Written by John Edward BetancourtTHIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...Social commentary has been and will forever be a staple of science fiction and that's really not a bad thing. After all, Sci-Fi has examined plenty when it comes to mankind and the human condition as a whole, and to expect that to stop could in turn ruin the genre. But if there is one thing we can agree upon when it comes to a potential pitfall for social commentary is that more often than not, it focuses on the negative. Commentary in this particular genre tends to look at the worst parts of us unfortunately, and while that has its benefits in that it recognizes a problem with our society and forces us to face it through a quality narrative, it's rare to find a story that features observations that celebrate the better parts of our society. So imagine my surprise when I settled in to watch the next episode of Dimension 404 only to discover a rare treat; a science fiction tale that managed to look at the beauty we are truly capable of in 'Bob'. Now the beauty of this story is that it manipulates the audience in the right kind of way, and in this episode, we are introduced to Army Captain Jane Lee, a brilliant psychologist who firmly believes in leaving no soldier behind and because of her edict, she often sacrifices family time with her wife and child to ensure that the men and women in the field are mentally sound. But this Christmas, she is planning on finally taking time for herself and her family, that is until a grave threat pulls her away from leave and she will be faced with helping out her toughest patient yet, a mysterious NSA employee named Bob... Now, when I say that this episode manipulates you, I'm not joking. This looks and feels like pretty standard Science Fiction fare, especially when you consider that Bob is a massive brain designed to spy on everyone and everything around the world, and that this super computer/sentient hulk of grey matter is about to square off against an 'inferior' psychologist, and that's all part of the long con of this episode. You quickly become comfortable with the standard twists and turns, where the brain learns from humanity and vice versa and it seems at every turn that this story is primed and charged to unleash all kinds of social commentary and observations about the current state of affairs when it comes to privacy in our world and the NSA/Government's role in culturing the vast amounts of data out there, and that's when this sucker takes quite the left turn...and surprises you in ways you'd never expect. Because this bleak episode suddenly becomes a thing of beauty, as we come to realize it's not about the technology or the morality of the situation...it's about the fact that this giant brain, sees our darkest and deepest moments. It sees the pain and suffering and lack of hope that can permeate the lives of so many on this planet and Bob wants nothing more...than to see a little joy injected into the world, if only for a day. The commentary here isn't designed to scold us and give us pause, it's designed to make us think and wonder what the world would be like, if we were just good to another, for the sake of being good to one another, and it does that in tear jerking and uplifting fashion and when all is said and done, I'm still smiling thanks to this episode. For once, a powerful super computer didn't see the need to turn evil and against mankind and bring us to our knees for our mistakes. Instead it chose to find a way to make the world a better place and remind us how easy such a feat can be and that kind of unexpected and positive direction in a show such as this speaks to the desire from the folks behind the scenes at Dimension 404 to make it an anthology series unlike any other, and it also demonstrates just how intelligent this show continues to be. Also, special thanks and credit needs to go to the writer of this episode, Will Campos, for crafting such a majestic tapestry of emotion because the wonder and beauty of Bob's decision to 'save the world' is one that brought myself, and Bri for that matter, to tears. Either way, this one continues to give me pause because of how refreshing it turned out to be and it makes me hesitant to watch the season one finale of this show, not because I expect it to be a disappointment, but because it means that this wild and intelligent journey is going to come to a brief end. Until next time.
1 Comment
Penny Cat
8/18/2019 02:07:56 pm
Can't lie I now have an official heartthrob for B.O.B, thanks Rocket Jump =)
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