Dark season two is completely incomprehensible unless one has seen the first season. The German-language sci-fi series co-created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese returns with more time-travel paradoxes, murders, and surprise ancestors who may create unforeseen scenarios. The viewers in this second season return to the German town and the four families who are all connected through some unknown cosmic phenomenon. The series jumps immediately into a new timeline that sets the creepy and murderous tone this time. The time jumps are initially indicated with onscreen text, but the deeper one goes into the season, it makes really interesting to know what will happen further. The overlaid images of the younger and older versions of the same character from different timelines assume viewers remember the significance of each. Although, season one evoked a certain thrill of discovery as each element became clearer to how it fit into this puzzle box of a show, the result of less exposition is a far more dense and action-packed season that yes, can occasionally become confusing. Dark is a rewarding investment in the time spent in untangling the family trees. It’s also an intriguing experiment on how looped events and themes of determinism can play into growth and evolution.

– Compilation