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The Dropout Episode 4 (Hulu): Picking up from the first three episodes, episode 4 of The Dropout follows Elizabeth Holmes as she attempts to secure a retail partnership for Theranos. The goal is to create on-the-go blood testing labs across the country in retail establishments, in this case Walgreens. The problem with the show is that it can’t seem to make up its mind as to whether or not the fraud committed by Holmes is good natured, or its purely for her own benefit. There is definitely a case to be made in the show’s portrayal of Holmes that the fraud is a kind of well-intentioned pyramid scheme, designed to fund the increasing costs of research and development on the technology that is the cornerstone of the business. In this scenario, had she finished work on the blood analysis system before the investors started asking questions and was able to repay those involved, no one would have been the wiser. Maybe future episodes will enlighten this further and illustrate where the money was going and if the fraud was for personal enrichment, or to help keep the company afloat until the technology was ready.
The Flash Season 8 Episode 6 (CWApp): The Flash
on CW makes its return this week in what is feeling more and more like it is intended to be the final season of the show. This week Barry’s kids Nora (XS) and Bart (Impulse) realize that they are messing up the timeline with their time travel and go back in time to 2013 to try and fix their mistakes. John Wesley Shipp reprises as Jay Garrick, which is always a welcome addition and the episode also introduces Avery Ho, another character to come out of the Rebirth tie-in for The Flash in 2016 (the first being Godspeed). Hopefully she follows in Godspeed’s footprints and becomes as large a player for the Arrowverse as she has become in the DC Comics Universe going into their maxi-event Dark Crisis this summer. Eddie Thawn returns, and it appears he may be headed to a different fate than he originally had way back in season one. Time will tell though.
Dune (HBOMax): After its initial run in October, Dune
makes its return to HBOMax. In the time since its box office success in October, Dune Part 2 has been greenlit and is intending to shoot in the fall of this year for a release in October of 2023. Florence Pugh (Black Widow) and Austin Butler (Yoga Hosiers) have been cast as Princess Irulan and Feyd Rautha respectively. Regardless of the development status of the sequel, Dune
has some of the most spectacular set design, costuming, and the best score of any movie to come out in 2021 and is worth a watch by anyone who considers themselves to be a fan of science fiction.
You May Have Missed:
“Bao” (Disney+): Anyone who liked Turning Red should check out the debut for director Domee Shi at Pixar which was attached to 2018’s Incredibles 2. “Bao” is the story of a woman who is making buns for dinner for her and her husband and one of the buns comes to life. She adopts it as if it is her son and becomes attached to it. The short is a beautiful look at empty nest syndrome and has an emotional resonance that is almost universal.
