10 Comments

Before I had children, many issues were simply academic thought problems. Having children totally changes issues from academic exercises to visceral and moral questions.

Expand full comment

If they had drawn the dilemma out on whether Oberyn Martell should let his surrogate daughter die to save humanity over a full tenth episode, it would have dramatically captivated the audience more. It still packed a punch, no doubt, and I appreciate the point that there’s no telling if the cure would have worked in the first place (though this was left unexplored within the episode itself). The most captivating angle of the episode was in how Joel relentless gunned his way through the hospital ward. It wasn’t played as badass. It was a slaughter and well-portrayed — even using the music from the game OST to accent the story. Joel returned to his roots as a raider — but this time not to save himself but Luanne Mormont, er, Ellie.

Expand full comment

Now with a daughter and another coming I guess I’ll need to rewatch INTERSTELLAR

Expand full comment

Totally agree with you, Sonny. The first time I realized this was shortly after my wife and I became parents. We watched Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow (1998) and the scene where the Headless Horseman comes for the chid under the floor who screamed and screamed in terror absolutely gutted both of us. Made us want to walk out on the movie. Ever since I have not been able to watch any movie that contains children in peril. No way.

Expand full comment

If you’ve never had a child, you have no concept of what it’s like to have a child. But this is hardly unique. Pretty much any experience can alter your perception of anything. If you’ve never taken LSD, and someone tells you about time dilation, and says “you’ll feel like an hour has gone by, and look up at the clock, and not even 1 minute has passed.” You might nod your head like you understand; but you literally have no clue how that feels, or even what it means. You have no frame of reference for an experience like that.

Same thing with racial persecution, or childbirth, or date rape. If we’ve all got a spare $10 each month for a Bulwark subscription, chances are we’re a long way away from food insecurity, much less starvation.

The human ability to feel “empathy” can help bridge the understanding gap, but the stoic, masculine Right has traditionally scored points by ridiculing the squishy, feminine Left for empathizing with just about anyone.

Expand full comment

Interstellar is in my top 10 favorite. Nolan is my superhero.

Expand full comment

As a fan of both the games and excited for the show, I was honestly worried about what the popular reaction to the finale would be. I warned a buddy who had been raving all season about the show but not played the game "the finale is gonna hurt some MF'ers", something which he confirmed to me after its airing. But I'm also glad to see this finale came down and people didn't flip out in the same way they did say Game of Thrones. All that said, with them confirming season 2 will happen....some MF'ers are gonna get hurt even worse

Expand full comment

Fatherhood was always problematic for me. Didn't have a child until I was almost 40. Post-natal, I was numb until one day when my daughter was a few months old, I looked around on the street in downtown Santa Barbara and, like a knife to the heart, came the certainty that one of these SOBs wants to hurt my child. Then I cared ever after.

Expand full comment
founding

My wife was pregnant with our youngest when A Quiet Place came out and I couldn’t watch it. When our youngest daughter was a toddler It: Chapter One came out and couldn’t watch it. Eventually as they both got older I could watch them. Being a parent truly changes things. I think that is why Avatar: The Way of Water hit so hard for me.

I’ll be honest, I was hoping to read a that you review of Scream VI last week. I figured it had to do with you co-host not liking horror, which is fair.

Safe travels!

Expand full comment

Damn straight. As a mother, I am a grizzly bear mama on steroids. Totally understood what Joel did.

Expand full comment