Genius on Hold

More than once we are told that Shaw was prevented from earning a living by Bell. I doubt he was hired without agreeing that he could not profit directly from any patents. Most engineers work under that agreement now, for understandable reasons. I think it was his ego that wouldn't allow him to give his invention to Bell who in turn would invest in it, build it, market it, and take the financial loss if it failed to be marketable. Some people forget that side of things. Bell would be taking all the risk and Shaw would be taking none. When he was unemployed, if he had such a passion for his work, he could have gone to Europe or other places in the world. The U.S. wasn't the only place that had phones. Also, I believe it was his ego again that prevented him from getting an engineering job in another industry. With his skill, that would have been easy to do and would have provided a good paycheck. Instead he let his family live in uncertainty while he chased his dream. He was willing to compromise his values and work with the Mob in order to display his genius. I think that his choices were very selfish. I fault this show for not questioning those choices and his motivation for his actions. Instead it presented a sob story about how he was wronged and what he had to resort to. People may come to that conclusion but they should not be spoon fed it. They should be given all aspects to consider as they reach their conclusion.