Best of the Week, Feb 3 - 7

Remembering the Roles That Made Me Love Him: Philip Seymour Hoffman
. . . "It's as if Perry and I grew up in the same house. And one day he stood up and went out the back door, while I went out the front."

Sherlocked 
. . . . Sherlock is a self-described “high functioning sociopath” with regular spontaneous digressions into his "mind palace," the place in his head where he processes a dizzying combination of multiple possible logical deductions. We all must simply let him go there and wait until the hard drive exhausts the unyielding process. At that point Sherlock arises wide-eyed and euphoric . . .

The Beatles Let Us Be
. . . When you've got that much talent and genius coming together in conjunction with their human side:  John's neediness, Paul's effervescence, George's mysticism and Ringo flamboyance; it is bound to trigger something. . .




See Thoughts on Addiction.

Sherlocked

The love is in their faces

By Wendy Murray

[SPOILERS]
The long-awaited Season 3 of Masterpiece Mystery's  Sherlock has come and gone with the fleetness of its hero. We were riveted, in the back of our minds, during the two-year hiatus after Season 2 ended with Sherlock's suicide-by-flying-leap off a rooftop. His arch-nemesis James Moriarty made him do it, mocking and one-upping him mercilessly, taunting Sherlock that all his friends would be executed if the waiting gunmen, lasers already fixed on various foreheads, did not see Sherlock jump. Moriarty laughed and mocked some more, then put a gun to his head and met his demise (so it seemed) with a self-inflicted shot. So Sherlock jumped. His devoted sidekick, Dr. John Watson, watched from below and collapsed seeing his friend dead on the ground. (Sherlock and Watson are rendered in consummate performances by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.)

Then, in the episode's final scene, we were moved and devastated with John Watson as he was grieving at Sherlock's grave. But wait. There is Sherlock himself watching from a distance in the shadows, head tilted in the singular way, his narrow eyes glancing around, while we (the viewing audience) -- now, ecstatic -- are horrified that he would leave poor John bereft!

Welcome to our world -- the exhilerating, riveting, shocking, stunning, complicated, logical, horrible, hilarious non-stop world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes in the 21st century.

The dismay of Season 2 was indeed resolved in the opening episode of Season 3. The new stretch of the (only!) three-episode season began with John's shock at Sherlock's reappearance, now two years later. Their first exchange finds Sherlock explaining to John that while on the roof with Moriarity that time, he had to work-through deductively 13 possible escape scenarios that would give the impression he had in fact died while simultaneously actually cheating death (and Moriarity). John is not impressed. He wants to smack him, and does.

On it goes -- Sherlock ever configuring logical deductions while Watson, at once awed and appalled, sometimes can respond only, "Sherlock, shut up."

Sherlock is a self-described “high functioning sociopath” with regular spontaneous digressions -- hands to temples and elbows splayed -- into his "mind palace," the place in his head where he processes a dizzying combination of multiple possible logical deductions. We all must simply let him go there and wait until the hard drive exhausts the unyielding process. At that point Sherlock arises wide-eyed and euphoric seeing the now obvious logical explanation.

"Of course!"

On his first meeting with Watson, Sherlock's mind palace rendered total insight into the man whom he had known less than five minutes:

Your haircut, the way you hold yourself, says military. But your conversation as you entered the room said trained at Bart's, so army doctor. Obvious. Your face is tanned, but no tan above the wrists: you've been abroad but not sunbathing. The limp's really bad when you walk, but you don't ask for a chair when you stand, like you've forgotten about it, so it's at least partly psychosomatic. That says the original circumstances of the injury were probably traumatic: wounded in action, then. Wounded in action, suntan: Afghanistan or Iraq. You've got a psychosomatic limp. Of course you've got a therapist. Then there's your brother. Your phone—it's expensive, email enabled, MP3 player. But you're looking for a flat-share. You wouldn't waste money on this. It's a gift, then. Scratches—not one, many over time. It's been in the same pocket as keys and coins. The man sitting next to me [John] wouldn't treat his one luxury item like this, so it's had a previous owner. The next bit's easy, you know it already. [The phone is engraved "Harry Watson — from Clara xxx"] Harry Watson: clearly a family member who's given you his old phone. Not your father, this is a young man's gadget. Could be a cousin, but you're a war hero who can't find a place to live. Unlikely you've got an extended family, certainly not one you're close to, so brother it is. Now, Clara: who's Clara? Three kisses [xxx] says a romantic attachment. Expensive phone says wife, not girlfriend. Must've given it to him recently; this model's only six months old. Marriage in trouble, then—six months on, and already he's giving it away? If she'd left him, he would've kept it. People do, --sentiment. But no, he wanted rid of it—he left her. He gave the phone to you. That says he wants you to stay in touch. You're looking for cheap accommodation and you're not going to your brother for help? That says you've got problems with him. Maybe you liked his wife. Maybe you don't like his drinking. [Drinking?] Power connection: tiny little scuff marks around the edge. Every night he goes to plug it in and charge but his hands are shaky. You never see those marks on a sober man's phone, never see a drunk's without them. There you go, you see? You were right. The police don't consult amateurs.

Season 3 saw Sherlock stumble into new territory: the human realm.
It first showed itself when he was called upon to

Sherlock thanking Molly for a
particular kind of help

be the Best Man at John's wedding, which meant -- as Molly Hooper put it (Sherlock's lovelorn endearing pathologist): "He'll have to make a speech in front of people. There will be actual people there actually listening."

It gets worse, but endearingly. He betrays a degree--if restrained-- of emotion during the best man's toast. Somehow supporting his best friend at this fine hour has changed Sherlock. He came out of complicated universe inside his head to think about John. More, he raised a glass to John in front of actual people who are actually listening:

. . . I am the most unpleasant, rude, ignorant and all-round obnoxious arsehole that anyone could possibly have the misfortune to meet. I am dismissive of the virtuous [he looks at the priest.], unaware of the beautiful [he looks at the maid of honor], and uncomprehending in the face of the happy [he looks at Watson and Mary]. So if I didn't understand that I was being asked to be best man, it is because I never expected to be anybody's best friend. And certainly not the best friend of the bravest and kindest and wisest human being I have ever had the good fortune of knowing. 

John, I am a ridiculous man [John agrees], redeemed only by the warmth and constancy of your friendship. But, as I am apparently your best friend, I cannot congratulate you on your choice of companion. Actually, now I can. [To Mary] Mary, when I say you deserve this man, it is the highest compliment of which I am capable. 

John, you have endured war and injury and tragic loss - so sorry again about that last one [the roof bit] - so know this; today you sit between the woman you have made your wife and the man you have saved. In short, the two people who love you most in all this world. And I know I speak for Mary as well when I say we will never let you down and we have a lifetime ahead to prove that.

So he's human after all. This fact becomes more stark and hauntingly real in the remaining episodes of Season 3 -- another twist we didn't see coming. That is the way it is in the ever-evolving, always-expanding, brilliant, exasperating, thrilling, crushing, addicting world of Sherlock.

Season 4 can't come too soon.

    

Best of the Week, Jan 27 - 31

Happy Birthday, Lewis Carroll 

"Often overlooked in the 'Alice' corpus is Carroll's classic "nonsense poem," Jabberwocky, which is found in Through the Looking-Glass. "

"I Got Rid of My iPhone"

"The constant dinging, bleeping and buzzing, signaling incoming messages, vexed him and pulled his gaze constantly toward the apparatus and away from whatever he was doing and whoever he was with. 'It's messed up. People aren't supposed to live like that'."

Amanda Knox Verdict Today ~ Trust the Process

"After so many phases of this tortured case -- all of which have been scrutinized in the crucible of time and under the eye of the international press -- once the verdict is rendered, the public should be satisfied the court has done its work."

Amanda Knox Verdict Today ~ Trust the Process

by Wendy Murray

A third ruling in murder trial of Seattle native Amanda Knox is due January 30 from Florence.

It is time for all of us to brace ourselves.

British college student Meredith Kercher (then age 21), was Knox's roommate at a university in Perugia, Italy, when she was murdered in November 2007. Knox and her then-(Italian) boyfriend, Raffaele Sollicito were arrested shortly thereafter and subsequently convicted of the crime in 2009. Since then the case has seen a staggering number of twists that challenge anyone who is sincerely trying to understand and process this tragedy. The murder of Meredith Kercher is a story so sad, that all its respective constituencies--Italians, Americans, British and even Africans–simply can’t sustain a measured conversation about it.

Yet the verdict looms and will be decisive. Amanda told the Italian paper La Repubblica yesterday (Jan 9) that if she is found guilty, she will become a fugitive.

Ma se il processo dovesse concludersi con una condanna cosa farà?

"In quel caso sarò... come si dice... una latitante."

[But if the process results in a guilty verdict?]  

["In that case I will be ... as they say ... a fugitive."]

(Knox has since released a clarification of this statement.)

It is time for everyone to think about how to process this case.

At the time when I took a dozen journalism students to Assisi, Italy in May 2010 in an international journalism seminar, Amanda was still incarcerated in Perugia. I was living in Assisi when the murder took place in 2007 and knew some of the people involved. I followed the case meticulously from the start and then, returning with these students, followed up locally.

During that two-week seminar my students and I were joined for a day by Chris Mellas, Amanda's stepfather, who was living in neighboring Perugia. I interviewed him on tape and he answered every question I asked. [See the interview.]

My students in turn struggled to process the conflicting elements of this vexing case (the cumulation of this work can be seen here). I issued them two provisos:

First: This case is about justice for Meredith Kercher; it is not about Amanda Knox.

Second: The Italian court system, though different than that of the U.S., is competent. We must trust the process.

Here are the bullet points of this complicated case:

• November 1, 2007, Meredith Kercher was murdered in the apartment she shared with Knox.
• November 6, 2007, Knox was arrested by the Italian police and, along with Sollecito, charged with the murder of Kercher.
• December 5, 2009 Knox (then 22) and Sollecito were convicted on charges of faking a break-in, slander, sexual violence and murder, and sentenced to 26 years imprisonment. However, according to Italian law,  she would not be considered guilty until the verdict was confirmed by higher courts.
• Her appeal at the second level (secondo grado) of trial concluded on October 3, 2011, when the original conviction was annulled and Knox and Sollecito were released from prison.
• On March 26, 2013, Italy's highest criminal court annulled the annullment and resumed the appeal process at an appellate court in Florence. The retrial began, with Knox in absentia, on September 30, 2013
• A verdict is expected January 30, 2014. 

Meredith Kercher

(A more detailed timeline can be found here.)

Meredith — or “Mez” as her family and friends called her–came to the Umbrian town of Perugia in the fall of 2007 to complete her degree in European studies. During the night of November 1st that same fall, she was sexually assaulted and brutally murdered in her home. She shared a flat in a small cottage outside the city center with three others: two Italian women and one American. The “American girl,” Amanda Knox, was convicted of the murder by an Italian court in December 2009, (along with Raffaele Sollecito and a third man from the Ivory Coast, Rudy Guede). In October 2011 the verdict was overturned and she was released. In March 2013 the next round of appeals opened a new trial.

After so many phases of this tortured case -- all of which have been scrutinized in the crucible of time and under the eye of the international press -- once the verdict is rendered, the public should be satisfied the court has done its work.

After all my research and reflection and despite my personal connection to this story, I maintain what I commended to my students:

This case is about justice for Meredith Kercher. We need to trust the process.

My Interview with Chris Mellas, Stepfather of Amanda Knox

Assisi, Italy (May 20, 2010)
by Wendy Murray 
& the International Journalism Seminar Assisi (IJSA)

Please note:
I learned after this interview that Chris Mellas was 27 years of age at the time he married Amanda's mother, Edda Mellas (who was 39) in 2002 when Amanda was 14. In the interview I asked Mellas about Amanda's early life, and now know he did not experience these early years as a member of the family. Some of the questions I ask reflect my misconception. 

In May 2010 the students participating in the International Journalism Seminar Assisi, led by journalist and author Wendy Murray, and part of the international study program at Gordon College (Wenham, MA), met with Chris Mellas, Amanda's mother's husband.

At the time of this interview, Knox was 24 year-old and serving a 26-year prison term in Perugia, having been convicted (with two others) of the murder in 2007 of her flat mate, Meredith Kercher. The Knox/Mellas family appealed the conviction and the verdict was thrown out a year after this interview. Since then the case was re-opened by the Italian court. Amanda's ongoing appeal -- which is the second stage of the original trial -- (taking place in Florence, Italy) is set to conclude and reach a verdict by the end of this month.

My team of students, working out of Assisi, Italy, met with Mellas on May 20, 2010. Below is an excerpt from this otherwise lengthy conversation. Mellas was interviewed by Wendy Murray.


How this ordeal has had an impact on you as a family? How has it changed how you live?

We look at what we were doing before this–I was getting ready to open up a restaurant, trying to get out of the IT business–and all that disappeared. Now, from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep, this is our first priority.

It is a crushing weight to know that everyone is looking at you. You’re always cringing, always wondering when the next article coming out. They’re talking about the family quite a bit.

Can you give us insight into Amanda’s upbringing?
Her parents were already separated when Amanda was born. Every other weekend she would visit her father who lived five blocks away. Everyone lives within walking distance and they constantly get together. I credit both [Edda and Curt Knox] for having such a decent relationship. There is never any nastiness.

Do you consider yourself as a father to Amanda?
I can’t say I ever really sat down and thought about it that way. We have a very open relationship. She can tell me anything. In fact sometimes I say, “nah-ah — too much information.” But I’m all right with the majority of it.

I spend the most time here [in Italy] because in my line of work [IT]. I can work from anywhere. I typically spend three-month blocks here and then get away for 6 to 8 weeks.

Tuesdays and Fridays she’s allowed to have visits for one hour. We sit at a table just like you and I are sitting.

How is she?
She’s still in the process of adapting to being there. Some days she’s fine, other days,  not. She’s a lot better than she was. It’s much less foreign to her now. The last time I visited her she was kind of so-so. It’s difficult for her right now because she feels like she is completely wasting her life away.

When you have something like this hanging over you it is hard to focus on anything. For the longest time she wasn’t even able to read a book. You can’t clear your mind and focus enough to do that.

Now she has to prepare for her next ordeal, her slander charge — the pretrial begins on June 1st. Slander charge is not a civil lawsuit. It’s a criminal lawsuit that carries up to six years.

You suggested you were concerned about Amanda going to Italy to study. Why?
I knew before she left [for Italy], when she was living with all her friends at the University of Washington, that on occasion she would smoke weed. She didn’t do it very often. I did tell her it was stupid. She hung out with “hippie people” and considered herself “very granola.” She loved camping. She was always out rock climbing. She was into the music of the 60s and 70s, and she went vegetarian. I taught her to play guitar a little bit and so she would sit around doing that. At the same time, in college, she did have boyfriends. When she came here it was more of the same.

But her number one thing is languages. She loves languages and is fluent in several. She wanted to add Italian. I was concerned about her coming [to Italy] and said [to Edda] that she’s a little naive. She’s not street wise. Rather than going to Rome or any of these places that are a little more tourist friendly, she decided to go to Perugia. Then, on top of that, she decided to go to the regular university there [the University of Perugia], not the university for foreigners. [University of Foreigners at Perugia]. It was a hundred percent immersion. Then on top of that, she decided she didn’t want to live in a dorm but was going to get a house off campus. [Amanda attended the University of Foreigners at Perugia.]

I told her she wasn’t ready for this kind of thing. I told her to go study in Germany because we have family there. But she said her German was already perfect. She’s a fairly driven person when it comes to that kind of thing. She said, “no, I want this.”

So in the end did you feel all right about her being here before November 1?
She seemed to have settled in pretty well. I was more concerned about her getting mugged. I gave her a can of pepper spray that she kept on her key chain. She complained a couple times in email about being harassed by guys coming on to her all the time. For girls, especially blond ones, it’s a common thing. But she was loving it here. She told us about Raffaele. She said he looked just like Harry Potter.

(Copyright©Wendy Murray, 2010, 2014. All rights reserved. No portion of this interview can be reproduced in any form–print or electronic–without written permission of the author.)

Read the raw transcript of the entire interview.