Timeless Character Review: Connor Mason

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series Timeless. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the first two seasons.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Timeless to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.

When one usually sees a business owner on film or on television, he or she is usually the villain. More concerned with making money and keeping their business alive than tending to the needs of their staff, they are willing to do anything to ensure that the bottom line is kept to their standards. In Timeless, that business owner is Connor Mason (Paterson Joseph). Connor is the founder of Mason Industries, the company that has built the time machine that the Time Team uses to travel through time.

A mentor to Rufus Carlin (Malcolm Barrett), Connor got involved with Rittenhouse when they helped him resolve his financial issues. This led to Connor forcing Rufus to secretly conversations with the rest of the Time Team to help Rittenhouse. His conscious finally got the best of his two timing when he took the blame for an explosion that was caused by Rittenhouse.

After the explosion, Connor is humbled and has to live without the money and the fame that came with his previous life.

To sum it up: There is an old saying: pride goeth before the fall. Connor Mason, the hotshot inventor and millionaire businessman thought he was all that. Then he realized that he was not all that. His dealings with Rittenhouse put the entire Time Team in danger and destroyed what he worked hard to achieve.  But, in the end, he realized that there is more to life than business and making money. As preachy as it sounds, the concept of appreciating the simpler things in life and appreciating those who love you will never disappear.

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While He Bashes Illegal Immigrants, He Pays Them To Keep His House Clean

From day one of his Presidential election campaign, a certain person made it perfectly clear that one of his main goals was to severely downgrade or prevent illegal immigration entirely.

Today, several news outlets have reported that some of the staff at his golf club in New Jersey are either currently illegal immigrants or were illegal immigrants at the time of their employment and are now in the country legally.

The thing with him is that the image he projects is defined by the following statement “do as I say, not as I do”. His organization and those who work for the organization are willing to look away from the fact that one or more of their workers is not in the country legally because it suits their needs as a business. My guess for their hiring choices is that illegal immigrants are less likely to accept infringement on their rights as employees and receive a lower salary than those who were born here or have legal immigration status.

While he and his organization quietly pay employees who are not here legally, as President, he continues to verbally denigrate immigrants, especially illegal immigrants.

Just another reason to add to the list of reasons as to why he is ill equipped and ill qualified to lead this country.

 

Throwback Thursday-Diners Drive-Ins and Dives (2007-Present)

There is nothing in the world like your favorite local restaurant. Walking into this restaurant and ordering your favorite dish is akin to going home and eating a favorite meal as only a loved one can make it.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (2007-Present) has been a staple of the Food Network schedule for over a decade. Hosted by Guy Fieri, the viewer is taken all over the country (and all over the world) to restaurants that while are not exactly high-end, are extremely pleasing to the taste buds of their patrons. Visiting establishments of varying sizes and cuisines, Fieri takes the viewer to the kitchen where one member of the kitchen staff walks the viewer through the step by step process of creating at least one popular dish from the menu.

I really like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. While it technically falls under the banner of reality television, it doesn’t feel like reality television. It feels like your taking a road trip and along the way, stopping for a delicious meal at a restaurant that you might have walked into, had you not decided to go on the road trip.

I recommend it.

 

Seven Steps on the Writer’s Path: The Journey from Frustration to Fulfillment Book Review

Nathaniel Hawthorne once said the following:

“Easy reading is damn hard writing.”

In 2003, veteran writers Nancy Pickard and Lynn Lott co-published the book, Seven Steps on the Writer’s Path: The Journey from Frustration to Fulfillment. Using their experience and the experiences of other writers, the authors guides the reader through the process of writing via a series of 7 steps. The 7 steps are as follows: Unhappiness, Wanting, Commitment, Wavering, Letting Go, Immersion, and Fulfillment.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed because the process of writing is universal, regardless of whether one is working on their first novel or their tenth novel. From my perspective, the book is a reminder that while writing is never easy and success is never guaranteed, there is always something to be learned in the process.

I recommend it.