Not Quite the Sci-Fi Thriller I Was Looking For

Ever since I was young, I dreamed about technology and the prospects of the future, hoping that one day I would push the boundaries of humankind. As time went on, I found I wasn’t completely alone; the American people seemed to get more and more excited about what scientists would come up with next. Television shows and commercials touted the latest and greatest smartphones, robots, and online services. More recently, SpaceX energizes the public with live streams of Elon Musk sending his car into outer space to demonstrate reusable rockets. Boston Dynamics showcases humanoid robots capable of doing backflips. The HTC Vive puts users in the middle of the zombie apocalypse from the comfort of their living room. But today’s technology doesn’t seem to be satisfying enough to steal the entire limelight - people can’t help but look to the future for something newer and better than what we already have.

The Netflix original Altered Carbon is a prime example of the public’s curiosity for what the future holds. Set many centuries in the future, this show is about Takeshi Kovacs, a man who is released from his bodiless existence to help a rich man solve his own murder. Yes, the plot is as confusing as that. I had to do some research on the show before watching it to make sure I understood the story that lies beneath the flashing lights and flying bullets. Altered Carbon ties together two things that people are enthralled with: the newest technology and immortality. In the world of Altered Carbon, people almost never die. A person’s existence is stored on a device implanted in the spine called a “stack” that can be placed into a new body (called a “sleeve”) once that body is destroyed. The only catch is, if the stack is destroyed, then the person dies for real. While the first episode ends on enough of a cliffhanger to make you want to watch more, there was a fair share of things I didn’t like about the show.

Firstly, Altered Carbon’s dialogue makes you want to roll your eyes straight from the beginning. To keep a constant flow of drama, every character speaks as if he or she is the biggest badass on the planet. While this leads to some interesting things being said, it gets old almost immediately. Takeshi makes a stuck up and half witty remark, which provokes a similar one from whoever he talks to, and from there it’s lather, rinse, repeat. Each conversation left me annoyed at every character involved. I can only hope that the dialogue becomes less one-dimensional in future episodes.

Secondly, while the distant future can be a fun place to stage a story, I’ve never been a huge fan of plotlines that take place so removed from reality. A show like Altered Carbon is always a difficult one to make successful because the directors and writers need to find a way for viewers to relate to characters and situations that are unlike anything they experience in today’s world. This is why futuristic shows try and touch on the basics of human characteristics (love, greed, passion etc.) to highlight how even 300 years in the future, we will still be the same creatures that we are today. So far, this show has been doing a fine job of this, but I can’t say I have much of a connection to Takeshi quite yet. Other shows can leave me feeling for the main character by episode one, but between the futuristic distractions and Takeshi’s off-putting nature, it might take a few episodes before I feel the same way for Altered Carbon.

Nowadays I am still fascinated by the newest technology, and I appreciate the creative views of contemporary writers on future breakthroughs. But as of the first episode, Altered Carbon doesn’t give me the excitement that I usually feel with a good sci-fi thriller. Although the show wasn’t all that I had hoped it would be, I could settle in for a few more viewings before giving up completely.

Queer Eye

During class this week we watched Queer Eye, which was an absolutely fabulous show. It follows 5 gay men helped an individual, always a man, to completely improve their lives. They work on appearance, home, cooking, health, and culture. The team of men referred to as the Fab 5 have a week to help improve the lives of these men.

First of all, I absolutely loved this show. I will be binge-watching the rest of the season as soon as I get home. The Fab 5 are actually hilarious and do a really great job at transforming the lives of these men. The most important aspect of the show is definitely the individual work the team does with the guy they are working with. Without the individuals help and guidance the person wouldn’t be able to make the needed changes to improve their lives. The team does such a good job gently pushing them outside of their comfort zones. They are also really good at analyzing the person and knowing what they would want or like. I really don’t there was anything in the show that I found unimportant or not needed. Every moment was used up perfectly to improve the individual and help them make progress. If I had to pick one aspect that is the least important I would say the beginning when the team is in the car on the way to the individual’s house and they are talking about them. They only reason that I would say that is unimportant is because you eventually would find out all the information about the person on your own without them telling you in the very beginning. I feel as this series really resembles What Not to Wear which used to be on TLC. They would also change multiple aspects of the person, they only difference is that they wouldn’t do anything with their houses. So, this show is kind of a cross between What Not to Wear and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

The humor in this show is way better and it’s not nearly as sappy and emotional as those other shows can be at times.

These ideas could possibly help other people who feel like they are in the same position to be able to help themselves to get out of the negative place they are in. This make the show relevant because it can really help other people. It’s also relevant because by the end of the show you feel as if you have really grown along with them and you feel so happy and excited for them.

Overall, I absolutely loved this show and found it so entertaining to watch. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone!

Coping With Murder

In Jessica Jones season two, Jessica Jones learned that the coping habits she has been using were not the best for her and those around her. Jessica has been using alcohol, meaningless sex, bottling emotions, and pushing away friends and family in order to cope with the fact that she thinks she killed her family. She did not actually kill her family but she blames herself. Her family got in a car crash together and she was the only survivor, or so she thought. She learns the history behind how she got her powers and that her mother is also alive and has powers stronger than Jessica. They got these powers on the death bed, and a doctor decided they were the perfect candidates for his illegal program that changed people’s DNA to make them into super humans. These experiments play a big role in the psychological well-being of Jessica throughout this show. The reason she becomes a PI is because she wants to investigate the mysterious nature of these experiments that, originally, she has no memory of. She has small flashbacks occasionally that help her to learn more and more about how she survived and became super strong. She has the help of her adopted sister Trish and her associate, Malcolm, who is a recovering drug addict who is just trying to find something to do to pass his time besides doing drugs. Jessica is not the best influence for him due to her problems too. Through season one, Jessica is just pushing all of her problems away and internalizing her emotions. In season two, she starts to realize that she does not have to live this way. She starts to open up more, get closer and trust people, and actually starts to almost have a boyfriend. These are huge strides in the scheme of things, because Jessica has many mental health issues including a short temper. These coping mechanisms she uses, mixed with her mental health issues, make for a very volatile person that should be kept on a short leash. This is the main reason why law enforcement keeps her on a short leash and always assumes when bodies start to come in under mysterious circumstances, then she is usually involved. She is not very fond of this assumption because she is treated differently for being powered and she does not like this. She does not want to kill people. She feels remorse after she kills people, but people that do not know her, do not realize just how sorry she feels for any time she has killed anyone. Also she got blamed for many people’s murders, when they were not, in reality, anywhere close to her fault. She is blamed for the death of a detective. Jessica is trying to talk her mom down from killing Trish, and the detective pulls a gun and got to close, and Jessica’s mom grabbed her and jumped out the window with her in hand. The detective died on the pavement. This is not Jessica’s fault, she was trying to not have her mother die, but other people thought her death was the only way to be safe from her. Jessica realizes that a piece of her mother is still there and that she is the only one that can reach her, but everyone else is scared of her power and thinks she should have to die.

Queer Eye

Dear Grandma,

I am writing to you about a show we watched recently. It is called Queer Eye, about five homosexual males that help to change the lifestyle choices of people that need it. In the episode I watched, the focus was the person being transformed Neal, who had not had anyone in his house for almost ten years. The reason I am writing this to you is because, I know in the past you have told me stories of people in our family that have had to hide coming out due to the conservative nature of our family. I was thinking about how this show would have been received when you were a kid and also in our family even in the past two decades. I was thinking that there would not have been a very strong acceptance, or even acceptance at all of this show. I think most of the people would not have found it in good taste up until recent years. I think in the culture now, the show is received fairly well, but in past generation’s culture’s, it would not have been received as well. If this trend continues to progress, I feel like the meaning of this show will be obsolete due to the rising acceptance of the meaning. There will be no special aspect to the “fab 5”, they will just be another group of people. The work they do now is more than just changing the lifestyle of the people they help on their show, but they provide an image. The image they provide is to all of the people out there that watch Netflix, to show them that it is not only accepted to be who you are, but you should embrace it. You should not be afraid to be who you are. I think this is the most important aspect of the show. They gave this realization to Neal in the boxing ring, they taught him that he could be both who he and his mom wanted him to be at the same time. I think this is a good message for all people regardless of race, gender, or sexuality. I think the message is fairly powerful for Neal, to the point were he made changes in his life that made him more of who his mom wanted him to be and also allowed him to really show off who he is when he is not an isolated recluse. I think another thing the show does is break cultural and race barriers because one of the “fab 5” is Pakistani, another is polish-canadian, and one is African American. This creates a level of diversity and they use these other barriers to help people on the show and also to break the barriers. I think this show does a very good job of breaking down barriers in society, that have been slowly breaking since you were a kid. These are some issues that society argues and debates about, and I think will continue to diminish going into the future.

With Love,
Josh

Parenting Development

Dear future wife,

I have recently been watching the show Arrested Development. The first three seasons are not considered Netflix Original, however the fourth season is. In the fourth season, George Michael Bluth is getting older and is now off to college. This is, however, very hard for his father, who has very little else in his life besides his son. Alright, he also has his job, but his son consumes all of his life. He gives up on the family business to start his own. He gives up the family business mostly to spite his family because they were not there for him in the past while he was always trying to impress and outdo them all. This lack of acceptance and satisfaction from his family leads to his clingy tendencies toward his son and wanting to be there for him and make sure he feels accepted at all times. This leads to a common occurrence for teens with clingy parents, they start to either rebel or try to get away. In the case of George Michael, he tries to get away by going far away to college. He goes to Phoenix Arizona to go to college. However, his dad decides to go with him. His dad starts to live in the dorm with George Michael. This is not very good parenting. When a parent does not allow their child to have the space they need and deserve in order to grow into their own person, they start to feel smothered. I know this is not the kind of parent I want to be because, I have parents like this, and I know how bad it can be at times. It is important to give your kids enough space that they can be independent but not enough space that they get away with everything. There is a spectrum of parenting seen in this show. Michael is an overbearing parent who does not give his son any space at all. On the other end of the spectrum, are Michael’s parents. They do not pay attention to Michael at all, and this makes him have a sense of emptiness. He is missing that parental approval, so he tries to fill it by other means, while still trying to get his parents approval over his three siblings. I know how this is, because I have three siblings and I’m always being compared to them, so I always strive to do better so I can be the best of my siblings. This is a pointless task, I know, but it is one that I have seen from many different people I know. This is a struggle to be better than your siblings, when really there is no need because, everyone is their own person and should not be compared to another. This is like comparing apples and bananas. They have similarities, but not enough that a comparison is warranted. This is a flaw that many parents have, they pit siblings against each other in competition, but if they worked together, they could accomplish so much more and both succeed at a higher level. I want us to be the kind of parents that get our kids to work together instead of competing.

Your Future Husband,
Josh

Did We Need It?: Lost in Space Episode One

     Hollywood seems to be in a reboot phase, with Disney releasing it’s live action reboots of it’s classic films and every beloved TV show. These reboots have been viewed with varying degrees of success, with some such as Hawaii 5-O being successful and Frequency being far less so. So when I heard about the new Lost in Space reboot, I was a little apprehensive to say the least. I am no great fan of the old series, but my family and would watch it sometimes after the horror movie show on the classic television program. One of the things I enjoyed about it and the 1960’s Batman show that came on afterwards was the atmosphere. Neither tried to take themselves to seriously and ended up being very wacky. Lately, it seems that very few shows that aren’t outright comedies do this. As I sat down to view episode one of the new Lost in Space, I discovered that these fears were founded.
     For instance, here is a cast photo from the original Lost in Space, taken from when it made the move to color:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/watching/lost-in-space-netflix-original-guide.html
And this is a screenshot from the reboot:

http://film-book.com/lost-space-2018-main-title-sequence-dr-smith-tv-show-clips-netflix/
     As you can see, the original series utilizes the new color technology and features costumes so garish they almost give the viewer a headache. This is reflected in the show, with the plot mostly focusing on Dr. Smith getting into trouble with the monster of the week (including a carrot monster one week) and the crew would have to save him-usually Will Robinson and the robot. So far in the new series, there has been far more peril, with both Will and Judy being in real danger. Another thing in peril is the Robinsons' marriage, which is bizarre as the parents of the original series weren’t really important to the plot of episodes. This change to focusing on the parents and they’re relationship doesn’t work in the favor of people who liked the tone of the old series and its kid friendly adventures instead adult drama.
     Another set of changes is the Dr. Smith and the robot. I don’t really care that Dr. Smith is portrayed by a woman, as that really isn’t integral to the character. However he was bumbling and self-aggrandizing while this woman seems calculating and cool. The change that has the largest implications is the fact that she hasn’t met the rest of the crew yet. In the original series, the crew was on to Dr. Smith’s tricks and plans accordingly. In the new series, it is likely that a main plot point will be the crew discovering Dr. Smith can’t be trusted and someone will put in jeopardy. This change to such a major character will bring down the light-hearted feeling  down the show. This to is what happens to the robot. Originally, he was a fun robot with arms waving around and eventually dropping witty one-liners. This robot comes from a race of killing machines. This may add some complexity to the character, but he really didn’t need it, making this just another excuse to inject more drama.
     Do these changes work? Well it all depends on how you like your shows. Let’s look at Batman again.  Some people like all of the Batman incarnations because there is something about the ideas that just speak to them. Other people like the zany 60’s show or the grittier Dark Knight trilogy. If you’re someone who wanted a darker Lost in Space, this show will work for you. If like me, you liked the breezy nature of the old show, you might just want to steer clear of this reboot.

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: A Welcome Addition

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a very interesting show. I don’t watch very many shows that have a female lead role, the closest of those being (though ironic) Archer, as Lana Kane and Malory Archer have just about as much screen time as the titular character himself. It was always just personal preference to watch shows that have male protagonists, as many shows with female leads don’t have personalities that particularly get me excited to continue watching a show.

However, I am a big fan of The Office, and Ellie Kemper, who played Erin in season 7 to the end of the series, was the lead role in The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I decided to give it a shot, since I loved her character so much. After watching the first episode, I did notice that Ellie Kemper seems to fit a particular role as an actor, and hasn’t really been given a good chance to branch out from the ditsy, wondrous young women that she portrays in both of these shows.

Though it is not an original role for her, she does play the role of Kimmy Schmidt very well. She has many crazy instances, such as where she confuses a mother for the leader of a cult, among other things. I was pleasantly surprised by the darker beginning of the series and the humor that persists throughout, it is a sitcom after all.



Overall, I find that The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a welcome addition in my repertoire of sitcoms. Though not the most original characters, there are sure a lot of laughs to be had while watching this show, which of course is always a good thing.

Saving Capitalism

The Netflix Original Saving Capitalism starts off talking about how all people want is their voices to be heard. It shows footage of people protesting in the streets and in buildings. It follows Robert Reich, the author of Saving Capitalism and the Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton. The film shows Reich speaking in different venues. It also shows him speaking on CNN where he is being interviewed about the free market. He hooks viewers into the show by talking about how people think that the system is rigged so that the rich continue to get richer. He thinks this belief is driven by people who do not understand how the system works. He decides that he wants to go to the places that people do not understand how capitalism works, and wants to teach them. He goes to Kansas City, Missouri and offers a questioning session for people who want the system changed. A sign is strategically placed in the background that says "I'm Standing for a Moral Economy." It only shows Reich answering one of the questions, but it is probably the most important question that was asked.
We then see a news clip of a reporter talking about how under the Clinton presidency new jobs were becoming available, but poverty wages were increasing. It then cuts to Reich talking about how he wanted to implement change for those in the middle and poor class.
Reich throughout the film dresses for his audience. In scenes where he is speaking in nice venues, or speaking professionally, he is dressed in a suit. It shows him in another scene where he is out talking to rural Americans. In this scene he is wearing jeans and a hoodie. The film then shifts to a farmer talking about his experience with the economy. He talks about how his expected profit the year is projected to be 50% less than what it was the past year. It shows visuals on how corporate profits before taxes hit their highest point in 2014 but at the same time real gdp in the labor force has decreased. This film also shows that people in 70% of the people in the US trusted the government to do the right thing in 1977. However, in 2017 just 20% trust the government.
Reich goes on to talk about how those of the higher class have gone about getting rules changed to benefit themselves while hurting others. After explaining how people have gone about this, he sits down to dinner with lobbyist and converses about how people view politics in the economy. One of the man speaking, talks about how he believes that those in power do things in their own self interest. Most of the people talk to Reich about how capitalism is good, and how it is the american dream. Reich does not take a stand during this part he just hears people out. He then eventually starts to take his stand on how people of the lower class should be paid more. They conduct an interview with a woman who works and McDonald's and barely makes ends meet. He talks about how he wanted to cut tax subsidies on large corporations. He lost this battle, then the film shows visuals of how much large corporations get in subsidies. This is where the film takes its turn away from capitalism.
It is an interesting documentary, because its title draws just about everyone in. If the the film had a title that made people belief that it would be against capitalism, a lot of people probably would not watch it.

13 Reasons Why This Show Does More Harm Than Good

WARNING: This blog post includes many mentions of depression and suicide. If you are sensitive to these topics, proceed with caution or do not read this if you feel uncomfortable. If you struggle with any of these issues and need support, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline:

800-273-8255.

Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why is a show meant to raise awareness and start a conversation about the heavy topics of suicide and depression. Although there aren’t quite 13, there are some reasons why this show could be damaging to the prevention of suicide.

After watching this show, I began to think about how this issue is treated in my school. We do have counseling services and the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is printed on the backs of our ID’s. However, just talking to some students around campus makes me and likely others to wonder if our school is doing enough. For example, a few of my peers, all of whom will remain anonymous, have developed or increased mental health problems with the start of their college career. One friend with this issue went to counseling for help. However, UCS told them that the next appointment would be in 3 weeks, which may have been too late if their mental health issues had been even more escalated. Though we do hold events such as Mental Health Awareness Week, the action taken to prevent and treat the issues is lacking. This shows in our statistics. In 2013, just five years ago, a survey was released showing that Truman students were more likely to have intrusive and suicidal thoughts.

According to the 2013 Missouri College Health and Behavior Survey, 19.1 percent of Truman students responding to the survey experienced a depressive episode, compared to 17.6 percent of other Missouri student responders. Truman students also commit self-injury more often than other survey respondents at nearly a 2-to-1 ratio. (Mika, Rottgen)

Even a few years later (enough time to start solving these issues) three suicides within a year occurred on or near campus (Jost). Clearly, there is a problem with our awareness and prevention. Would a TV show raise awareness of mental health and suicide prevention? The right one might, but 13 Reasons Why is the wrong show for this conversation.

Though 13 Reasons created a wider scope for the suicide prevention conversation, the show doesn’t exactly portray the issue correctly or realistically. In fact, Hannah Baker’s story is quite romanticized. Though she was bullied and isolated in her life, she was glorified after her life ended. Her peers set up memorials for her around her locker and spread the word about her apparently good impression on them. This glorification of a student after her death is dangerous to portray. Thee pep rallies, memorials, and city-wide recognition in memory of someone lost to suicide feeds the need for control in someone’s mind whos impulse control is lost (Psychology Today). Portraying only the sadness and grief around the death of a loved one may not be the correct option, but taking the route of glamorizing the emotionally devastating event is not the answer either.

In the first 45 seconds or so of the first episode, the actors explain what exactly 13 Reasons Why is meant to do. They say it is meant to start a larger conversation about depression and suicide prevention across the globe. With the explosion in popularity, this series did just that. More people are talking about the issue. However, the actual content of the show gives the viewer false perceptions of suicide. There is little to no mention of any mental health issues in any episode of the series. However, 90% of all suicides are a result of badly treated or untreated mental illness (Psychology Today). The show also never mentions any way of preventing the suicide. Without the mention of any true causes or prevention methods for suicide, a significant part of 13 Reasons’ conversation is lost.

Works Cited

“13 Reasons Why: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 16

May 2017, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/two-takes-depression/201705/13-reasons

-why-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly.

Mika, Dan, and Ingrid Rottgen. “Truman Ranks High on Students with Depression.” Truman Media

Network, 1 Nov. 2017, tmn.truman.edu/blog/news/campus/truman-ranks-high-on-students-

with-depression/.

Jost, Ashley. “Third Suicide in Less than a Year at Truman State Sparks Discussion on Campus.”

Stltoday.com, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 12 Apr. 2017, www.stltoday.com/news/local/edu

cation/third-suicide-in-less-than-a-year-at-truman-state/article_c4eab84f-c073-5cda-80

06-c458ef8ae090.html.