Paul Levinson's Blog: Levinson at Large, page 284

Banshee Season 3 Finale: Subtractions and Additions

A strong Banshee Season 3 finale, which made good on its promise last week to "change everything," which it did with a series of major subtractions and additions to the continuing storyline.

Gordon's is the one death of a continuing character, all the more painful because we've recently seen the love that he and Carrie indeed shared.  He also accounted himself with considerable bravery in the assault on the compound tonight, a condition which, when it appears for the first time in a longstanding character, can often be a sign that the character will encounter a fatal resolution.

The other subtraction, much bigger but not fatal, is Job's being taken into some kind of Federal commando custody.   Although I hated to see this happen to Job, I was glad for what it will do his character and the future plot - that is, put him in a much more important, central position to the narrative, which he eminently deserves.

Hood's taking off the sheriff's badge is another big subtraction, obviously, and long pointed at, but it segued almost seamlessly into a very profound addition, Hood and Proctor joining forces - or, Hood working in some way for Proctor.  The two have clearly had more in common than was admitted from the get-go, and what Proctor says at the end indicates he knew, or figured, on some level, that Hood wasn't really a sheriff.   The series has always been at it best when both of these power houses are fighting on the same side, and the glimmer we saw of their alliance promises some good developments and action ahead.

Whatever that may be, it will involve Job, and the scenes of a younger Hood in a cell - not really a cell - tonight.  All of that implies that Hood was something more than he seemed for a long time, including more than one of Rabbit's men spending time in prison for robbery.

Here's to Season 4!

See also Banshee 3.1: Taking Stock ... Banshee 3.2: Women in Charge ...Banshee 3.3: Burton vs. Nola ... Banshee 3.4: Burton and Rebecca ... Banshee 3.5: Almost the Alamo ...  Banshee 3.6: Perfect What-If Bookends ... Banshee 3.7: Movie with Movie ... Banshee 3.8: What Did Rebecca Find with Burton? ... Banshee 3.9: Loyalty

And see also Banshee Season 2 Premiere: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.2: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.3 Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.4 Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.5: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.6: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.7: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.8: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.9 Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee Season 2 Finale: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee Season 2 Finale: Just Right and Shattering


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12 Monkeys 1.9: Shelley, Keats, and Time Travel

Two significant deaths in 12 Monkeys 1.9 - though, of course, death isn't death when time travel is concerned.   You might say death itself is perishable, certainly not immutable or irreversible, when it can be revered at any later earlier time by a time traveler.  In that sense, this fine 12 Monkeys narrative - in some ways, even better than the excellent movie, as I've already been saying - gives substance to Shelley's immortal paean (regarding Keats), "'tis death is dead, not he".

But the deaths still sting.   Jones' point blank execution of Foster is unsurprising, given her steely resolve, but it still packs a ruthless wallop, tuned up even further when we learn that Foster may indeed have been on his way to getting a cure for all plague mutations.  Why was this not enough for Jones?

Well, it's a lot more than ego.  Jones wants no one who died from the plague to die, especially those she knew and loved.  Foster's plea that the past can live on through great works - he talks about Shakespeare but the example could easily have been Shelley and Keats - does not satisfy Jones.  As I mentioned last week, Foster's position would be pretty appealing if our world were really afflicted by a plague. I mean, even in a world without a plague, I like the idea that we can live on through our great works - hey, I'm a writer, of course I feel that way.

But in a world in which time travel is real, that's probably a better solution.  I say probably, because it's hard to get your head around the "fact" that if the plague is prevented at the outset, then everyone we've come to know and in some cases love won't exist in that way that we've come to know them. They'll be alive, but not without the memories that we may cherish.  Jones knows that, but she's willing to lose those memories to regain her daughter.

And the second death of the episode, Cassie, puts Cole in that same position. Love conquers logic, and Cole is now one with Jones in doing whatever is necessary for him to travel to the past to save Cassie.   If this puts him at deadly odds with Ramse now, so be it.

Just saw yesterday that 12 Monkeys was renewed for a second season - good news, the twists and loops and profound chords of this story will do well to have another season or more to play out.

See also this Italian review, w/reference to Hawking and my story, "The Chronology Protection Case"

And see also 12 Monkeys series on SyFy: Paradox Prominent and Excellent ...12 Monkeys 1.2: Your Future, His Past ... 12 Monkeys 1.3:  Paradoxes, Lies, and Near Intersections ... 12 Monkeys 1.4: "Uneasy Math" ... 12 Monkeys 1.5: The Heart of the Matter ... 12 Monkeys 1.6: Can I Get a Witness? ... 12 Monkeys 1.7: Snowden, the Virus, and the Irresistible ... 12 Monkeys 1.8: Intelligent Vaccine vs. Time Travel

podcast review of Predestination and 12 Monkeys



 three time travel novels: the Sierra Waters trilogy


What if the Soviet Union survived into the 21st century,
and Eddie and the Cruisers were a real band?


The Chronology Protection Case movie 

~~~ +++ ~~~

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The Americans 3.7: Martha, My Dear

Finally, a welcome episode of The Americans - 3.7 - that pays some attention to Martha, and the barely believable but riveting role she's been playing in our story.

The Americans began with one huge, all but unbelievable coincidence;  Stan the FBI guy living next door to Philip and Elizabeth, and never discovering (not yet, at least) who they really are.   Their true identities even survived drawings of them right up on Stan's FBI wall, even though those drawing look like, well, Philip and Elizabeth in disguise.   But, ok, my former science fiction editor, David Hartwell at Tor, once told me that readers are usually willing to grant a story one big coincidence before allowing their suspension of disbelief to be shattered, and that makes some sense.

But The Americans soon upped the ante with the Philip and Martha story, which strains credulity in all kinds of ways.  Back to the drawings on the wall, why doesn't Martha think the drawing of Philip in disguise looks at least familiar in some way?   And, sooner or later, won't Stan run into Philip in disguise - say, if he has to make a surprise visit to Martha's house on some kind of urgent business?

But episode 3.7 turned up the temperature even higher.  Gaad discovers a pen in his office has been bugged - presumably a pen given to Martha by Philip, which she - on his urging? - put into Gaad's office.   I in the question mark because I'm honestly not sure about any of this.   Possibly I turned away from the screen for a moment in a crucial scene in an earlier episode, but my wife had the same uncertainty about the pen got into Gaad's office, too.

Then there is the device in Martha's purse - what is it?  My wife was thinking maybe Martha is herself some kind of double agent, but she seems much too upset about all of this for her to be some kind of super cool operative who's taken Philip in on this (though that would be a great twist).  As it is, all of these discovered bugs have made Martha suspicious of Philip, which she should have been months or longer ago in terms of narrative time in the series.

So ... The Americans has opened up some huge holes, which I'm looking forward to seeing how it does not fall into.

See also The Americans 3.1: Caring for People We Shouldn't ... The Americans 3.3: End Justified the Means ...  The Americans 3.4: Baptism vs. Communism ... The Americans 3.6: "Jesus Came Through for Me Tonight"
And see also The Americans 2.1-2: The Paradox of the Spy's Children ... The Americans 2.3: Family vs. Mission ... The Americans 2.7: Embryonic Internet and Lie Detection ... The Americans 2.9: Gimme that Old Time Religion ...The American 2.12: Espionage in Motion ... The Americans Season 2 Finale: Second Generation

And see also The Americans: True and Deep ... The Americans 1.4: Preventing World War III ... The Americans 1.11:  Elizabeth's Evolution ... The Americans Season 1 Finale: Excellent with One Exception

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Like a post Cold War digital espionage story?  Check out The Pixel Eye

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Vikings 3.4: They Call Me the Wanderer

That was one of the main refrains - "They call me the wanderer" - of what is probably Dion's greatest song as a solo artist, "The Wanderer".   It also could have been the title of Vikings 3.4, given the strange character who takes his leave of our three Scandinavian heroines in the cold, muddy town of Kattegat.

There has always been a little bit more than a flirtation with the actual mystical in this otherwise outstanding television series.   That the Vikings believed in a set of gods who walked among us is indisputable history.   That Vikings on the History Channel should show us how these beliefs animated the lives of our heroes makes sense and is excellent narrative.   But when the gods become real to us the audience - that is, when they move from how the Vikings saw their worlds to how those worlds actually were - well, that's verging into Games of Thrones territory.  And while I love Game of Thrones, I love Vikings in a different way, for different reasons, and I enjoy appreciating the two stories in separate ways.

There was an enormous amount that was compelling about Harbard the Wanderer without hinting that he was superhuman.   He might have really taken some of the pain away from Ragnar's young son through laying of hands or just the sound of his voice.  He might well have seduced Aslaug because she was indeed very lonely and emotionally in need.   The boys might indeed have wandered off to find them, and Siggy followed, which led to her death, without any of the supernatural overtones.  As it was depicted, we get a rendition of a new Norse legend, rather a tableau of Norse historical life.

Meanwhile, over in England, we get some important personal developments, highlighted by Althelstan and Judith finally making love, and Lagertha putting a break on her relationship with Ecbert, or at very least refusing to dissolve her own considerable power in their affair.   Ragnar also gets some quality time with Kwenthrith, after she urinates on his wound, probably the best scene of that nature since Chandler peed on Monica's leg in "The One with the Jelly Fish" episode to, well, relieve the pain of the jelly fish's sting.

I'm more than ready for Paris.

See also Vikings 3.1. Fighting and Farming ... Vikings 3.2: Leonard Nimoy ... Vikings 3.3: We'll Always Have Paris

And see also Vikings 2.1-2: Upping the Ante of Conquest ... Vikings 2.4: Wise King ... Vikings 2.5: Caught in the Middle ... Vikings 2.6: The Guardians ...Vikings 2.7: Volatile Mix ... Vikings 2.8: Great Post-Apocalyptic Narrative ... Vikings Season 2 Finale: Satisfying, Surprising, Superb

And see also Vikings ... Vikings 1.2: Lindisfarne ... Vikings 1.3: The Priest ... Vikings 1.4:  Twist and Testudo ... Vikings 1.5: Freud and Family ... Vikings 1.7: Religion and Battle ... Vikings 1.8: Sacrifice
... Vikings Season 1 Finale: Below the Ash

 
historical science fiction - a little further back in time

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The Walking Dead 5.13: The Horse and the Party

The tension of the normal ruled The Walking Dead 5.13 - the tension of ordinary life in Alexandria - with the biggest scene being the killing of a horse by walkers.   Actually, that was a pretty powerful vignette.

But the rest of the action took place inside this weirdly cosy world - unsettling, precisely because it was cosy, with the zombie apocalypse proceeding outside.   Rick kissing the doctor's blonde wife on the cheek, when he'd like to do much more.  Carl finally talking to guys his own age about normal things.   Carole offering to bake cookies--

Except, that sequence ends with Carole frightening the kid with a tale of monsters - all too true - in order to get the blonde's son not to tell her what he saw Carole doing, stealing some guns.   Chances are, sooner or later, he'll his mother anyway.   The Carole scene represents the limits of normalcy in Alexandria.

But in some ways, the most frightening depiction is of Daryl's domestication.   He accepts the spaghetti invitation, consumes it with gusto, and then the offer to join the community as a recruiter.   All of this is deeply disturbing because it rings so true, and so false, at the same time.  Even if the series were ending for good this season, it couldn't and wouldn't end this way.

So what's going to happen?  This is the same question that's been hanging in the air like "a floating question why" - to quote Paul Simon in "Cloudy" - all through last week's episode and now this one. And cloudy is a good description of where the future now resides for our heroes.  Replacing the uncertainty of whether they'll live or die is what is going on in this town?

Just a few more episodes to find out this season, in what is shaping up, in its own way, as perhaps the most disquieting season we've seen so far on The Walking Dead.

See also: The Walking Dead 5.1: The Redemption of Carole ... The Walking Dead 5.3: Meets Alfred Hitchcock and The Twilight Zone ... The Walking Dead 5.4: Hospital of Horror ... The Walking Dead 5.5: Anatomy of a Shattered Dream ... The Walking Dead 5.6-7: Slow ... The Walking Dead 5.8: Killing the Non-Killer ... The Walking Dead 5.9: Another Death in the Family ... The Walking Dead 5.11: The Smiling Stranger ... The Walking Dead 5.12: The Other Shoe

And see also The Walking Dead 4.1: The New Plague ... The Walking Dead 4.2: The Baby and the Flu ... The Walking Dead 4.3: Death in Every Corner ...The Walking Dead 4.4: Hershel, Carl, and Maggie ... The Walking Dead 4.6: The Good Governor ... The Walking Dead 4.7: The Governor's Other Foot ... The Walking Dead 4.8: Vintage Fall Finale ... The Walking Dead 4.9: A Nightmare on Walking Dead Street ... The Walking Dead 4:14: Too Far ... The Walking Dead Season 4 Finale: From the Gunfire into the Frying Pan

And see also The Walking Dead 3.3 meets Meadowlands ... The Walking Dead 3.4: Going to the Limit ... The Walking Dead 3.9: Making Crazy Sense ... The Walking Dead 3.10: Reinforcements ... The Walking Dead 3.11: The Patch ... The Walking Dead 3.12: The Lesson of Morgan ... The Walking Dead 3.13: The Deal ... The Walking Dead 3.14: Inescapable Parable ... The Walking Dead 3.15: Merle ... The Walking Dead 3.16: Kill or Die, or Die and Kill
And see also The Walking Dead Back on AMC ... The Walking Dead 2.2: The Nature of Vet  ... The Walking Dead 2.3: Shane and Otis ... The Walking Dead 2.4: What Happened at the Pharmacy ... The Walking Dead 2.6: Secrets Told ... The Walking Dead 2.7: Rick's Way vs. Shane's Way ...  The Walking Dead 2.8: The Farm, the Road, and the Town  ... The Walking Dead 2.9: Worse than Walkers ... The Walking Dead 2.11: Young Calling the Shots ... The Walking Dead 2.12: Walkers Without Bites ... The Walking Dead Season 2 FinaleAnd see also The Walking Dead 1.1-3:  Gone with the Wind, Zombie Style ... The Walking Dead Ends First Season
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no cannibalism but at least a plague in The Consciousness Plague
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Black Sails 2.7: The Governor's Daughter and the Gold

A strategically rip-roaring Black Sails 2.7 tonight, with all kinds of revelations and double-crosses.

First and foremost, we finally get some clarity about Billy.   In a crucial scene, he tells Flint that he can't be sure if Flint let his hand and him slip into the sea of not, but that was the past, this is the here and now, and Flint is still Billy and the men's best bet for success.   Earlier, Billy seemed to be working with Dufresne to tun Flint over to the authorities, but something in Billy's expression made me if not Dufresne suspicious about what Flint was really up to.  In a dramatic scene, Billy turns on Dufresne and the pirates the quartermaster had rallied against Flint. But - why did Billy let Dufresne live?

Meanwhile, right around this same time, we get a great scene with Eleanor and Vane.  She has rescued the Governor's daughter, but Vane has come upon them, literally on the other side of a locked gate, with him inside.   He threatens Eleanor not to take the prize, and that was likely his worst move, since, if we know anything for sure about Eleanor, she doesn't respond well to threats, including even from the Captain who beat Ned Low and wasn't beaten by Flint.

But the biggest surprise of all comes from John Silver, who cooks up a story about the Urca gold having vanished and manages to sell it to everyone, likely including - at least, it seems so - Flint himself.   I certainly believed it, even though its news seemed rather out of the clear blue Caribbean sky.   But Silver has a plan.  Unlike most of the major players in this narrative, he's loyal mainly only to himself - unencumbered by any obligation to the men whom he doesn't lead but sways with his oratory.

And this is where Black Sails now is: in a fine kettle of fish, with just about every captain working against every captain - including, via Silver via Max, Rackham and his ship against Flint.   Honigold may be leaving, but we now have Flint vs. Vane vs. Rackham.

Who will win?  Well, though Flint won't be killed, it's not impossible that the season may end with his being taken into custody, given the rough sailing ahead.

See also Black Sails 2.1: Good Combo, Back Story, New Blood ... Black Sails 2.2: A Fine Lesson in Captaining ... Black Sails 2.3: "I Angered Charles Vane" ... Black Sails 2.4: "Fire!" ... Black Sails 2.5: Twist! ... Black Sails 2.6: Weighty Alternatives, and the Medium is the Message on the High Seas

And see also Black Sails: Literate and Raunchy Piracy ... Black Sails 1.3: John Milton and Marcus Aurelius ... Black Sails 1.4: The Masts of Wall Street ...Black Sails 1.6: Rising Up ... Black Sails 1.7: Fictions and History ... Black Sails 1.8: Money

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pirates of the mind in The Plot to Save Socrates 


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Banshee 3.9: Loyalty

Loyalty has always been an issue on Banshee, but never more so than on last night's episode 3.9, in which


Job tells Hood they're finished - seeing as how Hood almost cost Job his life - right before Job is captured by Col. Stowe's own master hacker, an admirer of Job, not quite as digitally good as Job, but good enough to crack the heist open to reveal everyone except Hood.  (Typically great job as Job by Hoon Lee, by the way.)Carrie and Gordon draw closer together, right before Carrie is captured by Stowe's men.  Stowe then commences beating her, and sends in one his guys to continue the job with a prod, all to get her to reveal Hood as the 4th person in the heist, which we know she won't.   (By the way, what kind of unit is or was Stowe's anyway - I guess, on Banshee, the same kind of sheriff that Hood is, the same kind of bartender that Sugar is, etc.)Proctor tells Brock's former wife to leave, after he breaks free of his captors, after Hood and Brock rescue only Brock's wife, and Rebecca and Burton arrive a moment too late to save him, because Proctor doesn't need to be saved.  But the upshot of Proctor telling the former Mrs. Brock - Emily - to go is that Proctor has found himself again.  In an important confession, he says that after his mother's death, he thought he heard God calling him to be a better man, but now realizes that all he was feeling was grief not grace. (One of the best things about Banshee are characters being true to themselves, however bad those selves may be.)  Rebecca is certainly pleased about this, and likely Burton, too (if he has feelings for Rebecca, he can't be 100% pleased).  
So the season finale next week begins with the following bad situation for our anti-heroes: Sugar, Job, and Carrie are under Stowe's brutal control.   Who can Hood call upon to help him free these people and put Stowe away?   Brock and the new deputies won't be enough.   Proctor, Burton, and Rebecca could put Hood over the top, but it's hard to see Hood asking Proctor for help - after he left him after saving Emily - and Proctor doesn't feel much loyalty to Hood or his people.  On the other hand -

Well, the coming attractions carried the ominous voice-over that "everything will change," which means something's gotta give, somewhere, and likely at least one more person that we know from before this season will die - either that, or Hood will indeed no longer continue with a badge in Banshee.

See also Banshee 3.1: Taking Stock ... Banshee 3.2: Women in Charge ...Banshee 3.3: Burton vs. Nola ... Banshee 3.4: Burton and Rebecca ... Banshee 3.5: Almost the Alamo ...  Banshee 3.6: Perfect What-If Bookends ... Banshee 3.7: Movie with Movie ... Banshee 3.8: What Did Rebecca Find with Burton?

And see also Banshee Season 2 Premiere: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.2: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.3 Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.4 Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.5: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.6: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.7: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.8: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.9 Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee Season 2 Finale: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee Season 2 Finale: Just Right and Shattering


Like crime stories that involve the Amish? Try The Silk Code
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12 Monkeys 1.8: Intelligent Vaccine vs. Time Travel

"Previously, on 12 Monkeys" is the recap of the past that is prelude to every episode.  In 12 Monkeys 1.8, it is literally the story of that fine episode, too.

Jones has to go to Jonathan to get technology to repair then replace the ruined core of her time travel device.  But Jonathan has no confidence in time travel - he prefers the non-paradoxical approach of coming up with a super intelligent vaccine that can outwit the continuing deadly mutations that our plague is spitting up and out into the world.   That's a pretty good science fictional scenario right there, and I might well go for it rather than time travel were this world really stricken by a deadly, mutating plague.  Except - time travel is much more fun - I much prefer 12 Monkeys to Helix - and in the world of 12 Monkeys, you and I as well as Jones knows that time travel is not only possible but real.

But Jonathan doesn't buy it, and when Jones tries to convince him by showing him photographs of his beloved wife, who died from the plague - photographs that were destroyed but which Cole retrieved - Jonathan burns them.  I tell ya, the prejudice against time travel runs strong.   The previous and the past suffer from a powerful inertia and intractability.

Meanwhile, Cassandra is determined to see if Cole survived the blast in Chechnya.  We know that he has - and that the virus indeed was set loose.  It looks as if Cassandra might indeed be able save him, but in a nice twist, it turns out that she finds no trace of him at the blast site, even through we see him with our own eyes being lifted out of the shaft.  How could this be?  Well, that malfunctioning time machine pulled him forward just two years - no longer in 2015, but well before - previous to - 2043.

We also get a nice Ramse story in 1.8, as he meets his former lover and, for the first time, their son.   Happiness is indeed possible even in this plague ridden world - which once again casts us into the central, mind-twisting paradox of this series:  if Cole succeeds in stopping the plague, then not only the bad but the good we've seen in parts of the future will cease to exist.   In a world in which the past isn't safe, nothing in the future is, either.

But I'll see you next week, or when what I've just written is at least a week in the past for me.

See also 12 Monkeys series on SyFy: Paradox Prominent and Excellent ...12 Monkeys 1.2: Your Future, His Past ... 12 Monkeys 1.3:  Paradoxes, Lies, and Near Intersections ... 12 Monkeys 1.4: "Uneasy Math" ... 12 Monkeys 1.5: The Heart of the Matter ... 12 Monkeys 1.6: Can I Get a Witness? ... 12 Monkeys 1.7: Snowden, the Virus, and the Irresistible

podcast review of Predestination and 12 Monkeys



 three time travel novels: the Sierra Waters trilogy


What if the Soviet Union survived into the 21st century,
and Eddie and the Cruisers were a real band?


The Chronology Protection Case movie 

~~~ +++ ~~~

#SFWApro

Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music

Vikings 3.3: We'll Always Have Paris

My favorite scene in Vikings 3.3 was the one in which Ecbert tells Ragnar about Paris.  It typifies what I most like about this series, the profound world-changing collision and mix of cultures in this age and place. England still has a toe in its Roman past, and a local king - Ecbert - visited a Roman city that still stands, Paris, with Charlemagne enthroned.   Ragnar cannot help but be tempted by this true tale, and we therefore see in this scene the beginning of the Viking presence in a world far beyond England.  The story of the Vikings is really an early chapter in the epic of our planet becoming a global village, which continues today.

The Romans figure in my next favorite scene, Ecbert and Lagertha in a still operational Roman bath. It's cozy, comfy, and conducive to making love.   How far will their relationship go?   In a much less comfortable scene - in fact, it was a bit revolting - Ecbert watches Lagertha bathe herself in the blood of a slaughtered cow and fertilize the field with the blood in a Viking ritual designed to bring forth a good harvest.   Ecbert has now been immersed, almost literally, in Lagertha's culture, just as she has with his.   But is this, viscerally, what he wants?  Some of his advisors have already complained about the lack of Christian faith in the Vikings - which Ecbert doesn't seem to mind - but what about the blood on Lagertha's face?

Althestan and Judith are also in that warm Roman bath, and close together, but Judith demurs.  She later tells Althestan that she wanted him, typifying Althestan's position in this entire story and series so far:  he is wanted by many (usually his intellect, but sometimes more) but rarely gets to be fully immersed in any of it, being so powerfully pulled in different directions.   In that sense, he is much more truly the wanderer than that weirdo back in Scandinavia, who appears after the three lead women dream about him.

Speaking of which, Scandinavia continues to be the lesser theater of action in this third season of Vikings.  But that's just as it should be, as the Vikings move out to the greater world beyond in the West.

See also Vikings 3.1. Fighting and Farming ... Vikings 3.2: Leonard Nimoy

And see also Vikings 2.1-2: Upping the Ante of Conquest ... Vikings 2.4: Wise King ... Vikings 2.5: Caught in the Middle ... Vikings 2.6: The Guardians ...Vikings 2.7: Volatile Mix ... Vikings 2.8: Great Post-Apocalyptic Narrative ... Vikings Season 2 Finale: Satisfying, Surprising, Superb

And see also Vikings ... Vikings 1.2: Lindisfarne ... Vikings 1.3: The Priest ... Vikings 1.4:  Twist and Testudo ... Vikings 1.5: Freud and Family ... Vikings 1.7: Religion and Battle ... Vikings 1.8: Sacrifice
... Vikings Season 1 Finale: Below the Ash

 
historical science fiction - a little further back in time

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House of Cards 3: Frank, Claire, "Putin," and superb

I half binge-watched the third season of House of Cards this week - my wife and I wanted more time to savor the episodes on Netflix - but there was nothing half-hearted about this third series of 13 chapters. Indeed, this season was rear-end-over-teakettle volcanic political drama, with aspects that exceeded even the first two extraordinary seasons.

In many ways the best part in this third season was Victor Petrov, the Russian premier our President Underwood has to contend with, a dead ringer for Vladimir Putin in looks, style, and attitude, and masterfully played by Lars Mikkelsen.   This character was so well drawn and acted that what we get in this season of House of Cards is a portrayal of Putin that will stand as the definitive rendition of the real Russian leader in fiction for years to come.

The parts of the plot involving Underwood and Petrov exemplify the shift - at least, to some extent - from domestic to international politics, as befits Underwood's ascension to the Presidency.  But Petrov also figures in the pivotal event that sets Frank and Claire on a collision course - indeed, Petrov sets it motion.

Or perhaps Claire did, first with her unreasonable demand that Frank appoint her UN Ambassador - to which he accedes - and then her righteous denunciation of Petrov at a press conference, after a negotiation to free an American prisoner in a Russian cell goes very badly.  Her denunciation was morally justified but politically ill advised, and Petrov makes her and Frank pay for that, with his demand, later, that Claire be removed as UN Ambassador - a demand to which Frank, somewhat surprisingly, also accedes.

In our real world, it's difficult to image Putin or any Russian leader ever making such a demand, let alone the U.S. President agreeing to it, all the more so when the demand concerns the First Lady.  But it's just about believable in House of Cards, since Frank values success - his - about all else, including Claire's dignity.

This in turn sets up the stunning ending, which I saw coming as soon as Claire was fired, which I guess means was not so stunning, but I still much enjoyed.   Kevin Spacey's performance as Frank Underwood was better than ever - if that's possible - as Robin Wright's as Claire was also even better than in previous seasons.   The supporting cast, including Molly Parker as Rep. Jackie Stamper and Elizabeth Marvel as Helen Dunbar were especially superb.

See House of Cards 3 any way you want it - all at once, over a week, or a month - and it still adds up to one of the high water marks of television viewing.

See also House of Cards Season 1: A Review ... House of Cards Season 2: Even Better than the First, and Why



Jeff is traveling back in time to stop the Challenger
from exploding, but arrives in November 1963

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Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music