Like any responsible child of the 80’s, I spent this evening watching the Back to the Future trilogy.  Like a responsible father, I made sure that my offspring — children of the 00’s — were watching with me.  As I write this, our living room TV is paused at the scene where the train conductor says “How fast can she go?  Why, I’ve had her up to 55 myself.”  Why the still-store?  Because the clock struck 9pm and it was officially past bedtime.  Now everyone but me is asleep on this rainy school night, and I can’t help but think about what a pow’rful trilogy BTTF really is.

• The careful interplay between parts I, II, and III, like a finely crafted guitar of 3 strings, all in tune and in harmony.
• The mental trapeze act required to manage the storyline of places physical and temporal.  I try to do mine without a net.
• Huey Lewis’s prediction and admonition about the power of love, as finally seen in Doc & Clara.  Jennifer and Marty’s Chapel o’ Love is a distant second, since Huey Lewis did not sing “that’s the chapel o’ love” (dun DUNT!  dun DUNT?)

Oh… I could go on and on.  So I will.

• DeLorean went from being an intentionally forgotten tale of corporate shame to spokescar of the 80’s.
• Macintosh computers and DustBusters are, by cinematic definition, antiques — starting now.  
• And if you’re interested in dust…

And then there are the subtleties, perhaps there, perhaps not.

• The color scheme of the hoverboard is quite similar to the trifecta of logs that get the train fire hot.
• And I’m talkin’ about hotter than the blazes…
• Doc’s six-shooter and simpleton antics in part I are made correct by his accuracy and cool with his scoped rifle in III.
• Marty hits a tree (my pine!) in part I and is warned by Doc about running into a tree in part III.
• The Weather Channel is the only feed Marty Jr. doesn’t identify by number.  By the way: it’s channel 247 (24/7)
• Hydrate, Level 3!  I’ve checked every Black and Decker retail outlet.  No hydrators, but electric lawn mowers abound.

Of course, some questions remain:

• Seems like “I’m from the future” is an effective breakup line.  It only sealed the deal for Clara.
• Jules and Verne.  Homeschooled?  I’m guessing.  Seems like they’re in good educational hands with their parents.
• Why do Ronald Reagan and the Ayatollah fight it out in the Max Headroom ring?  Should it have been Gorbachev?
• Or maybe Gorbachev and Max Headroom?
• Or Alf?

October 21, 2015.  We are on the eve of history.  Future history.  From the past.   After the 21st, we are forced to move on.  There is no more future from Back to the Future.

Our day has come.  Earth angel.