One of the most useful things I've learned in this journey into ADHD is that I've spent a good chunk of my life self-generating anxiety as a focusing mechanism.
Douglas Adams famously said, "I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." For me it would be more like, "I love deadlines, and I can't get started until they're looming." I've been working very hard over the past few years on training myself differently. Which is a very long way of apologizing-not-apologizing for this newsletter for being a week later than the usual every-other-week cadence.
Things have been very busy over here lately. I've wrapped one very large project, returned to work on a show I spent a good chunk of last year on to help get it to the finish line, and started working on something new that's been a lot of fun. None of which I'm allowed to talk about yet. But I want you to rest assured that nothing has stood in the way of continuing to binge Danish TV.
That’s One Heck of a Bridge
I posted this the other day:
The reason behind this was that we finished watching all of Bron/Broen and I found myself thinking "This is one of the best TV shows I've ever seen." I'm sure that recency bias will fade. But that won't change how much I fell for this show.
Last time, I shared some reticence with the way they portrayed the character of Saga, the generically atypical detective at the center of the show. I think I spoke too soon -- over the full four seasons, she's become one of the most indelible tv characters I can recall. While the show never stopped to label her specific neurology, Sofia Helin's performance revealed itself to be sharply observed and meticulously crafted. It's an intensely physical performance — a marvel of shoulder and neck acting. She communicates oceans of meaning through Saga's posture and movement, even the way she holds herself while she stands still.
I'd guess everyone has their pantheon of Memorable TV Investigators. For me, that roster includes Frank Pembleton, Veronica Mars, Lester Freamon, Dale Cooper, and now Saga Norén, Länskrim Malmö.
I've never watched more than a handful of the Law and Order shows. The real hardcore fans, you can watch them change whenever they talk about Mariska Hargitay's character. They grow fervent, almost reverent, like she's not just a tv detective but more like a religious icon or a household saint. That's the level which Saga as attained around these parts.
Warning: spoilers for a ten year old show, coming next.
Km Bodnia's Martin was an incredible foil for Saga. So it was disappointing to get to the end of the second season and learn that he left the show, under acrimonious and unsettling circumstances including accusations of Swedish anti-Semitism. Which makes me wonder what’s really going on in Malmö.
In the third season they replaced Martin with Thure Lindhardt's Henrik Sabroe. This is a recipe for total disaster. Yet somehow, against our will, a little bit at a time, we totally bought into this new character and relationship. What a staggeringly high level of difficulty to pull off. And somehow they did it. One of the most miraculous pieces of tv producing I can recall in a long time. When we got to the end the show, I wanted to start watching all over from the beginning. We didn't. But maybe we’ll give the American version a try soon.
Speaking of miraculous tv producing, this is an incredible interview with the great Russell T. Davies talking about making It's A Sin, and a lot of other things besides.
There's been a lot of hubbub of late about Substack and some of their ugly choices. Dan and Annalee have good explanations. There's been a steady exodus of newsletters off of Substack and onto less unscrupulous platforms. I'll probably end up following at some point when things slow down a bit. Watch this space.
Many years ago, I worked on the tech side for a Mouse-related entertainment company. I was fortunate enough to work for Mike Pusateri, a brilliant manager from whom I learned an extraordinary amount how to work as a part of a team. Mike's been one of the people keeping the TV lights on over the pandemic year, and he wrote about the experience.
I often say I can't talk about the projects I'm working on. But here's something I can talk about -- for the past several months I've been working with Moth + Flame VR to help build a different kind of interactive experience: immersive training modules about suicide prevention for the Air Force. It’s been an intense undertaking. The usual goal of my work is entertainment. This is very different. But it's been really rewarding to help contribute to something that will make a real difference in peoples' lives.
One Year
We're in a weird moment right now where it seems like the end of this plague year is almost in sight. I've gotten my first vaccination, and the second is scheduled in a few weeks.
But to be honest, the closer we get to "the end," the more I've been struggling. It seems like it's getting harder, not easier.
The always brilliant and insightful Jenka Gurfinkel posted this recently:
One year ago this week, I was sprinting to try to finish the manuscript for Novel Advice and checking my text messages every 37 seconds for news about my father, who was on a ventilator fighting for his life.
Monday will be the one-year anniversary of his death.
I'm going to try to spend all of that day offline, not working, doing...I'm not sure what. I'm not even sure Danish TV will be the right kind of solace.
We've started to look ahead at a time when it will be safe to fly again, to gather the family together for the first time and properly mourn. I'm counting the days.
Monday is also Star Trek First Contact Day. Which weirdly is actually just the right day for my Dad to have boldly gone into the undiscovered country.