October 4, 2017: Sometimes In Life You Don’t Get To Choose…the script!

If I had to make a list of MY Top 10 Favorite Dark Matter Episodes, season 2’s penultimate episode, “Sometimes In Life You Don’t Get To Choose” would undoubtedly make the list. It’s a great Ryo Ishida episode and Alex Mallari Jr. does some of his best work ever here, negotiating a minefield of memories in an attempt to take back his throne. Plenty of great character moments and, of course, those patented Dark Matter twists and turns that sees: 1) Oh, no! Even though all signs pointed to General Drago, it was our old friends, The Seers, who were working against Ryo’s interests all along, 2) Which leads to the truth about Milo’s death being laid bare, and Nyx realizing her lover was responsible for the death of her brother as the would-be usurper faces execution at the hands of the Commander of the Royal Guards, Han-Shireikan 3) But TWO has put actually put it together behind the scenes and enacted a carefully orchestrated plan that involves the Android bluffing and buying FIVE the time to rescue Hiro and seemingly save the day, 4) Allowing Ryo to retake his throne, order the execution of every potential threat in the court including that of his half-brother, and complete his turn to the dark side, setting him up as season 3’s Big Bad.

Damn. As far as WTF?! episode outs, this ranks right up there with TWO being blasted out the airlock at the end of Episode 210, the death of ONE at the end of Welcome To Your New Home, the big revelation at the end of the pilot, and the stasis pod reveal I had planned for season 4.

Anyway, this episode ranks in the Top 5 of the imdb fan ratings and I think really does a terrific job of showcasing many of the show’s strengths – from the terrific performances to the awesome visual effects.

And so, as part of my continuing Dark Matter fan appreciation campaign, I offer you a copy of the final shooting draft for your perusal:

DM2 EP212 16_04_15 Script FULL COLLATED YELLOW

The fan letters have started coming in. We’ve received about a dozen so far, half from Canada, others from as far away as Germany and Scotland. I’m ready to do some major reading!

[image error]

“Do you really think you should be eating hot peppers the night before you fly?”asked Akemi.

No. Probably not. But we’re off to Montreal for a week and if I didn’t eat them tonight, they’d go to waste. An interesting mix including chocolate habanero, fatali, scotch bonnets, and ghost peppers. I ate them an hour ago and I’m still perspiring.