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The Leftovers

Limetown: The Boundaries of Building Babel

November 1, 2019 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Airing now on Facebook Live, Limetown follows Lia Haddock (Jessica Biel), a journalist for American Public Radio (APR) who is exploring the mystery behind the disappearance of over 300 people at a neuroscience research facility. As she gets closer to the answers behind the failed experiment, Haddock’s journey becomes increasingly perilous as unseen forces attempt to keep their actions hidden at the expense of human lives.

Based on the podcast of the same name, Limetown is a complicated web of science-fiction, intrigue and suspense. Borrowing elements from a wide-variety of popular modern mythologies such as Lost, The Leftovers and famed podcast, Serial, Limetown manages to carve out its own unique space amongst them. Interestingly, while Biel leads each episode (and the mythology is clearly tied to Haddock’s history), neither does she (wisely) demand the spotlight, allowing the stories of each ‘survivor’ to drive the narrative. In doing so, the mystery of Limetown maintains a more ‘first-hand’ account of the drama, giving more impact to its intrigue.

Without giving away any spoilers, Limetown speaks to mankind’s desire to create a perfect world in their own image. Set up as a scientific community, Limetown itself existed as a place where people could come together and attempt at building a ‘better world’. However, as the truths behind the existence of the facility begin to unfurl, the audience discovers the dark underbelly of human progress and the damage that can be left in its wake. In other words, as human life begins to lose its value in the name of building something ‘better’, the concept of progress can quickly give way to the abuse of power.

Interestingly, early on, the series references the ‘Library of Babel’, a mythological library that contains all of the answers in the universe, though they remain buried under an infinite layer of nonsense that must be waded through to find them. While the show uses the analogy to describe the difficulty to finding the truth about Limetown, it’s reference to the Biblical Tower of Babel also points to a story where man attempted to prove their worth as greater than God by building a society in their own image. While the reference is merely a throwaway, it also speaks heavily to the vision for Limetown itself as it recklessly places the value of mankind’s scientific ingenuity ahead of the soul of humanity. Although technological achievement is essential to the progress of any culture, it can also create unspeakable horror when the value of life is misplaced for the sake of human glory. To its credit, it is this question of boundaries that lies at the heart of Limetown as the lines between advancement and exploitation blur.

With two new episodes airing each week, Limetown is worthy mystery to explore. By incorporating the podcast format, the series excels as it unravels its mystery from the perspective of its survivors (or victims). As a result, the personal accounts of Limetown add greater weight to the questions of human achievement which, although incredible in their scientific revelations, also contain the potential to damage the human soul in the process.

Limetown currently has released the first six episodes available via Facebook Watch with new episodes every Wednesday.

Filed Under: Reviews, SmallFish Tagged With: facebook, Facebook Watch, Jessica Biel, Limetown, Lost, Serial, The Leftovers

When Pop Culture and Politics Come Together

August 8, 2016 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

At the Variety PURPOSE Family Entertainment and Faith-Based Summit, one of the panels of industry people discussed “Creative Trendsetters”. That panel, moderated by Malina Saval of Variety, included Reza Aslan, Producer of Believer, Of Kings and Prophets, and The Leftovers; DeVon Franklin, Producer of Miracle from Heaven and The Star; Arturo Navarro of Echo Park Films who is involved with an upcoming film From Heaven: Fatima’s Secret; Joan Scheckel, Producer of Transparent; and Jennie Snyder Urman, Creator and Executive Producer of Jane the Virgin. After each discussed bits of the creative process involved in their projects the discussion drifted into the role that the current political situation affected the products.

purpose summit

Malina Saval: There’s so much going on in politics today, as you know. The last two weeks [during the political conventions] have been tumultuous and interesting, riveting at times and upsetting at other times. Does the current political climate influence at all what you cover in terms of faith-based content?

Arturo Navarro: That’s a great question. When I think about Fatima, these are timely spiritual prescriptions. Particularly what we’ve been through the last couple weeks.

DeVon Franklin: That is a really good question. For me, it’s that what I see is that there’s a narrative of division, no matter what. Diverse groups pitted against one another, when in reality, the day to day existence that we live, we don’t necessarily live that way. But when we turn on the news or we turn on the TV or go on the internet, it’s like “Oh, wait! There is chaos.” So I think there is opportunity to make content that authentically portrays our day to day experience which is—this room is as diverse as it gets—of all walks, of all faiths, of all races, of all genders, of all persuasions—and we’re here and we’re communing and we’re having a great time, and we’re not even thinking about it. I think that’s the real America out there. And I think the more we can make content that speaks to the light that is in the world, the peace that’s in the world. I think the political climate actually gives us a great opportunity for content like that, to cut right through. Because the wide majority of us want peace, want unity, want family, we want faith, we want to believe that there’s more than we can see. The chaos that’s being portrayed has really given us new opportunity.

Joan Scheckel: To speak further to that, the issue is feeling. How can we connect the country unless we talk about it in a real way, unless we address the hate in a real way, unless we address envy, unless we address the core feelings that are dividing us? Story does that. Story is a safe context for feelings. It’s a way to bring it up between different characters and have them get in the mix, get in the ring with one another, where there is a little bit of remove and you can feel it. You can empathize with it. You can see how there’s no better or worse, there’s just the multiplicity of feelings. That’s not getting addressed in politics. But it can receive a better treatment in story.

Malina Saval: So just to take an example, how can a show like Jane the Virgin, a really relevant piece of pop culture today, how can that help bridge some of the divides that are in our society?

Jennie Snyder Urman: We try really hard to personalize the political. Our show advocates for immigration reform and our characters believe in that. Sometimes we never give characters a point of view because you’re afraid of offending anyone. Abuela is somebody some people want to get out of the country. Who is going to watch our show and want to deport Abuela? You’re rooting for them and if you make the political personal and have faces, you show this family has fear and has success and struggle. She’s a faithful woman. She really believes in God. She’s also undocumented and wants to do something about it. A point of view doesn’t have to divide us. As you’re saying, it gives you the space to have that conversation. You feel the pain. You feel compassion. What you do after is up to you. I think there’s always a point of view of the creator—always, always, always. So why not make it just a little more explicit.

Malina Saval: You talked about how pop culture right now is probably the best way that we can get through to people. When you’re saying “most people want peace, most people want unity”, right now I’m not feeling that that’s true 100 percent. But I hope that people do feel that way. But from your experience and your expertise how can pop culture create an atmosphere where people really get a sense of the contectivity and peace.

Reza Aslan: I think we’re sometimes under the mistaken impression that bigotry is the result of ignorance—particularly in sort of liberal, progressive, intelligent crowds. People think, “Well, if you’re a racist or a bigot, it’s just because you don’t know. If we just give you knowledge then you’ll stop being such a a racist and a bigot.” That’s not how it works. Bigotry is not the result of ignorance. It’s the result of fear. And fear is impervious to data. It doesn’t matter how many times you try to debunk a particular stereotype, if you can’t address the fear then that bigotry will always be there. So the only way to actually address fear, the only way to take away fear, is through relationship. It would be great if you could just meet each other and knock on each other’s door and say, “Hi, I’m Christian.” “I’m Muslim.” “Hi. I’m gay.” “I’m straight.” But that’s not how it works. So all we have is pop culture. All we have is television. In this country it’s not our politicians that have changed our society, it’s Hollywood that’s changed our society. Remember when the Vice President expressed his support for same sex marriage and was asked why it was there was such a giant pendulum swing in views about the LGBT community? What did he say? Remember? [From audience: Will and Grace.] Will and Grace, that’s what he said. He said because of Will and Grace. Everyone laughed and said, “Oh my gosh, there’s Joe Biden again.” He’s right. He’s 100 percent correct. It was television that changed the minds of Americans about gays and lesbians. It’s television that has changed the minds of people about the trans community. Not our politicians. They’re just catching up.

Malina Saval: I just think a lot of times Hollywood is not necessarily a microcosm for the rest of the world. A lot of time the people making entertainment and writing have a different mindset that let’s say, I’m not picking on someone in any particular state, but say Peoria, Illinois, or some small place in Kansas. Sometimes it is different. And I think if you see something on TV before you know about it or believe in it, I think it can effect positive change.

Reza Aslan: That person in that small town, the only gay person that he knows, the only Muslim he knows, the only Jew he knows is the one that he sees on television. That’s it. That’s an enormous responsibility for us. Because we’re not just making entertainment. We’re not just telling a story. We’re trying to reframe the perception that people have in this country towards the other.

 

Filed Under: Current Events, News Tagged With: Arturo Navarro, DeVon Franklin, faith based entertainment, family entertainment, Jane the Virgin, Jennie Snyder Urman, Joan Scheckel, Miracles From Heaven, politics and pop culture, Reza Aslan, The Leftovers, Tranparent

On The Screen Vol. 6 (October 6)

October 6, 2015 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

SmallScreen

This week, we take a look at life post-rapture, the struggle to find purpose in the day to day, and the battle between good and evil. Depending upon how you look at it, that description could have described any of these…

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 01: Justin Theroux films HBO's "The Leftovers" on April 1, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images)

The Leftovers: The Complete First Season – When You Get Left Behind

Three years ago, two percent of the world’s population vanished. No one knows what caused them to disappear or what their fate is, but those who remain struggle with the group’s absence. Based on Tom Perralta’s novel of the same name, the show was created by Perralta and Lost alum Damon Lindelof, with direction by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, Lone Survivor). Following the many factions that now exist, the show asks questions about how we move forward after a loss, and what it means to have everything you thought you knew torn away from you.

The main focus is on the sheriff of Mapleton, New York, Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), as he wrestles with order and grief, but it also pulls back the curtain on the Holy Remnant and the followers of Holy Wayne, two different cultic organizations. Some of the people claim that God did “this” as judgment for all of society’s crimes; others claim God had nothing to do with this, and there’s something more scientific, sinister, or alien that caused the events. From a faith-based perspective, after a healthy reading about how John Nelson Darby invented the rapture, one might begin to question what it means for people to see change happen in their own lives, after an event that steals their heart, their soul, and their joy. Somehow, the cause of the event isn’t as important as the way we respond afterward.

 

happyish

Happyish: Season One – What Are You Settling For?

Steve Coogan and Kathryn Hahn are terribly funny human beings, but together, they make the twenty-first century couple, Thom and Lee Payne. [It’s no coincidence that their last name is synonymous with “pain,” as both of them are obviously struggling.] Thom discovers that his medicines are conflicting with each other, a splendid insight into the way that we’ve overmedicated ourselves to drown out the noise, and just end up causing more problems. However, this is merely the entrée into Happyish…

What we see is a guy who is settling, for, well, happyish. What we might recognize as we watch him struggle at work, at home, and in society, is that he has pursued a feeling (happiness) rather than a state (joy). Too often, we want to understand our lives but we chase momentary situations instead of lifelong patterns. We want Thom to get to a point where he sees something big picture that can change his life; we want him to understand 2 Corinthians 4:17 – “for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

 

following

The Following: The Third and Final Season – The Cycle Of Violence

Kevin Bacon is making a real career out of playing FBI agents. But before he was crushing insubordinates in Black Mass, his profiler, Ryan Hardy, was chasing Joe Carroll (James Purefoy). With that case supposedly wrapped up, Hardy now tangles with another psycho, remaining twin, Mark Gray (Sam Underwood). For fans of the first two seasons, this one provides the kind of send-off we’d expect after the pain that Hardy has been through, but new fans might want to rewind at least to the second season.

After it’s all said and done, with the relationships and crime solving tabled, this is a horror series. The creators have taken much more pride in building up the brokenness of the evildoers and their cults than in showing us the moral integrity of the ‘good guys.’ But even the good guys here have a dark side, a pain that won’t let them go… and yet, they do rise to face evil every time it shows its face. The Following tells stories about those who do right, even when they’re not perfect, who do right even when it costs them something.

 

Filed Under: DVD, Reviews, SmallFish, Television Tagged With: Happyish, Justin Theroux, Kevin Bacon, Steven Coogan, The Following, The Leftovers

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