Paul Levinson's Blog: Levinson at Large, page 54
June 24, 2022
Podcast Review of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1.8
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 322, in which I review the eighth episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+
written blog post review of this episode
Podcast reviews of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1.1-2 ... 1.3... 1.4... 1.5... 1.6... 1.7
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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1.8: Ends of the Continuum
I have mixed feelings about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1.8, which I saw late last night on Paramount Plus TV. That's because I thought most of it was ridiculous, easily the worst episode of the season, until close to the ending, which I thought was heartwarming and uplifting.
[Spoilers follow ... ]
The ship and its crew turned into a fairytale was the biggest piece of at first inexplicable idiocy I've ever seen in any Star Trek episode in any series. The problem was more than the clumsy efforts at humor that SNW has been prone to. The problem was more than thirty minutes of sheer nonsense bordering on gibberish.
I wouldn't say the ending redeemed this, because that first part was really not needed. But giving Rukiah a life out of the transporter was a wonderful thing, and the manner in which that happened -- she could live that life in the vistas of her mind, and not be brought down by the illness her body was suffering -- was a nice callback to "The Menagerie," in which that same solution worked for the original Captain Pike.
The best scene in the episode was Dr. M'Benga's conversation with his adult daughter. That scene was not only gratifying but had its own callback to TNG's "The Inner Light".
I still would have rather seen M'Benga come upon a physical cure for what was threatening his daughter's life, but I'd say 1.8 of Strange New Worlds is an episode worth seeing, if you don't pay too much attention to the first two thirds.
See also Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1.1-1.2: Great Characters, Actors, Stories ... 1.3: "Instead of terraforming planets, we modify ourselves ..." ... 1.4: The Gorn and the Wub ... 1.5 Going to the Chapel ... 1.6: Two Stories ... 1.7: The Kiss
Expand the U.S. Supreme Court
Expanding the Supreme Court is the only way of protecting Americans from what the court is now doing. I made this point in an interview last night on Frank LoBuono's Being Frank podcast (we start discussing this around 30 mins into the interview).
June 22, 2022
Podcast Review of The Man Who Fell to Earth 1.8
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 322, in which I review the eighth episode of The Man Who Fell to Earth on Showtime.
Written blog post review of this episode of The Man Who Fell to Earth
podcast reviews of The Man Who Fell to Earth 1.1 ... 1.2... 1.3... 1.5-1.6... 1.7
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
Podcast Review of The Time Traveler's Wife 1.6
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 321, in which I review the sixth episode of The Time Traveler's Wife on HBO.
written blog post review of this episode
Podcast reviews of The Time Traveler's Wife 1.1... 1.2... 1.3... 1.4... 1.5
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
The Man Who Fell to Earth 1.8: Battle at the Nunnery
An all-cylinders firing episode 1.8 of The Man Who Fell to Earth on Showtime this past Sunday night, featuring what may be the penultimate (next to last) battle between Faraday's supporters and Spencer and his assassins.
[Spoilers follow ... ]
Quite a battle at Mary Lou's nunnery. They held off Spencer and his killers long enough for Faraday and Justin to escape. And that only happened because Faraday, after being badly wounded at an earlier place, received a transfusion of Josiah's now Anthean blood. Those nuns not only were impressive fighters, they had crucially life-saving medical savvy.
Two big questions remain:
1. Did Josiah survive? He says his survival was by no means assured. In a powerful scene, we see him on the operating table as the badly wounded Mary Lou slips away (she was shot point blank by that horrendous Spencer). She dies happy, feeling that she fulfilled her mission and may be going to a better place. Josiah is still alive, last time we see him, and I'm hoping he survives.
2. Who is Lisa talking to, reporting to, on the phone? Possibly Edie or her brother Hatch, but I'd put my money on the inscrutable Newton. He remains a pivotal character in this story. Mary Lou loved him. She felt guilt for getting him crazy. But it's by now clear that he's more than crazy. He holds some crucial cards, and I'm looking forward to seeing how he plays them in the final two episodes of this season or series.
See also The Man Who Fell to Earth 1.1: Great Provenance and Excellent Start ... 1.2: The Ending We Needed ... 1.3: "I've come with a prototype ... " 1.4: "Tell my wife I love her very much ... " ... 1.5: Co-Mingling ... 1.6: Music of the Spheres ... 1.7 Game Changes
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
June 20, 2022
The Time Traveler's Wife 1.6: Brutal Truths and a Ray of Hope
Well, I thought The Time Traveler's Wife finale on HBO Max was superb, even though ...
[Big spoilers ahead ... ]
It was the ugliest episode of the series. Palpably brutal, with Henry's naked time traveling body hitting the floor so many times it was making my eyes sore, not to mention my soul. And that was the least of it. Far worse was:
1. Henry discovering that he's aging more quickly than normal, non-traveling people, and he'll be dying, what, when he's in his early 50s?
2. He can't give Clare what she most wants, given his frequent absence even when he's alive: a child. It seems every time gets her pregnant, the embryo or fetus time travels and of course can't survive.
As a result, Henry has a vasectomy, because he can't bear to keep doing that her. But in a happy ending -- at least a hopeful ending -- Clare encourages younger, "asshole" Henry to keep seeing her. He has not yet had a vasectomy.
And there this wondrous, wild story ends? As I've been saying, I hope not. There are possibilities to explore. Maybe Henry can figure out a way to extend his life. Maybe he can connect with some genius gynecologist who can bring his and Clare's baby to term.
I don't know, I'm not a medical expert. But I do know I much enjoyed the six episodes of this story, even though they had their flaws, and I'd be up any time for seeing more.
Great acting by Theo James and Rose Leslie in the title roles, and I thought Josh Stamberg was impressive in this episode as Henry's father. Kudos to everyone who made this short season, and I look forward to seeing its continuation someday somewhere.
See also The Time Traveler's Wife 1.1: Off to a Fine, Funny, Complex Start ... 1.2: Fate ... 1.3: Lies and Love ... 1.4: Mercurial Stock ... 1.5 Hair
watch The Chronology Protection Case FREE on Amazon Prime
June 19, 2022
Syd and Chloe and the Myriad Worlds: Metaphysical Adventures
Just saw Jay Kensinger's Syd and Chloe and the Myriad Worlds 40-minute short film (he wrote, directed, and has a cameo at the end of the movie). It's a provocative, excellent science fiction movie, with a great metaphysical premise, and a fun rendition.
[Mild spoilers ahead ... ]
The premise: if you subtract one class of things from an infinite set or universe, that universe will still be infinite (because infinite in effect means immune from subtraction) but it will nonetheless be lacking that thing or class of things). I'm not steeped enough in philosophy to know if Kensinger or someone else came up with this idea, but it's compelling in any case.
And Syd and Chloe and the Myriad Worlds shows that it makes for a fine little movie. The two title characters are inter-reality agents -- they can travel from one reality or universe to another -- and they're after William, a psychopathic robot who is pruning or deleting realities not to his liking. They're joined by Melanie, presumably of this our Earth, who plays a decisive role in the resolution of the peril.
The actors are unknown to me, except for Kensinger, who wrote and directed and starred in The Chronology Protection Case, a short film he made from my novelette of the same name (right, I'm not an objective viewer of Kensinger's work -- but, trust me, I wouldn't write a review that said how much I enjoyed any movie of his, unless I really very much enjoyed it). I'll also mention here, while on the subject of Kensinger, that he also wrote the music for Syd and Chloe, which also worked very well.
Back to the acting, I thought Eva Shumaker as Melanie was really good. She has an expressive face, and I expect a future in acting if she pursues it. Adrienne Carter as Chloe and Helene Simkin Jara as Syd make an unorthodox, even memorable pair of agents, and Greg Paroff is suitably chilling as William.
Syd and Chloe will be making the rounds at film festivals. Here, to whet your appetite, is the trailer. Catch it and then the movie if you can.
watch The Chronology Protection Case FREE on Amazon Prime
More about the making of this movie and Jay Kensinger's other films at MODVEC Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
June 18, 2022
The Fledgling Baltimore Oriole
photo by Tina VozickI generally don't like Baltimore Orioles. Hey, I'm a lifelong Yankees fan. But that's baseball. When it comes to birds, the Baltimore Oriole is one of the most beautiful avians around.
So ... my wife and I went over to our daughter's house in Brewster (Cape Cod) this afternoon. I to do some manual mowing, she to check out some yard sales. Later in the day, after I finished the lawn and she unpacked, she heard a chirping right outside her car on the driveway. She got out to see a cute little chubby bird with a yellow underbelly chirping its head off.
She called me over. We decided to move it out of the driveway, which obviously is not the safest place, especially for a bird that didn't seem to want or be able to fly. I gently picked it up and moved it to a place under a nearby shrub. The little bird continued to chip, walked a bit, an attempted to fly. It jumped or managed to fly onto the lowest branch of the shrub.
My wife called Mike O'Connor in the Bird Watcher's General Store in Orleans. He advised us to leave it alone, and assured my wife that the bird's parents would take care of finding it and feeding it. But he suggested that we could also call Wild Care of Cape Code in Eastham and tell them our story.
My wife sent them a video (video at bottom of post) and photo (photo at top of post) of the little bird. They told my wife the bird looked "tired and droopy" and could we bring it in. Which we did, after I gently picked it up and it put in an Amazon box (they're useful).
The helpful woman at Wild Care took in the bird, told us it definitely was a fledgling, and it was cold. She suggested they keep it overnight, feed it, and if was doing well tomorrow, we take it back to where we found it. Otherwise, she says they already have a Baltimore Oriole under their care, and it could use a friend. She also mentioned that fledglings like this that leave the nest are in maximum danger of predation, and most little Orioles like this "don't make it". Hey, I like foxes, too, but I'd rather this little bird have a life.
I'll keep you posted here on what we do and found out about this fledgling Baltimore Oriole tomorrow.
video by Tina Vozick
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's musicPodcast Review of The Orville 3.3
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 320, in which I review episode 3.3 of The Orville on Hulu
Written blog post review of this episode
Podcast reviews of The Orville third season: 3.1... 3.2
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
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