Written by contributor Kajree Gautom
With so many series coming out on Netflix every month, it may get overwhelming when you sit down to decide on something to binge watch. More than ever, it is the hyped and popular ones that you settle for (it’s okay, been there, done that) and sometimes, we miss the underrated ones that are really, truly amazing. Dark on Netflix is definitely one such show that often gets overlooked because – sigh – it is compared to Stranger Things. Ah, well, the vibe might be there but it’s so so different.
A German science fiction mystery thriller with hints of supernatural, Dark is a gritty and mind-boggling tale that takes into question the origin of humans, about the screwing nature of time, about fate, and the thread that connects past, present, and future. When two children go missing in the small town of Winden, secrets of the past are exposed thereby bringing to the surface the fractures and layers that exist among four families as they search for the kids. It also has supernatural elements that connect the town to different timelines.
Recently on the Rotten Tomatoes Netflix series showdown, Dark came out a victorious winner against the popular Black Mirror as well as Stranger Things. There are various reasons that make this show a fantastic series that is bound to mess with your mind, for sure. Now, science fiction is not everyone’s cup of tea, and that is understandable, but trust me Dark really takes it up a notch. And if my words still hasn’t convinced you to watch it yet, I hope the following few points can.
1. The Characters and Their Arcs
Dark has a whole lot of characters, I won’t lie. And for someone who dislikes too many characters, this might pose as a bit of a challenge, but it is all worth it. None of the characters are purely saints, and that is the best part of this show. There is no good and evil, but rather a realistic fact that good and evil resides in everyone. We are all the heroes and also villains in the story, one way or the other. It is compelling to see how as viewers, you are confronted with your own initial prejudices and views about the characters, and how they change along with the progress of the show. It will make you so conflicted till the point that you’re not sure who is wrong and who is right, and you’ll empathise with them all, for sure. This is how the characters are crafted in the show, and it makes it very difficult to choose favourites.
Another good thing about these characters is their complexity and their personalities that are so well carved out in the show, and the writers give us a thorough glimpse of their growth. They are all so dimensional, layers and layers adding onto their personalities, but they are ultimately human, and their emotions are truly well portrayed, in turn making us empathise with them all at some point in the show at least. Just when you think you’ve figured out one of the characters, boom, the writers will give you a whole new arc about them to ponder upon.
2. The Plotline and The Writing
Trying to explain Dark’s plotline will be like trying to understand whether the chicken came first or the egg. It is one of the most intricately written stories, but so well laid out and perfectly planned that it will never cease to surprise you at any point. The writers have planned everything out, and they do not miss a single detail. Easter eggs are laid out throughout the show and the whole plotline it just too clever. So clever, it will blow your mind every time.
Dark is a show full of thrill, suspense, and mystery, laden with hints of the supernatural and family drama. At no point will you feel bored or underwhelmed, that is a given guarantee. The beauty of this show is that the suspense and mystery keeps you hooked right until you’ve finished the show, and even then, you will be craving for more; questioning, scratching your head. The twists and turns are superb and very intricately placed in the storyline. They are dramatic but not stupid. Nothing is wasted on space, story or with dialogues. In Dark, know that every single visual, every single dialogue, everything has a role to play.
The storylines are connected, and no episode will leave you without questions in your mind. You will definitely want more, and when you think you’ve figured out the plot, the show writers will pull out another secret, another stunt that will leave you speechless for sure. It is amazing, and I cannot tell you how many times my jaw had hung open while watching this show.
3. Family Dynamics and Drama
It would be wrong to leave out the drama because it surely plays a pivotal role in this show. As I’ve already said how exceptionally well the character arcs are, same is with the family drama too. The show brings together the individual lives of four families whose paths – futures, present, and past – intricately cross with one another, connected in a whole big loop (and by connected, I mean really connected). Questions about sacrifices and betrayal and love all come into focus as the show progresses; who’s hiding what, and who’s related to who. How far will you go to save your family, to save the ones you love? It is a question that repeats itself over and over, playing out as an elaborate bigger theme.
Each family has their own humanly possible problems to deal with. Starting from loss and grief to battling one’s sexuality and past, it deals with all the aspects in a coherent way. At its core, Dark is largely about familial relationships that span generations, about tragedies, and betrayals that shape them, about the love and hurt, ultimately bringing everything and everyone together in a very complex web. If you thought understanding the family dynamics and drama in Once Upon a Time and Game of Thrones was difficult, wait until you watch Dark.
4. Time Travel, But With Logic
One of the setbacks of this show could have easily been its time travelling storyline because, let’s face it, it is super hard to create a reasonable time travel story. Often than not, shows dealing with this theme has the risk of losing the logical explanation and then witness everything going haywire. But Dark surely takes this theme at its best and delivers to us a complicated show that you’ll eventually understand. To put it lightly, time travel also exists in the show as a metaphor of confronting your own self, past and future, and in the way paving the way for growth (and maybe destruction too). It doesn’t actually mess up with its varying range of timelines, and keeps a note of all the complexities, all the timelines, knitting everything together in a clean circle. At times, it may get difficult to understand and seem to get haphazard and it surely will be confusing, but things play out well. It is all well at the end.
5. The Various Philosophical Themes
In the midst of family drama and time travelling, Dark also has in store a whole array of philosophies to boggle your mind and keep you questioning your own beliefs, your sanity long after the show is over. Largely dealing with the question of time and human origin, the show tends to treat time in the same vicinity as that of God. To create a world without time enslaving us humans is one of the central running theme of this show, and something that it follows quite religiously. Using fantasy, it takes on a very different angle or storytelling in the television era, questioning the meaning of faith and family, blood and time. It takes into questions about fate, destiny and choices. Can you change your destiny? Can you be truly free from the clutches of time? Can you change your future? Are we really ever free of time?
Dark asks a lot of these questions that truly make you want to sit down in the quiet of your company and think to yourself. All the questioning in the show arouses extreme curiosity, and is a reflection on why we act the way we do, about the demons that lie inside of us and the consequences of our actions on past and future.
At the onset, Dark also explores the themes of love, sacrifice, pain and greed of human beings, and what they may lead humans to. How great is one’s desire? Do we ever get the choice to change our heart’s desires or are we always trapped by them?
The concepts are truly stellar – primarily concerned with the concept of determinism and the free will of human beings – mind boggling, and Dark explores these themes with such profanity and simplicity.
6. A Visual Delight
Apart from the brilliant lead of casts and the super confusing yet fantastic plotline, Dark is also blessed with pleasing visuals which is a definite 10/10. The creepy forest setting provides an excellent view to the storyline, adding a sense of fear and dread in the viewers. The caves too provide an atmospheric essence to the story, a pioneer of time travel that connects everything. The settings are eerie and mostly unsettling, and seem to be always announcing an impending doom. It can be agreed that the cinematography really adds a whole boost to the whole series, adding exclusively to the suspenseful storyline. It complements the show really well, and becomes one of the reasons why this show is extremely amazing to watch.
Dark is Netflix’s one of the best supernatural, science fiction series. The narrative is mind-bending and utterly complex, but you could see how well it has been planned and how much time has been put into the production and creation of this show. With utmost eerie cinematography, excellent choice of casting and one of the best storylines, topped with a moody and atmospheric soundtrack, Dark is definitely a show worth watching. It is science fiction writing at its best, a great interpretation of time travel, and the paradoxes and question pertaining to life and time. It is creepy and weird, poignant and gritty, and extremely binge-worthy. No matter how many layers it keeps on revealing, and is like being on a roller coaster that literally just keeps going up and down with no apparent end – every hour you invest binge watching Dark is worth it!
Season 3 of Dark has just released, and its the last season and supposedly the last cycle too, so now is the perfect time to start watching the first two seasons and onwards to Season 3!
One of the best for sci-fi series of my time – i mean of what i have looked at – from 1920 till now
Dark is completely original and engrossing——one of top 5 series of all time
Dark is the best scifi hard miniseries I HAVE EVER SEEN. I have now watched it 3 times and I finally fully get it. The intricacy of the story is astonishing, the acting excellent, the concepts big.