'Dark Matter' Season 2 Episode 6 Recap & Ending Explained: Has Leighton2 Built A New Box?

Episode 5 of Dark Matter Season 2 followed Jason4 as he was about to end his life after Jason1, Daniela, and Charlie went into the Box. When he found a vial of Lilac Wings though, he chose to give himself another chance and went to a world where his mother was still alive. While staying there, he became an alcoholic, then he pulled himself together, and he rehabilitated another Jason who had somehow stumbled into that world. That was when Jason4 told Ma Dessen everything about the Box and the multiverse. Ma Dessen, of course, welcomed Jason5 into her life. Eventually, they found another Jason, and he was embraced by the Dessens too. Jason4 went on to become a professional carpenter, setting up his own shop and whatnot. Things were going fine, but then tragedy struck, as it was revealed that Ma Dessen had cancer. While taking care of her, Jason4 met Maria and fell in love with her, so much so that he showed the Box to Maria. Unfortunately, that drove Maria away, because it was too much for her to fathom. Hence, Jason4 dedicated every waking moment of his life to his mother. Eventually, Ma Dessen died and, at her funeral, Maria reunited with Jason4 and he moved in with her. To celebrate that development, Maria sent Jason4 to get some wine from the market, which was where he ran into the version of Daniela that lived in that world. In the time it took Jason4 to get back home, Maria had read his journal, and she understood the pain he had experienced in his own world and while traveling through the multiverse. So, she embraced Jason4 as soon as he walked through the door, which supposedly brought Jason4 to the realization that he was meant to be with Maria, and he shouldn’t pursue that version of Daniela. And that was it. What happened next in the multiverse? Let’s find out.

Spoiler Alert

Daniela Meets A Version Of Her Stepfather

In episode 6 of Season 2, Daniela gets off the bus in some remote corner of Illinois and shows up at the doorstep of someone named Vargas. There is nobody in the house; so, she shows herself in and starts living there. She restarts the abandoned jeep; she fixes a painting; she begins drawing again; and she saves a bird from a near-death experience. Eventually, the man named Gabriel Vargas shows up, and since Daniela calls him “Papa,” it’s evident that that’s her dad and this house is some kind of family summer home. Daniela gives some kind of flimsy excuse for arriving there unannounced, and Gabriel obviously accepts it. Once he has settled down, he asks Daniela how Jason and Charlie are doing. Daniela says that they are fine, and that she intends to reunite with them the following day. Gabriel requests that she delay that, because they haven’t spent time together for quite a while. Gabriel says that it seems like Daniela isn’t ready to go back to her usual life because something has happened. So, he starts talking about how he felt when Daniela went away from home to pursue an education so that Daniela understands that she is not alone in feeling lost with a post-college empty nest.

Gabriel Learns That Daniela Isn’t Actually His Stepdaughter

Obviously, Charlie going to college is not the only reason why Daniela is off center (the multiverse has messed her up), but that is definitely one of the major reasons for her feeling so disturbed. And yeah, being with her father (a version of her father) allows Daniela to calm down and unwind. The following day (the day Daniela was supposed to return to the city), Daniela and Gabriel sit down for a chat in the jeep, which is when it’s revealed that Gabriel isn’t Daniela’s biological father; he is her stepfather. Apparently, the first time that Gabriel met Daniela, her eyes had the brokenness of an adult. They don’t go into much detail, but it’s evident that Daniela and her mother had been through a lot before they crossed paths with Gabriel. Gabriel says that he can see that same kind of “brokenness” in Daniela’s eyes currently, and he urges her to talk about it or else it will eat her up. Daniela is not ready to talk though. Hence, Gabriel invites her to paint with him, which she does. Maybe a few days later, when Gabriel is busy painting, Daniela decides to go for a walk. Right as Daniela leaves, Gabriel gets a phone call. We don’t hear what they talk about, but when Daniela returns, Gabriel seems to be having a panic attack, and he thinks that he needs to go to the doctor. Why? Because the person on the other end of the call was Daniela; the version of Daniela that Gabriel is actually familiar with. Daniela assures Gabriel that he isn’t having some kind of manic episode, and she sits him down so that she can explain the Box and the multiverse to him.

Blair3 Is Actually Blair2

At college, while Eduardo is living it up, Charlie is lowkey turning into an alcoholic. Jason1 isn’t doing all that well, but he is seemingly a regular customer at the restaurant where Charlie, Eduardo, and Amanda3 work. And, one fine day, Jason1 finally talks to Amanda3 and sparks begin to fly. Jason1 says that he is a physicist. Since he knows about a version of Amanda who is a psychiatrist and another version of her who helped Jason2 build the Box, he wants to know if Amanda3 always wanted to own a diner. Amanda3 says that she wanted to be a doctor, but her bipolar mother (who is still alive, by the way) apparently bought the diner on a whim without consulting Amanda3, and that’s how she ended up managing a diner. This version of Amanda3 is divorced. She loves Eduardo and she takes care of her employees as if they are her family. That’s why she knows that Charlie isn’t doing so well after Jason1 and Daniela separated. Instead of giving some cliche advice about reuniting with Daniela or putting all his focus on Charlie, she tells him to remember to prioritize himself, because unless he is happy, he won’t be able to keep others happy. Jason1 takes that advice to heart and starts writing his thesis on quantum entanglement. As he is figuring out some formulae at Amanda3’s diner, Blair3 comes to meet him (because Daniela had apparently asked her to), and they sit down together to have some of Eduardo’s fries. Eduardo and Blair3 notice all the equations in Jason1’s notebook, and ask him what that’s all about. So, Jason1 explains to them the concepts of quantum entanglement and multiverses. And the more Jason1 talks, the more Blair3 gets worried. After Amandra3 takes Eduardo away into the kitchen, Blair3 pulls out a vial of Lilac Wings from her pocket, thereby proving that she isn’t the version of Blair that lives in this world; she’s actually Blair2.

Blair2 Takes Jason1 To A Party

Jason1 takes Blair2 home and apologizes to her for leaving her in the world infested with giant murder hornets. Blair2 says that he has nothing to apologize for, because staying there apparently helped her steel her mind and seamlessly travel through the multiverse. Also, she remembered Amanda2’s habit of repeatedly doing something or saying something that she found to be “emotionally difficult.” When she’d reach a point where doing or talking about this “emotionally difficult” thing didn’t trigger her fight-or-flight response, she’d know that she had overcome her fear. Once Blair2 overcame her fear of stepping into the Box, she looked for a place where she could become truly anonymous, and that’s how she landed in the ’70s world. Of course, then she ran into Daniela. Given how this Daniela is the same Daniela that Jason2 was after, Jason1 and Blair2 discuss if the Box is entangling them. Blair2 theorizes that maybe all of them are entangled because of the choices they make, and the Box is merely cementing that connection in the most literal way possible. Blair2 asks what Jason1 is actually working on, and Jason1 reveals that he is actually trying to shut down the Box in the ’70s world; if he understands how the Box entangles everyone in the multiverse, he’ll hopefully find a way to disentangle this world from the rest. Blair2 doesn’t think that that can be done because, you know, as soon as you destroy the Box, a new one respawns. Before Jason1 can respond to that claim, Blair2 says that she has to run and, on her way out, she invites him to a party happening later that night. Jason1 is hesitant, but he accepts the invite. We get a brief glimpse at Charlie; Eduardo wakes him up from his slumber, and it seems like Charlie is about to give up on life in general. Then we go back to Jason1, who is seen attending the aforementioned party with Blair2, who introduces him to Dr. John2. Maybe every version of John (his full name is John Lindley, which just so happens to be the name of one of the cinematographers of the show) is a professor to a version of Jason, but John2 has never met the version of Jason that lives in the ’70s world.

Charlie Goes Into The Multiverse

Jason1 notices that the party is a fundraiser organized by Vance S.T.E.M. Educational Trust, which understandably sends a chill down Jason1’s spine. Now, Blair2 and Jason1 are seemingly under the assumption that this version of Leighton is native to this world. However, after Jason1 leaves the party (once he has had his fill of science talk), this Leighton reveals that he is actually Leighton2. After talking about the fate of Blair2’s cat, Murphy, Leighton2 apologizes to Blair2 for sending her into the Box without testing it properly. Blair2 accepts the apology, because it wasn’t like Leighton2 pushed her into the Box; she willingly stepped in there. Leighton2 asks him if Jason1 is from another world, and Blair2 says that he is. Leighton2 requests that they go somewhere and talk about everything that has happened in their lives so far, but Blair2 pushes back against the idea, because she is happy living a life that doesn’t involve any multiversal travel. However, Leighton2 insists that she hear him out. In the meantime, we go back to Jason1, who is having dinner with Charlie. Charlie’s birthday is coming up, and Jason1 wants to make it eventful, especially since Daniela isn’t around, but Charlie wants to skip the festivities, because he’s really not in the mood. Out of nowhere, Jason1 reveals that he met a version of Max in the multiverse. So, they talk about Max, which really livens up the otherwise dour night. This is bittersweet though, because while this seems great at the moment, this conversation ends up motivating Charlie to take the Lilac Wings, step into the Box, and go into the multiverse, probably to look for a world where Max is alive. Unaware of all this, Jason1 continues to work on his thesis about entanglement.

Leighton2 Has Built A New Box 

In episode 6’s ending, Blair2 shows up at Leighton2’s mansion-like office to see what he was so interested in showing to her. While heading to the basement, Leighton2 reveals that he has been in the ’70s world for the past two years. And what has he done in these two years? He has built an evolved version of the Box, which actually looks like a pyramid. What purpose does that serve? For starters, I think it’s going to help the multiversal travelers travel the multiverse smoothly. The main issue with the Box is that it’s a bit unpredictable. Ryan1, Amanda2, and even Leighton2 have kind of figured it out that thinking about a specific person, or a specific version of a person, can give you some sense of direction. But you can mess that up as well, because the human mind is a fickle thing, and a single stray thought can throw you off-course. Maybe Leighton2’s Pyramid has fixed that problem, and it will allow the traveler to input the coordinates of the world they want to go to and it’ll take you there without any hiccups. What is Leighton2’s intention? Based on what we have seen so far, Leighton2 is a good guy, and he wants to fix every world in the multiverse. How long are those “good intentions” going to last? That’s uncertain. Also, this Pyramid puts Leighton2 at odds with Jason1 because the latter wants to disentangle the ’70s world, while Leighton2 seemingly wants to make the ’70s world the center of the multiverse. Now, there’s a good chance that Jason1 and Leighton2 will see eye to eye and work together. Probably the search for Charlie will push them to be friends. At the same time, it’s possible that Jason1 and Leighton2 will become sworn enemies because of Jason1’s need to disentangle the ’70s world from the rest of the multiverse, and the consequences of that enmity will be catastrophic. What are your thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments section below.

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