#895 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday April 8)
Good morning,
TOTAL ECLIPSE
Today the Sun, the Moon and the Earth will be in syzygy, with a total eclipse seen across a swathe of North America. While I’ve seen several partial eclipses (one nearly total), I have never been in the path of the totality. What an amazing experience it must be, to have the sky go dark, the birds and insects freak out, thinking nightfall has come early.
Between the various articles about the eclipse (and at least one sermon), I have been thinking about the miracle of the darkness coming in mid-day. Amidst all the hubbub of the day, all the light and noise and movement, darkness will descend suddenly and, with it, peace and quiet will ensue. One other thing happens when darkness arrives—miraculously, the stars come out.
The stars always are there, yet we don’t see them. Just like the stars, the beauty of our world—the blessings that we have—often are drowned out by traffic, noise, news, and aggravations (large and small). But, just as it takes the darkness to note that the stars were there all along, so we should remember that these things always exist. Amidst the din, the talking heads, social media, and algorithms, the sweet things in life are in our midst all the time. Sometimes we have to look a little harder. The stars are always present.
GREAT SCIENCE FICTION MINI-SERIES STREAMING
You don’t have to like science fiction to love these shows. Andrea loved For All Mankind. You probably will too. There is some great story-telling, “what ifs,” and alternatives to the reality of our lives today.
Bodies—A dead body is found in an alley in London. An inspector tries to piece together the crime—only to learn of the same facts of unsolved murders in 1890 and 1943, with other inspectors similarly baffled. Great period pieces of the past. Eventually the stories of the detectives—a closeted gay man in the 19th century, a Jew in wartime London, and a Muslim woman today—begin to intertwine with Shahara Hasan in 2023 and a fourth inspector in the 2050s. Beautifully executed, real excellent character depth and development.
For All Mankind, alternative history of the space program and the decades from landing on the moon (each season is set 10 years later—70s, 80s, 90s, 00s—the 2010s is in filming now). Amidst all the imagined history of a space program is the exploration of issues of feminism, Gay rights, and politics. Andrea loved this. I watched it twice.
Counterpart—J.K. Skinner with parallel universes that connect in a basement in Berlin. Post-war CIA aesthetic. An experiment goes awry, creating two timelines emanating from post-war Berlin. The characters and the worlds meet in the present, with fascinating consequences, including different choices creating different outcomes for the characters.
Strange New Worlds—a fun new Star Trek series. It has all the spark and fun and self-referential good humor as the original series and The Next Generation. Not afraid of having fun while mankind is (as always in the Star Trek universe) is under threat.
Silo—A city in a 100+ story silo underground. Why are they there? Who built the silo? Why is there a barren landscape at the top? Tim Robbins is great in it. I think there will be more seasons.
Constellation—just finished watching this. Disaster on International Space Station. An astronaut returns to find things are not the same as they were—including her daughter. After a while it becomes clear that there are two sets of circumstances, separate worlds populated by what seems to be the same people.
The Peripheral—gamers enter alternate reality. One season. Sadly, not renewed. Not the strongest on this list.
Foundation—the Isaac Asimov novels but with a different spin. Confusing early but eventually fascinating. Imagine if there was a science of predictive history—something that could predict group behaviors. And imagine if one could avert impending disastrous movements by heeding the predictions and acting upon them.
The History of Time Travel—Don’t miss this fake “documentary” about the first steps in time travel. It really messes with you over a little over an hour. Brilliantly done in the best traditions of “mocumentaries.” You’ll love it.
November 22, 1963—Stephen King time travel miniseries to the day Kennedy was shot. The protagonist keeps returning to try to change history. It is not your typical Stephen King story. It is a great “what if” story.
The Plot Against America—The Phillip Roth classic as a miniseries. The U.S. enters into a treaty with Hitler. This alternative history is seen through the eyes of Jewish boy growing up in New Jersey i.
The Man in the High Castle—Germany and Japan carve up America. An imagining of a “what if” world of alternative history. Eventually a few protagonists believe something is amiss—that perhaps events are not as they should be.
EMBRACE YOUR AGE
Old Joe should lean into his age as incorporating valuable experience and wisdom. He may be a little slow and may trip up on names now and then. But follow the lead of John McCain, who once said: “I’m older than dirt. I have more scars than Frankenstein. But I’ve learned a few things along the way.”
Have a great day,
Glenn