Review of 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' 1.8
Battle at the Nunnery
An all-cylinders firing episode 1.8 of The Man Who Fell to Earth on Showtime this past Sunday night, featuring what may be the penultimate (next to last) battle between Faraday's supporters and Spencer and his assassins.
[Spoilers follow ... ]
Quite a battle at Mary Lou's nunnery. They held off Spencer and his killers long enough for Faraday and Justin to escape. And that only happened because Faraday, after being badly wounded at an earlier place, received a transfusion of Josiah's now Anthean blood. Those nuns not only were impressive fighters, they had crucially life-saving medical savvy.
Two big questions remain:
1. Did Josiah survive? He says his survival was by no means assured. In a powerful scene, we see him on the operating table as the badly wounded Mary Lou slips away (she was shot point blank by that horrendous Spencer). She dies happy, feeling that she fulfilled her mission and may be going to a better place. Josiah is still alive, last time we see him, and I'm hoping he survives.
2. Who is Lisa talking to, reporting to, on the phone? Possibly Edie or her brother Hatch, but I'd put my money on the inscrutable Newton. He remains a pivotal character in this story. Mary Lou loved him. She felt guilt for getting him crazy. But it's by now clear that he's more than crazy. He holds some crucial cards, and I'm looking forward to seeing how he plays them in the final two episodes of this season or series.
About the Creator
Paul Levinson
Novels The Silk Code, The Plot To Save Socrates, It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles; LPs Twice Upon A Rhyme & Welcome Up; nonfiction The Soft Edge & Digital McLuhan, translated into 15 languages. Prof, Fordham Univ.
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