Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress

reviewing 3 Body Problem; Bosch; Citadel; Criminal Minds; Dark Matter; Fauda; For All Mankind; Foundation; Hijack; House of the Dragon; Luther; Outer Range; Outlander; Presumed Innocent; Reacher; Severance; Silo; Slow Horses; Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; Surface; The: Ark, Diplomat, Last of Us, Lazarus Project, Orville, Way Home; True Detective; You +books, films, music, podcasts, politics

George Santayana had irrational faith in reason - I have irrational faith in TV.

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Playlist by Anthony Marinelli of Songs from It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Presumed Innocent 1.8: The Killer

Well, in the thoroughly superb season 1 finale of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+, we find out who killed Carolyn.

And that's not the person who killed Carolyn in the novel and the movie!

And I won't tell you who either is, in case you haven't read the novel, seen the movie, or the series, even after the Spoiler advisory below.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

It wasn't Tommy Molto, even though he loved Carolyn too, and she rejected him. He gave a great summation of the prosecution's case to the jury, but Rusty's in his own defence was even better, and carried the day. All in all, one of the best courtroom scenes I've ever seen on screen,

It was also something to learn that Rusty staged the murder scene -- tied up Carolyn's body -- to protect whom he thought was the murderer.

Hats off to everyone who created this series for telling a story much like the book and the movie, but with some very different parts and angles, all sharp and intriguing. There wasn't a single acting performance that wasn't powerful in all kinds of ways, and I can't wait to see where all of this goes in the second season.

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Presumed Innocent 1.7: The Poker

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

First, let me say that I'm glad we find out in the first few minutes of episode 1.7 of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+ that Horgan and is alive and well. In fact, so well, that we see him back in court with a pacemaker in his heart as Rusty takes the stand.

Which, of course, is the last thing a defendant in a murder case is supposed to do, and Molto has a field day with Rusty, winning the rarely given praise of Nico. But Molto's satisfaction is short-lived. He returns home, finds his apartment has been ransacked, and a fire poker with the charming note attached, "G0 FUCK YOURSELF".

What does this tell us? Well, Molto didn't write the note in all caps himself. Someone put it there on the poker. That poker, presumably, is the poker that was used to bludgeon and kill Carolyn. I didn't see any blood on it, but that could have cleaned off.

I see two possibilities. One, Molto is the killer, he cleaned and hid the poker in his home, and someone found it -- after ransaking the place -- and left it and the note. Who could that person be?

Well, the other possibility is that the murderer in the book and the movie, angry about what Molto had put Rusty through in court, left the poker with the note in Molto's home. I guess this is the more likely explanation, but then why was the home ransacked?

We'll find out the answer next week. And I'm glad there'll be another season of this superb drama.

Monday, July 15, 2024

Criminal Minds: Evolution 17.7: Jill Gideon

Episode 17.7 of Criminal Minds: Evolution on Paramount Plus expanded the retrieval of earlier Criminal Minds players with the introduction of Jason Gideon's wife Jill.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

Wow! Jill's played by Felicity Huffman, and she not only was married to Jason -- killed nearly 10 years ago (off-camera) by an unsub -- but had some kind of important relationship to Rossi, who tells Emily he doesn't want Jill brought into the BAU's current investigation into the various Stars. (As far as I can recall, she didn't actually appear in the first few seasons in which Jason was on the show.)

Of course, Emily ignores Rossi's plea -- she's back in charge of the BAU, so no one in the BAU can tell her what to do, including Rossi -- and we get some great scenes as Emily knocks on Jill's door, and is something less than warmly received. Again, as in last week's episode, it was fun to hear Emily go over all the missing BAU members, when Jill asks her what's happening at the BAU. Once again, I was most interested in what Emily had to say about Spencer, characterizing his absence as "on sabbatical". That's certainly better than dead -- which we know isn't the case for Spencer -- or even left in a huff.

Moving on to other characters, I just want to also say that Tyler should be made a member of the BAU already. No need to keep him in the vestibule of being a consultant any more.

And as for the plot of this episode and its violence -- the specific kind of depraved violence featured in this episode -- I found it suitably revolting, as I usually do. But that's not why I watch this fascinating series.

===

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

Friday, July 12, 2024

Presumed Innocent 1.6: Tommy Molto

Well, episode 1.6 of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+ had a shocking ending which I won't tell you about until the end of this review, in which I want to talk about something else.

I think there's a good chance Tommy Molto murdered Carolyn in this excellent version of Presumed Innocent. We saw previously that she said she didn't want to work with him on any more cases. And in episode 1.6 we learn that she formally told Human Resources that she didn't want to work with Tommy because he was "ick"y.

Now, again, I know who killed Carolyn in the novel and the movie. It wasn't Tommy. But I've already seen some differences between those and this TV series, and I can see why Carolyn would see some "ick" in Tommy. Does that mean he killed her? No, but it certainly makes him a good suspect.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

Now for the shocker: Rusty's lead attorney, former DA Horgan, collapses in the courtroom. I think Horgan is a great character, and Bill Camp's doing a fine job portraying him, so I certainly hope he survives. If he doesn't, Mya's an excellent attorney, she can take over, but she doesn't have the gravitas that Horgan has as the former DA.

I recall Horgan in the novel or the movie, so I have no idea how he'll fare in the TV series, but I sure hope -- for Rusty's sake and the audience's -- that we haven't see the last of him.

The Lazarus Project 2.5: The Status of Dr. Gray

The Lazarus Project 2.5 was all about Dr. Gray. And she indeed deserves at least one episode of focus, being such a crucial character.

[Spoilers ahead .... ]

We already know she's building an old-fashioned H. G. Wellsian time machine. And Wes wants to kill her before the machine becomes fully operational. She sends Janet and Ross back to do the job. But there's a lot more to this than meets the eye.

First, Robin seems to be a Gray supporter. Good, Wes is clearly the villain in this second season, and Robin is the only one who can have at least some control over her.

Next, there are, of course, two versions of Janet in play here. The younger one who's sent back with Ross to kill Kitty Gray, and does. And the older one who comes to know and respect and really care about Gray. This older Janet knows that stopping her younger self from killing Gray will upset too many apple carts, but it's unclear if she can bring herself to stopping her younger self from doing the deed. And we never find out what the older Janet would have done, because Wes sends the younger Janet back to kill Gray earlier than she was killed in the original reality (if it makes senses in this kind of time travel story to talk about an original reality).

I will say, again, that I think Gray (played by Zoe Telford) is a wonderful character. Especially because, as we find out in this episode, her motive in inventing a time machine is true love.

See you back here next week with another review.

=====

my latest novel (with a touch of time travel)

“Paul Levinson’s It’s Real Life is an incredibly unique and captivating peek behind rock and roll’s mysterious curtain. The idea that the story delves into an alternate world adds to its page-turning intrigue. Highly recommended!”
-– Steven Manchester, #1 bestselling author, The Menu

"Paul Levinson's It's Real Life is a page-turning exploration into that multiverse known as rock and roll. But it is much more than a marvelous adventure narrated by a master storyteller...it is also an exquisite meditation on the very nature of alternate history."
-- Jack Dann, The Fiction Writer's Guide to Alternate History

get It's Real Life in paperback, hardcover, or on Kindle here

Sunday, July 7, 2024

Criminal Minds: Evolution 17.6: Gideon, Morgan, Hotch

The best part of the excellent episode 17.6 of Criminal Minds on Paramount Plus is the conversation between J. J. and Emily in Emily's apartment, both stoned.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

Emily asks J. J. to think about everyone who has come and gone at the BAU since she and J. J. met -- "Gideon, Morgan, Hotch". Why did she pick those three? Well, Gideon was the first head of the unit we met, all those years ago. Hotchner was there the longest. And Morgan I don't think was ever head, but he was a major player.

But I wonder why Emily didn't include Spencer in her reminisce. It would have been easy to add a fourth name. I'm pretty sure I heard someone mention Spencer's name earlier this season, but the stoned conversation in Emily's apartment would have been a good time to say it again.

Spencer was on the show for 324 episodes, from 2005 through 2020. Showrunner Erica Messer says scheduling conflicts kept Matthew Gray Gubler from coming back for the first season of Criminal Minds: Evolution, and this may be the case for the second season, but his desk remains, as is the possibility that he'll be back in some future episode or season (see Screen Rant for more).

With a serial killer like Voit behind bars but still very dangerous, and the big reveal at the end of 17.6 that the BAU's historic leaders may be North Star, related in some way to Gold Star, the BAU could certainly use every bit of Spencer's brain power it can get.

===

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

Thursday, July 4, 2024

The Lazarus Project 2.4: 2018

An excellent little pocket of an episode 2.4 of The Lazarus Project, in which just about everything takes place in

[Spoilers ahead ,,, ]

2018. Even though our band of heroes were trying to get back to 2012 to meet Dr. Kitty Gray, the inventor of the true time machine.

My favorite delightful drama in the 2018 pocket are the two Georges and two Sarahs, one of each knowing what's going on, the other not, mixing and matching at the corner of true romance. I've thought throughout both seasons of this series that their true love story and its time travel tributions would in and of itself have made for a compelling time travel television series.

As it is, The Lazarus Project has many other riveting stories to tell. Rebrov is an excellent character in any stage of his education about the complexities of time travel, and he pulls some significant triggers -- literally -- in episode 2.4. Of course, when time travel loops are involved, death isn't what it is in our off-screen world, in which as far as we know there is not a way to redo anything, certainly not life and death.

Since this second season is the final season, I can't help wondering who will live happily ever after at the end. I'm hoping that George and Sarah, Rebrov and Janet (and Becky), and Archie and Zhang will go on to live and prosper, but that's probably too much to hope for.

=====

my latest novel (with a touch of time travel)

Sunday, June 30, 2024

Podcast: It's the Debate that Failed, Not Biden

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 393, in which I argue that debate performance has nothing to do with how a candidate actually performs as President.

Saturday, June 29, 2024

Presumed Innocent 1.4: Under Fingernails

[Spoilers ahead ...]

Presumed Innocent 1.4 ended with a shocker: Rusty's DNA is found under Carolyn's fingernails. This is obvious proof that the two were fighting ...

Of course, if we read the book or saw the 1990 movie, Rusty's DNA under Carolyn's fingernails is entirely consistent with who the real killer is, definitely not Rusty. And since I have no idea how similar this Apple TV+ series and the 1990 movie will be, I'm keeping an open mind: the killer could be the 1990 killer, or Rusty, or someone else entirely.

The relationship between Rusty and Raymond, his lawyer, continues be strong, and Mya on the defense team is an excellent asset. Over on the prosecution side, Nico continues to be unflappable, but also not having 100% confidence in Tommy. I'd like to see more focus on Tommy's character. He actually seems to be doing a pretty good job, which makes me wonder why Nico seems so quick to disagree with him.

We also need to know more about Carolyn. What was Tommy's relationship with her in the office? What was Raymond's relationship with Carolyn -- he after all was her boss. Shouldn't there be more investigation of Carolyn's cases, and whether any of the people she prosecuted were now in a position to kill her?

I'm very much looking forward to seeing how this literally life-and-story, and saga of justice, unfolds.

Friday, June 28, 2024

It's the Debate that Failed Last Night, Not Biden

Biden tried to say decent, ethical things but delivered most of his words poorly in last night's Presidential debate; Trump spoke much more clearly but said vile things and lied just about every time he opened his mouth (lies which the CNN moderators failed to call out).

What are we to think about this?

I would say it's that debates shouldn't matter as much as they seem to. JFK looked better on TV than did Nixon, and a majority of people who saw the two on TV thought Kennedy won. A much smaller number of people heard the same debate on radio, and thought Nixon won. That event certainly demonstrated the importance of debates. But though JFK proved to be an excellent President, the fact that he won the debate was really no indication that JFK would do so well in office. The debates, in other words, were very valuable windows into the effects of media in politics, not indicators of the political character and acumen of the candidates.

It's plain logic that what a President does in office has nothing to do with the President's voice quality or appearance. FDR was in a wheelchair throughout his presidency. He connected to the American people in an age before television via his fireside chats on radios. Few people knew he was in a wheelchair. Most historians agree he was our very best President, getting the United States out of the Great Depression, and guiding us and our allies to victory in the Second World War.

I've spent my professional life as a professor of media and an author talking about the importance of televised debates, how candidates look and sound on television. JFK won the debate with Nixon because because by 1960 more than 90-percent of Americans had television in their homes. Reagan prevailed over Mondale by making a savvy joke about not making the younger age of his opponent an issue. Obama faltered in his first debate with Romney but came back strong in their second nationally televized conversation. But maybe it's time to focus on what debates really are: a 90-minute performance that has little to do with what the candidate did, is doing, or will do in office. The truth is that the skills needed to be an effective debater have nothing to do with the skills needed to be an effective President. Never did, never will. Maybe it's long since time that we recognized that.

Marshall McLuhan was the first to point out that JFK won the 1960 debates and then the election because he performed so well on television, in contrast to Nixon who was judged as winning the debates on their radio broadcasts that so few people listened to. McLuhan made this observation in Understanding Media (1964), whose breakthrough message was "the medium is the message". The view that Biden's poor performance in Thursday's debate means he's no longer fit to be President strikes me as an egregious case of mistaking the medium (the debate) for the message (Biden's been doing a superb job as President).

Or, to paraphrase Shelley, maybe it's the debate that failed last night, not Biden.

***

Note added Friday, June 28th, afternoon: And Biden amply demonstrated his power to effectively communicate in a rip-roaring speech in North Carolina. Again, a debate is a unique mode of communication, which not only has nothing to do with Presidential decision-making and other Presidential activity, but not much in common with speech-making, interviews, and other kinds of communication, either.

Note added Saturday, June 29: The New York Times' editorial board called on Joe Biden to leave the race. They didn't say a word about Biden's speech in North Carolina. What are we to make about such an unprecedented call from the editors of what used to be known as the newspaper of record? I would say this is just more evidence of the decline of a once-great newspaper. See my What's Wrong with The New York Times for an example this past Fall of what I'm talking about.

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Podcast Review of Dark Matter 1.9

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 392, in which I review Dark Matter 1.9 on Apple TV+.

Further places:

podcast review of Dark Matter 1.1-1.2
podcast review of Dark Matter 1.3-1.4
podcast review of Dark Matter 1.5
podcast review of Dark Matter 1.6
podcast review of Dark Matter 1.7
podcast review of Dark Matter 1.8
written blog post review of episode 1.9

See also Deadline's interview with Blake Crouch

Check out this episode!

Dark Matter 1.9: Science Fiction and Horror

I have unsettled feelings about the season 1 finale of Dark Matter on Apple TV+ -- episode 1.9 -- and they all point to a series eminently worth watching and continuing.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

I said last week that the multitude of Jasons showing up in one world gave cinematic verite to the poster for the series. But that crucial scene near the end of 1.9, with all of those Jasons, marshalled by their leader to let our Jason -- Jason 1 -- have the life he deserved with Daniela and Charlie -- well, that scene epitomized the poster.

I also said last week that I didn't expect to see the happy ending that the ending of 1.8 was pointing to. And we did see Jason 1 and Daniela 1 and Charlie 1 in family bliss for part of 1.9, only to have that taken away from them by a few of the marauding Jasons. But Jason 2 saved them -- at least, I think that was Jason 2, I'm never 100% sure -- and got the crowd of Jasons to let the Jason 1 family go into a world where they could presumably have a very happy life.

That scene with the crowd of Jasons made me realize that I was watching not just a science fiction story but a horror story. Crowds have been a part of horror at least since the notorious town folk with their torches in Frankenstein. They weren't carrying torches in Dark Matter 1.9, and they were different versions of the same person, but they felt to me to have a kinship with those villagers in Frankenstein. Mary Shelley's and Blake Crouch's stories, after all, are both vivid testaments to the horror that uncontrolled science can bring. The Twilight Zone often focused on this field of dreams turned nightmares, too.

So, the Jason 1 family has a happy ending. And Jason 2 sees the error of his ways and redeems himself. But there are an infinity of stories in that crowd of Jasons, and in this, our offscreen reality, I envision a Canterbury Tales of Dark Matter stories spanning years.

Monday, June 24, 2024

The Lazarus Project 2.3: The Plane Outside the Loop

A really tight episode 2.3 of The Lazarus Project now up on TNT.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

Let's start with the end. A plane with most of our crew traveling back in time to 2012. It -- of course -- encounters some extreme turbulence. Will they survive? Can they?

Well, let's put aside the point that it's highly unlikely that the series would kill off so many major characters in the third episode of the second season.

But, wait, why would it matter if so many players were killed in this plane? Wouldn't the time loop give them another chance to get the flight right, as it does with everything else?

Here's where we get to the nitty gritty. The folks on the plane are time-travelling -- trying to time travel -- outside of the inevitable, infuriating, but life-saving loop. So, if they're beyond the loop, and have already traveled a few years back in time, doesn't this mean that they're on their own?

The loop is really cool. Over and over again, a character or characters make a wrong choice, die as a result, only to come back and get it right. There was an excellent example of this in 2.3 when Archie and Zhang (a great couple) mistakenly think a finger is needed to open a digital lock, die as a result, but come back next time around with an eyeball, which works.

Time travel outside the loop has changed everything, and I'm looking forward to seeing how those characters on the plane outside the loop fare next week.

=====

my latest novel (with a touch of time travel)

Friday, June 21, 2024

Criminal Minds: Evolution 17.4: Progress

Criminal Minds is coming together nicely (or harrowingly, depending on how you look at it) as of episode 17.4 on Paramount Plus.

[Spoilers ahead ...]

Elias Voit now has a good reason to cooperate: his daughter is showing signs of becoming a serial killer, like her old man, and he wants the BAU to help her with their expertise. But the smile on his face at the end of the episode shows he's also happy about this for other, more nefarious reasons. I'm half-guesing he's hoping to turn his daughter into an asset.

Penelope is allowing Tyler to come back into the fold. Good. She still has feelings for him, and there's no point in struggling all season to keep them down. And, I don't know, I don't think Tyler did anything that terrible, but maybe that's just me.

It's good to see the crew's excursions now actually connecting to the Gold Star case, which happens just as the BAU realizes that Gold Star is not a person but a project. This of course puts Voit right back in the picture. In addition to being the serial killer Internet mastermind Sicarius, Voit is no doubt part of Gold Star, and maybe it's chief? That would be good reason for Voit's smile at the end.

One issue unaddressed in this episode are the fake porn photos of J.J. We'll no doubt see that center stage sooner or later, as Criminal Minds: Evolution continues its perilous journey this season.

===

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

Thursday, June 20, 2024

Podcast Review of Dark Matter 1.8

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 391, in which I review Dark Matter 1.8 on Apple TV+.

Further places:

podcast review of Dark Matter 1.1-1.2
podcast review of Dark Matter 1.3-1.4
podcast review of Dark Matter 1.5
podcast review of Dark Matter 1.6
podcast review of Dark Matter 1.7
written blog post review of episode 1.8

Check out this episode!

Presumed Innocent 1.3: Sterling Performances

I was struck by the sterling performance of just about every actor in Presumed Innocent 1.3 on Apple TV+.

[And here let me advise you not so much about spoilers, but that I saw the 1990s movie with Harrison Ford, and I'll try not to in any way indicate the ending of that, because I have no idea if this series will end the same way.]

Here are some of my favorite scenes in this episode:

Every scene that O-T Fagbenle as DA Della Guardia is in. He has a strange, compelling presence that I've never quite seen before, which makes him instantly memorable.
Noma Dumezweni as the tough-ass judge. Perfect
The scene in which Rusty ( Jake Gyllenhaal) falls in love with Carolyn (Renate Reinsve), as she gently works to make a little girl who will be testifying feel safe
And, yeah, every scene with Bill Camp as Horgan, former DA and Rusty's attorney

But the truth is every character shines in this series, Rusty's wife and their children, the bartender at the beginning of the episode, Peter Sarsgaard as ADA Molto. I can't recall another series in which every character was so vibrantly portrayed.

It occurred to me that Apple TV+ currently has two series -- Presumed Innocent and Dark Matter -- situated in Chicago. The only thing missing from Presumed Innocent is maybe a scene with one of the Jasons in the background.

See my reviews of Dark Matter

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Dark Matter 1.8: A Bevy of Jasons

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

Up until Dark Matter 1.8, we had a Jason -- Jason 1 -- visiting a variety of alternate realities. All of that flipped in 1.8, where we had an onslaught of different Jasons showing up at the worst possible times in World 1. That made for a crackling episode in which all hell broke loose. And now we finally can see the poster for the series fulfilled.

At first, it looked like Jason 1 killed Jason 2, or maybe versa. But we soon learned that the victim was Jason 3, or the first of a flood of Jasons, all of whom were at odds with Jason 1's understandable, transcendent desire to be back with his family -- i.e., the family that he knew, and who knew him.

Here let me just tip my hat to the bartender. He's a great science fictional character. He no longer questions or even seems to wonder about the proliferation of Jasons who show up in his bar. He just greets them, serves them, and takes them in all in stride.

We already know that all Jasons have a violent streak, and when competing with each other for Daniela 1 and Charlie 1, sheer violence quickly comes to the fore. Daniela is also willing to be deadly violent to save herself and Charlie from Jason 2, and she pushes him down the basement stairs.

This season could have ended right after that, with Jason 1 finally reunited with his family. But 1.8 is not the final episode this season -- there's one more -- and there's no way that Dark Matter could end with quite so happy an ending.

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

The Lazarus Project 2.2: Shag in the Alley

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

That was my favorite part of The Lazarus Project 2.2, up on TNT in the USA this past Sunday -- Sarah grabbing George for an unexpected, quick shag in the alley.

It was fun to see -- even though it causes George more confusion -- because their love is the truest truth in this series. Sarah doesn't quite see that yet. She has something going on with Cormac (I agree with George that that's a strange name, though how I would I know I'm not from the UK), and is paired with Michael, whom she can't stand. But the way her face lit up before she started kissing George in the alley shows the way she really feels.

The Lazarus Project has all the explosive trappings of a hard science fiction story, which it most certainly is. But for me, what makes the series really unique are the similarities it has to The Time Traveler's Wife and even Outlander, two patently non-scientific time travel love stories. Romantic love is a key player in The Lazarus Project, as are parents and children.

And George figures in a key scene at the end of 2.2, in which Becky, last seen as a little girl put into a time machine sent back to 2012, presents herself to George as a young lady in the London underground in 2024. When George asks her how she got so old so quickly, she tells him she's time traveled, "do the arithmetic".

If The Lazarus Project has any problem, it's that it probably has too many moving pieces to put together or even make complete sense of. But that's time travel, "do the arithmetic," right?

=====

my latest novel (with a touch of time travel)

"challenging fun"
- Entertainment Weekly

e-mail received from a reader:
Dear Paul, I just dreamed of airships flying between raindrops. I just returned from 2042 CE, where I sold my hardcover copy of The Plot to Save Socrates for seventy million Neo-Euros, because it had your response to this e-mail from way back in 2007 scotch-taped onto the inside of the cover. A Paul Levinson collector paid top Neo-Euro, because of the authentic archaic e-mail printout from you. It turns out that not many of your e-mails from before your tenure as CEO of HBO/Cinemax and terms as United Nations Secretary General will survive that far into the future. So, please respond to this e-mail, to help found my great-grandchildren's fortune. My Will will stipulate that they must share with your great grandchildren. Thanks! Tom

I of course happily replied...

42 reviews of The Plot to Save Socrates!