I have to say, I did like this episode, but like one of the hosts said, there were a couple of loose ends that were left dangling for no real reason, it seemed. For instance, how come it’s never explained exactly why neither the inventor nor the librarian could get in touch with each other for three months? How come the inventor couldn’t explain what happened to him? And why was there no explanation for why the same thing that happened to the librarian’s father also happened to the inventor—his invention suddenly being patented by someone else? It would have made the story better had there been a villain who was somehow using the inventions to travel through time and steal other people’s inventions—which would have tied up that particular loose end. In the end, good story, but there could have been a lot more explained about the strange things and coincidences in it, which would have made it even better.

The characters are a little rom-com-y, but the development is interesting. There is definitely supernatural elements in this story. The coincidences are so huge, that they become the domain of fate or kismet, which for me is a supernatural force.

I would say that Bishop strips away everything that can be explained trivially. For example, why is the inventor at that library (beside fate)? It doesn’t matter. We don’t need to backfill something that adds nothing to the story. Sure, there could be a line about how he is in town because it is close the big city/university, but also cheap to live. There are so many mundane, plausible explanations, that I am not bothered by their absence. It starts with the important part of the story, the relationship between the inventor and librarian.

There is one comment by Eric I wanted to call out. I hope it wasn’t intended the way it sounded, but it was kind of misogynistic in the way he found it unbelievable that a librarian might know more than the inventor about hydrodynamics. The story makes it clear she is intelligent and has education. Librarians often have degrees, she is probably fairly familiar with the books in the library, etc. ad nausuem. But the biggest thing is that fate is bringing them together.

I agree, also it is a more entertaining interpretation.

And not to nitpick but I find it hard to believe that the hydrodynamics genius librarian would find the library loud-talker charming. (Yes, that is my complaint, and also, I hate how people are loud in libraries now, and also-also, all the teenagers should get off my lawn)