Brain Games: Season 7

This six-episode set marks the 2016 seventh and final season of the National Geographic series centered around the human brain's cognitive abilities and quirks. Being a Nat Geo property, Brain Games—hosted by Jason Silva—takes the form of globetrotting travelogues. A trip to England centers on human involuntary reflexes and the ability to memorize directions, testing the skills of a London cab driver—who is adept at memorizing the city's wild street plan—in negotiating a historic estate's hedge maze. New Orleans during Mardi Gras is an apt location to examine the psychological aspects of vice, particularly the “seven deadly sins” (with magician Jamy Ian Swiss demonstrating the seemingly pointless allure of gambling). A jaunt to the New Jersey shore is used to illustrate that while some human senses fade over time, others need not. And served up in gee-whiz fashion is the trendy “transhumanist” notion that, given sufficient technological advances, human consciousness will be able to be downloaded into a synthetic matrix, thus enabling immortality. Serving up quite the head trip—with extras including behind-the-scenes featurettes—this is highly recommended. Aud: P. (C. Cassady)