Netflix's 3-Part Supernatural Sci-Fi Series Is So Confusing, You'll Have To Take Notes While Watching It

Netflix delivered one of the best and wildest supernatural sci-fi shows on TV back in 2017, but it requires a lot of focus to grasp the contents of the show. In recent months, Netflix and other streamers have come under fire for potentially issuing directions to creatives to make their shows overly simplistic, repeating core plot points, and essentially making it easy to digest while audiences scroll on their phones.

Now, while that rumor has certainly gained traction, and there may well be truth to it, there are also examples of shows that directly contradict this idea. For instance, one of the best and most underappreciated shows on the platform features an incredibly challenging plot that requires a lot of attention, and sometimes even notes, in order to fully understand what is going on.

Of course, the show in question is Dark, a German sci-fi thriller with mystery and supernatural elements built in. And while a lot of sci-fi shows lean into world-building and high-concept ideas, Dark takes things to another level in an interwoven story that makes the audience feel like a top detective every time an answer is finally revealed.

Dark Has One Of The Most Complex Timelines On TV

The challenge of Dark is the fact that the series primarily focuses on a small German village and four families that live within this area. As simple as that concept may sound, the presence of a cave that connects the past and present complicates things significantly.

With that, Dark’s story zooms out from a present-day setting to include several different eras in time and four generations of those original families, before eventually introducing several additional timelines and elements from the future that thoroughly unravel any hope of understanding how, what, when, and why without a considerable investment of concentration.

As if that wasn’t enough, Dark’s third season takes things to a whole other level.

In Later Seasons, Dark Begins To Introduce Parallel Worlds To The Story

Dark season 3 continues the core idea of exploring the interwoven stories of four families across generations, as well as going further back than ever before. But where things get even more complicated is the inclusion of parallel worlds. And not just one parallel world, but multiple.

At this point, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that is happening without looking at online wikis and forums to try to make sense of the plot. That being said, the show gives the audience plenty to get hooked on, and the intense and thrilling narrative, as well as the incredible relief when certain mysteries, including what happened to the missing children, are resolved, make it all worthwhile.

Despite The Complexities, Dark Remains One Of The Best Sci-Fi Shows On Netflix

The cast of Netflix's Dark — The cast of Netflix’s Dark

In all honesty, Dark is a show that requires a much larger investment than a lot of other shows, both in the sci-fi genre and beyond. However, it also rewards the audience as the story unfolds, and as things that seem like hopeless mysteries slowly start to get answers and make more sense in the context of the series.

In addition, Dark has an incredible charm and range that appeals to a broad audience. Rather than just feeling like a sci-fi series, the supernatural elements open the door to fans of other genres, while not alienating either group. This isn’t an easy balance to strike, and Dark navigates several genres with incredible precision and skill to the point that it can feel like a lot of different things to different people.

So, if you are in the market for a new sci-fi, supernatural, mystery, thriller, sort of show, and you are willing to put in the work to understand the plot and follow the sprawling storylines and character-driven stories, Dark is a great choice. But be warned, this is not a series to watch casually in the background while working on other things, or indulging in your regular doom scroll wind-down.