Paul Levinson's Blog: Levinson at Large, page 274

Rectify 3.5: Finally!

A superb Rectify 3.5 on Thursday night - a great night for television, what with the Jon Stewart farewell and the first 2016 Republican Presidential debate - but Rectify was uniquely satisfying, in that we finally get to see the story edging  towards a measure of justice for Daniel.

The sheriff finally seems to be getting it - or some to most of it - and is putting some of the pieces of this whole story together. The sheriff thinks:  George not Daniel killed Daniel's 16-year-old girlfriend, Hanna, all those years ago.  George and others - including Trey, not Daniel - raped Hanna as well.   The group, not including Daniel, worked to cover up their crime and were glad to see Daniel get convicted for it.   But George had a guilty conscience, tried to tell the truth at the time, and felt even more guilty after Daniel's release.  Sheriff Daggett thinks Trey killed George to prevent him from confessing, and arrests Trey at the end of the episode.

Daggett is wrong about the last point - we saw George take his own life after a conversation with Trey in the very first episode of the series  - but the arrest of Trey is certainly justified for other reasons (Trey tried to frame Daniel for George's "murder," which was actually a suicide), and great to see happen in this episode.  This gets at one of the deep strengths of Rectify.  Unlike most police and murder mysteries, in which the main characters are clearly good or evil, right or wrong in their facts, Rectify has characters moved by much subtler and more realistic motivations.  In this case, Daggett arrests Trey, eminently the right thing to do, for the wrong reasons - or least for the wrong main reason.

And, Rectify continues to leave unanswered exactly what happened to Hanna and by whom.  After all this time - in series time, we're just a few weeks into narrative time in Daniel's life - we still can't say with 100% percent certainly that Daniel did nothing wrong to Hanna.   Hell, that's what I feel, and would surely bet that he did not, but the ultimate facts remain tantalizingly elusive.

Meanwhile, the dialogue, especially from Daniel, continues to be first class.  I guess my favorite from Thursday was Daniel remarking, as he looked at the pool he was painting, that he was in his "blue period".  But there were many other gems, and I'm looking forward to more, as well as what Trey has to say about what really happened, in the season finale next week, for one of finest shows ever to be on television.

See also Rectify 3.1: Stroke of Luck ... Rectify 3.2: Daniel and Amantha

And see also Rectify 2.1: Indelible ... Rectify 2.2: True Real Time ... Rectify 2.3: Daniel's Motives ... Rectify 2.4: Jekyll and Hyde ... Rectify 2.6: Rare Education ... Rectify 2.7: The Plot Thickens ... Rectify 2.8: The Plea Bargain and the Smart Phone ... Rectify 2.9: Dancing in the Dark ... Rectify Season 2 Finale: Talk about Cliffhangers!

And see also Rectify: Sheer and Shattering Poetry ... Rectify 1.5: Balloon Man ... Rectify Season 1 Finale: Searingly Anti-Climactic

 
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First 2016 GOP Presidential Debate: My Ranking of the Performances

Continuing my tradition of reviewing the Republican Presidential Debates (and Democratic Debates), which goes back to 2007,  here's my take on what happened on Fox News in Cleveland tonight.

First, as a preamble, I thought the 5pm appetizer debate, consisting of the seven contenders whose polling numbers didn't qualify them (by Fox's standards) for the main event, was one of the most boring political debates I've ever seen.   Sad to say, that debate made pretty clear why those seven candidates polled so poorly.

But on to the debate of 10, which took place from 9 to 11 tonight, I'll appraise this by ranking the performances from worst to best, on all the issues:

10. Ben Carson, neurosurgeon was amiable enough, but clearly out of his depth.  I'll be amazed if his polling numbers don't dip below one percent in the weeks ahead.

9.  Gov. Scott Walker, who was seen in reaction shots agreeing enthusiastically with whatever Carson was saying, didn't do very well himself.   I can't think if a single surprising or memorable point he made.

8. Sen.  Rand Paul came on strong with an attack on Trump at the beginning, and had a few good moments, but let Gov. Christie get the better of him in an exchange about hugs - Paul slammed Christie for hugging Obama, Christie responded that the hugs he most remembered were those of 9/11 victims.  This reprised, in effect, the exchange about national security between Ron Paul (Rand's father) and Giuliani in 2007, except tonight Christie did much better than Giuliani.

7. Gov. Huckabee had some strong moments - his best his joke at the end, in which he talked scathingly about someone leading in the polls with no valid ideas, whom we expected to be Trump, but turned out to be Hillary - but for the most part Huckabee looked and sounded tired.

6. Sen. Ted Cruz was clear and dynamic, but I can't think of an original or commanding idea expressed by him.

5. Christie had a surprisingly good debate, getting the best of Paul, as I said above, but also making powerful points about his success as Governor of New Jersey (and, fortunately for him, no one brought up Bridgegate).

4. Gov. Jeb Bush, as second in the polls after Trump, had more than anyone other than Trump to lose. He accounted well for himself  - spoke well, and came across as the compassionate conservative, especially on immigration, which is where he wants to be.

3. Sen. Marco Rubio came across as the man of the future - showing an understanding of the digital age - as well as compassionate and savvy on a variety of issues.   He was well-spoken, genial, and incisive.

2, Donald Trump held his own, including even in his answer to Megyn Kelly's question about the vicious and demeaning things he's said about women, and later defending his declared bankruptcies in response to a question from Chris Wallace.   For someone with zero experience debating and running in elections, Trump, whatever you may think of his views, stood strong up on that stage.

1. Gov. Kasich was the biggest surprise of the night.  He was powerful without being belligerent, and like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio displayed what seemed like a real compassion for humanity.

So there you have it - an honest appraisal, without reference to my own political views, which are mostly in disagreement with everyone on the stage (I voted twice for Obama).


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Song List for my LI-Con2 Concert on 15 August

I had a great rehearsal yesterday with guitarist Peter Rosenthal for our performance at LI-Con2 in Ronkonkoma, NY next Saturday (August 15) at 9pm, and thought I'd put up a partial play list. Songwriters are in parenthesis.   Free links and iTunes links are indicated, where available.

The Soft of Your Eyes (Paul Levinson) - iTunesThe Lama Will Be Late This Year (Paul Levinson - Ed Fox) free ... iTunesToday Is Just Like You (Paul Levinson) free ... iTunesTime is Money (Peter Rosenthal)Looking for Sunsets in the Early Morning (Paul Levinson - Ed Fox) free ... iTunes2020 (Peter Rosenthal)Lime Streets (Paul Levinson) free ... iTunes



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Masters of Sex 3.4: The Bookstore

One of the pleasures of Masters of Sex for me this season is to see how well - both seriously and comically - Masters and Johnson's excursion in publishing has depicted.   I have no idea if the two actually went through these experiences - actually, it's Masters who's leading the charge on this - but the point is that the experiences are valid and instantly recognizable to any published author who's not comatose.

In episode 3.4, we find Masters wrangling with a bookstore displaying his and Johnson's book.  In days gone by, many's the time you'd find me haunting a Barnes and Noble or a Borders - an activity no longer as fruitful or even necessary with Amazon on the rise, which I otherwise am undilutedly happy about.  But back in the day, I'd check out the sections in the bookstore with my books, and occasionally even stoop to "fronting" one - that is, turning the cover face out, so the browser would see the great art work, and have more to go by than just the spine. One of my peak experiences was actually seeing a customer pick out my novel - it was The Silk Code - then go up to the cashier and buy it!  It had a great cover, but, come to think of it, it was spine out on that occasion.

Masters is under pressure from his traditional publisher to move more copies of his book if he wants to see a second edition.  This portrayal of traditional publishing is spot on.   Maybe William Henry Appleton, a leading character in my Plot to Save Socrates trilogy, cared more about quality than money for his Appleton's press in the 19th century, but he cared about money, too, and in the twentieth century there was decreasing difference between a shoe manufacturer and a book publisher, as far as moving products.  Masters is hoping a little book tour might help.  Johnson resists for personal reasons - she's wanting to stay close to her family - but she's right about the waste of time of most book tours, anyway.  They may boost the author's ego, but usually not sales, or at least not enough sales to justify the effort.

Books play another role in this episode, which finds Masters obsessively reading How to Win Friends and Influence People.  What comes out of this is a fur coat for Johnson - which Masters' wife unfortunately sees - and a dinner invitation, which seems to herald a new tenderness from Masters to Johnson.

Much enjoying this season.   More soon.

See also Thomas Maier: Masters of Sex and Biography Come to Life ...Masters of Sex 3.1: Galley Slaves ... Masters of Sex 3.2: The Shah, the Baby, and the Book

 
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True Detective 2.7: Death and the Anti-Hero

A desperately good True Detective 2.7 last night, with two significant deaths, after last week's punch-in-the-gut episode 2.6 with Ani under cover as a drugged party girl.

We didn't have much emotion invested in the prosector found dead in her car by Ray, but her murder deprives our team of their last reliable connection to unrotten authority.  They're on their own now.

We did have a lot of emotion invested in Paul, and his death hit hard.  He accounted well for himself throughout this story, including to the very last, in which he took out a whole slew of bad guys with guts and straight shooting.  To be gunned down in the end was a cruel fate, and, unlike the moniker for this season, eminently not what he deserved.

Frank fared far better against his demons and bad guys, and, although he's a sicko vicious killer in his own right - professing enjoyment in seeing the "lights go out" in someone he's strangling - he also has admirable qualities, in particular standing up to the overwhelming and deadly pressure of the Russian mob.   Indeed, Frank is one of the most compelling anti-heroes to come along in a television drama.   He has less good and more bad in him than, say, Tony Soprano, but Frank is still on that continuum which against all odds commands at least some of our respect, even support, and makes me hope that in the end next week he finds a better fate than has Paul.

The other notable scene in the drama of this story last night is Ani and Ray making love, and that was good to see for all kinds of reasons.  They both deserve a little happiness, or at least comfort, after all they've been through now separately and together, and the counterpoint of the two in each other's arms as Paul's being shot down was one of the best soulful and heart-tearing moments of this season.

Back with a review of the season finale next week.

See also Season Two: True Detective: All New ... True Detective 2.2: Pulling a Game of Thrones ... True Detective 2.3: Buckshot and Twitty ... True Detective 2.4: Shoot-out

And see also Season One: True Detective: Socrates in Louisiana ... True Detective Season One Finale: Light above Darkness

 
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Hell on Wheels 5.3: Prejudice

An especially relevant Hell on Wheels 5.3 last night about ... prejudice, something which still obviously afflicts our society today.

In the case of Hell on Wheels, it's against the Chinese workers, who are being depicted as the real backbone of the feverish attempt to get the railroad west to east.  The whole situation, ever on edge, comes to a boil, and along the way elicits Cullen's comment that this is America, where no one is owned by anyone.

Coming from Cullen and his Confederate past, that's a wildly significant statement.   We already saw a lack of prejudice in his growing friendship with Elam - which ended badly, to say the least, but not because of Cullen.  And we've seen Cullen's respect for Native Americans, too.

But hearing Cullen say point blank that people don't own people in America was eye-opening, and, although welcome as a statement from the heart of our central character, might have been better packaged with a statement from Cullen that, earlier in his life, he fought for a society that did indeed believe deeply in owning people.

Meanwhile, before the episode concludes, Chang is almost hung, and Cullen is instrumental in saving him, along with Ma's timely intervention.  Indeed, Cullen seems more at home Ma and Mei, and even Chang, than with most other groups in the history of this series.

Cullen's certainly not at home with the demented part of white culture represented by the Swede, and, for that matter, the Mormons in general, of which his wife is still some sort of part.  As I said in my review 5.2 a little while ago, I wouldn't mind at all if Cullen became even more closely connected with this Chinese culture.

See also Hell on Wheels 5.1: Rails and Truckee ... Hell on Wheels 5.2: Mei and Cullen

And see also Hell on Wheels 4.1-2: Rolling Again ... Hell on Wheels 4.5: New Blood ... Hell on Wheels 4.6: Bear and Sanity ... Hell on Wheels 4.7: Why? ... Hell on Wheels 4.8: Aftermath and Rebound ... Hell on Wheels 4.9: High Noon ... Hell on Wheels 4.10: A Tale of Two Sicko Killers ... Hell on Wheels 4.11: The Redemption of Ruth ... Hell on Wheels 4.12: Infuriating and Worthwhile ... Hell on Wheels Season 4 Finale: The Buffalo

And see also Hell on Wheels 3.1-2: Bohannan in Command ... Hell on Wheels 3.3: Talking and Walking ... Hell on Wheels 3.4: Extreme Lacrosse ... Hell on Wheels 3.5: The Glove ... Hell on Wheels 3.6: The Man in Charge ...Hell on Wheels 3.7: Water, Water ... Hell on Wheels 3.8: Canterbury Tales ...Hell on Wheels 3.9: Shoot-Out and Truths ... Hell on Wheels Season 3 finale: Train Calling in the Distance

And see also  Hell on Wheels: Blood, Sweat, and Tears on the Track, and the Telegraph ... Hell on Wheels 1.6: Horse vs. Rail ... Hell on Wheels 1.8: Multiple Tracks ... Hell on Wheels 1.9: Historical Inevitable and Unknown ... Hell on Wheels Season One Finale: Greek Tragedy, Western Style

 
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Hell on Wheels 5.2: Mei and Cullen

Catching up with a review of last week's Hell on Wheels 5.2, in which we find out that Fong (a guy) is really Mei (a woman).

Actually, that was no surprise at all.  You could tell that Fong was a woman as soon as you saw "him" in 5.1 - the delicate face, the way "he" moved, made her gender clear as day.  The only surprise is why Cullen was so stunned when he discovered Mei's identity.

But if we're willing to suspend our disbelief on this account, we still get a pretty good episode in 5.2 - in fact, one of the most powerful in the series.  As I mentioned in my review of 5.1, there was lots of good, cinematic action in 5.2, which makes me think this will be a hallmark of this season.  Although the talk and character conflicts of previous seasons were welcome, as was the gunplay of last season, it's good to see a story about a railroad actually show a railroad physically out of control, and our people struggling to get it back on course.

In the case of this episode, it was a railcar on a sled, in a series of life-and-death scenes in which the car is not only off-rail but nearly out of this world, and Cullen and Mei pull out all the stops to stop the car before it goes literally over a cliff.

In a nice touch, it's Mei who goes over the cliff, not the railcar, and she does this of her own volition, in a courageous act designed to save Cullen from being pulled over the cliff along with Mei.  Did Mei figure that she would survive her plummet into the snow below, as she did?   Or was this just luck?

Hard to say, but her near death and ultimate survival was satisfying to see, and the upshot is she and Cullen have a strong and even unique bond now.  Any chance they'll eventually sleep together? Probably not, Cullen's married and all, but, then again, I was surprised when Cullen slept with his current wife in the first place.

See also Hell on Wheels 5.1: Rails and Truckee

And see also Hell on Wheels 4.1-2: Rolling Again ... Hell on Wheels 4.5: New Blood ... Hell on Wheels 4.6: Bear and Sanity ... Hell on Wheels 4.7: Why? ... Hell on Wheels 4.8: Aftermath and Rebound ... Hell on Wheels 4.9: High Noon ... Hell on Wheels 4.10: A Tale of Two Sicko Killers ... Hell on Wheels 4.11: The Redemption of Ruth ... Hell on Wheels 4.12: Infuriating and Worthwhile ... Hell on Wheels Season 4 Finale: The Buffalo

And see also Hell on Wheels 3.1-2: Bohannan in Command ... Hell on Wheels 3.3: Talking and Walking ... Hell on Wheels 3.4: Extreme Lacrosse ... Hell on Wheels 3.5: The Glove ... Hell on Wheels 3.6: The Man in Charge ...Hell on Wheels 3.7: Water, Water ... Hell on Wheels 3.8: Canterbury Tales ...Hell on Wheels 3.9: Shoot-Out and Truths ... Hell on Wheels Season 3 finale: Train Calling in the Distance

And see also  Hell on Wheels: Blood, Sweat, and Tears on the Track, and the Telegraph ... Hell on Wheels 1.6: Horse vs. Rail ... Hell on Wheels 1.8: Multiple Tracks ... Hell on Wheels 1.9: Historical Inevitable and Unknown ... Hell on Wheels Season One Finale: Greek Tragedy, Western Style

 
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Humans: In Ascending Order

Tina and I saw the first five episodes of Humans on AMC this weekend - based on the recommendation of a friend, Sarita - impressive!

The set-up, which is gradually unfolding over the season, is that there are a least four kinds of androids in this near-future London, where the story takes place.  In ascending order (that is, in order of increasing correspondence to human intelligence) -

1. Odi, Dr. Millican's android, prized by him for sentimental reasons (Odi remembers his wife), is the most primitive.  His model is breaking down and being replaced by "better" creations.

2. Vera, Odi's replacement, is such an improved model.  So is Anita, the most important in the story so far, and her story is far more complicated.  She's actually far more advanced than Vera, and is sentient (see #3 below), but she was kidnapped and outfitted with a #2 overlay (which, of course, is not completely effective).  She's purchased by Joe Hawkins for his family, and they unsurprisingly have very mixed reactions to this gorgeous new addition to their home: Joe's wife Laura is suspicious, daughter Mattie is a brilliant hacker and able to pry out a little of what's deep down in Anita (her earlier sentient identity as Mia), and son Toby has the hots for her - but it's Joe who avails himself of the "adult" option and sleeps with Anita.

3. In addition to Mia, there are at least four other sentient androids, including a beautiful blonde with a taste for killing humans, which put the police on her trail.  Apparently all five of these sentient androids must be on hand in order for their master plan to proceed - this according to Leo, son of the main inventor of the androids (who fired Dr. Millican, and who subsequently died).  Leo is himself a cyborg - that is, a human with significant digital wiring - applied by his father to bring him back to life after drowning.

4. There's a police officer who's also a sentient android, but not one of the five.  Whether she's the same as those in #3, or something different or more, is not clear at this point.  (I did realize she likely was an android before it was revealed, because she had a slightly mechanistic posture - tribute to good acting.)

The show is literate, sensitive, and intelligent.  Niska, the blonde android, is reading Arthur Koestler's The Ghost in the Machine in one scene (great book).  Someone mentions "Asimov blocks," a reference to Isaac Asimov's famed three laws of robotics (later four, when he added a zeroth law) to the effect that a robot can never by action or inaction allow harm to befall a human (and in one of the best scenes, Anita following this programming puts her body in front of a car to save Toby).  There's continuous flirting with the paradox of the liar - if you ask a liar is he's telling you the truth, or if it's true that he cannot lie, how can you take yes for an answer?  And the acting is fine - especially good to see William Hurt as Millican, and Tom Goodwin-Hill from Mr. Selfridge as Joe.

In short, highly recommended (and, for its worth, far better than Almost Human on Fox last year).


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Deutschland 83 106: Grave Developments

Another excellent, fast-moving episode of Deutschland 83 last night - #106 - which has two especially grave developments for our hero, Martin.

First, in terms of long-range impact, we learn near the end of the episode that Tischbier's lover has AIDs.   Since Alex has recently slept with Tischbier, this unfortunately opens up all kinds of possibilities for General Ebel and his family, which makes what he just went through with his son MIA seem pale in comparison.

But the other piece of bad luck for Martin comes from Alex's rash hostage-taking, which results in Kramer being killed in the shoot-out as Martin and Alex escape.  As I mentioned last week, Kramer was a key figure in Martin's deception - perhaps the key figure - since he was well-situated in the West German command, had Ebel's complete trust, and was thus able to cover for Martin/Stamm whenever necessary.   Kramer's death will leave Martin bereft of a crucial ally and source of support.

Speaking of support, Annett surprised Martin and the audience by encouraging him to continue his patriotic work away from her, when he was pledging to her to stay by her side and take care of her and their baby. In other circumstances, this might have been an indication that Annett was having an affair with someone else, but in this case, her support of Martin's work stems for her devotion to the East German cause, which we already saw in evidence in her cooperation with the authorities regarding the banned books. So maybe we shouldn't have been surprised, and should accept that patriotism outstrips personal love in this circumstance, however alien that seems to us - and did for Martin.

I meant to mention in my review last week how apt the opening music is to Deutschland 83 -  Peter Schilling "Major Tom," a sequel to David Bowie's "Space Oddity," was not only a big hit in 1983, but suits the spirit of the narrative of this series just perfectly.

And I'll be back with more next week.

See also Deutschland 83: Edge of Your Seat and Memorable Espionage


 

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Touching the Face of the Cosmos: Contents as of August 1, 2015

The following are the contents of our anthology, Touching the Face of the Cosmos: The Roots and Future of Human Space Exploration in Religion as of August 1, 2015, three weeks after our official deadline for receipt of essays and stories, and the day after the first humans on the Moon anniversary. There are several important points to keep in mind about what follows:

1. This is not the Table of Contents.  My co-editor Michael Waltemathe and I have yet to decide on the specific order of nonfiction essays and science fiction stories.

2. This is not a final list of essays and stories.  We are still expecting a few additional essays.

3. But the following should give you an ample idea of what to expect in the anthology.  Look for further announcements as we get closer to our expected November 1, 2015 publication date.

Introduction:

John Glenn interviewed by Paul Levinson, 30 July 2015

Essays
Joshua Ambrosius (Univ of Dayton) "Our Cosmic Future? How Religion Might Shape It"David Brin (Arthur C. Clarke Center, Univ of California, San Diego) "So You Want to Make Gods"Guy Consolmagno, SJ (President, Vatican Observatory Foundation) "A Catholic in Space: Coming Home"Wu Jianzhong (Sichuan International Studies Univ, China) "Sky One: The Universe and Human Beings are Unified"Paul Levinson (Fordham Univ) "Religion as a Necessary Engine of Space Travel"Juan Pablo Marrufo del Toro, SJ "Space Exploration as a Religious Pilgrimage"Michael O'Neal (formerly NASA, Kennedy Space Center) "Faith in Space: A Christian Perspective"Jeremy Saget (Mars One) "Faith to Face"Barry Schwartz (Rabbi,  Congregation Adas Emuno) "One Earth"Lance Strate (Fordham Univ) "The Touching Interface of the Cosmos"Kathleen D. Toerpe (100 Year Starship) "Shall the Sacred Heavens Be Cast Down"Molly Vozick-Levinson (Director, Children's Learning Center) "Castles in the Air: Young Children Imagining Outer Space"Michael Waltemathe (Ruhr-Universität Bochum) "The Heavens Declare the Glory of God: Religion in a Spacefaring Society"Deana L. Weibel (Grand Valley State Univ) "Pennies from Heaven: Objects in the Use of Outer Space as Sacred Space"Christian Weidemann (Ruhr-Universität Bochum) "Did Jesus Die for Klingons, Too? Christian Faith and Extraterrestrial Salvation"Stories
Kyle Aisteach (author, science fiction) "Birth of a Pantheon"Arlan Andrews, Sr. (founder, SIGMA, science fiction think-tank) "Epiphany"Gregory Benford (Univ of California) "Winds of Mars"Dave Creek (author, science fiction) "Kayonga's Decision"Jack Dann (Nebula and World Fantasy Award winner) "Jumping the Road"Marianne Dyson (former NASA Flight Controller) "The Right of Interference"Philip Gibson (author, Hashtag Histories book series) "Christmas Message from the Moon"James Heiser (Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America) "Ecce Aqua"Robert J. Sawyer (Hugo and Nebula Award winner) "Come All Ye Faithful"Tom Klinkostein (Hofstra Univ) "The Universe Emerges from Information"James F. McGrath (Butler Univ) "Biblical Literalism in the New Jerusalem"Alex Shvartsman (WSFA Small Press for Short Fiction Award winner)"The Miracle on Tau Prime"Cover art by Joel IskowitzInterior art by Brittany Miller
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