#1. “The Revenge of Geography” by Robert Kaplan
The latest effort by Mr. Kaplan (no relation) is with loaded historical insights and connect-the-dots observations about the Middle East.
Unfortunately, it’s also chockfull of literary clunkers like this one:
“Mountains are a conservative force, often protecting within their defiles indigenous cultures against the fierce modernizing ideologies that have too often plagued the flatlands, even as they have provided refuge for Marxist guerillas and drug cartels in our own era.”
–Prelude
Umm . . . huh? (or maybe, “Phew!”).
Call it, “byzantine writing about Byzantium.”
Sorry, too much deconstructing for me.
#2. “Breaking Bad” Final Episode (“Felina”)
“It’s too soon to tell.”
–Mao Zedong, when asked about the effect(s) of the French Revolution (in 1947).
Almost two weeks after Breaking Bad’s finale, it’s definitely not premature to pronounce the final episode as the best finale — arguably to the best drama — in TV or cable history.
The brilliant conclusion deftly resolves every (key) character’s fate, from Walter White to Jesse Pinkman and all the characters they touched.
Good Aftertaste
As evidence of the episode’s greatness, witness the deafening silence from the legion of critics paid to, well . . . criticize such programs.
Exhibit A: the review by the The New York Times critic, who caviled that the episode failed to address why Bryan Cranston’s character fell out with his co-founders of “Gray Matter Technologies.”
Memo to said critic: you’re the only one who noticed — or cares.
Unlike the finale of, say, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad’s conclusion leaves viewers deeply satisfied, with a lasting sense of closure.
