Last week’s episode ended on a real shocker when One was apparently gunned down by Jace Corso. In “Kill Them All” Dark Matter has taken that initial shocking moment in the season premiere and increased it exponentially. This is the second time in as many episodes that we have been completely surprised.
No one else “dies” but a beloved character has taken off the gloves and shown her real center and it is not soft and gooey after all. (Although another character does come very close to expiring in this episode.)
“Kill Them All” starts with a very wealthy (apparently) woman who is searching for Five. Calling the girl Pumpkin her reaction at learning where Five is does not come across as maternal. It seems someone has a score to settle.
Commander Shaddick (Franka Potente) questions Six about his time on the Raza. He reveals that the crew learned he was an undercover GA officer and that Five saved him with the memory wipe program. Shaddick accuses Six of taking too long to act and being partly responsible for the destruction of medical research facility.
Shaddick moves past the veiled accusation and both she and Six agree that the explosion was meant to be an act of corporate war. The next Raza crew member to be questioned is Five. The commander tells her that Emily Kolburn is Five’s real name but she opts to stick to her “adoptive” name of Five.
The two speak of how Five got on board the Raza and Shaddick surmises that she was a stowaway. Rather interestingly, Shaddick says that Five’s file revealed that there was no one who “would give a damn” about her. Apparently something has been covered up as the rich woman at the start of the episode seemed to give more than a damn…
As with Six, Shaddick accuses Five of aiding and abetting the Raza crew and killing all those people in the Mekei Combine and the destroying the planet. Shaddick mentions the girl can help Six by snitching on the crew and Five refuses. The Commander threatens Five but says she can play nice.
Five: “No I don’t think you can.”
Shaddick: “Why do you say that?”
Five: “Because you’re obviously an incredible b*tch.”
The warden (Carlo Rota) orders the three Raza crew members murdered before Shaddick can question them. Nyx offers to help the three escape and mid negation Two, Three and Four are sent to waste disposal. Once there they are locked in the disposal system to die.
Arax lets them loose.
The commander brings Six in to order The Android to relinquish the ship’s files. Six tells her to cooperate but the robot refuses on the grounds that he was never really member of the crew.
Shaddick questions the rest of the Raza crew. She tries to turn each crew member. Four is told that he will be extradited for killing his father. The warden is not happy that the prisoners were not killed.
Commander Truffault (Torri Higginson) attempts to get Three to sell everyone out. He refuses and she does something to his eye. After their meeting he trades two days rations for a lipstick from Nyx. He draws the blueprint to the prison under his mattress.
Arax tells the three remaining crew members that he wants to join their prison break. Nyx brings bad news; the supply run has been cancelled. Four makes plans to get his extradition ship for their escape.
Anders (Jeff Teravainen) reveals that Six’s former crew mates are marked for murder or life imprisonment. Six apologizes to Five and she tells him he needs to help them get out. Two meets with Six when she is put in solitary. He offers to help out the team.
Four is collected from the infirmary by his extradition escort. Five enters the lab where The Android is being held and Shaddick believes that she will order the robot to cooperate.
Inside the room, Five tells the commander that she lied. The woman slaps Five and The Android looks angry. Shaddick takes a weapon from a guard and points it at Five’s face. She orders her to cooperate or she will die.
Four is taken from the infirmary. The intern argues for him to stay and accompanies four to the ship. Two is released back into the general population and the the riot begins. Six disables the locks on The Android. Five asks the robot if she will do exactly as she says and The Android replies that she will.
Five then says, “Kill them all.”
The Android does.
Joseph Mallozzi, who wrote this episode, has yanked the rug right out from under the viewers by having Five turn into Pike Bishop from The Wild Bunch. It is the computer hacker who says the title line “Kill them all” with all the quiet venom and coldness that the “Bunch’s” leader uses when he says “If they move kill ’em.”
This was a genuinely shocking moment. Five has always been the good one. The kind one. “The kid.” This has all changed and it shows just how little we really know about the littlest Raza member.
Meanwhile the riot continues until the sonic disabler is set off and everyone goes down. As the guards begin clearing up, the nanites repair Two and she begins the escape by changing the frequency of the disabler. The warden shuts off the main power as everyone starts coming to.
Five stops and retrieves the weapon that Anders repaired and she starts using it to stop guards in the hallway. Four has a fight with his escort using samurai swords after they all wake up. Just as he starts to fight his childhood friend Misaki (Ellen Wong) Five shoots her.
As the escapees start to leave Anders arrives to stop them and Six shoots his colleague. The two exchange shots and Six goes down. Anders looks like he might be dead.
Six is wounded so badly that they put him in stasis. The ship has all the Raza crew, sans One, and three new additions to the team. Nyx, Arax and the intern.
The Raza crew learn about One’s apparent demise. The rich woman learns that Five escaped and she prepares to collect the escapes.
Dark Matter has ripped off the childish facade of Five and shown that underneath it all she is a coldblooded as any of the crew members. This was another shocking episode and one that kept things moving along at a wicked pace.
(On a cheerier note, Three ate much less in this week’s episode although he did manage to snag some grapes from Arax.)
Kudos to Jodelle Ferland for kicking arse in “Kill Them All.” This seasoned actress has got massive chops and she is not afraid to use them. (She gave this reviewer goosebumps when she passed the death sentence on Shaddick and her cronies.)
Season two continues to be a rollicking roller coaster ride of reveals and close calls. Dark Matter airs Fridays on SyFy and Space. Watch this show as this is entertainment with a capital E.
CAST:
- Marc Bendavid – One
- Melissa O’Neil – Two
- Anthony Lemke – Three
- Alex Mallari Jr. – Four
- Jodelle Ferland – Five
- Roger Cross – Six
- Zoie Palmer – The Android
Guest Stars: Melanie Liburd – Nyx and Mike Dopud – Arax Nero.
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