2023-01-08 04:09
Just binged Treason on Netflix -- if you can call watching five episodes in a row really binging. It's a top-notch MI6 British spy story, right up there with the very best of them.Ever… Read More
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Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress Blog
paullevinson.blogspot.com
reviewing 12 Monkeys, American Crime, Billions, Black Sails, Bloodline, Bones, Bosch, Colony, Deutschland 83, Fargo, Fear TWD, Game of Thrones, Hell on Wheels, Homeland, House of Cards, Humans, Marseille, Masters of Sex, Mr. Robot, Peaky Blinders, Outlander, Ray Donovan, Rectify, The: Affair, Americans, Girlfriend Experience, Man in the High Castle, Walking Dead; Tyrant, Vikings +movies, music, politicsGeorge Santayana had irrational faith in reason - I have irrational faith in TV.
2023-01-06 19:20
A superb, break-neck speed, thoroughly satisfying episode 1.9 of Echo 3 up on Apple TV+ today.[Spoilers ahead ... ]Yes! Prince and Bambi and their team finally liberated Amber from tha… Read More
2023-01-06 18:39
Well, I saw the Season 2 finale of The Mosquito Coast on Apple TV+ late last night, and I was enjoying the episode immensely, until the ending, which I didn't like at all, because--[Big spoi… Read More
2023-01-02 23:39
Continuing my reviews of Three Pines on Amazon Prime Video, having watched the concluding six episodes (1.3 - 1.8) of what I hope will be just the first season of many.Because I really think… Read More
2023-01-01 17:10
"The Soft of Your Eyes", song I wrote for Tina in 1968, just added to new, short "Best of Wrapped" Spotify playlist.And see 16 other playlists "The Soft of Your Eyes" was added to in the pas… Read More
2022-12-31 17:37
An excellent, next-to-last episode of this season of The Mosquito Coast -- 2.9 -- in which we see and learn all kinds of things about Dina and her mother Margot.[Spoilers ahead ... ]Dina has… Read More
2022-12-31 04:57
An instructive episode 1.8 of Echo 3 on Apple TV+ tonight -- wisely entitled "Family Matters" -- as our guys move in for their ultimate rescue mission.[Spoilers follow about the history that… Read More
2022-12-31 04:16
An outstanding finale to the short six-episode season two of Slow Horses on Apple TV+ tonight.Here are some of my many favorite parts [of course, spoilers ahead ... ]:The double funeral for… Read More
2022-12-28 00:19
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery was even funnier and more fun than Knives Out, which was plenty funny and fun. Plus, Glass Onion was just brimming with social relevance, extending it… Read More
2022-12-27 06:36
Well, His Dark Materials certainly saved the very best for last, in the two concluding episodes of the third and final season (on HBO, at least for now) that lifted this entire three season… Read More
2022-12-26 18:48
I binged the third season of Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime Video -- and let me say how good it is to binge rather than watch a TV series on the old-fashioned weekly basis -- and also say that I… Read More
2022-12-24 07:13
I don't know how I could've missed it, but I just came across 2:22, a 2017 movie, on Hulu. And seeing as how it had a least a whiff of time travel, and its locus was none other than Gr… Read More
2022-12-24 03:25
Sorry, I didn't get a chance to review Slow Horses 2.4 last week. I was really busy, and I didn't have the time to write about a bunch of "misfits and boozers," to quote Mick Jagger in… Read More
2022-12-23 22:03
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 346, in which I explore the connection between The Mosquito Coast 2.8 (on Apple TV+) and Hari Seldon of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. Furt… Read More
2022-12-23 08:15
Those of you who have been reading this blog, even for just the past year, will know who Hari Seldon is. In case you don't, he's the protagonist in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series (I think… Read More
2022-12-23 07:45
Well, episode 1.7 of Echo 3 up on Apple TV+ today had lots of exciting moments, but my favorite was ...[Spoilers ahead ... ]Amber's mother (therefore also Bambi's mother and Prince's brother… Read More
2022-12-22 08:03
I was going to wait until I'd seen all eight episodes of the third and (presumably, because you never know) final season of His Dark Materials (on HBO Max) before posting a review, but episo… Read More
2022-12-19 18:57
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 345, in which I review Harry & Meghan on Netflix. Written blog post reviews of Harry & Meghan: episodes 1-3, 4-6 Check out this… Read More
2022-12-19 03:58
In between the writing ... taken the other chilly day on Cape Cod Bay photo of me by Tina Vozick Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music Read More
2022-12-17 21:33
I said in my review of the first three episodes of Harry & Meghan on Netflix that I was more interested in the media aspects of their story than the royalty, though the two are of course… Read More
2022-12-17 03:35
Further reading: How Elon Musk is complicating America’s understanding of free speech Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music Read More
2022-12-17 03:14
An outstanding episode -- 2.7 -- of The Mosquito Coast up on Apple TV+ today, in all kinds of ways.[Spoilers follow ... ]First, it was great to see Ally roll out his Sandpiper program -- ass… Read More
2022-12-16 21:01
It was good to see Prince, Mitch, and Bambi fight back in Echo 3 1.6 after Amber's heroic but unsuccessful attempt to escape last week.[Spoilers ahead ...]This time, Prince takes the lead.&n&hell…Read More
2022-12-16 06:00
Well, given the title of this review, you'll know that it will be filled with spoilers. But I'll put the warning in anyway:[Spoilers ahead ... ]So, the episode ends with JJ and Luke be… Read More
2022-12-15 07:59
Just binged Kindred on Hulu the past two nights. It's a time travel story unlike anything I've ever seen or read (I haven't read the Octavia Butler novel from which it's adapted). &hell…Read More
2022-12-13 18:10
I'm not so much a royal watcher as a lifelong student of media (and professor of media studies at Fordham University), so it was through that lense that I watched and really enjoyed the firs… Read More
2022-12-12 19:11
So, I saw the first episode of Criminal Minds: Evolution aka Criminal Minds Season 16 on CBS and thought it was ok. Last night I watched the next three episodes (16.2-16.4) and thought… Read More
2022-12-11 07:28
I saw that Apple TV+ recently signed on for a second season of Surface, and since I hadn't seen the first season (which was on Apple TV+ this past summer), I figured I should. And I'm… Read More
2022-12-10 03:36
Lots of close calls on The Mosquito Coast 2.6 on Apple TV+ today. Here are my three favorites:[Spoilers ahead ... ]1. Allie and Lee (I know, that's his last name) manage to walk out of… Read More
2022-12-10 01:47
Whew, Slow Horses aren't/isn't fooling around this season -- not that they/it weren't/wasn't deadly serious along with their/its deadpan humor in the first two seasons -- but [spoilers follo… Read More
2022-12-09 07:16
I gotta say, I thought that long scene in Echo 3 1.5 on Apple TV+ with Amber battling her way down the currents of whatever that water is called, trying to make her way, I guess to the Amazo… Read More
2022-12-08 08:05
Published yesterday on NBC News Think, my Op-Ed How Elon Musk is complicating America’s understanding of free speech Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music Read More
2022-12-06 07:23
I just saw Spiderhead on Netflix, read the review in Variety just to see what other people thought of it, and find myself once again in substantial disagreement with a critic venting spleen… Read More
2022-12-04 00:00
Just caught the first two episodes of Three Pines, a new series on Amazon Prime Video -- at once charming, dangerous, provocative, with a Sherlock Holmesian detective (Inspector Gamache, pla… Read More
2022-12-03 19:40
I thought The Mosquito Coast 2.5 on Apple TV+ was the best episode so far this season, and among the best in the overall series.Here's why:[Spoilers ahead ... ]1. Dina's conversation wi… Read More
2022-12-03 17:48
Slow Horses is back (I keep wanting to say "are back") on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes of its second (short) season.The repartee is better than ever, with Cartwright chiding Lamb fo… Read More
2022-12-02 20:20
Well, if you've been reading these reviews, you know how I am regarding what strikes me most in an episode: it could be a word, a phrase, that a character utters, something that has a specia… Read More
2022-12-02 17:54
A quietly seething, generally taking stock episode 1.4 of Echo 3 up on Apple TV+ today.[Spoilers ahead ...]After last week's fireworks, which ended with Amber nearly rescued and Prince badly… Read More
2022-11-28 08:27
Hey, if you're in the mood for some high-octane adrenalin, surprises at every turn, colorful locales, and thoughtful characters -- and I'm always in the mood for that -- check out Echo 3 on… Read More
2022-11-27 23:44
I've been watching and enjoying this second season of The Mosquito Coast on Apple TV+, but haven't had a chance to review more than the first episode. Episode 2.4, however, was just to… Read More
2022-11-27 05:50
Let's just start with what I thought was the most significant moment in The Peripheral 1.7 on Amazon Prime since yesterday, an episode which I thought was laden with significance. Whic… Read More
2022-11-26 00:31
This sweet soulful rendition by Gordon (Scott Grimes) and Charly (Anne Winters) of Simon & Garfunkel's "Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall" this past July on the 9th episode of the 3rd… Read More
2022-11-20 23:23
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 344, in which I review The Peripheral episode 1.6 on Amazon Prime Video. Written blog post of this review: 1.6: Now or Soonest Podcast… Read More
2022-11-20 19:45
Greg Bear -- File 770Greg Bear, author of more than 50 science fiction books, left us yesterday at… Read More
2022-11-19 05:53
A really high-octane high-intellect episode 1.6 of The Peripheral on Amazon Prime Video tonight -- by which I mean the action, as good as it was, was easily surpassed by the ideas and razor… Read More
2022-11-19 00:57
(photo not in alphabetical order) Adam-Troy Castro, Dave Creek, Paul Di Filippo, David Gerrold, Mur Lafferty, Paul Levinson, Cat Rambo, Veronica Scott, Bruce Sterling, John E. Stith, Somtow… Read More
2022-11-14 05:33
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 343, in which I review The Peripheral episodes 1.3-1.5 on Amazon Prime Video. Written posts of this review: 1.3: John Snow ... 1.4-1.5 Lev's… Read More
2022-11-12 06:28
The mention of an "ai therapist" caught my attention in the first few minutes of The Peripheral 1.5 on Amazon Prime Video tonight. It reminded me of Joseph Wezenbaum's ELIZA program at… Read More
2022-11-12 00:14
Enjoy! Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music Read More
2022-11-10 04:43
Amazing Stories is coming back with a special Sol System issue of new science fiction stories about adventures in space in our solar system -- including one by me, which picks up where my 20… Read More
2022-11-07 05:10
The Mosquito Coast was back with the first episode of its second season on Friday on Apple TV+. It took the tack of providing the background story of what set the Fox family off into t… Read More
2022-11-06 22:50
I watched all four episodes of Spector on Showtime last night, and there were things I didn't like in this documentary portrayal of both Phil Spector's career as a rock music producer and mo… Read More
2022-11-06 02:41
photo by Toni Hukkanennow available on KindleSven accidentally picks up someone else's similar glasses in a restaurant's men's room, and discovers they can give him glimpses of the futu… Read More
2022-11-05 22:32
Who took Lev's tea? The disappearance of his tea in episode 1.4 of The Peripheral up on Amazon Prime Video since yesterday was an another signalic moment, just like the coffee container mate… Read More
2022-11-05 05:16
So, I just binged Inside Man on Netflix. It's easy to binge, only four episodes. But, more important, it's a verging on insane, fast ride of a murder story -- actually more than… Read More
2022-10-30 00:07
So, I entitled this review of The Peripheral 1.3 "John Snow," even though it had an already very excellent title, "Haptic Drift".First, John Snow is a great name. In our real history … Read More
2022-10-25 22:34
I watched and reviewed the American version of Utopia -- the one season -- two years ago. I thought it had its moments, was right for the occasion of the Covid pandemic, but also had s… Read More
2022-10-22 19:32
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 342, in which I review the first two episodes of The Peripheral on Amazon Prime Video. Written post of this review on Vocal Further reading: … Read More
2022-10-21 22:54
Just saw the first two episodes of The Peripheral on Amazon Prime Video. It's an adaptation of the 2014 novel of the same name by William Gibson, the veritable godfather of cyberpunk… Read More
2022-10-16 05:01
As you readers of this blog may recall, I said Bosch was the best cop show on television. I was therefore not too happy that it concluded, and I expected to be at least somewhat disapp… Read More
2022-10-12 01:16
I just listened to the first two episodes of Rachel Maddow's new podcast, Ultra. Its vivid exploration of the fascist right-cadre in America in the late 1930s and (thus far in the podc… Read More
2022-10-11 04:25
A momentous Quantum Leap 1.4 on NBC tonight, in which--[Spoilers ahead ... ]1. We learn what it feels like to be on the receiving end of the Quantum Leaper. And we learn this from Magi… Read More
2022-10-10 22:06
Goodreads reviews for The Plot to Save Socrates Reviews from Goodreads.com Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music Read More
2022-10-09 20:00
If you'd like a 2022 movie on Amazon Prime that takes place in the 1950s in one indoor place -- a tailor's shop in Chicago -- starts off slowly and builds up to one of the best series of twi… Read More
2022-10-04 21:06
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 341, in which I review Blonde on Netflix. Written post of this review on Vocal. science fiction/fantasy novelette Check out this episode! Paul Le… Read More
2022-10-04 04:41
Even with the original series, I usually was more interested in the overarching story than the individual narratives recounting Sam's historical saves. The new Quantum Leap, now… Read More
2022-10-02 03:50
Just watched Blonde on Netflix. I'm sorry to say I found only the acting was excellent.Let's talk about that excellence first. Ana de Armas as Norma Jeane delivered an Oscar wort… Read More
2022-10-01 18:35
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 340, in which I join Captain Phil on WUSB-FM Radio (Stony Brook, New York) and Marybeth Ritkouski, Michael Rizzo, Roy Bjellquist, and Colleen Bemen… Read More
2022-09-30 19:12
La Brea was back with the beginning of its second season on NBC this past Tuesday. Look, it suffers from the inevitable limitations of any network series, ranging from commercial inter… Read More
2022-09-27 16:37
Amanda Whiting had a provocative essay in The Independent yesterday -- "The battle for the Iron Throne is pointless when everyone in House of the Dragon is this evil". I don't kno… Read More
2022-09-26 21:33
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 339, in which Captain Phil on WUSB-FM Radio (Stony Brook, New York) interviews me about the rise of fascism in the United States and other current… Read More
2022-09-20 18:26
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 338, in which I review the new Quantum Leap (2022), first episode. more about quantum entanglement in "The Chronology Protection Case" (movie, Amaz… Read More
2022-09-20 04:30
The new Quantum Leap sequel debuted on NBC tonight. I was prepared not to like it, though recently, I've very much enjoyed the sequel of The Man Who Fell to Earth on Showtime… Read More
2022-09-12 04:43
Push really comes to shove in the lustful, pivotal episode 1.4 of House of the Dragon on HBO Max tonight, in which ...[of course, spoilers ahead]Daemon takes Rhaenyra to a brothel, makes lik… Read More
2022-09-10 20:23
Well, the Wikipedia article about Moonfall (now on HBO Max) quotes the consensus on the Rotten Tomatoes site: "Whether Moonfall is so bad it's good or simply bad will depend on your to… Read More
2022-09-05 22:00
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 337, in which I review episodes 1.1-1.3 of House of Dragons on HBO Max Blog post written review of these episodes. FREE: My short story, It's Real… Read More
2022-09-05 21:45
It's been almost a month since I posted any reviews here -- I've been busy expanding my alternate history story, It's Real Life, in a novel, and helping put together a radioplay of the story… Read More
2022-08-11 03:39
Just finished watching the eight episodes of Tokyo Vice, first season, on HBO Max, and I'm sorry I didn't see them sooner. A vivid, dirty, colorful sojourn into the Yakuza underbelly o… Read More
2022-08-05 23:39
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 336, in which I review episode 3.10 of The Orville on Hulu Blog post written review of this episode Podcast reviews of The Orville… Read More
2022-08-05 05:16
A really satisfying, gratifying season 3 finale of The Orville on Hulu this past evening, especially welcome after last week's harrowing, kinetic masterpiece in which a major crew member was… Read More
2022-07-31 22:00
Well, it's rare indeed that a series on as high a level as Peaky Blinders surprises me at the end as much as the final, sixth season of Peaky Blinders did, but, yes, indeed it did, big time… Read More
2022-07-30 21:01
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 335, in which I review episode 3.9 of The Orville on Hulu Blog post written review of this episode Podcast reviews of The Orville… Read More
2022-07-29 22:59
Having just watched The Orville 3.9, let me explain why I think The Orville is better than any current Star Trek series, as well as in the same league with The Original Series and The Next G… Read More
2022-07-29 22:12
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 334, in which I review No Time to Die, the final Daniel Craig as James Bond movie Blog post written review of this movie Check out this epis… Read More
2022-07-27 22:07
My wife and I finally saw the new (to us) final Daniel Craig as James Bond movie -- on Amazon Prime. We very much enjoyed it. In fact, although it has its flaws, I'd say No Time to Die… Read More
2022-07-24 18:54
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 333, in which I review episodes 3.7 and 3.8 of The Orville on Hulu Blog post written reviews of these episodes: 3.7 and 3.8 Podcast re… Read More
2022-07-23 22:43
The Orville checked in yesterday with another superb episode -- 3.8 -- a ninety-minute bases loaded home run that continued the story of Topa, and, believe it or not, had the real Dolly Part… Read More
2022-07-18 20:48
Well, we saw Isaac in simulated flesh in episode 3.6 of The Orville last week, and in this past Friday's episode 3.7 we get to see him love Claire.[Spoilers ahead ... ]Love and sex (and deat… Read More
2022-07-13 15:54
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 332, in which I review episode 3.6 of The Orville on Hulu Blog post written review of this episode Podcast reviews of The Orville t… Read More
2022-07-12 04:16
Another superb, powerful, intellectually complex and morally challenging episode -- 3.6 -- of The Orville, and it's about time travel. This episode was so good, I think it w… Read More
2022-07-09 03:47
Well, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, already off to a generally superb start, posted its far and away best episode so far, 1.10, the season finale, which in one fell swoop contributed mighti… Read More
2022-07-09 01:09
As I've indicated in these reviews over the years, horror isn't my favorite form of fiction and science fiction. But Stranger Things on Netflix had something special from th… Read More
2022-07-08 17:23
Important conversation between Bob Mann and me on his Bob Mann Hot Media podcast about the role of social media in the mass murders that continue to erupt in the US. Paul Levinson's books … Read More
2022-07-05 19:03
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 331, in which I review episode 3.5 of The Orville on Hulu Blog post written review of this episode Podcast reviews of The Orville t… Read More
2022-07-05 04:29
Well, The Orville episode 3.5 moved into Emmy-worthy territory, with an episode on a sensitive, important issue, presented in a plot with letter-perfect detail and twists.You may recall that… Read More
2022-07-04 21:04
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 330, in which I review episode 4.2 of Westworld on HBO. Blogpost written review of this episode Podcast reviews of this season: 4.1 … Read More
2022-07-04 20:58
Westworld 4.2 continued the leaner, meaner narrative that apparently will typify this season, and I'm glad of it.Among the most salient developments:[Spoilers ahead ... ]1. The Man in Black… Read More
2022-07-04 20:27
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 329, in which I review the season 1 finale of The Man Who Fell to Earth on Showtime. Written blog post review of this episode of The Man Who… Read More
2022-07-04 19:16
I just want to begin by saying The Man Who Fell to Earth 2022 TV series was one of the most beautiful, unusual, almost tender pieces of science fiction that has ever come to the screen. &hell…Read More
2022-07-02 02:18
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 328, in which I review For All Mankind 3.3-3.4 on Apple TV+. Blog post review of these episodes: 3.3 - 3.4 Podcast reviews of prior episodes… Read More
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