Live and Let Die
{2.5/5} “‘Who’s funeral is this?’ ‘Yours.’” Live and Let Die, released in 1973 When three agents are killed, James Bond is sent to New York to investigate. M believes the murders are all connected to Dr. Kanaga of the Caribbean island of San Monique. Bond later travels to San Monique and New Orleans in pursuit […]
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
{5/5} “The end of the world is speeding up — it is happening earlier in every life. That implies that the cause is changing, and what, we must ask, is the cause of change?” The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North, published in 2014 When Harry dies he finds himself back where […]
Rainbows End
{4.5/5} “You-Gotta-Believe Me. That is, mind control. Weak, social forms of YGBM drove all human history. For more than a hundred years, the goal of irresistible persuasion had been a topic of academic study. For thirty years it had been a credible technological goal. And for ten, some version of it had been feasible in […]
Murdoch Mysteries (season 2)
{5/5} “So why don’t you go do what you do best, me ol’ mucker? Step on some toes and upset people.” Murdoch Mysteries, season 2, aired in 2009 When a new dinosaur skeleton is unveiled, a murdered man is in its mouth. When Murdoch is injured Crabtree steps up to take his place as acting […]
Scrubs (season 8)
{5/5} “The truth is, you should consider yourself lucky if you even occasionally get to make someone — anyone — feel a little better. After that, it’s all about the people that you let into your life.” Scrubs season 8, aired in 2009 Since Dr. Kelso resigned as chief of medicine, a replacement needed to […]
Pee-wee’s Big Holiday
{4.5/5} “That’s what I like about you, Pee-wee. You’re normal.” Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, released in 2016 A motorcycle-riding actor named Joe comes into the diner where Pee-wee works and orders a milkshake. When the two of them get talking they realize they have some things in common. Joe invites Pee-wee to his birthday — in […]
Self/less
{4.5/5} “Simply put, we offer humanity’s greatest minds more time to fulfill their potential.” Self/less, released in 2015 Damian is dying of cancer. A company called Phoenix Biogenic offers him a unique possibility — “shedding.” He can transfer his mind into a healthy young body that’s been grown in a vat. After undergoing the procedure, […]
Mind Over Medicine
{5/5} “If you’re lonely, you’re stuck in a toxic relationship, you’re full of resentment for people who have hurt you, you’re cheating on your partner, you’re selling your soul at work, or you feel spiritually bankrupt, no amount of veggies, gym visits, 12-step programs, or vitamins is going to cut it. Radical self-care also involves […]
Major Crimes (season 4)
{4.5/5} “It’s always the husband.” Major Crimes season 4, aired in 2015-16 The team deals with reality show contestants, a supermodel, spyware, gangs, murdered cops, a withdrawn confession, and a man who films the people he murders. Flynn has a health scare that he has to take time off to deal with. Provenza’s girlfriend Patrice […]
Burning Paradise
{4.5/5} “Every star is an oasis in a desert — a warm place, rich with nutrients and complex chemistry. Many organisms compete for access to those riches. Their struggles are ethereal, protracted, and largely invisible to beings as yourself. But the battles are as relentless and deadly as anything that happens in a forest or […]