Perfectly constructed TV shows don’t come around regularly, and none is more meticulously assembled than Dark. Part-crime procedural, part-time travel drama, Dark transcends form and genre to create a totally unique viewing experience that demands rewatch after rewatch. Giving anything away feels like a spoiler, yet a beat-for-beat description of the show couldn’t even scratch the surface of the viewing experience. In fact, the show features such a complex web of narratives that you wouldn’t be frowned upon for needing to keep notes; Netflix even created a whole website to help viewers navigate the intricate family trees.
The core concept of the show revolves around simply replacing the question of how with the question of when, explaining its ideas fairly quickly and allowing the viewers to indulge in the science of time travel. It rewards persistence and concentration, with minor subplots ending up having major consequences. Dark is not only one of the greatest pieces of sci-fi television of the 21st century, but it’s also one of the best of all time.
What Is ‘Dark’ About?
Trying to pinpoint the narrative of Dark is like finding a needle in a haystack. It begins as a by-the-book crime drama, following a missing child report, but when the body of a different child is found, it is clear something much more sinister is afoot. It falls into the sinister suburban trope, where the sleepy town of Winden, where Dark is set, is clearly hiding many secrets. Immediately, the show creates an ominous atmosphere by revealing pockets of information to the audience but not explaining them in detail. The first episode shows a vibrant, neon room with “You Spin Me Right Round” blasting from a vintage TV set. The scene is so jarringly different from the tone of the rest of the episode, but it is left completely unexplained. This is a common theme; sometimes, it will take hours before the truth is unveiled.
The other core concept within Dark is the consequences of time travel. The show doesn’t dwell on the idea of paradoxes and altering the future; this is accepted as fact fairly quickly, which allows it to stretch the concept of time travel to its extremity. Dark immediately shows that altering the future changes history, and if you go back and alter the past, the event becomes something that was always meant to happen, resulting in an infinite loop that is so elaborate and constantly surprising. Nothing is set in stone, but equally, everything’s already mapped out. It’s this oxymoronic nature that makes Dark such a compulsive enigma.
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The Casting Choices in ‘Dark’ Are Genius
Through the implementation of non-linear timelines, Dark has to believably connect three time periods that are tethered by a wormhole in a cave system: 1953, 1986, and 2019. One of the strongest elements of the show that helps achieve this is the casting, with the actors playing each character at different ages looking scarily convincingly like the same person. It allows Dark to push the complexity of its timelines, letting individuals jump between them, as it is easy to identify who’s who.
Dark uses its strong foundational casting to become experimental in every other aspect, creating an ethereal feel with its trippy, psychedelic cinematography. This adds to the ever-building intrigue of each mystery, rewarding patience. The show is incredibly frank with its complicated web of characters, with the first shot of the show panning around a web of connections, showing individuals the audience hasn’t even met yet. It is the lack of fear in injecting scenes like this so early on that makes the show so satisfying and well-constructed.
‘Dark’ Explores the Physics of Time Travel
Despite the show’s use of time travel as a plot device, it doesn’t focus on the science-fiction element of its narrative but rather the human response to the small butterfly effect changes. There is a huge weight that comes with knowing the past and the future, and holding that power can be dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands. It doesn’t linger on the practicalities of time travel at first, but on the responses and ripple effect of these minor tweaks. It is more than just a mind-bending thriller; it is an intimate analysis of the human psyche.
Dark demands your full attention and constantly expands the scope of its concept, complicating the narrative rather than the device that facilitates it. As it settles and sets up a number of major threads, it begins to lean into scientific analysis, looking at the show from a physics perspective, utilizing ideas such as particle theory and quantum mechanics. It doesn’t necessarily require the viewer to understand every aspect, but it opens up the realism of the series and grounds it in something tangible.
‘Dark’ Is Difficult Viewing, but That’s Why It’s Earned High Praise
Throughout, the driving factor is this sense of grit created. Dark doesn’t have this sensationalist sheen where it expects the audience to be enthralled by the magnificence of its concept. Instead, it accepts time travel as a bleak reality and shows the harmful consequences of it. There is an exploration of the concept of free will, and whether it actually exists, as well as the repercussions of playing with time. Being able to trace moments back is hugely satisfying, as the audience ends up in an infinite loop of connectivity. However, the show also takes time to lean into ideas surrounding philosophy and environmentalism. There are important discussions about nuclear power as well as gorgeous shots of the German wilderness, which make Dark a visual feast for the eyes.
Dark is far from an easy watch; it is visually beautiful but simultaneously mentally exhilarating. As a viewer, you are never settled, as the show whips you from timeline to timeline. However, it is also well-plotted, with moments from the final season foreshadowed right at the beginning of the show. It evidences that everything was planned, coincidentally matching the overarching themes. Dark is one of the most cerebral and technical sci-fi shows of all time, but it is also a captivating police procedural, family drama, and heart-pounding thriller. It might be incredibly dense and not ideal for unwinding, but if you are prepared to let yourself get sucked into the caves of Winden, Dark is unlike anything else.
