ANYWAY
Whose up for the Bryan Beneventi playlist???
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2xfdT72LpA5DG1UNROjOep?si=04f1834033174ebd
I'll update this post for descriptions behind each song, but I figured I'd get it out there now.
1# Gimme Shelter- Rolling Stones
I chose this song first as it takes place after Bryan's first tour. He is experiencing the disillusionment of war and this is about where we see him in episode 11.
#2 Bennie and the Jets - Elton John
This is when Bryan meets Asalah. I also liked this song because it is about the superficiality of the music industry. At the same time it can work as a way to demonstrate how Bryan feels superficial with his role in the world. He has been battered by his tutors in Afganistan and can only see himself as a soldier and a stranger in these lands.
#3 Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
This obviously after Asalah's death. I don't imagine Bryan's stay to be so peachy as Elvis's song, but I also don't suppose Bryan likes to really think much of his time in prison. He would rather gloss over it, and dance around his experience. The flippant nature of this song signifies this desire to change the subject and forget.
#4 Hurt- Johnny Cash
I'm not too sure if Bryan is a Cash man. He likes Elvis so why not! Hurt is the lowest that Bryan has felt. He is near hopeless and is full of regret and sorrow for the death of Asalah. The last lines of the song signify how Maddox reached out his hand and saved Bryan from his lifetime of Hurt.
#5 Rocket Man - Elton John
To me, Rocket Man is a song about isolation. Bryan, despite having a new chance at life feels quite alone. I am reminded of the remark he makes in the pilot, how Finola is the first person to see him as a human in a long time. Before meeting her, for Bryan, being a rocket man was just a 9 to 5.
#6 Superstition- Stevie Wonder
Speaking about Finola... I figure I would change the genre for her entry. Finola is like no one Bryan has met previously. She is curious and believes that the debris is here for a reason. Bryan can't wrap his head around her reasoning, and yet there is something that draws him to this new partnership.
#7 Tv Dinners - ZZ Top
It wouldn't be a Bryan playlist without food would it? His appetite and iron stomach have no match, whether it be three-week-old sandwiches or chicken with blue sauce, the man will eat it all.
#8 Cotton Candy Land - Elvis Presley
Another food song? Well, you always gotta save room for dessert, and Bryan Beneventi has a massive sweet tooth. I couldn't pass up this song by the King, just as Bryan can't pass up second helpings.
#9 Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel
This is where Bryan realizes that he and Finola are being played and makes the decision to save George Jones. Bryan realizes that Finola is the one and only person he can put his trust in. Life is getting harder, but he'd rather be stuck in the middle with no one else other than Finola Jones.
#10 Take Me To The Pilot- Elton John
This song and the next take place during "Do You Know Icarus" Bryan is still dealing with his betrayal to Maddox, but it is overshadowed by a new problem. He is far-flung into a reality that he does not belong in, and he is trying to find a way back home. Like the nonsensical lyrics of this song, Bryan can't make heads or tails of his situation.
#11 Wish You Were Here- Pink Floyd
"You."
Bryan has lost Finola, his partner, his friend, and his anchor. He is scared and alone and realizes just how lonely he is without Finola. It is as if a part of his soul has been taken from him, but it took until now to realize that she made such a difference in his life.
#12 Fire and Rain - James Taylor
This is the second half of the two-parter. Despite all odds and his prior hardships, Bryan just is beginning to have hope. A hope that stems from the wonderment and the force of personality that is Finola. He had hope that his partner, despite not meeting him in this reality, would solve the problem and that he would see her again.
#13 Space Oddity- David Bowie
This song encompasses both Asalah and A Message From Ground Control. Bryan is has been enlightened by the Ball of Light. This freeing experience has left him with a sort of peace and acceptance that he has been denying himself. He believes for the first time and is awash in a new sense of being. In Space Oddity, Major Tom floats away from Earth, he accepts his fate. Byan accepts that the Debris has a bigger plan, and despite feeling so alone from the events of Asalah, he reaches out a hand and takes a chance.
#14 Who Are You - The Who
The finale left us with many questions. Hopefully one day we will get them answered. Maybe not? Bryan was probably left thinking the same thing we were about Otto "Who the fuck are you?"
Regardless it was a fun ride, and I am thankful for this show because it inspired me to do something fun and creative.
See you around Nachos!!!!
