Extrapolations
Two years ago, making the blog work with Lightroom and an increasing number of hard drives was easy. Step away for just a moment, and the muscle memory deteriorates. Took me ages to find and reconcile a few images I wanted to post today. Such is the blogging life. Poor me. Silver lining - for some reason it made me think of my awful French. Le trevail? No doubt that's wrong. Zut alors, oh la vache, merde.
I stumbled upon Extrapolations on Apple as I was looking at cutting a monthly expense. I binged. I have told people that I thought the Apple interface was better than most. Prime is terrible, some complaints with HBO. I spoke too soon. Apple serves up Extrapolations, I clicked, and after the show I realized that I'd started with episode 4. I figured I could roll with it. Fair enough for anyone saying User Error!
I really liked it. I'm not spoiling anything by saying it focuses on the possibilities of climate change. I'm being diplomatic. We're all pretty set in our beliefs these days; I like to be open about my biases. We got cosmically lucky with a favorable environment, and our actions have consequences, perhaps catastrophic consequences. The show mirrors that sentiment. Regardless of what you think, it's a good show. Or at least a compelling show.
It's got a unique structure. The episodes, for the most part, are set roughly 10 years apart. The episodes are distinct, but the themes and characters have continuity. Loads of known actors and unfamiliar actors appear, have one offs, or reappear. The prognosis is dire, exacerbated by some villains a lot of us would recognize, perhaps even champion. The science, the locations, and the imagination are fun. We get some not too radical glimpses of what the future might bring. There are some long shots and imaginative possibilities, but there are also some oh, it's 2055, this is the iphone 40 with improved hologram moments.
I haven't got any stats to back this up, but I'm guessing that the success of multiple streaming platforms has added some welcomed stability to actors and production staff. There even seems to be a bullpen of dependable, talented actors that one bumps into again and again. It can be a little confusing! For example, I'm seeing Matthew Rhys everywhere after seeing his work in Perry Mason. He was in Extrapolation, as was his partner, Kerri Russell (small but cool role).
The main photo for this post is of a group called The Invisible Circus. I think in that particular instance they might have been The Invisible Circus's Red Brigade. Apologies if I've got that incorrect. I searched for the photo in my catalog after seeing some footage of them in Extrapolations. They weren't wearing red, but I'd bet $1 it was the same group. Extrapolations uses stock footage very effectively, setting a backdrop of anxiety, fear, unrest, and panic. One of my complaints about the show, or maybe more of a question, is why most of the scenes involving characters are set in gorgeous, calm spaces. I read an article about the show's creator, and I'm sure it's all very intentional. Maybe it's for a jarring contrast, especially between the haves and have nots. But even some of the have nots seem like haves!
I took the photo in 2019 in London, during some significant protests by Extinction Rebellion and pro-/anti-Brexit groups. Interesting time to be there, and I was fortunate to happen upon The Invisible Circus. Haunting. I walked with them for a good while, and I appreciated the access. I kept shooting a little too long, though, hanging around for their group circle at the end. They waved me off, a little annoyed (fair!), and I wandered away.
At the time, I was trying to convince myself I had some photojournalist / documentary photographer in me. I got some photos I liked, and I made a little photozine. It's a persistent bug. But I also contended with a lot of imposter syndrome and questioning the point of it. Am I documenting an important moment or just figuring out a way to stand on the sidelines. I constantly go back and forth on those issues, this blog included. I read a good Substack post recently that dealt with some similar themes - Chris La Tray's An Irritable Metis. It's a longer version of what my friend Chuck wrote here, in let it dissolve. If you want to be on stage, does it matter if there's an audience? It does if you want to keep the lights on. It's late, this has been sitting in my drafts for days, I'm not really sure what I'm getting at anymore. I like writing, and I'll keep doing it. Maybe one day I'll figure out something important to say.
My computer crashed, lucky you. I was going to ramble about shows and music. I'll reluctantly cut it short. A friend of mine has been trying to get me to watch Breaking Bad and Beef. When this person recommends a show, you watch it. I don't think I'm ready for Breaking Bad, but the trailer for Beef looks amazing. If you've got spotify or a means to queue up music, listen to Red Barchetta by Rush. You'll want to race down the road.