I love watching Avarasala chew scenery like a fucking boss.

I think most people would have difficulty with a situation so far outside of their expectations. They are on edge, expecting the start of a war, which is in fact breaking out in orbit. Then their enemies charge towards them… but there are a few facts that don't fit the expected scenario.

The protomolecule is not a straightforward mechanism in the sense of, say, a space probe. It was sent to Earth billions of years ago in order to use the raw materials of life on Earth in order to construct… something basically a wormhole for interstellar travel . So it's not a space probe as we understand it, but…

The protomolecule arrived a couple billion years before Epstein.

There was a closeup on an electrical cable coming out of the control board, where he had earlier stuck some kind of tool. I thought the thrust was going to pull the cable loose and that would save his ass.

Porkpie, son.

It must feel nice to be able to type that!

Those basic cable motherfuckers do need to let her swear more.

Me too! What a heartbreaking movie.

The Marasmus is not in the book. However, the thing with the bomb timer is.

Nice point.

I'm kind of surprised that this hasn't come up in the show yet, given Holden's passion for coffee.

Suck it, losers!

Actually, selling off the less-productive states sounds like a good idea.

That's great news! I would love to see Thandie Newton as Han Solo!

Deep cut!

I like Hard-Boiled and Wind-up and Sheep Chase/Dance Dance Dance, and Kafka. Sputnik Sweetheart and After Dark didn't draw me in as much. Liked IQ84, but not as much as Wind-up.

Second the recommendation for Hard-Boiled.

I would start with Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. In fact, that is the novel I did start with, and I think it's a great introduction to Murakami. If you don't like that, you should probably give up.

I feel the opposite. Norwegian Wood is fine, but less enjoyable than his other works. Murakami takes a somewhat abstract approach to plot, which I like.