Paul Levinson's Blog: Levinson at Large, page 86
November 5, 2021
Baptiste 2.3: Massacre and Answers
[Big spoilers follow ... ]
Both are the result of that jolting, revolting massacre in which the band of terrorists gun down who knows how many people. The outnumbered police and their weapons were no match for the automatic weapons of the terrorists. Predictability, the police ignored Baptiste's warnings. Not predictably, they succumbed almost as quickly to the terrorists as did the civilian victims.
Emma was shot in the back as Julien tried to save her. A policeman pulls him away and into a store as she screams in pain. But that would soon be not the worst pain she would be feeling.
The policeman kills one of the terrorists, before being killed himself. Julien, not a man of violence, takes the slain policeman's gun. He holds it in his hand, and realizes what he must do. He goes back out into the street, finds Emma, and a terrorist nearby with a mask on and a menacing weapon. Julien shoots him dead. Emma cries no, no, no, in exquisite agony.
The terrorist Julien has killed is Emma's older son Alex. Julien had already realized that the hostage video featuring Alex as hostage was a fake. He knew the terrorists were up to something horrible, but he couldn't quite put together this two and two adding up to such a massacre.
One powerful, unforgettable episode indeed.
See also Baptiste 2.1: Souls on Edge ... Baptiste 2.2:The Odd Fellow ... Baptiste 1: Logic, Passion, and Unflappability ... The Missing 1: Worth Finding and The Missing 2: Unforgettable
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
November 4, 2021
Podcast Review of Foundation 1.8
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 204, in which I review the eighth episode of Foundation, just up today on Apple TV+
earlier podcasts about Foundation: October 29, 2021 Review of Foundation 1.7 ... October 22, 2021 Review of Foundation 1.6 ... October 15, 2021: Review of Foundation 1.5 ... October 8, 2021: Review of Foundation 1.4 ... October 1, 2021: Review of Foundation 1.3 ... September 24, 2021: Review of Foundation 1.1-2 .... July 17, 2021: Thinking about Asimov's Foundation Series on AppleTV+ ... March 12, 2009: Asimov's Foundation and Herbert's Dune Trilogies as Sources of Philosophy written blog post review of Foundation 1.8 postcard from Isaac Asimov to me in 1979 about the Foundation trilogyPaul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
Foundation 1.8: Divergences and Convergences
I accounted for any and all divergences from Asimov in my review here last week: this TV series is an alternate history of Asimov's Foundation stories. But that's not a blank check in terms of critical review. The changes still have to work in my book in this story on the screen.
[Spoilers follow ... ]
The big one that screamed at me tonight is Hari wanting to plant the Second Foundation in his homeworld Helicon not Trantor. This is a tough change for me to swallow or follow -- the Second Foundation being revealed on Trantor was one of my favorite parts of Asimov's writing, from Ebling Mis on forward. I guess I can learn to make Helicon work in the TV series. But, then again, the Second Foundation on Helicon is at this point only Hari's aspiration, not a reality, so anything's possible.
What is pretty clear, by the conclusion of this episode, is that Gaal Dornick on the screen is not the Preem Palver come early I said she was last week, nor the Wanda Seldon others said she was. She's traveling in suspended animation on a 100+ year trip back to her own world. And ... hmmm, I guess that means she could end up being the equivalent of Preem or Wanda sometime in the future, after all.
The clone story, of which we saw only Brother Day, was excellent again. To all who think Day is soulless or heartless, he did try to lend a hand to the old guy who was surrendering his life on the spiral walk. I'm not saying he has much goodness in him, but he's capable of real empathy (portrayed by especially strong acting by Lee Pace) Demerzel is, too. But so far, she remains to me a very dislikable robot.
I'll conclude with another word about the Spacers. As I mentioned when they first were mentioned in an early episode, they existed alright in Asimov's stories, but as people who lived and developed their culture on and among planets far out in space. They did not have the power to "fold" space. That, as far as I recall, was the power the "spacers" plied in Dune. What this means in the intertwining literary and cinematic histories of both the Foundation and Dune stories is that not only is Dune indebted to Foundation, but now there's a little vice versa.
And I'll be back here next week with my review of the next-to-last episode of this season.
See also Foundation 1.1-2: Mathematician, Man of the People, and Cleon's Clones ... Foundation 1.3: Clonal Science Fiction, Hari Seldon as V. I. Lenin ... Foundation 1.4: Slow Hand, Long Half-Life, Flipped Coin ... Foundation 1.5: What We Learned in that Final Scene ... Foundation 1.6: Folded Variations ... Foundation 1.7: Alternate History/Future
November 3, 2021
La Brea 1.6: Cross-Temporal Communication
And the result in tonight's episode 1.6 is the best episode of La Brea so far, which is to say, excellent indeed, because Gavin's message to the past sets in motion a sharply drawn temporal paradox (and temporal paradoxes are the main reason I'm such a devotee of time travel narratives, as both a reader/viewer and an author). Gavin in the present is told that the remains of a plane have suddenly appeared in the pit in the present, and everyone onboard was dead. His urgent message to Eve 12,000 years ago is don't get on that plane, don't let anyone get on board. Most of the people back then are not devotees of time travel, and they can't accept Eve's dire advice not to get on the plane. So what will happen? Since the plane with the deceased has in fact shown up in the present, doesn't that mean that Eve will not be able to stop the plane with Levi and, even worse for Eve, her son Josh from getting on that doomed flight?
In our real world, yes. But then again, there is no time travel that we know about in our real life. But in the fiction that is a time travel story, anything is possible. Once it is posited that it's possible to mess around with time, nothing is foreordained. And La Brea 1.6 does a good, taut job of playing this out.
As a bonus, a couple of different parts of the series narrative (but related, everything is related in time travel stories) are further developed before the episode ends. My favorite is the advice to Gavin to think about what happened to him back in "the beginning ... November 16, 1988." (Well, far better that, I guess, than what happened 12,000 years ago.)
And I'll be back here next week with a review of La Brea 1.7.
See also La Brea 1.1: Pros and Cons of Falling Into the Past ... La Brea 1.2: Deepening Horizons ... La Brea 1.3: Descending Into the Maelstrom ... La Brea 1.4: Expanding Horizons ... La Brea 1.5: The Letter and the Resemblance
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
November 1, 2021
Podcast Review of Invasion 1.4
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 203, in which I review the fourth episode of Invasion on Apple TV+. This episode of the podcast also includes congratulations from and his very famous alter-ego! Written blog post review of Invasion 1.4 is here. Podcast review of episodes 1.1-3 is here.
Listen to "If I Traveled to the Past" with Don Frankel's accordion on Spotify, Bandcamp, and Apple Music.
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
October 31, 2021
Curb Your Enthusiasm 11.2: Twist on Twist
A suitably funny Curb Your Enthusiasm 11.2 tonight, in which I have more sympathy than even usual for Larry's unrequited grievances.
Well, for at least one of them. And here you have be a guy to get this. Toilet seats in a unisex toilet -- actually, just plain old toilets rathers than urinals -- that don't stay up. I've encountered them in many places, including even in my own home some years ago. I can't quite bring myself to spell out the details of why they're so aggravating, but let's just say you don't want to risk ...
So good for Larry for putting this menace into his show. As always with Larry, his legitimate grievances are unaddressed. But in this case, there's a twist. It turns out Don Jr. wasn't lying when he told Larry he'd spoken to the maintenance man. Which makes this whole thread not just a twist, but a twist on a twist: the second twist being that this Don Jr. is not a pathological liar like his father.
The other funny part of this, again typical Larry, is that he doesn't know that Don Jr. was telling the truth. That's because Larry couldn't hear the Greek dentist telling Larry about the same maintenance man's dissembling in the dentist's building. So here Larry takes a shot at himself: sometimes his outrage is not justified, and due to Larry's own behavior (putting in earplugs to block out the music), Larry doesn't know it. Just deserts.
Leon (J. B. Smoove) was also in good form tonight -- actually, in the coming attractions to next week's show. He's come up with a new, invigorating drink -- he's calling it tap water. If you think about what Leon loves to tap, you'll see the brilliance of the name.
Ok, enough for now. See you back here next week.
See also Curb Your Enthusiasm 11.1: Not Quite Tsuris
See also: Curb Your Enthusiasm 10.1: Reunited! ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 10.3: Garbage Cans and Apples ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 10.8: Meets Mad Men ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 10.9: Science Fiction ... Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 10 Finale: Unjust Desserts
See also: Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.1: Hilarious! ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.2: Wife Swapping ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.3: Benefits ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.4: "Hold You in his Armchair" ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.5: Schmata At Large ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.8: The Unexpected Advocate ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.9: Salmon Discretion ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.10: Outfit Tracker
Hightown 2.3: Dinners and Almost Dinners
Actually, the only complete dinner was at Ed Murphy's house, but he, his wife, and Jackie and Leslie got in some good conversation. And it was a pivotal scene, literally, because it captured Jackie between the two worlds she now inhabits: fish cop and cop.
The almost dinner in which Frankie bates Ray, who bunches Frankie, and et cetera et cetera was also pivotal. Although Renee later professes her love and devotion to Frankie, including that she never felt a thing for Ray, he was just a mark, it's crystal clear that she had and still has feelings for him that run strong and deep. Although she might have good different reasons for not wanting either Frankie's or Ray's baby, I'd bet money that the baby is Ray's.
And then there's the something to eat that Alan said no to having with Ray. But that was the same scene in which Alan agreed to let Ray back on the case at hand. Which would be putting away Frankie again. This is a crucial step for Ray.
Other things I especially liked: Donna preferring the bar work to Stop and Shop. (She might of said it last week too, and this was on the "previously on".) But, yeah, my wife and I have been in that Stop and Shop countless times, and it's quintessential Cape.
And last but not least, Jackie and Leslie, not at Ed's house.
Right, but no need to say more about that. See you here next week with my review of 2.4.
See also Hightown 2.1: Switching Ups and Downs ... Hightown 2.2: Some of My Favorite Things
And see also Hightown 1.1: Top-Notch Saltwater and Characters ... Hightown 1.2: Sludge and Sun ... Hightown 1.3: Dirty Laundry ... Hightown 1.4: Banging on the Hood ... Hightown 1.5-6: Turning Point and the Real True ... Hightown 1.7: Two Things ... Hightown 1.8: Up and Down and Up
American Rust 1.8: Finally, Some Hope
Let's get right to that: Isaac is on his way back to tell truth about what happened to the corrupt former cop: Isaac killed him to save Billy from the cop, who was about to kill Billy. Bobby "Jesus" had Billy in his grip, after Billy had decked the former cop. If Isaac can get that truth to the authorities, Billy could get out of prison.
Pretty big "if," of course. The season finale will have to deal with all kinds of things if the season is to have anything resembling a happy ending:
Isaac has to get from Nebraska, somewhere close to Wyoming, to western Pennsylvania. That's a long trip indeed. (Although I suppose the money Isaac took from his benefactor could buy a plane ticket.)We left Dell tonight on the verge of going after Bobby to kill him. Grace certainly won't forget that mission. So Isaac has to be back in town and talking to the right people before Dell does his worst to Bobby -- who certainly deserves it, but Dell's soul is unlikely to survive such an action, even with Grace's love.Billy needs to survive in prison -- a place where who knows which guard is in league with the Nazis.And just for good measure: will Dell or Steve realize that Grace set the fire to home? Why else would she take the pictures with her? Dell might well forgive and forget that. But would Steve?Lots to be resolved next week, and I'll be back here with my take on this finale to one memorable season of a series.See also American Rust 1.1-2: Pennsylvania Noir ... American Rust 1.3: Highs and Lows of Life at the Same Time ... American Rust 1.4-5: Tightening Noose and Fraying Relationships ... American 1.6: The Debts ... American Rust 1.7: The Dead Can't Buy Drugs
October 30, 2021
Manhunt Season 1 and Season 2.1-2
So, I saw I somehow missed the British Manhunt (2019, 2021), so I saw the first season and the first two episodes of the second season -- the rest of which will be available in the next two here in America on Prime Video -- and here am I am with a review:
Martin Clunes portrays the true story of DCI Colin Sutton, who took on at least two seemingly intractable cases. The first took place in the early years of the 21th century -- 2004-2006 -- and Manhunt does a fine job depicting what police work was like in London back then. Cameras that recorded the public were new and not everywhere. Sutton is delighted to find that a bus was outfitted with some cameras. Computers were a lot more recent than they are now. Programming can be suspect. And DNA, though reliable, was also not amenable to the level of analysis we have today.
I of course don't know what Sutton is really like, but Clunes does a great job in the role. He's courteous, respectful, but tough as nails in following the evidence and the logic, and sticking to his guns when he knows he's right. He almost has a touch of Columbo, which is fun to think, given that Sutton is a real DCI. His relentless and ultimately successful pursuit of a serial killer must be a textbook on how to get that kind of job done.
The second season has Sutton assigned to a case in 2009 that started in 1992. The crime would have worked perfectly as a case "ripped from the headlines" in Law and Order SVU: the serial rape of elderly women. Sutton has to enlist the aid of the mostly dedicated crew that has been pursuing the rapist with no success all these years. His understanding of human nature once again is sorely needed.
Manhunt is a sophisticated, sensitive true-story police procedural, and I'm down with and up for watching the two episode which are rest of it.
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
October 29, 2021
Invasion 1.4: Three Out of Four
A good fourth episode of Invasion on Apple TV+, with no breakthrough events, but solid developments in three of the four areas of Earth under attack.
My favorite was in the New York area, and not because I live there. We already knew that Luke -- Aneesha and Ahmed's boy -- has some special connection to the invaders. We saw last week that he hears sounds and doesn't get nosebleeds when everyone else does, after the invaders arrive on our planet. This week he wanders off in a forest in upstate New York, and winds up in what seems to be a friendly couple's house in the woods. There's got to be some connection between Luke, the friendly couple that welcomed him and later his family, and those invaders.
The British school kids Lord of the Flies story was also good. We knew that Casper would get the better of the bully. But it was fun to see him climb up those rocks out and inspire those other kids to do the same. If one of the themes of this series are a few kids having some special connection to the invaders, the kid in England who had that would be Casper, though we've no direct evidence of that as yet. But his noticing that the debris that made the bus go off the cliff had the name Tokyo on it -- and we know that came from the shuttle that was destroyed -- can't be a coincidence. And the same for his drawings of beings from outer space.
Meanwhile, over in Tokyo, we don't see any progress in learning about the invaders, but Misuki going to see the father of the lover she lost in space is a promising development. The father is an engineer who used to work for the Japanese Space Agency, and he'll no doubt play a role in helping them figure out what's happening to our planet.
Afghanistan had no connection in this episode to the invaders that I could see, other than Trevante seeing the destruction caused by their attack. But that's ok. We can't expect every sector to be firing on all cylinders in every episode. I'm looking forward to more connections among the four places on Earth that are the loci of this story.
And I'm looking forward to seeing the next episode of Invasion and reporting back to you right here next week.
See also Invasion 1.1-3: Compelling Contender
Levinson at Large
- Paul Levinson's profile
- 340 followers
