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psalm

Genius Finale — Bringing Back the Joy

June 21, 2017 by J. Alan Sharrer 3 Comments

(National Geographic/Dusan Martincek)

One January morning in 1998, I walked into a lecture hall at Furman University, not knowing what to expect in the Psychology class I was registered for.  The professor walked in, a rather tall man with bright red hair, and spoke: “Good morning.  My name is Dr. Einstein.”  The class laughed, then he continued: “If you’re wondering, I am actually related to Albert.”  At that point, the class grew silent, then sat back for a fantastic semester of learning with a professor who sincerely loved to teach.  To this day, I still believe Dr. Einstein was the smartest–not to mention most challenging–professor I had.  (If you’re wondering, he’s still teaching at Furman)

In the final two-hour conclusion to National Geographic Channel’s Genius, Albert Einstein (Geoffrey Rush) has moved to the US and is a professor at Princeton University. But the events of the world have seemed to conspire against him. Franz Haber (Richard Topol) dies, as does Mileva, his stepdaughter Ilse, and his current wife, Elsa (Emily Watson). To assuage his feelings, a svelte Russian bombshell named Margarita (Ania Bukstein) enters his life and helps him get through the process of becoming a US citizen.  We soon discover she’s a spy attempting to get access to Einstein’s calculations for an unknown purpose, but she fails in her mission. Later, Albert’s work on general relativity becomes linked to the atomic bomb being worked on by the US and Germany, a thought that makes him sick.  When the bomb is dropped on Japan by the US, Einstein is thrust into the spotlight again—not as a brilliant scientist, but as the harbinger of nuclear death.

(National Geographic/Dusan Martincek)

As a result of this new moniker, Albert begins to push away from his love of science, becoming more active politically.  It creates another big issue in the form of J Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI (TR Knight).  He thinks Albert is a Communist and is willing to go to any length to prove his assertion true.  It makes life difficult as Einstein is concerned with the witch hunt going on for people like the Rosenbergs and is ready to make his feelings known to the world.  But that’s exactly what Hoover wants.  When Albert writes a letter to the judge of the Rosenberg trial, Hoover intercepts it and proceeds to discredit Einstein all over the pages of America’s papers. All Albert has left are a few friends and his assistant Helene (Emily Laing), who he prefers to see and not hear.  His son Hans has come over from Germany, but the rift from the divorce is still fresh.

Sinking into a funk, an unexpected help arrives in the form of Alice Edwards (Dixie Egerickx), a little girl who asks him to help her with her long division homework.  Suddenly, he remembers the joy of teaching and breaks out of his depression.  In the end, he is able to reconcile himself to Hans (even telling him that he would’ve never achieved anything without Mileva) before finally passing away.

Ken Billings directs the final two part-episode and provides a satisfying conclusion to the series.  He’s even able to inject a little emotion into the end sequences as Albert is reconciled to Hans and tells Helene she’s a blessing to him.  It was nice to see a little glimmer of hope as Einstein’s carefully crafted world began to crash down around him. I’m already looking forward to the second season of Genius, which will feature the life of one Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (yes, that’s the painter’s full name).

One of the neatest things to see in the final episode was how Alice Edwards, with her constant questioning and eager desire to learn, helped bring Albert back to a love of teaching.  When life seems to feel unbearable and the only safe space is under the covers of the bed, there is a way to get back to normal. King David mentioned this in Psalm 51, when it seemed like his sins and mistakes were going to overwhelm him.  He went to God and asked for forgiveness, then prayed, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.  Then I will teach transgressors Your ways” (verses 12-13 NASB).  Sometimes all it takes is asking God for the joy to be restored, and it will arrive in a form that will do the trick. Then we will be able to take on life with a renewed confidence and vigor, making a difference in the lives of others.  And isn’t that what we, in the end, want to happen?

Filed Under: Current Events, Reviews, Television Tagged With: Albert Einstein, Alice Edwards, Ania Bukstein, Atomic Bomb, David, Dixie Egerickx, Elsa Einstein, Emily Laing, Emily Watson, Franz Haber, Genius, Geoffrey Rush, Hans Einstein, J Edgar Hoover, Joy, Ken Billings, Mileva Maric, Pablo Picasso, psalm, Richard Topol, Rosenbergs, Teaching, TR Knight

The Witness (to God)

February 26, 2016 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

jonathan-blow-the-witness-game-wallpaper

[Note 1: The following includes mild, implicit spoilers. Note 2: This is not an in-depth review of The Witness and assumes some prior knowledge of and interest in the game. For an excellent, straight piece that describes the game’s mechanics, contextualizes, etc., please see Jonathan Clauson’s article at Christ & Pop Culture here.]

dots and lines
intersect in the trees,
asking:
just what
is the meaning
of these?

i walk and run
through forests,
past streams,
among architecture
conjured from dreams,
across platforms
suspended from cliffs,
seeking the meaning
of all of this

you see:
the dots and lines,
each and every time,
bespeak reason,
betray rhyme,
without words
and without sign,
still they speak
each and every time

and so i ask
as they demand:
what is the meaning
of these things
in this land?

why am i here?
how did it start?
what’s just the thing
that sits at the heart?

and then at the end,
i circle, ascend,
a mountain that beckons
from island horizon

it is tall, it is wide,
it has secrets hid inside

and now i know:
the dots, the lines,
they pointed upward
the entire time

the contraptions work
the mountain’s door,
to allow safe passage
to the mystery’s core

and then, deep inside,
eyes wide,
mind plied,
the puzzles cease,
the speaking stops,
and the game . . .

resets

and that’s it . . .
. .  … ..
. .
.

however:
the point?
it’s already been made . .
has already been being made . .

the point:
that there’s such a thing as points

that things mean things

that in The Witness,
as in the world,
there is an
ever present
invitation to
understanding everything
afoot at all times

and though our
interpretations
be
difficult,
varied,
incomplete,
frustrating,
they are
nevertheless prompted,
demanded,
because
words are occurring . .
as long as we have
ears to hear

and . .
if we’re being honest . .
doesn’t this
point also
point to another
point?

doesn’t the
existence of points
point to the existence
of a point maker?
a pointist?

isn’t it the case that
that there is no
speaking machine
without a
machine designer
who speaks?

isn’t it the case
that there’s no
speaking without
language
(whatever it may be)
and no language
without a
master linguist?
a prime languager?

————————–

if i were
Jonathan Blow,
designer of
The Witness,
i might have included
the following
in one of those
beguiling bits of recording
found scattered
throughout the island . .
it seems to belong . .

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words;

no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4)

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: braid, Christian, design, game, God, interpretation, island, Jonathan Blow, language, meaning, psalm, puzzle, review, spiritual, the witness

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