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Ralph Brown

Genius Ep. 5 – A Tangled Web

May 24, 2017 by J. Alan Sharrer Leave a Comment

(National Geographic/Dusan Martincek)

“Of all the mysteries for me, people are the hardest to fathom.”

If there’s been one major revelation from the Genius series thus far (NatGeo, Tuesdays 9 PM/8 CT), it’s that Albert Einstein (Johnny Flynn) has a brilliant mind yet struggles with understanding others.  There are strained relationships all over the place—teachers, colleagues, even his own wife.  In the fifth episode, Einstein’s circle widens to include a new cast of characters who provide additional depth and complexity to the story.  But the same issues from his past continue to plague him.

The episode is broken into three interwoven sections. One continues to follow Einstein’s quest of becoming famous through his research and teaching.  Einstein’s not a great lecturer, but when he skips the formalities of academia, he flourishes.  His general relativity theory has become well-known and he jumps from university to university across Europe, spending time with other important scientists and researchers.  His role of a patent clerk is now but a distant memory. He’s warned by Max Planck (Ralph Brown) to not ruffle feathers in the scientific community, but Einstein doesn’t seem to care.  Pride goes before destruction, and that may or may not be the case here (see Proverbs 16:18).

A second section chronicles his marital relationship with Mileva (Samantha Colley).  Not acknowledging her role in his scientific research seems to have triggered a poisonous atmosphere at home (not that it was great to start with). Mileva is genuinely unhappy in the relationship, as her dreams of fame have been reduced to cooking, cleaning, and taking care of their two kids. When she has a conversation with Marie Curie (Klara Issova) about science, a real sense of joy exudes from her.  But there is a palpable distance between her and Albert, causing her to become almost paranoid about what he’s doing and the mail he receives.  Albert knows there’s a problem as well and discusses it with his mother and cousin Elsa (Gwendolyn Ellis).  This leads to Albert and Elsa taking a stroll in the woods, then sharing a romantic kiss.  By running away from his problems at home, he’s only creating more in the long run.  Asking for forgiveness is a difficult thing to do, but is incredibly important for healing (see James 5:16).

(National Geographic/Dusan Martincek)

The final portion of the episode revolves around Eduard, Einstein’s second son (Caspar Griffiths). He’s in a mental hospital as a young adult, having jumped out of a window.  Carl Jung (Rod Hallet) talks to him while there and gets Eduard to reveal that he hates Albert.  Perhaps there will be an attempt at forgiveness and reconciliation between the two in a future episode.  Basically, Einstein needs to stop being so egocentric and become humble for a good while.  But will he actually do it?

Albert must make a decision that will affect his career and family in a multitude of ways as the credits roll.  A solitary rose will provide the answer.

Filed Under: Current Events, Reviews, Television Tagged With: Carl Jung, Caspar Griffiths, Eduard Einstein, Ego, Einstein, Elsa, forgiveness, Genius, Gwendolyn Ellis, Humility, James, Johnny Flynn, Klara Issova, Marie Curie, Max Planck, mental hospital, Pride, Ralph Brown, Relativity, Rod Hallet, Rose, Samantha Colley

Genius Ep. 4 – Priorities, Priorities

May 17, 2017 by J. Alan Sharrer Leave a Comment

(National Geographic/DusanMartincek)

Albert Einstein was one of the most brilliant individuals the world has ever seen.  But as the first three episodes of Genius (Nat Geo, Tuesdays 9 PM/8 CT) have shown, he had many character faults evident to most of the people who knew him.  To cite a few, Einstein was impetuous, irrational, self-absorbed, and had the most difficult time relating to members of the opposite sex. At the end of the third episode, it seems a change may be taking place in his life, as he lets go of his pride and begins work as a patent clerk.

Or has he?

It seems Einstein’s head is occupied with other things while at the office.  He (Johnny Flynn) and Mileva (Samantha Colley) have a healthy baby and they live in a decent place. But Einstein cannot get the science out of his head and constantly thinks of how to get his name out in the academic world. His roommate from Zurich, Michele Besso (Seth Gabel), helps formulate ideas, while Mileva helps him write a series of papers that seemingly generate no interest. But people are looking, including Pierre Lennard (Michael McElhatton) and Max Planck (Ralph Brown).

All is not wine and roses for Einstein, however.  He is so focused on science that he practically ignores his son—and Mileva, to a certain extent. He invites his mom (Helen Monks) to help out at the house, where she promptly tries to convert Mileva into a housewife.  Mileva will have none of that, infuriating mom, who calls her “[Albert’s] librarian and clock.”  Einstein has to step in to that situation and kicks his mother  out. He also has to deal with his former girlfriend Marie Winteler (Shannon Tarbet) when her family experiences a horrible tragedy.

Interspersed within the episode by new director Kevin Hooks are scenes involving Pierre and Marie Curie (Corrado Invernizzi and Klára Issová) as they discover radium. The juxtaposition of the relationships the husbands have with their wives are shocking. When Pierre wins the 1903 Nobel Prize, he says he won’t accept it unless Marie gets it as well. On the other hand, when Einstein discovers the theory of relativity, he thanks Marcel in the paper but not his own wife.  Could this be a foreshadowing to future issues?

(National Geographic/DusanMartincek)

Hooks’ directorial style is a little different than Minkie Spiro’s as he paints a broader picture and isn’t as focused on the intimate portrayals of characters. It’s a bit jarring—and one reason I was concerned when I discovered multiple directors would be part of the production of Genius.  It’s not terrible, however, and as long as there are no more hands in the directorial cookie jar, the series should be okay.

Albert still struggles with priorities—family is a mere existence to him, alluded to by at least one character.  Mileva stays home and helps him while taking care of their son. Only after Marie Winteler’s dad talks to him about focusing on the childhood of his son does Albert begin to spend time with him.  But even then, his scientific mind is spinning wildly.  The book of Ecclesiastes mentions that there is a time for everything under heaven:

“A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace (Eccl 3:2-8 NASB).”

We have to learn to prioritize our lives based on our current situations, striking a balance our families can work within.  Too much focus on work can lead to alienation from friends and family. Too much play (or even laziness) can lead to a loss of finances and added stress on those we love.  Being well-rounded makes everyone around us better.

We’ll just have to see if Albert learns this lesson next week . . .

Filed Under: Current Events, Reviews, Television Tagged With: Corrado Invernizzi, Ecclesiastes, Einstein, Genius, Helen Monks, Johnny Flynn, Kevin Hooks, Klara Issova, Marie Curie, Marie Winteler, Max Planck, Michael McElhatton, Michele Besso, Mileva Maric, Minkie Spiro, National Geographic, Pierre Curie, Pierre Lennard, Ralph Brown, Relativity, Samantha Colley, Seth Gabel

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