This week’s two-hour long Nova, titled “Darwin’s Darkest Hour,” was really excellent. The exposition was occasionally (OK, frequently) heavy-handed, but probably out of necessity. But the settings were gorgeous, the acting was good, and it was very historically accurate. True, Darwin is suspiciously handsome, but I suppose that’s to be expected. Also (coolness), they present some scenes set at London’s Natural History Museum that were either filmed there, or are very accurately recreated. And, when Darwin meets with John Gould, a couple of the cases displayed in his office appear to be very recognizable currently-exhibited NHM cases displaying quite extraordinary Victorian collections of exotic birds.*

(The movie also features an awful lot of cetaceans and penguins jumping majestically out of the sea–but I assume that was mostly for Joël’s benefit.)

I’m writing this while watching – Darwin just puked in the Andes. Historical verisimilitude! And, for some reason, he’s dressed like Doctor Who.

I don’t know enough about the actual historical record, and, given that it’s the Victorian age, maybe it’s an accurate portrayal, but Emma Darwin is presented as a bit of a flighty sounding board for the brilliant man to bounce his ideas off of. “Can you explain that to me? I’m just a woman.” She does have a certain strength that shores him up, but there’s something grating about her naïvety. It gets a little old.

They (the Darwins) do have a practice of giving a daily beer to their mailman, of which I must heartily approve. I also like the abundant in-jokes, like quotes from the Origin, an edge-of-screen shot of the B-tree, and the inclusion of Linnaean Society president’s comment that “The year… has not, indeed, been marked by any of those striking discoveries which at once revolutionize… the department of science on which they bear” – it’s like a goddamn comic book movie for evolution nerds.

OK, still watching it – Emma Darwin is literally kneeling and praying by her bed, after having her spiritual world rocked by the Big D., when he gently knocks on the door, enters, and starts making out with her (in a very sexy Victorian nightgown) (Emma, not Charles)! Creepy.

But why, why did they have to begin the program with the disclaimer:

The following program contains material that may be considered offensive.

Offensive?! Well, I suppose that make-out scene was a little offensive. And I guess it’s the best that can be expected from a local affiliate these days – at least the show itself didn’t pull any punches.

*The cases themselves are beautiful works of art, and the contents are stunning. But the specimens are displayed in that singularly disturbing Victorian death-in-life style, akin to death photography, that seems to have fueled Tim Burton’s nightmares. The best part of those (and similar) display cases in the Natural History Museum (including the one holding the dodos) are the little attached notes, which say, effectively, “Yes, these are all very rare, very beautiful animals that were killed, stuffed, and returned to England for public display. We’re very, very sorry, but that’s how they did things back then. And, since they’re already dead, we may as well and go ahead and display them, right? Also, here’s a nearly-extinct stuffed tiger.”