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2 • July 15 - 21, 2018 • Brainerd Dispatch By K.A. Taylor TV Media S cience fiction is increasingly be- coming science fact. The dreams of golden era writers and directors, while perhaps a bit exaggerated, are more prevalent now than ever be- fore. Space exploration is advancing, with multiple groups and organiza- tions vowing to establish a new home on Mars. This might explain why so many of us are captivated by intergalactic what-ifs, and why many summer TV viewers are tuning in to the sci-fi drama "Salvation," now in its second season, with a new epi- sode airing Monday, July 16, on CBS. "Salvation" takes place in pres- ent-day America, using modern tech- nology and a dash of fictional liberty to set the stage. Liam Cole (Charlie Row, "Red Band Society") is a highly intellectual MIT graduate student whose research has been devoted to mapping the unknown parts of space. What Liam didn't anticipate, however, was that his program would uncover a serious, impending threat to the entire planet: an aster- oid set to collide with Earth in 186 days. Anxious to get the data to the government, Liam reaches out to his professor, but after the professor goes missing, he turns to his one oth- er option: scientific genius Darius Tanz (Santiago Cabrera, "Big Little Lies"), a recent speaker at MIT who's still — thankfully — in town. Armed with this new, time-sensi- tive information, Darius and Liam head to the Pentagon and deliver the news to the Department of Defense's deputy secretary, Harris Edwards (Ian Anthony Dale, "Hawaii Five-0"). Har- ris and DOD public affairs press sec- retary Grace Barrows (Jennifer Finni- gan, "Tyrant") have no choice but to let these two skilled scientists into a covert operation called Sampson, re- vealing that the government was al- ready well aware of the threat but had chosen to keep it hidden in order to prevent mass pandemonium. The thrilling conclusion of season 1 saw the president reinstated, TESS's source code given up to RE/ SYST and the group divided, await- ing the impeding likely demise of the East Coast. Harris and Grace, along with the rest of the selected crew, are all stowed away within a hangar, ready to board the Ark if necessary, while Darius and Liam work from a secure location to try to determine another way to prevent Earth's destruction. With the second season now un- derway, it's clear to see that the dan- ger is compounding. RE/SYST is threatening nuclear action, the aster- oid's imminent collision continues to present a dire outlook for humanity, and neither situation can be resolved without global co-operation. Mean- while, Harris and Grace are strug- gling to quell potential chaos within the hangar as the newly informed citizens learn to accept their fate. In a recent interview with KCAL9 CBS Los Angeles, Finnigan touched on the growing tension of a disaster- bent narrative. The actress notes that, while "the show is mostly about this impeding asteroid — the sort of scaring, impending doom of that," people are "still living [their lives]," as the truth makes it difficult for peo- ple to accept, which leads them to set out a course of action that reveals what's truly important to them. Now that "the public knows" and "the se- cret is out ... people go bananas." An event such as this will no doubt "bring out the best" or to "bring out the worst [in us]," but ultimately, Finnigan believes that the most real- istic depiction — something that the series strives to exhibit — is where the best and worst in us collide. A large part of the show's suc- cess is thanks to the popular disas- ter genre. Most prominent in film, the genre was born in 1901 with a silent film called "Fire!," though "Salvation" is likely drawing more so from the golden era of disaster cinema, circa the 1970s. Films such as "Airport" (1970), "Earthquake" (1974) and "Meteor" (1979) gave audiences a thirst for the point at which science fiction and dramatic thrillers meet. In the late 1990s, a new wave of disaster films arrived that, like "Salvation," saw our big- gest threat coming from the stars. "Independence Day" (1996), "Deep Impact" (1998) and "Armageddon" (1998) are just three of the space- based dramatic thrillers that signi- fied this once niche subcategory of the genre growing increasingly prominent. Not constricted by the two-to- three-hour runtime of its big-screen forerunners, "Salvation" provides deeper insight into the human reac- tions and cost of catastrophic events, rather than placing emphasis on fantastic explosions, tidal waves and meteor collisions. Despite the imminence of the threat, audiences find themselves more compelled by the characters' narratives than a de- sire to witness destruction, which is a refreshing take on a genre increas- ingly oversaturated with CGI and mass destruction. As season 2 of "Salvation" pro- gresses, the price of loyalty will in- crease in value. As the asteroid con- tinues its journey toward Earth, Har- ris, Grace, Liam and Darius will do all they can to try and maintain a sense of calm while uncovering a means by which disaster might ultimately be prevented. If all else fails, there is, of course, the Ark, but that will mean biding a tearful adieu to two beloved characters. Find out the fates of our daring heroes and the planet itself, as "Salvation" continues with a new episode airing Monday, July 16, on CBS. Impending doom Multiple threats plague season 2 of 'Salvation' Cover Story this week Santiago Cabrera in "Salvation" The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon It was 90 degrees in New York City today. Yeah, you know it's bad when you get that dirty gust of wind from the subway and you go, "Ahh!" This year, Americans spent around $15 billion on Father's Day. When dads thanked their kids for the gifts, the kids were like, "No problem, I ordered them using your Amazon account." The Late Show With Stephen Colbert The story of the week has been Trump's pro-baby-snatching agenda, and today it took another weird turn. Because, to try to humanize these child detention centers, the administration sent their most high-profile detainee, Melania Trump. The Late Late Show With James Corden Canada has just announced that they will become the second country in the world to legalize marijuana. So while it's been wonderful to be back here in London, I can officially announce next year we will be taking the show to Toronto. Here in the United Kingdom, officials are looking at the possibility of legalizing medical marijuana. When asked about it this week, Prime Minister Theresa May said that she had never smoked cannabis in her life. I believe her! You know why? Because she calls it cannabis. Late Laughs SAVE $50 OFF THE REGULAR PRICE OF... 501 W Washington St., Brainerd, MN 218-828-1823 www.heartlandtireservice.com Remove old anti-freeze and replace with OEM approved new anti-freeze. Pressure test the system for leak detection. Operate at normal operating temperatures and perform final test drive if applicable most vehicles. cannot be combined with other offers expires 7/31/18 Verify system pressures and temperatures at vents. Charge system with new refrigerant as needed and perform leak detection testing. Document pressures and temperatures. 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