Dark Season 3 Premiere Review: Today Is The Day That Everything Started

It's been a year since we last caught up with the residents of Winden, Germany, A recap might be in
order, It's a much for me as for the reader. Netflix's "Dark" is not an easy watch. A great deal of
commitment is required to keep track of the various characters and the times/worlds they travel to. All
the work is totally worth it though. IMHO "Dark" is the best time traveling show EVER. See my previous
reviews here See also this great character overview from Decider.com here (NOTE: Contains spoilers)

At the end of last season, we have at least ELEVEN people (Jonas Kahnwald/Nielsen, Claudia Tiedemann (mother of Regina), Hannah Kahnwald (mother of Jonas), Mikkel Nielsen/Michael Kahnwald (father of Jonas), Ulrich Nielsen (father of Martha), Bartosz Tiedemann (son of Regina and Alexander), Martha Nielsen (daughter of Ulrich and Katarina), Magnus Nielsen, Elisabeth Doppler and Franziska Doppler) traveling through FIVE different times. They are doing this via the tunnels, FOUR time machines (1. The one Old Claudia left for her younger self; 2. The Stranger's device; 3. The one Bartosz brought back that is used by the Stranger to save the kids; 4. one Adam has in 1921) and the THREE God Particles (1. Adam's in 1921, 2. The Future's in 2052, and 3. the one created the day of the apocalypse in 2019).

Season 3's first episode (named "Deja Vu") opens with three versions (young, adult, old) of someone
burning down what appears to be Adam's lair. It has pictures of everyone on the walls. We know this
is the same person due to his cleft palette. Are we supposed to recognize him?

Next we go back to the end of season 2. Adam (Jonas' future self) tells Jonas he must choose between
saving his love Martha (who is also his aunt) or the world. Remember, the town's nuclear plant explodes
and kills everyone. Adam then stabs Martha. As Jonas cries over her body, another Martha appears.
He asks her "when" she is from. She says the question SHOULD BE "which world" is she from. This is
obviously not "our" Martha. She says "Today is the day that everything started. The day we first met.
That you and I, your world and my world, they form a knot that is inextricably intertwined. I'll make this
right. I promise." She then uses a time machine to send Jonas somewhere as she heads for parts
unknown.

Jonas arrives back in his hometown. We see all the familiar faces but something is off in this world.
Here Katarina and Ulrich Nielsen are divorced. Their kids (Mikkel, Martha, and Magnus) are living with
Katarina in what was Jonas' old house. Ulrich is now married to Hannah (who is very preggo).
Remember, Hannah is Jonas' mother. In this world, Erik Obendorf is missing. Martha is dating Erik's
older brother Kilian. Ulrich is still having a secret affair but this time with Charlotte (instead of with
Hannah). Charlotte is still married to Peter. They still has two kids-- Franziska and Elizabeth. Here it is
the older sister Franziska (and not Elizabeth) who is deaf. Magnus and Franziska are still an item.
Regina has died of cancer. Alexander Tiedemann is still running the power plant and is mourning her loss.

An elderly Helge (this time missing an eye) lives at the Doppler home with his son and his family. He
tells granddaughter Elizabeth "it will happen again" and "tick tock". Also in this world, Deputy Woller
has an arm missing (instead of an eye).

Jonas eventually learns that he does not exist is in this world-- because Mikkel never disappears into
an earlier time to become his father. This is confirmed by a mysterious older woman named Eve (who
is actually Martha). At the end of the episode, the kids are in the bunker. A dead body is teleported
there. Martha looks at the child's ID. It's Mads Nielsen (Ulrich's little brother).

AltMartha transports to 1888 where the Stranger (adult Jonas) is working on a time machine. He tearfully
says "You're alive". She says she is not "his" Martha. She vows to help him find the origin-- "the one
thing that's the beginning of everything in your world and mine." And we're off to the races.

Grade: 5 Monsters (out of 5). Only one episode in on season 3 and I'm still loving it. If you thought
things were complicated before...just wait. In this episode there are numbers of parallels to the other
world. I wont go through them all but the most important may be between Martha and Jonah. At the
beginning of the series Jonah was wearing a yellow rain coat and riding his bike outside the power
plant. This time around it's Martha. What does it all mean? Time will tell (I hope).