At last we leave the Orbit of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and what can we say about this last instalment, the radio play based on the book “And Another Thing”? It’s better than the book? This is one for the completists and those that feel that a man who lays down in front […]
At last we leave the Orbit of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and what can we say about this last instalment, the radio play based on the book “And Another Thing”? It’s better than the book?
This is one for the completists and those that feel that a man who lays down in front of a bulldozer and somehow manages to create more chaos in the universe than a super massive black hole needs a good ending.
That is not me. Personally, a story ends where it ends, that has nothing to do with good or bad.
Arthur has never been a heroic figure but here even more so than in Mostly Harmless he is relegated to sitting in the stands and watching events unfold around him. Which makes you wonder what he does to earn a happy ending, other than cruising to the finish on reputation alone.
This book like so much media doesn’t really know how to do generational change, without either:
a) the older generation becoming chief cheerleader and nothing more
b) the older generation becoming the problem that needs to be solved
On a personal level, this is true, every child needs to transition into adulthood and throw off the chains of their upbringing. In a healthy transition both move into their new lives as the younger party earns new respect from the elder by solving age old problems in new ways.
Earning respect is so ’80s now. In these days and times, anything other than fawning respect makes you a hater. The problem with this theory though is you end up with a person who is built on sand, no matter what age you are things that are earned are solid. They help to temper and focus your actions as you get older.
Or we can just go with outrage, that seems to work now.
There are some good moments in this version, but I am glad that hitchhikers has finished.