A Letter From Alex....

 ....And No, Not That Hack Kurtzman

Hello Ruben

First of all...You had to ask, didn't you !? In your last letter, you asked if the Johanna was still afloat. Well, it's not anymore. While you were writing a letter to Robert Meyer Burnett. she hit a sandbar and snapped like a twig. 

The good news is that we were near an island with people and internet. The bad news is that nobody understand a word these people are saying, so we have no idea where we are. And even if we did, because the Johanna was a tramp freighter, there is no company to come to rescue. So I'm safe, but I'm stranded.

We managed to salvage enough food and water for a couple of days, a couple of books and two laptops. But beyond that, we only have the clothes on our backs. And it's all your fault !! If you hadn't asked...

Alex

Hello Alex,

What ? I don't control the seas. Besides, I did some research and the Captain of Johanna was a disaster waiting to happen. And you're the one who said the ship was a rust bucket. You want something to pass the time, did you read my last RMB letter ? Maybe you could give you two cents ?

Ruben

Hi Ruben

Yeah, I read your letter. And I agree that Modern Trek will indeed age poorly. But you should have added an example of an old show holding up. Since I'm stranded on this rock anyhow, here's my addendum to your letter: 

A good example of Good Aging, would be the original Magnum PI. Yeah, it is clearly a 1980's show and sometimes it can be rather silly. But unlike the 2018 version, Selleck's Magnum PI could sometime turn the silliness off and be a fully formed drama. And when it goes there, it is really good.

There are several episodes that fit this mold. They deal with PTSD, mental illness, loss, death and many more serious issues. And in those episodes, you will find dialogue between Magnum and Higgins that lift it above it's time period. 

A good example is in the episode "Black on White." Magnum asks Higgins was serving in Africa was like and Higgins tells him how cruel both sides could be....

Magnum: What was it like?

Higgins: It was bloody. The Mau Mau came from the Kikuyu tribe. And the Kikuyu could be a savage people ... but then, so could we. They take away our bowlers [hat] and school ties, remove us from our cities where others kill our meat, from our books and films, we vicariously live out our basery emotions, and set us down in the African bush where every living thing is killing or being killed. We could be as savage as any tribe on the face of the earth ... if you know what I mean.

Magnum: Yes, I've been there.

Higgins: Africa?

Magnum: Vietnam

Here, we have two soldiers...from two different countries, from two different generations, sharing something. It's the kind of conversations that people really have, regardless of the time period. Modern Trek has never managed to create a scene like that.

Alex