Paul Levinson's Blog: Levinson at Large, page 69
March 6, 2022
Severance 1.4: Deadly Ambiguity
[Spoilers ahead ... ]
Well, if you saw the episode, up since Friday on Apple TV+, you'll know why: Helly takes her life, or tries to take her life, at the end of the hour. I make that distinction because, you know how it is on television, if a character's head isn't literally severed (for want of a better word), than she or he might well have survived. In Helly's case, someone in that hell on Earth might have come by and rescued her.
What drove her to do this? She was betrayed by her outie, who appears in a video explaining that she doesn't want to end the severance of her and her innie. Though, it occurred to me that that video could have been a deep fake. I mean, deep fakes already abound in our own off-screen world, so, surely the dementos who built that innie world would know how to make them.
The other important aspect of 1.4 is the development of Irving as a character. We saw a lot more of him in the story than usual. But ... what did we learn about him? He may or may not be ok with a visceral relationship with Burt. At first, Irving pulls his hand away and soon after walks out of the room when Burt puts his hand over Irving's. But, later, perhaps after Irving has thought it over, he seems to seek Burt out. Not only does this behavior leave us still unclear about what Irving really wants, it's a metaphor for just about everything else in this harrowing narrative.
I'm sure it's been noted by others, and I may have already mentioned this myself, but Severance could fit comfortably into Philip K. Dick's uncomfortable corpus of work. Talk about A Scanner Darkly, in Severance, just about everything we scan with our eyes comes up blurry and unclear. The harder we focus, the more we get the feeling that we're looking into an infinite regress of possibilities. (Hey, I like working the name of this blog into my reviews.)
In any case, I'll be narrowing my gaze for some true meaning, and I'll see you back here with my review of the next episode, next week.
See also Severance 1.1-1.2: Erving Goffman Meets The Prisoner ... Severance 1.3: The History and the Neighbor
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
March 5, 2022
Podcast Review of Suspicion 1.6
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 256, in which I review Suspicion episode 1.6 on Apple TV+.
Written blog post review of Suspicion 1.6
Podcast reviews of Suspicion 1.1-1.3... Suspicion 1.4 ... Suspicion 1.5
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
Suspicion 1.6: Martin, Sean, and Tara
[Spoilers ahead ... ]
We already knew that Martin Copeland was apparently some kind of bad guy, likely (I thought) behind the kidnapping (see my review of episode 1.5), so it wasn't too big a shock to see him waiting in that car for Sean. But that scene did show us Sean working together with or for Martin, so where did that leave us? Was Martin behind the shooters who killed Monique and drove all our suspects including Sean into hiding? If they were working for Martin, did they have orders not to shoot Sean? If not, if the shooters weren't working for Martin, then whom were they working for?
It was fun to see our suspects dressed and hair cut to look very different, to elude police. They all looked great. And Sean's relationship to Tara continues to be an intriguing mystery. I certainly got the impression that he was tempted to get into bed and wake up Tara even if that made him late for his meeting with Martin, but he couldn't do that with someone else sleeping right next to her.
And what was going on with that boot that he picked up and seemed to hold so ... lovingly. I assume that boot was Tara's and Sean is not a foot fetishist. So ...
Suspicion, by the end of its sixth episode, is managing to move the story forward, telling us new things every hour, without revealing all that much more than we knew about Leo's kidnapping at the end of the first episode. That's a pretty neat trick, and a recipe for a very compelling mystery, which increasingly is what we have here.
See you back here next week.
See also Suspicion 1.1-2: Excellent Start, But Is It Four or Five? ... Suspicion 1.3: The Fifth ... Suspicion 1.4: Surprises and Invincibility ... Suspicion 1.5: Tara and Sean
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
Podcast Review of Star Trek: Picard 2.1
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 255, in which I review Star Trek: Picard 2.1 on Paramount+
written blog post review of Star Trek: Picard 2.1
podcast review of Star Trek: Picard season 1
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
March 4, 2022
Star Trek: Picard 2.1: Cameos and Time Travel
The debut episode of the second season of Star Trek: Picard was enjoyable, notwithstanding the annoying commercial breaks which lacerated the narrative on the paying service. (Yes, I'm too cheap to pay more for Paramount+ with no commercials.)
As was the case with the first season, the most fun in this episode was the return of memorable characters from The Next Generation TV series. In this case, that would be Guinan and Q. Let's hope we see more of them. It was also good to Seven of Nine back in action, continuing her role from the first season.
As for the story, it was an interesting melange of Picard's personal turmoils and outright battles in space. Although Picard has loved women in the past, he's now unable to fully express his love to Laris. Maybe what happened to him at the end of the first season has gotten in the way, not of his physical libido, but the capacity of his soul to fully love another.
We also learn in the first episode that the Borg will be at least one of the primary villains, and time travel will play a major role. This is confirmed by Picard, who comments at some point that time is a more challenging vista to explore than space. Give that "Yesterday's Enterprise" was one of the very episodes of the The Next Generation television series, it makes sense that Picard would feel that way.
It was great to see Patrick Stewart in the title role, and also Alison Pill, back from the first season as the highly intelligent Agnes. And I thought Santiago Cabrera as Chris, cigar in mouth and hand, in the Captain's chair, was an effectively dashing figure.
So ... I'll suffer through the commercials, watch every episode, and be back here with reviews. More than enough in this start of the second season to keep me interested.
See also Star Trek: Picard (Season One): Non-Pareil
March 3, 2022
Podcast Review of Raised by Wolves 2.6
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 254, in which I review Raised by Wolves episode 2.6 on HBO Max.
written blog post review of this episode
"Plants Thrive in a Complex World by Communicating" by Beronda L. Montgomery
Further listening:
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 2.5
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 2.4
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 2.3
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 2.1-2.2
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 1-3
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 4-5
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 6-10
Further reading:
Touching the Face of the Cosmos: On the Interaction of Space and Religion
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
Review of Raised by Wolves 2.6
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 254, in which I review Raised by Wolves episode 2.6 on HBO Max.
written blog post review of this episode
"Plants Thrive in a Complex World by Communicating" by Beronda L. Montgomery
Further listening:
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 2.5
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 2.4
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 2.3
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 2.1-2.2
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 1-3
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 4-5
podcast review of Raised by Wolves 6-10
Further reading:
Touching the Face of the Cosmos: On the Interaction of Space and Religion
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
Raised by Wolves 2.6: Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction
[Spoilers ahead ... ]
Three major interludes which stretched the boundaries of the story tonight:
1. First, Sue turns into a tree. Really. The last time I saw a tree have such importance in a science fiction story were the Ents, in Lord of the Rings, which is generally regarded not as science fiction but fantasy. I will say that science in our off-screen real world here on Earth is uncovering all kinds of sentient-like qualities of trees -- see, for example, Beronda L. Montgomery's article -- so maybe what we saw in Raised by Wolves 2.6 is not too much of a stretch.
2. Next, Tempest's baby taken by that sea humanoid creature. The birthing scene itself was powerful, incredible. But real. And then ... to have that horror-show of a creature take the baby from Tempest -- that, in itself, was one of the most horror-story scenes in this science fiction series. The last time I saw a monster like that was in Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954).
3. The further development of the Mother-like android now dubbed grandmother was a good step forward in the android anthropology which is the heart of the series. Of course Father loves her -- there's too much of Mother in her for Father not to. The big question now is to what extent does this new android have a mind of her own? Clearly, Mother and Father do, vis-a-vis each other. So ... we'll just have to see. And, presumably we'll also find out when in human history the android was brought to this planet, if indeed she was brought there.
See you back here next week.
See also Raised by Wolves 2.1-2: A Viking Out in Space, with Androids ... Raised by Wolves 2.3: Marcus and the Android Skeleton ... Raised by Wolves 2.4: Kinds of Sentience and Conflicts ... Raised by Wolves 2.5: Science Fiction and Horror
And see also Raised by Wolves 1.1: Fast Action and Deep Philosophy ... Raised by Wolves 1.2-3: More than Meets the Eye ... Raised by Wolves 1.4-5: Halfway to Dune ...Raised by Wolves 1.6-7: The Look on Mother's Face ... Raised by Wolves 1.8-1.9: Frankenstein and Motherhood ... Raised by Wolves Season One Finale: The Serpent
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
March 2, 2022
Ultimate Choices, Nearly Impossible, about Ukraine
photo by Yehor Milohrodskyi on @unsplash
Last night on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow asked the crucial question: is there any country willing to jump in and stand with the Ukrainians against the Russian aggression? General Barry McCaffrey (Ret), explained that anything the US and NATO did to directly confront and fight with the Russians could provoke Putin, already clearly unhinged, to bring nuclear weapons into an expanding worldwide fight.
Of course, no one wants any kind of nuclear war. And a nuclear war between the US and Russia could well be the end of our civilization across the planet.
Avoidance of nuclear war therefore has been a cardinal objective ever since the end of World War II. We're here today, flourishing across the Earth, with all our problems, because, beginning with the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, we succeeded in keeping that world-destroying demon in the bottle.
So, McCaffrey's analysis makes sense. But, what then, for Ukraine? What are we supposed to do? Continue to massively arm Ukraine and hope that that will be enough for them to stop the Russians? Hope that President Xi of China puts pressure on Putin to pull back? Ukraine has heroically done far far better against the Russians than anyone thought they would. But Russia nonetheless has overwhelmingly superior resources to replenish its soldiers and supplies. Most knowledgeable observers, including McCaffrey, think it's just a matter of time before Ukraine succumbs.
So, what are we -- the United States, NATO, the free world -- supposed to do? Stand by and watch Ukraine fall, curse Putin and his moral dementia, a month or more from now, as the overwhelming military numbers of Russia even with their blundering eventually succeed in their vile mission? Stand by because the icey logic of at all costs avoiding a nuclear war demands that? Yesterday afternoon a woman in Ukraine on MSNBC remarked that whatever we in the United States do, Putin's use of nuclear weapons is unpredictable. He could see fit to launch them for whatever reason even if we hold back and Ukraine is obliged to counter the savage attack with just their own limited number of freedom-loving people.
But the implacable need to avoid a nuclear war between Russia and the West says yes, that's what we must do. But ... the prospect of watching Ukraine go down, when we and our allies have the military power to stop that, makes me sick to my stomach. No, it makes me sick to my soul.
Had I the power, I'd put in place a no-fly zone over Ukraine to stop the Russian attempt to annihilate Ukraine.
Choices, Nearly Impossible, about Ukraine
photo by Yehor Milohrodskyi on @unsplash
Last night on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow asked the crucial question: is there any country willing to jump in and stand with the Ukrainians against the Russian aggression? General Barry McCaffrey (Ret), explained that anything the US and NATO did to directly confront and fight with the Russians could provoke Putin, already clearly unhinged, to bring nuclear weapons into an expanding worldwide fight.
Of course, no one wants any kind of nuclear war. And a nuclear war between the US and Russia could well be the end of our civilization across the planet.
Avoidance of nuclear war therefore has been a cardinal objective ever since the end of World War II. We're here today, flourishing across the Earth, with all our problems, because, beginning with the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, we succeeded in keeping that world-destroying demon in the bottle.
So, McCaffrey's analysis makes sense. But, what then, for Ukraine? What are we supposed to do? Continue to massively arm Ukraine and hope that that will be enough for them to stop the Russians? Hope that President Xi of China puts pressure on Putin to pull back? Ukraine has heroically done far far better against the Russians than anyone thought they would. But Russia nonetheless has overwhelmingly superior resources to replenish its soldiers and supplies. Most knowledgeable observers, including McCaffrey, think it's just a matter of time before Ukraine succumbs.
So, what are we -- the United States, NATO, the free world -- supposed to do? Stand by and watch Ukraine fall, curse Putin and his moral dementia, a month or more from now, as the overwhelming military numbers of Russia even with their blundering eventually succeed in their vile mission? Stand by because the icey logic of at all costs avoiding a nuclear war demands that? Yesterday afternoon a woman in Ukraine on MSNBC remarked that whatever we in the United States do, Putin's use of nuclear weapons is unpredictable. He could see fit to launch them for whatever reason even if we hold back and Ukraine is obliged to counter the savage attack with just their own limited number of freedom-loving people.
But the implacable need to avoid a nuclear war between Russia and the West says yes, that's what we must do. But ... the prospect of watching Ukraine go down, when we and our allies have the military power to stop that, makes me sick to my stomach. No, it makes me sick to my soul.
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