Dark Matters of the Killing of Joy: Smackdown Central

[feverfew]

6 hours ago, sjohnson said:

Both are intentionally derivative from older TV. I seem to remember old western docs with the shakes trying to save patients in the classic westerns of my youth. 

...most famously done by Doc Holliday in all Wyatt Earp-movies ;)

[DearEvette]

Last year I lovedKilljoys and was rather meh on Darkmatter.  Mainly because DM had a darker tone and I like my space opera to be a little lighter with more zing.  But I've done a 180 this season.  Killjoys had lost some of its verve and honestly I feel like the season long arc has gotten twisted in on itself.  Meanwhile DM has injected a bit more humor and their overall story feels tighter, more cohesvie.  Last season I enjoyed KJ more this season I am enjoying DM more.

[MissLucas]

I have to agree - last season I liked them both well enough but had a slight preference for Killjoys because it had more humor and the world-building was better. But this season DM came out with all guns blazing (the first episode was great) and hardly ever relented. It became clear that a lot of stuff happening last season was laying out the groundwork for this season and it definitely paid off. The claustrophobic atmosphere gave way to some much needed world-building and character development. Killjoys on the other hand has done itself no favors with too much unnecessary drama (especially of the dreaded romantic kind). The character interactions and dynamics on DM have been much more entertaining to watch this season. Maybe next season things will reverse again but right now DM is the show I enjoy a lot more.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Hmm, weird.  I find myself the exact opposite.  Last year I was more pro-DM than Killjoys, but now its the other way around.  And no, its not because of all the D/J I keep harping on about. 

Dark Matter just feels different this season (IMO), and not really a 'good' different.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but while there is a bigger plot out there we keep getting and seeing hints about, most the episodes lately feel one-off'ish - like you could either skip them and not feel like you missed anything, or if you chose to watch in the future, without remembering the surrounding seasonal myth-arc(s), you wouldn't feel completely lost in a middle-of-the-season-episode sense, without catching up on all prior ones first.  Might just be me and my perception on it.  Maybe if they trimmed it down to 10 eps, like Killjoys, they could keep the pacing and arcs tighter, with less time to inject side-stories that - in the grand scheme of things - matter very little (see: the recently ended doctor's drug-addiction and 'woe is me' storyline).

[sjohnson]

What seemed most interesting to me about Dark Matter was the choice about trying for a new life. Since they've more or less automatically chosen to become ordinary decent criminals instead of total psychopaths, it's doesn't have the element of dramatic choice. Killing off the only character who really thought about reform doesn't help. (And no, Varrick doesn't count because killing people who disappoint his ideals isn't justice, rather the opposite.) 

Still, there's one thing about Killjoys that really grates, which is how incredibly cheap the show looks. They substitute lights shining in our eyes for set decoration and it's really, really annoying.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

My main complaint about Killjoys' visual production quality is that most of the episodes - noticing especially this season - have a lot of soft-focus or blurred shots, even in close-up type of viewing angles.   And to me, its often very distracting instead of adding something or used for drawing attention, if that's what they're going for.

[wanderingstar]

Quote

.... but have you ever noticed how the two really reflect similar plots and subplots sometimes, sometimes on the very same night?

Yes, and I actually really love that.

The one instance from this season that stands out for me is the two episodes (Killjoys' "Shaft" and Dark Matter's "I've Seen the Other Side of You") that were both structured as flashbacks - i.e., both episodes' cold opens had one of the main characters in seemingly insurmountable peril, before leading to a time tag that flashed back to 12 hours earlier (or 18 hours earlier, but you get the idea). I don't know why these similarities don't annoy me. I find them kind of comforting. Like, KJ's Lucy and DM's Android are different versions of the same sci-fi trope, but I dig seeing what each show does with the trope. Does that make sense?

Edited September 5, 2016 by Gillian Rosh

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

16 minutes ago, Gillian Rosh said:

Yes, and I actually really love that.

The one instance from this season that stands out for me is the two episodes (Killjoys' "Shaft" and Dark Matter's "I've Seen the Other Side of You") that were both structured as flashbacks - i.e., both episodes' cold opens had one of the main characters in seemingly insurmountable peril, before leading to a time tag that flashed back to 12 hours earlier (or 18 hours earlier, but you get the idea). I don't know why these similarities don't annoy me. I find them kind of comforting. Like, KJ's Lucy and DM's Android are different versions of the same sci-fi trope, but I dig seeing what each show does with the trope. Does that make sense?

Makes sense to me.

And for the record, I wasn't miffed or complaining when I brought that up.  Just noticed how closely their future-plots, current-plots, and tropes so closely resemble each other at certain points/episodes.  And that they air in succession on each summer Friday night (or at least the Friday's that KJ's 10 match-up with DM's 10-of-13).

Edited September 5, 2016 by iRarelyWatchTV36