Minority Mindset

Most people going to see the movie Avatar probably won’t know who Major Tyler Bukowski is. He’s a key leader within the RDA, the organization trying to colonize Pandora, and is crucial to the military’s plans. However, despite being relatively unknown, Bukowski stands out as the most nuanced, smart, understanding, and powerful villain in the Avatar story so far.

K-dramas have become hugely popular, evolving from earlier Korean TV shows that were similar to long-running American soap operas. Although they’ve found success with tighter storylines and a winning formula, now K-dramas are facing challenges. Their initial appeal is starting to wear off, production costs are rising rapidly, and the intense competition from streaming platforms and their algorithms poses a serious threat to their continued popularity.

Even Joe, who usually doesn’t care about others’ feelings, understands that Max gets angry easily and needs to be handled gently. This week’s episode starts with Nathan harshly instructing Max on how to connect the Jet Ski to the crane. The details of their argument aren’t important; what matters is that their shouting is disturbing everyone on the boat. Sandy, hearing the commotion from the bridge, tells Nathan to ask Joe to handle the task next time instead of yelling. When Max returns, he’s upset by what he perceives as Nathan’s insults, and the Jet Ski remains in the water. Frustrated with Max, Nathan asks Joe to send him down and ends up connecting the Jet Ski himself. He demonstrates the correct method to V and Joe, but it’s baffling why he doesn’t make Max, who initially made the error, watch too. Although Nathan has improved as a leader since the beginning of the charters, he still struggles with conflict. He tends to lose his temper and then avoids addressing the issues directly, hoping his crew will figure out what he wants without clear guidance.

Jerry Seinfeld became famous during the stand-up comedy surge of the 1980s, leading agents and TV executives to believe he’d be a good star for his own show. Even though initial test audiences disliked it, NBC decided to give Seinfeld a limited first season. Surprisingly, the show managed to survive for three seasons. When it moved to a more favorable time slot, the creators knew season four was crucial and decided to take some bold risks. That season included many of the show’s most memorable episodes, with “The Outing” being the most daring. Notably, the now-famous line, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” wasn’t part of the original script.

Casting director Jennifer Venditti vividly recalls watching A’zion’s self-tape, which was a final attempt to convince Josh Safdie she was right for the role of Rachel. While Safdie liked her first audition, he worried she might be too young. Venditti described a collaborative process: “Odessa [A’zion] would film scenes, send them to me, I’d give feedback, and they’d reshoot.” She felt like a team with A’zion and Belmont, and when A’zion finally sent the winning take, it was a standout. Venditti wishes the audition tape had been included as a bonus feature on a DVD, and believes it should be on any physical release of Marty Supreme. Thankfully, we now have social media to see these kinds of behind-the-scenes moments.