So, I watched episodes three and four at the Hill Center on Thursday.

With Netflix and a million television stations and streaming things, it’s easy to forget the pleasure of watching something with other people in a theater-like environment. I had a wonderful experience several years when we saw Casablanca on the big screen in a crowded theater. And don’t even get me started on watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show outside of its natural habitat – a midnight movie theater.

There is something about the shared experience that connects you with strangers.

And did you know that Patrick Stewart was in the old BBC series? Yup. He plays uber spymaster Karla, head of ‘Moscow Center.’ He has no dialogue. None. But he’s very good. He keeps totally impassive, ignoring Alec Guiness’ Smiley, but then showing delicate touches to indicate that he was actually filing away everything Smiley said – and also taking the lighter (if you haven’t read the book or seen this or the more recent, you will have no idea what I’m talking about and I’m not going to explain it to you – either read the book, see the movie, or just cheat and google it). He was only in his late thirties, but already completely bald on top. Not even a wisp, really. And already his hair with iron gray with some touches of black. He has a very distinctive (though also handsome) skull.