes of strength but in those instances in which their characters are at their lowest and most vulnerable. Melissa is at her best here as TWO wrestles with self-doubt, guilt, and the true weight of command.
ANTHONY LEMKE (THREE)
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
THREE went from being one of the show’s most hated characters to, over the course of three seasons, one of its most beloved thanks in large part to Anthony Lemke’s portrayal of the incorrigible scoundrel. THREE is generally mercenary, boorish, and comical, making those instances in which we’re offered a glimpse behind that devil-may-care facade all the more delightful. THREE is terrific when he’s driving the action, but he’s equally great when he’s lending genuine support as was the case in…
Episode 310, “Built, Not Born”. Anthony and Natalie Brown play off each other beautifully in their shared scenes, and it’s his later, poignant scene with Zoie Palmer’s Android in the mess that really reminds us what this show is really about: these characters and their bonds of friendship.
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Like the decision to cast Anthony, this one didn’t require all that much thought…
Episode 304, “All The Time In The World” in which Anthony displays THREE at his funniest (riding the seemingly endless time loop) and most serious (coming to terms with the digital resurrection of the woman he once loved).
ALEX MALLARI JR. (FOUR/RYO ISHIDA)
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Season 3 saw FOUR complete his transition to Emperor Ryo Ishida, going from steadfast ally to sworn enemy, and the episode that gets my vote for Alex Mallari Jr.’s Best Supporting Performance is…
Episode 308, “Hot Chocolate”, an episode in which he truly gets to play the role of the season’s Big Bad, delivering as a fearsome threat yet, simultaneously, a conflicted former friend who has not forgotten his former ties.
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Throughout the show’s third season, Alex did a brilliant job of conveying the war his character fought, both without and within, measuring fear against love, leadership against loyalty, and there was no better example of this complex duality than…
Episode 312, “My Final Gift To You” which sees Ryo attempt to have it all, give it all, only to see it all come crashing down. Alex makes us despise Ryo’s actions and yet, at the same time, find compassion and sympathy for that former friend so far gone.
JODELLE FERLAND (FIVE)
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
One of my favorite guest stars back on Stargate: Atlantis was a young (13 year old) Jodelle Ferland who played the role of precocious princess Harmony in the episode to the same name. Fast forward some nine years later and she is impressing in an altogether different role as the ship’s tech monkey and defacto spirited mascot. FIVE plays pivotal roles in episodes like “One Last Card To Play” and “Hot Chocolate”, but my pick for her best supporting performance is…
Episode 309, “Isn’t That A Paradox?”, which reminds us that, even though the crew may no longer refer to her as a “kid”, she is still very much a kid at heart, making friends, playing video games in pajamas, but still finding time to help save the day.
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
My choice for this category is an episode that was intended to open the door to a bigger arc involving the introduction of FIVE’s long lost sister, Karina, a surprising connection to the villainous Alicia Reynaud, and the shocking ascendance of a new Big Bad…
Episode 302, “It Doesn’t Have To Be Like This”, finally allows us insight into FIVE’s backstory, revealing the relationships and critical decisions that impacted her life, putting her on the fateful course that landed her on The Raza. Jodelle is wonderful throughout, but especially in those final, heartbreaking moments of FIVE’s trip down memory lane.
ROGER CROSS (SIX)
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Back when we were first casting the role of SIX, I felt heart of the character was distilled down to a single line of dialogue, an exchange with FIVE in which he admits that when, inevitably, she chooses to leave their ragtag crew…”I’m going to miss you, kid. I’m going to miss you a lot.” When delivered correctly, this line would encapsulate the very heart of the Big Brother/Little Sister relationship I sought to capture. Almost every actor who auditioned for the part missed the spirit of the line, and then along came Roger Cross…
Some great moments for SIX in season 3, both in a spotlight and supporting role. In terms of supporting performance, I really liked him in Episode 301 (“Being Better Is So Much Harder”) as he attempts to pick up a fallen TWO and of course in Episode 308 (“Hot Chocolate”) as he attempts to juggle his roles as Raza bad-ass and rebel mediator, but my favorite was…
Episode 310, “Built, Not Born” mostly on the strength of a single scene opposite Zoie Palmer in The Marauder that sees SIX attempt to buoy our Android’s fallen spirits. Roger has a natural warmth and nowhere is it more evident on screen that in this wonderful exchange.
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Sure, the obvious choice would be Episode 303 (“Welcome To The Revolution”) that sees SIX finally walk the walk he’s been talking since season 2, but I would actually give the nod to…
Episode 307, “I Wish I Could Believe You”, which offers a peek at SIX’s backstory, his friendship with John Anders, and the family he left behind. Roger delivers a compelling performance and never have we felt more sympathy for SIX.
ZOIE PALMER (ANDROID)
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
To think I originally envisioned The Android character as male. Three seasons into the show, I can’t imagine anyone BUT Zoie Palmer in the role. And, while the initial plan was to make the character a more supporting role, Zoie’s early portrayal ensured the Android became as important a crew member as everyone else on board The Raza. I was really torn in trying to select an episode for this category. On the one hand, there was Episode 309, “Isn’t That A Paradox?” which sees her drive the action in her inimitable fashion; but on the other hand, there’s…
Episode 304, “All The Time In The World”. She’s at her funniest dealing with an increasingly harried THREE and at her most dramatic jumping through her various flash-forwards. Hell, she even sings and dances!
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Was there ever any doubt it would be…
Episode 310, “Built, Not Born”, that sees Zoie give a tour-de-force performance as both doomed creator, Dr. Shaw, and conflicted creation. The Android-SIX scene in The Marauder in which he reminds her how special she is, Android’s conversation with FIVE on the merits of smiling, Android’s heart to heart with THREE over whiskey and hot chocolate – some of my favorites of the entire series.
So, those are my votes. What do you all think? What were your favorite Supporting and Lead Performances for each cast member?
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