'Genius' Season 1 Finale: Feature Einstein in His Twilight Years
The first season of National Geographic's anthology series, "Genius," is nearing its end, and celebrated theoretical physicist Albert Einstein's (Geoffrey Rush) life may be put in peril in its final two episodes.
Episode 8 saw the rise of the Nazi Party and Einstein finally giving in to his wife Elsa Einstein's (Emily Watson) pleas to leave Germany for their own safety. The couple spoke with the American consul general in Berlin, Raymond Geist (Vincent Kartheiser), to seek refugee status in the United States. But the couple's application for travel visas was challenged when Einstein was accused of being a member of the Communist Party.
J. Edgar Hoover (T. R. Knight), then the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), took the accusations seriously and was all set to prove it true. But despite the many setbacks that blocked their way, the Einstein couple managed to secure visas for themselves with help from Elsa's "reporter friend" and Einstein's increasing popularity.
After sharing his woes via a call to the "New York Times," the State Department of America was flooded with calls from its citizens expressing their anger at how the great Einstein was being treated by the government. Einstein was eventually given visas for himself and his wife,
The upcoming episode 9 will now follow the couple as they leave Nazi Germany and settle into their new lives in America. However, the dangers they left behind will continue to be a threat to both Einstein and his former colleagues. So, despite having already moved to America, Einstein will keep looking for ways and means to help those he has left behind.
Einstein will also be around to see World War II draw to a close and will subsequently be assuming the role of world citizen in his twilight years as the two-part season finale continues with episode 10. What other scientific brilliance will the celebrated physicist display as he, too, nears the end of his life?
The season 1 finale also promises to reveal the subject that will be featured in season 2.
"Genius" season 1 finale airs on Tuesday, June 20, at 9 p.m. ET on the National Geographic channel.
