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George Santayana had irrational faith in reason - I have irrational faith in TV.
Chuck Todd interviews me about alternate histories
Showing posts with label Francis Coppola. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Francis Coppola. Show all posts
It was flashback time on Intelligence 1.8 on Monday, with a combination of the least amount of high-tech gadgetry we've seen on the show so far, and the most backstory for Gabriel.
This makes for a nice enough episode, but one which resembles the CBS mega-hit NCIS more then it does the science fiction on Person of Interest, Revolution, Almost Human, and Intelligence. Still, the developing chemistry between Gabriel and Riley was good to see, as was Gabriel before he had the implant.
And the story of Norris - who partnered with Gabriel in the flashback, and is the crucial character in the present part of the narrative - has echoes of Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Coppola's Apocalypse Now, which is to say, important and moving. The toll of war on those who survive can make them something less than human - or less motivated by the empathy that most of us have - and Norris provides a powerful contrast to Gabriel on this score. Both survived. Gabriel was embedded with a chip which connects him directly with the Internet. Norris was not. And who is the more human? It's Gabriel, despite or maybe because of his techno assist.
This also makes a point which is consistent with my view of technology, and the view of a small number of other academics and theorists. The Nobel laureate biologist Sir Peter Medawar once said that technologies are what make us human. You can see evidence of this every day. When someone puts on a pair of glasses, is she or her less human? No, they are more human, because by seeing better, they can navigate their world better and more effectively accomplish their human goals. When someone puts on on Google Glass, are they less human? No, I would say they are more human, for the same reasons that corrective glasses better enable out humanity.
Gabriel and what he represents are not that big a step beyond Google Glass in its enablement of humanity. That's one of things that makes this series so good.
A taut, more or less standalone Fringe 3.18 tonight, all on the other side, driven by Faulivia's pregnancy and Walternate's goal to insure its successful outcome.
First, some tasty alt-differences, including sophisticated digital imagery on the wall of a doctor's office, and Francis Coppola not Martin Scorcese as the director of "Taxi Driver". But our Eternal Bald Observer is clearly on the job on the other side.
Walternate's concern about Fauxlivia's pregnancy not resulting in her or her baby's death - the baby being Peter's and thus Walternate's grandchild - stems from Faulivia having a condition will result in either her or the baby's death if she goes to term. Fauxlivia is soon kidnapped, and, we soon learn, given a treatment which greatly accelerates her pregnancy.
Walternate assigns Lincoln to the case with due urgency. But it occurred to me then that Walternate might well be behind the kidnapping and the accelerated pregnancy. If not, who would the kidnappers be? People from our side? Not likely, given that we were in previous episodes given no sign of that. Maybe people from a third reality? Always possible, but again, that would be pulling a third rabbit out a hat, at this point. How about a group working with the Bald Observers? Possible, but, so far, the only Bald Observers we've seen are, well, bald.
And it turns out that Waltnerate is indeed behind this. The accelerated pregnancy will beat out the development of the virus that otherwise would have killed either Fauxlivia or the baby, or even both. This way, Walternate can have his grandchild - which turns out to be a boy - and Fauxlivia.
But all's never quite well that ends well, when we're dealing with Fringe. The price Waltnernate has paid for the success of his plan is making Lincoln suspicious - and, in the bargain, he's now told Fauxlivia he loves her (under the influence of thinking she might die, which we the viewers were encouraged to think, also, by the playing of that Lost-type music which usually meant death on that show).
More good ingredients for this continuing, fine story - and, hey, Fox announced today that Fringe will be back next year - after, of course, the four remaining episodes of the current season, which pick up in three weeks.
It was flashback time on Intelligence 1.8 on Monday, with a combination of the least amount of high-tech gadgetry we've seen on the show so far, and the most backstory for Gabriel.
