Franz Kafka

 

Franz Kafka was a German novelist and short story writer, was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on  July 2, 1883.   He came from a wealthy family and was mostly home schooled before studying law in Prague.  He suffered through a short lifetime from ill health, loneliness, and unhappy love affairs.  This air of depression and despair permeates his introspective novels with the same minuteness of detail that is found in the works of Marcel Proust.

Kafka's major works  were not published until after his death. His most famous novels included  The Trial (1925). The Castle (1926),  and America (1927). Kafka believed in numerous mystic cults and was convinced that he possessed clairvoyant powers. Among his other works were Metamorphosis (1916), The Country Doctor (1919), In the Penal Colony (1919),  and The Great Wall of China (1931).  He died June 3, 1924.

Director David Cronenberg earlier work drew great inspiration from  Kafka's book Metamorphosis, in which the protagonist  Gregor Samsa, wakes to find himself transformed into an insect.   The book has been adapted into a stage play starring Tim Roth and has been reinterpreted in both television and film many times over. The 2006 animated movie Flushed Away has a scene where a stove falls through a floor of a house,  to show a cockroach  reading a French translation of Kafka's The Metamorphosis.

Another well received novel was "The Trial" where an  near invisible authority has arrested and begins to prosecute a man Joesf K., but the nature of his crime in neither revealed  to him or the reader.  It is atmospheric state re-imagined in episodes of the twilight zone. It can be said that films like Cube, Vivarium, Escape room, and the Saw franchise took a little bit of inspiration from the work of Franz Kafka.

Falcon & Winter Soldier

A question(s) that can be ask at the conclusion of the season can be,  Was this meant to be a set up for a Captain America 4 film, or was it designed to set-up, some up coming characters for what is to be expected in phase 5.  With an appearance of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who becomes the connection to the Black Widow movie, are we seeing the formation of the Thunderbolts?  The series also shows us a former Captain America test subject whose next generation becomes a future Avenger according to the comics, We the audience at the final episode get a new Captain America and why he is worthy of the moniker over a highly decorated and cookie cutter American Soldier, We also get fallout from the Winter Soldier movie, with Baron Zemo out of prison, the people of Wakanda learning that the murderer of their beloved King escapes prison would have never of sat well, A resulting action is given but does it carry the cathartic weight it should promise?  .  Bucky Barnes who seeks atonement for his decades of past sins in order to find forgiveness for himself and from the father whose son he's slain. The series does spend time giving us a compelling set up, but leaves the audience without the emotional impact as is should have provided by cutting out the moment of truth discussion that could be messy and overwhelmingly hard hitting.

On many levels the series disappoints because not every problem or set up in story telling it chooses to introduce in the 1st half of the series will have a conclusion, epilogue, or resolution. Some characters mostly villains' will come to a tragic end, Then there are characters like the Power Broker, who on the identity reveal leaves more questions than answers. Why expose your chemist, it eventually causes the loss of you most coveted investment,  Why not neutralize Karlie the leader of the flag-smashers earlier in the series when there was an opportunity to do so, had clearly presented itself .. Whatever happened to & where is Zemo now?, clearly the Butler did it!  When it comes to the murder of the 6 flag-smashers.   The Raft,  does Valentina have some control there?  John Walker,  an official Captain America knock off to be given the name 'The U.S, Agent' sometime in the near future, Does he become a Thunderbolt or does Valentina have other designs for him? 

Each episode has at least 1 spectacular stunt sequence from an aerial dogfight to a battle on two moving trucks on the freeway. The budget and time spent can clearly be seen on the  small screen, the detail exceeds some of the best choregraphed battle sequences found on any CW  show.  Understandable the finale and some pick up shots for the series was delayed due to the Covid--19 outbreak, which could explain the quick ending and abrupt choices the show makes to conclude this season.  Sharon Carter where does this show leave her? Her character feels like Dexter Morgan in the original series finale as he speeds away in a boat under the cover of a hurricane.