S01.E07: Book of Calvin

[Pop Tart]

Quote

The chapters of Calvin’s life shed light on the mysteries of his past.

Air date: 11.17.23

[EtheltoTillie]

That was a great episode!  Calvin was forced to be Walter White during Prohibition!
  
I really liked the themes of faith and higher power mixed with science.  Coincidence v. Miracles. 

[shapeshifter]

11 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

That was a great episode!  Calvin was forced to be Walter White during Prohibition!

OMG! I totally missed that it was Prohibition.
I just thought the priest was just being greedy. 
Was he being greedy too?
What did he use the money for? 

I guess we'll find out more about the priest's motives since his lie is a cliffhanger much like [from last week's episode thread]:

On 11/10/2023 at 8:21 AM, shapeshifter said:

Still, the Reverend's line of "Your father is Calvin Evans?" was confusing to some of us in the audience — maybe most of us? 

On 11/12/2023 at 3:54 PM, KaveDweller said:

I think it is supposed to be a cliffhanger. So that we are like, why is that important, does he know Calvin? And more will be explained next week.

 

So Calvin's parents put him in the orphanage before they died….
which was "roughly" 1921, or 1 year after the start of Prohibition.
Another cliffhanger? 
Educated guess: Calvin went to the orphanage because his parents were in prison for bootlegging. 
Maybe he had already learned to help with the bootlegging and that's why he was taken into a church orphanage with a school? 

 

 

 

12 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I really liked the themes of faith and higher power mixed with science.  Coincidence v. Miracles. 

Yes. Although I imagine a lot of viewers might be alienated by it, even though it's presented in a non-alienating manner.
IDK. 
I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and have the Reverend make a move on sweet, pretty little Mad.
So glad that did not happen.
But other viewers might have stopped watching because of that possibility. 

[Phebemarie]

Was it said what denomination Reverend Wakely is?  He's either Episcopalian or maybe African Methodist Episcopal?  Not that it matters, ultimately, but I noticed someone (Elizabeth?) called him a priest in this episode.  

I really have to reread the book; I forgot all about the Rev. Wakely/Calvin connection.  

I think this episode really demonstrates how people with vastly different beliefs can have meaningful conversations about important topics without bullying or belittling.  

It was a really nice episode and made Calvin's death even more poignant.

[EtheltoTillie]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

OMG! I totally missed that it was Prohibition.
I just thought the priest was just being greedy. 
Was he being greedy too?
What did he use the money for? 

 

I missed it too, until Mad said which years he had been at the home. 

There was a lot left out here about whether Calvin benefited from the money, what the priest was doing. etc.

Rev Wakely is not a Catholic priest, I think, so maybe AME or Episcopal.  Didn't they say he was married at one point?  Then they just talked about his father, so I was confused.  Still don't know wht Beau Bridges was doing, but I look forward to finding out more. 

[Phebemarie]

56 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I missed it too, until Mad said which years he had been at the home. 

There was a lot left out here about whether Calvin benefited from the money, what the priest was doing. etc.

Rev Wakely is not a Catholic priest, I think, so maybe AME or Episcopal.  Didn't they say he was married at one point?  Then they just talked about his father, so I was confused.  Still don't know wht Beau Bridges was doing, but I look forward to finding out more. 

Yes, I think Rev. Wakely is married (there was a daughter in one of his scenes), and I remember looking for a wedding ring when he was in the first scene with Elizabeth.  Since they changed Harriet's story so much, I wasn't sure where they were going introducing a handsome minister at the neighborhood picnic.

I don't know if he is in the AME church; according to Wikki, AME church leadrers are called bishop rather than priest.  I suppose it doesn't really matter, but I'm an Episcopalian, and I like it when we're depicted as decent characters in movies and television shows.  :)  

[Haleth]

I noticed his ring when he was with his father, then yes, later we see him packing with his wife and daughter.  Wakely and Calvin had a nice friendship.  Calvin seemed much more "normal" when he talked things out with the Rev.

16 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Still don't know wht Beau Bridges was doing, but I look forward to finding out more. 

I don't know if you saw the "blink and you'll miss it" scene in an earlier episode where Beau Bridges tells the Hastings director that funding is cut off.

[shapeshifter]

19 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Still don't know wht Beau Bridges was doing, but I look forward to finding out more. 

3 hours ago, Haleth said:

I don't know if you saw the "blink and you'll miss it" scene in an earlier episode where Beau Bridges tells the Hastings director that funding is cut off.

Right. 
But there's also the line in this episode where boy-Calvin wonders if Beau Bridges' character is his father. 

BTW, I wondered if they use AI for the CGI to make Beau Bridges look younger in the flash backs. His movements and his face didn't quite look human/natural.

 

[Phebemarie]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

BTW, I wondered if they use AI for the CGI to make Beau Bridges look younger in the flash backs. His movements and his face didn't quite look human/natural.

 

I thought so, too.  

[chediavolo]

I hated this episode. This series could have been so much better. Do yourself a favor and read the book 

[txhorns79]

On 11/17/2023 at 11:38 AM, Phebemarie said:

 

I think this episode really demonstrates how people with vastly different beliefs can have meaningful conversations about important topics without bullying or belittling.  

It helps to have writers who already know the conclusion they are working towards with the relationship and letters.  

 

On 11/17/2023 at 10:32 AM, shapeshifter said:

I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and have the Reverend make a move on sweet, pretty little Mad.

Honestly, the show isn't particularly subtle when it comes to characters we are supposed to like or dislike.  If the Reverend was going to be a creep, we probably would have found that out the first time we met him.