TV review: Genius

Geoffrey Rush as Albert Einstein in National Geographic's 'Genius'.

The final episode of a 10-part series featuring the life of scientist Albert Einstein, Genius, ran on National Geographic this week.

It was a warts and all portrayal of the life many people would consider to be the most intelligent human being to have lived. Einstein would say he was no more exceptional than anyone else, save perhaps that he was incredibly curious.

Without giving away too many spoilers, the series was an enthralling eye-opener, that ought to be watched for both its entertainment, but also its historical, humanitarian and political values.

Let's spill a few beans. Einstein was a jerk. When it came to his family he would not have passed enough papers to earn his degree in close relationships.

His actions around arguably the second most brilliant mind of the times (perhaps most brilliant, we'll never know), Einstein's first wife Mileva Maric, were although arguably a product of chauvinistic times, nonetheless awful.

Maric is widely credited as having had vital input into Einstein's early work, including his breakthrough E=mc2 equation that gave rise to some very important stuff, like the atomic age.

Einstein never credited Maric as his co-author, but did acknowledge her input into his works and described her as a once brilliant inquiring mind. He suggests that she simply gave up on her scientific endeavours. Her in servitude to domesticity seemed not to factor into his dramatised assessment.

Nonetheless the series reveals more than a brilliant man who can do really long sums and who left a bit to be desired when it came to his wife and kids.

It revealed what it was to have the courage to speak against political regimes, on two sides of the Atlantic, that threatened those who would speak out against injustices and immoralities and to always seek truth without spin.

We learn also what it is to have compassion for others, strangers mostly, and even while Einstein was not portrayed as father of the year, we can believe that he did truly love his wives and their children.

And that he was a randy devil.

If the rumours are true, that season two has the green light and that it may feature another brilliant mind, that of Nikla Tesla, that is great news.

Nat Geo did a good job with Einstein. Given the amount of superficial drivel that's so often served up these days, some quality telly was quite the treat.

Roll on Nikla.