In yet another jaw-dropping reveal from Apple TV’s hit sci-fi thriller, Dark Matter Season 2, Episode 6 introduces the Sheridan-verse to the multiverse.

Dark Matter Season 2, Episode 6 spoilers ahead.

After the fan-favorite Episode 5 took a detour from Dark Matter‘s regularly scheduled storyline, Episode 6, “What the Universe Is Made Of,” picked up on the heels of Episode 4 to show the aftermath of Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) leaving Jason (Joel Edgerton).

We open with Daniela stepping off of a bus in Denver and making her way to an empty home in the woods, one with a mailbox that reads “Vargas.” A tarp-covered Jeep is parked out front, and after passing a gorgeous view of the lake, she lets herself in and finds rooms full of covered furniture. As “Present Tense” by Pearl Jam plays, she takes a trip down memory lane, reaquainting herself with objects, photos, and paintings in the home.

Daniela spends several days enjoying her own company, making herself comfortable, and turning the abandoned house into more of a home, while Charlie (Oakes Fegley) and Jason go about their lives, wondering if and when she’ll return. After nursing an injured bird back to health one afternoon, an unexpected visitor arrives — a man we come to learn is Daniela’s stepfather, Gabriel Vargas, played by beloved Yellowstone and Marshals star Gil Birmingham.

In true Taylor Sheridan show fashion, Birmingham walks into Dark Matter wearing a cowboy hat. Once again, the 73-year-old actor plays a character who passes down wisdom with a calming, patient presence. But as the episode progresses, the immense heart, humor, warmth, and ease Birmingham’s character displays help distinguish the role, while reminding us what a treat it is whenever he appears on screen.

Gabriel beams at the sight of Daniela, greeting her with an excited, “Mija! It’s so good to see you!” Since she’s from a different universe, a moment of overcomes Daniela. Is her cover blown? Is Daniela in this world even alive?! We’ve seen our fair share of universe hopping gone wrong! But her worries fade, turning to cathartic tears of joy when her dad hugs her.

As the two catch up inside, Gabriel asks Daniela about her family in San Diego, bonds with her over missing a kid in college, and calls her out for being “a little tight.” Daniela loosens up when they spend the night laughing, drinking, and reminiscing. But the next morning, Gabriel confronts her about the emotional weight he senses she’s carrying.

“I still think about the day we met. You were eight. Might of a thing. Too shy to even look at me… [Mom] made you dress up to meet her new boyfriend. You were mad and scared. Me? I was not interested in being an evil stepfather to some mocosa,” Gabriel said. “And then you looked up at me with those eyes, and it was crushing. I mean, how can an eight-year-old look at me with the brokenness of an adult? Same way you’re looking at me now. It’s been many, many years since I’ve seen that look… Some things in the past, they don’t stay there. They sneak up on us. Advice from an old man. Ignoring it will not help. It always comes up. One way or another.”

If Daniela came to her family’s Denver home in search of herself again, I imagine reconnecting with her roots and reuniting with someone safe who knows her and her past so well — a kind, gentle man who helped her get to sleep as a child and gazed up at stars with her — will be crucial steps in her healing journey. Gabriel knows her so well that he pushes her to paint again to process her emotions, and the two silently bond through their shared love of art.

Unfortunately, the peaceful escape comes to an unexpected end when Daniela goes for a walk and returns to find Gabriel frantically pacing, asking to go to the hospital for fear he’s having a stroke and imagining her. Why? Because while our Daniela was out on a walk, his Daniela — the in-universe daughter who lives in San Francisco — called him to check in.

“But your painting. I know those brush strokes to be my daughter,” he says, utterly perplexed. “But I also know that I just spoke to my daughter in San Francisco.” Unsure how to proceed, Daniela chooses honesty, despite the dangers. “You’re okay. Your daughter, she is in San Francisco. And she’s here. Can we sit? I’m gonna try and explain,” she says.

Since we don’t see their conversation before the end credits roll, here’s hoping Birmingham returns in Episode 207 and we continue to see a different side of Daniela while learning more about life before Jason and the box. Consider us sat, and consider Daniela’s stepdad yet another win for Dark Matter‘s casting department. Bravo.

New episodes of Dark Matter premiere Fridays on Apple TV.