In this episode, Dara considers the randomness and unpredictability of human interaction over a lifetime. He argues that we simply never know what is going on with another person when we encounter them, even if we have had a relationship with them for years. We never know what they’re bringing to that particular moment, which means that if anything close to harmony or connection occurs, it is almost miraculous!
Inspired by the thought of chance encounters, Dara reads the opening pages of Dostoevsky’s The Idiot, which he claims is the ‘spirit animal’ of the podcast, primarily because of what Prince Myshkin represents. He also takes it as an opportunity to recall the only stalker he ever had – there is a connection.
After being on the Warsaw-St. Petersburg line with the Russians, Dara remembers how much he loved his childhood journeys to London to visit his grandmother. It took a long time, but he loved every bit of it.
The episode concludes with a sketch of his Father’s Day weekend, which included watching the director’s cut of Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven (2005) – Dara has notes for those who cast callow actors in the role of pre-battle motivator.