‘Dark’ Season 3 Finally Let Martha Shine

When it comes to the warped world of thrillers, Dark has always been remarkably kind to its leading ladies. Katharina, Hannah, Agnes, Charlotte — all were fully developed, complicated people with their own sins, vices, and strengths. But there was one woman who wasn’t allowed in this A+ loop, someone who, despite being a leading character, was often ignored. Martha deserved more, and in Season 3 Dark finally gave it to her.

For too long Martha Nielsen (Lisa Vicari) was little more than a damsel in distress. It was Jonas’ (Louis Hofmann) search for his father that first led him back in time. But what kept drawing him to the past and future was the relationship he had with Martha. Whether we were watching Jonas as a clueless teenager or as the scarred and elderly Adam, his motivation was the same. More than reuniting his family what Jonas wanted was to be reunited with Martha.

That quest often painted Martha as a prize to be won rather than an individual in her own right. Not only was that characterization deeply unfair to this young woman, it also cheapened her more interesting traits. There were always glimpses there was more to Martha. Her decision back in Season 1 to leave the mourning Jonas for Bartosz (Paul Lux) spoke to her being someone who valued her own time and worth. She didn’t just wait around for Jonas to be ready for her like he wanted. She moved forward with her own life, a choice that is equally marred by callousness, self-preservation, and self-respect. Through her brother Mikkel’s (Daan Lennard Liebrenz) disappearance Dark revealed Martha’s softer side. Her dedication to finding Mikkel through any means necessary mirrored her own father’s quest to save his long lost brother.

Ulrich and Katharina Nielsen were complicated, passionate, intense, smart people. It would only make sense that their daughter would be the same way. Yet for two seasons we were so focused on Jonas’ emotional journey we weren’t allowed to see that.

Dark‘s third and final season corrected that oversight. By learning about the second alternative timeline, we got to see a completely different side of Martha. Whereas Jonas seemed to fling himself from order to order, Martha was in contrast a calm angel. Her level explanations both as Martha and her elder self Eve about how to right the timelines were given so confidently, they were borderline comforting. In the middle of all of this chaos Martha and her future selves became sturdy idols to be worshipped.

That earned pedestal made her ultimate betrayal all the more devastating. Where as Adam always ruled his followers with force and threats, Eve ruled through empty promises and manipulation. Both figures became defined by two simple wants. For Adam that meant destroying these paradoxical timelines and the mess they created. For Eve that meant doing anything possible to save the son she had with Jonas. By Dark‘s end the motivations of both these monsters weren’t just believable. They were understandable. In short Martha was finally allowed to be just as complicated, messy, and compassionate as Jonas always was.

In the end Martha was never merely a love interest. She was a dynamic force that almost destroyed the universe to get what she wanted. That’s so much cooler than the girl next door Jonas used to pine for in Season 1.

Watch Dark on Netflix