Recs of the Week: the multiverse, Canadian trilogies, and Japanese pop.

My top TV, books, and music of the week.

Welcome to the first BRG recommendations of the week — a new regular slot where I get to shout about some of the great things I’ve come across since the last time I’ve shouted about something. As the title suggests, I’m going to try and make it weekly, but, to be honest, if I haven’t been struck by anything worth recommending, I might not bother.

Luckily, this first instalment has the kind of content I’d hope to bring you every week. TV, books, and music.

My first rec was such an unexpected joy that up here in Chateau Raymond we devoured it all in just a few nights. Dark Matter is science fiction at its absolute finest. Based on the Blake Crouch’s novel (which I have now on its way to me via several dimensions) it is a mind-bending thriller that tells the story of Jason Dessen, who is kidnapped out of his reality by a very familiar figure from another dimension, and his perilous journey through the multiverse as he attempts to get back to his family.

A great idea is one thing, but bringing with it a heavyweight cast (Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connolly lead it), a spot-on script, and depth of character is quite something else. Too much sci-fi is light on the human touch, but Dark Matter takes its time to layer the characters — who then become layered further again once we’re out of the single dimension and we’re exploring the feathered realities of the what if…

Dark Matter hits exactly the right tone — it is deadly serious, but also has a sense of what exactly it’s asking of its audience. There is that knowing it has, reminiscent of great TV sci-fi of the 1960s — shows like Prisoner — that teetered on the knife edge of absurdity. Dark Matter is grounded and mind-blowing, and thrilling — and, thank God, it never veers off into a FX action movie.

You can watch the whole thing on AppleTV+ and it’s nine episodes of about an hour each.

If you’d like to know my other recs of the week, you’ll have to subscribe to BRG.