Paul Levinson's Blog: Levinson at Large, page 44
December 21, 2022
His Dark Materials 3.6: Stories
I was going to wait until I'd seen all eight episodes of the third and (presumably, because you never know) final season of His Dark Materials (on HBO Max) before posting a review, but episode 6 was so powerful, deeply beautiful, and good, I couldn't wait.
[Spoilers ahead... And, as I said in my reviews of episodes from the prior two seasons, I haven't read the novels, so they'll be no comparisons here on screen to page.]
First and foremost, I really liked that at least one of the heroes of this story -- maybe the hero -- was the story itself, or maybe stories would be a better word. But the harpy that Lyra named told her that all the people in purgatory -- or the talking dead -- could become free, the spirits reunited with the universe at large -- if they told their true stories. No liars could pass. Only tellers of true stories.
This was a brilliant touch, because, first of all stories, many and maybe most stories, are not true, or at least not completely true. (An Italian friend of mine liked to quote what he said was an old Italian saying, "it may not be true, but it's a good story." But who knows if he was telling the truth.) The cognitive anthropologist Alexander Marshack wrote in The Roots of Civilization in 1972 that the defining characteristic of human beings is that we tell stories. Presumably those that are true, untrue, and mixtures of the two, but who knows about that exactly, either.
Meanwhile, there were other really notable and heart-lifting things in episode 3.6. Mrs. Coulter's reunion with her demon monkey was really something, a powerful tableaux metaphor of someone finding themself and becoming whole again. And while we're on the subject of reunions, it was also good to see Mrs. Coulter and Asriel, if not quite back together, at least on the way there. (And, come to think of it, they never really were together in the first place.)
Other things I liked not only in the 6th episode of the 3rd season, but throughout the entire third season so far (which, by the way, I think is the best of the three seasons): I liked the aptly named despicable Father MacPhail insisting on being called "President," because it harkened to one President and one former President I really despise in our world, Putin and Trump. And, I don't know, maybe it's only me, but does the name "Metatron" remind you of Facebook's "Metaverse"?
Also, it was good to see Lee again, and that wise bear was better than ever.
Anyway, see you back here in not too many days with my review of the final two episodes of this season.
See also His Dark Materials 2.1-3: Dust, Dark Matter, and Multiple Universes ... His Dark Materials 2.4: Chosen by the Knife ... His Dark Materials 2.5: Daughter and Mother ... His Dark Materials 2.6: The Hug and the Control ... His Dark Materials 2.7: Lots of Action, Little Time
And see also His Dark Materials 1.1: Radiation Punk ... His Dark Materials 1.3: Coulter's Daemons ... His Dark Materials 1.4: The Bears ... His Dark Materials 1.5: Sleepers and Questions ... His Dark Materials 1.6: His Fast Materials
December 19, 2022
Podcast Review of Harry & Meghan
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 345, in which I review Harry & Meghan on Netflix.
Written blog post reviews of Harry & Meghan: episodes 1-3, 4-6
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December 18, 2022
On Cape Cod Bay
In between the writing ... taken the other chilly day on Cape Cod Bay
photo of me by Tina Vozick
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's musicDecember 17, 2022
Harry & Meghan 4-6: Fame and its Consequences
I said in my review of the first three episodes of Harry & Meghan on Netflix that I was more interested in the media aspects of their story than the royalty, though the two are of course intertwined. The same is true of the final three episodes -- 4-6 -- which I just saw on Thursday.
But the media play a different role in this part of their story. In the first part, we see Meghan in control and on top of the media, able to use them to her and Harry's advantage, and good for her. Now we see her become the victim of their incessant intrusion into their lives, to the point that she and Harry and their son and the daughter need to go into a kind of hiding. Tyler Perry, the rich American actor who gave them shelter and peace in his beautiful home in California, deserves a lot of credit and becomes a real hero in this story. And shout-out for Chris Bouzy, for providing some savvy research which shows that the avalanche of vicious tweets aimed at Meghan were the work of a small group of well-organized racists.
Both Harry and Meghan, of course, are understably focused on what happened to Harry's mother Diana, and making sure Meghan doesn't suffer the same fate. I would say that the ultimate culprit, in both cases, is fame itself. When you don't have it, you pursue it, often desire it above all else. But when you attain it, especially if it's a lot of fame, it suddenly is pursuing you, and your task changes from seeking it to avoiding it. The problem is that fame unleashed becomes incompatible with basic human privacy.
And here the royals do come into play. Whatever we may think of them, they have figured out a way of dealing with the flames of fame, including keeping it at bay when necessary. Although their corporate-like decisions may rankle -- and certain did bother both Harry and Meghan -- the "firm's" endless decisions on what information to dole out, precisely where and when, were and are designed to give the media what they want in a way that doesn't burn or singe any member of the royal family, or the concept of royalty itself.
Ironically, the forces that drove Harry and Meghan to leave the royals -- the decision being more Harry''s, and being made to protect Meghan -- left them even more vulnerable to the media sharks. Why the royals didn't do more to protect them, even then, after they had left the royals, remains an indictment of the royal family. After all, Harry and Meghan are members of their family, literally. Prince William's responses, in particular, don't show him in a very good light in this documentary, though in all fairness, this documentary doesn't show, or purport to show, his side of this complex story.
But life goes on, and now that Charles is King and William is next in line to be King, there could well be time and occasion for a rapprochement between the brothers and the family. None of that is talked about in the documentary, because its story concludes with Elizabeth II still on the throne. But it does lead us to believe -- or, at least, it does me -- that Harry and Meghan are good, thoughtful people, wonderful parents, and they and their children deserve a happy life.
See also Harry & Meghan 1-3: The Media
December 16, 2022
The Mosquito Coast 2.7: Sandpiper
An outstanding episode -- 2.7 -- of The Mosquito Coast up on Apple TV+ today, in all kinds of ways.
[Spoilers follow ... ]
First, it was great to see Ally roll out his Sandpiper program -- assuming he wasn't just going through the motions for Lee -- but I doubt that, he seemed really into it. The project itself seems close to science fiction, but I'm no expert in new, top-secret apps. What it's supposed to do is keep track of all police and police activities in a given area, so that a drug smuggler, for example, can be really efficient.
And while on the subject of Ally -- this episode had best ending so far in this second season, with Ally looking through some old documents in Guillermo Bautista's backroom and finding a photo of the coast, entitled "La Costa de Los Mosquitos". Well, we all know what that translates to. And seeing it leads Ally, judging by the expression on his face, to muse that whatever is in that photograph, or on that page, could provide a new solution to everything.
That's a pretty big order, and I can't wait to see how it all plays out.
Meanwhile, Charlie and Dina were both in top form in this episode. Charlie loves this place, and Dina is dying to get out there, as fast as she can. I of course can understand where both are coming from, but, for some reason, I find Charlie's trajectory a little more intriguing. It's almost as if he's melding and melting into his surroundings, gradually becoming both less and more civilized, in a Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness way.
Come to think of it, there's always been an element of Conrad in The Mosquito Coast, and it's good to see it coming to the surface in this way.
photo by Tina Vozick
See also The Mosquito Coast 2.1: Thirteen Years Ago ... The Mosquito Coast 2.4: Motion Pictures on the Cave Wall ... The Mosquito Coast 2.5: Hitting the Fan ... The Mosquito Coast 2.6: Close Calls
And see also The Mosquito Coast 1.1-2: Edgy, Attractive, Enlightened, and Important ... The Mosquito Coast 1.3: Broadening Horizons ... The Mosquito Coast 1.4: Charlie and the Gun ... The Mosquito Coast 1.5: Charlie and the Gun, Part II ... The Mosquito Coast 1.6: What Kind of Brother? ... The Mosquito Coast season 1 finale: I'm Well Bitten
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Echo 3 1.6: Fighting Back
It was good to see Prince, Mitch, and Bambi fight back in Echo 3 1.6 after Amber's heroic but unsuccessful attempt to escape last week.
[Spoilers ahead ...]
This time, Prince takes the lead. He needs to get Bambi, who's been spending his days drinking, back in action. (Tough to say whether Bambi's protestations that he's in fact working on plan to get Amber free is really happening or just in his head.) Mitch plays the most major role we've seen for him so far, and the team of three certainly need him keeping them on track.
Their plan is a good one: kidnap the brother of a Venezuelan official who could get the Colombians to release Amber. The meat of the hour was the actual kidnap of the brother, a dj in a stadium, and it was fun to see it succeed after at least one false start and all kinds of obstacles.
This brother now being in hand, which is the way the episode ended, may be the first time we've seen an attempt to spring Amber last more than one episode. Good to see. And also good to see were Prince and Bambi "kiss and make up" (Mitch's apt description), as they each confessed to each other's missteps in this whole Amber being taken prisoner business. Also of note was Bambi's accepting Prince's confession that he cheated on Amber -- Bambi's sister -- telling Prince just to make sure he doesn't tell Amber.
Although there have been movies and TV shows with similar stories and action, there's something about Echo 3 that keeps me very eager to see the next episode.
See also Echo 3 1.1-1.3: Bondian Flavor and Pure Adrenalin ... 1.4 Welcome to the Jungle ... 1.5: Currents
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's musicDecember 15, 2022
Criminal Minds: Evolution 16.5: Assessment of What Could Have Happened at the End
Well, given the title of this review, you'll know that it will be filled with spoilers. But I'll put the warning in anyway:
[Spoilers ahead ... ]
So, the episode ends with JJ and Luke being caught in an explosion, their communication cut off, and everyone else looking horrified back in Washington, DC.
The main options are 1. JJ dies, Luke survives; 2. Luke dies, J. J. survives; 3. both die; 4. both survive (in the interest keeping this review not overly long, I won't into the possibilities one or both being badly hurt, and how badly). Let's look at each of these four main possibilities:
1. JJ dies, Luke survives: This would have the most dramatic punch. JJ and Penelope are the only characters to have been on Criminal Minds in each of the 16 seasons so far, and JJ was a main character in the first season, in contrast to Penelope, who was listed as "also starring". Also, even more important, in this episode, JJ promises her husband that she'll call him from now on before she enters a life-threatening situation -- that pinky-swear promise would give her death maximum dramatic significance. (The promise also happens after he finds out he's not suffering from cancer, and we may find out in the future that he was not telling JJ the truth, which would make JJs death now even more devastating.) But I sure hope that doesn't happen.
2. Luke dies, JJ survives: Not as significant a character as JJ, and he didn't make anyone any promises beforehand. But his death, as would JJ's, would show viewers that Criminal Minds: Evolution isn't fooling around this season.
3. Both die: This would not much more dramatic effect than just JJ dying, but it's unusual to have two major characters dying in the same scene (other than in Game of Thrones), and this would certainly demonstrate that Criminal Minds this season is going for broke. Still, I would rate this outcome as the least likely.
4. Both survive: This, to some extent, could have the result of viewers not taking Criminal Minds as seriously as we should. It would have the least dramatic impact. But I would say it's the second most likely, after J.J dying, and, as a fan of the show, it's the outcome I'd most like to see, softy that I am.
We'll find out what happens on January 12, 2023, when the series returns, and I'll be back here shortly after that with a review.
See also Criminal Minds: Evolution 16.1-16.4: Outstanding!
===Some reviews of episodes from earlier seasons:
Criminal Minds 8.12: Spencer's Burden
Criminal Minds 7.1: "The Is Calm and It's Doctor" ... Criminal Minds 7.3: Meets House and The Unit
Criminal Minds in Sixth Season Premiere ... Criminal Minds 6.2: The Meaning of J. J. Leaving ... Criminal Minds 6.3: Proust, Twain, Travanti ... Tyra on Criminal Minds 6.13 ...Criminal Minds 6. 17: Prentiss Farewell Part I ... Criminal Minds 6.18: Farewell Emily ... Criminal Minds 6.19: Fight Club Redux Plus ... Criminal Minds 6.20: Emily's Ghost ... Criminal Minds 6.21: The Tweeting Killer ... Criminal Minds 6.22: Psycho and a Half ... Criminal Minds 6.23: The Good Lie ... Criminal Minds Season 6 Finale
Criminal Minds 5.22 and the Dark Side of New New Media
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December 14, 2022
Kindred: A Slice of Roots, with Time Travel
Just binged Kindred on Hulu the past two nights. It's a time travel story unlike anything I've ever seen or read (I haven't read the Octavia Butler novel from which it's adapted). And it's powerful, beautiful, tender, and tough, and altogether superb.
[Some general spoilers ahead ... ]
It's the kind of time travel story in which there are no machines or devices to cause the travel, which makes Kindred science fantasy not science fiction. Time travel that's science fiction descends from H. G. Wells Time Machine; time travel that's science fantasy from Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. A more recent example is The Time Traveler's Wife. In these kinds of stories, the time traveler is pulled backwards or forwards in time by some mysterious, inchoate force. Usually, often, the pulling is beyond the time traveler's control. But if the time traveler understands what is happening and maybe why, there's a chance he or she can get the better of it, or at least to some extent control it.
In Kindred, Dana (perfectly played by Mallori Johnson) from 2016 America is pulled back to Maryland in the early 1800s, way before the Civil War. She gradually comes to understand the rules of this involuntary sojourn. She has to save a boy Rufus, who, she eventually learns, is one of her ancestors. Same for Alice who creates Dana's line with Rufus. There's one other thing: Dana is black, Rufus is white, and Alice is black.
Though we learn the significance of Alice at the very end of the final (8th) episode, relationships between the races are the heart and soul of this story. Kevin (also very played, by Micah Stock) in the present is white, and he and Dana bond and start to fall in love, as Kevin accompanies Dana when she's pulled back in time because he's holding her. Thomas (good performance by Ryan Kwanten) is a slaveholder who first takes in Dana and Kevin -- thinking Dana is Kevin's slave -- and Thomas turns out to be as vicious and cruel as they come. As a story of plantation life, Kindred almost seems at times to be a slice of Roots in an alternate world in which fantastical time travel is possible, and maybe that's what Kindred in fact is.
Eight episodes are definitely not enough to contain and present this wonderful, heart-wrenching and heart-warming story, and I'll be watching the next season the day that it's up. Hats off to Branden Jacobs-Jenkins for bringing this ever more timely story to television.
December 13, 2022
Harry & Meghan 1-3: The Media
I'm not so much a royal watcher as a lifelong student of media (and professor of media studies at Fordham University), so it was through that lense that I watched and really enjoyed the first three of six episodes of the Harry & Meghan documentary on Netflix.
Meghan is unique among the royals for several reasons. The most interesting and important, I'd say, in the long run, is that she was already a success in the media before she met Harry. Although Suits on the USA Network isn't quite up there with LA Law or Petrocelli, the legal drama ran for nine seasons, and Meghan played a major role as Rachel in seven of them. This means that Meghan has a comfort with media, an understanding of its levers, challenges, and opportunities, that few people on the face of the Earth have, including the Royals.
It shows in Liz Garbus' excellent documentary. Meghan is sparklingly articulate, in control of every scene -- except when she wants to appear not so -- and knows just how to catch and look at the camera, and us her audience. This is not say she's feigning emotions. She was convincing to me -- though, then again, I of course don't really know her.
Prince Harry no doubt benefits from his wife's media insight. He also comes across as real and relaxed, and when he's upset and not relaxed at all, that seems thoroughly justified. Again, I don't know Harry, so I can't say what he's like off-camera, but certainly his concern for Meghan's well-being and very life, in view of what happened to Harry's mother Diana, seems 100% warranted.
So the documentary brings home Harry and Meghan as a refreshingly real and therefore relatable couple. As a significant comparison, Harry's older brother and heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Kate are also shown from time to time in the first three hours. They seem nice and friendly enough, but on a different planet compared to Harry and Meghan in the way they relate to the world. I suppose part of this is understandable, given the weight on William's shoulders as future King. But part of this also comes from their personalities, and neither having anything like Meghan's facility with the media.
Other than Harry and Meghan per se, I thought the most commanding part of the documentary came from historian David Olusoga, whose critical take on the British commonwealth was a splash of icy salt water for any who romanticize the biggest empire that ever existed in our world. The underside of bringing civilization to so many diverse places is the price that people of color are still paying for this achievement.
But there's a lot more to Harry and Meghan's story. We're advised at the beginning of the documentary that the filming concluded in August 2022, or prior to the end of Queen Elizabeth II's long reign in September. There was a walkabout in Windsor in September, with William and Kate, and Harry and Meghan, greeting the people. For whatever reason, the two couples spoke to the people separately, on opposing sides of the street, and there was not much interaction between them. Harry and Meghan of course were fully aware of the documentary, and the story it would tell. William and Kate must have known about it, but it's not clear if they'd seen it. Probably not.
But I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the concluding three episodes of the documentary on Thursday.
See also Harry & Meghan 1-3: The Media
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