jeffery2010

A very scatter shot Doc that was also repetitive. I don't want to sit through it twice to verify, but I'm pretty sure they cut to the same quotes from Garth Brooks 4 times in some cases. A lot of time watching... some female artist... recording her version because... maybe she's famous in Europe? Even, if instead of her, it was Paul McCartney, we didn't tune in to see Paul in the studio. We want to hear Don talk about the song. We all know about the Genesis of the first verse, but if you didn't already know the song, you'd be pretty sure it must be 90% about Buddy Holly.

{Side note: They obviously talk a lot about Buddy Holly and some about Ritchie Valens - and play a little of two of his songs - but - though the mention "The Big Bopper" they don't even tell you/mention the name of any of his songs - odd}

Near the end they remembered they should ask Don what some of the imagery was about and he rushed through it like he knew they had to catch a plane.

A wasted opportunity.

This is a well crafted story about the dilemma faced by Charles Darwin when he receives a letter from Russell Wallace that almost spells out the theory of Evolution from Natural Selection. Darwin has been working on this theory for some 20 years and now he holds a letter that could usurp his primacy should he forward it on. The show then follows his conversations with his wife as he discusses what he should do, and the events that shaped his formation of the theory. This is also a drama that touches on the current health troubles in his family and the effect the death a few years before of his beloved daughter Annie had on him. This is an excellent production, the performances are solid, and the art direction,sets, and costumes are wonderful. The only complaint was the contrivance of having Darwin spell everything out to his wife (who would have know 90% of it already) for our benefit. But this is also a quiet drama of his family life so cutting between that and him talking to... a reporter(?)would have been jarring. They could have done the whole thing in flashbacks from a time after publication, but what they did here ultimately does work, as we watch an honorable man do the right thing.

I absolutely HATED this episode! I will give away the ending to this episode to explain why it is so remarkably horrible. Mark Hamill's character as a young boy is given advice by a cross between a leprechaun and a teddy bear. He is told to not worry about hard work or school but to hold on to his dreams (or some such) and he will be richer than any lawyer or doctor. So he buy's toys and a sports car and joins the circus (I think) and basically makes no long range plans or relationships while all the time the magical creature shows up to remind him to hold on to his childhood stuff and he'll be better off than any Lawyer or doctor. By the end of the show he is old, broke, friendless, homeless(?) and trying to beg for enough money to gas up his car to commit suicide with it. But a Wealthy lady notices some collector's piece in his collection of junk and offers him $10,000 for it. Cut to him now wealthy with bimbos on his arm in his mansion; I presume from selling all his childhood collectables. THIS WAS THE MESSAGE?! Not that he would be happier with a child like sense of wonder, but would get lots of money selling his old toys! Forget the homeless, friendless, moneyless state his life must have been for the last 40(?) years! And as a side note. I bet a lot of Doctors and Lawyers were a lot better off than him – and happier. What a completely shallow and stupid script. I would also guess some psychologist could make a case for analyzing Spielberg from this as I believe he came up with the idea for the episode.