This is an episode about the men who sacrificed their lives so that the world could live.
PLOT (No Spoilers):
Our history has seen innumerable famines due to droughts, wars, and many other misfortunes. There wasn't an absolute solution to the problem. This is the story about how we understood the problem and came up with the solution.
Our wandering forebears found a way to settle down - agriculture. But the start of this new practice wasn't really conducive. They knew nothing of the chemistry or the biology behind it. They weren't entirely successful in reaping copious crops every year.
But then, one man was successful in understanding the science behind it. He paved a way for the revolution that would happen in the field of agriculture, which would lead to large scale eradication of famine around the world. This is an episode about the birth of Genetics.
This episode also portrays the fraudulence of human nature, and how the whole world had to pay a great price for the idiocy of a single man. The men of science, just like today, had to face the cruelty of politics, yet they strove hard to achieve what they had set out to.
This episode is a heart wrenching one. A man who had the intention of eradicating the world's hunger would be forced to die of starvation. Tears roll down your cheeks, better grab a kerchief before you watch. You wouldn't leave anything on your plate before you wash your hand if you know this story.
If we're here today, we probably owe something to those botanists that gave their lives for us.
DIRECTION:
The story has been told by getting the facts straight, and to the point. The episode begins with Tyson narrating under the Northern lights, it's a feast for the eyes. Some of the scenes are heart-warming, but most are heartbreaking. Overall, it's excellent.
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
For the first and the only time, the series uses stop motion animation techniques in this episode. And it's wonderful.
NARRATION:
As it always has been, Neil deGrasse Tyson's voice is crisp and deeply engaging. His voice modulations keep the watcher before the screen till the end.
MUSIC:
With the story, narration, and cinematography, music is like the cherry on top. But, it doesn't feel like an entirely new piece, it's a blend of the previous pieces from the same series.
TL;DR Watch this if you are a person who wouldn't mind leaving food on your plate or throwing it out.
