Are all human beings connected in some mystical way? Are there near-indiscernible patterns at work in our daily lives that point at nexuses and crossroads that are predetermined and ultimately calculable? The Fox Television series "Touch" indicates that there is, and it starts with the Fibonacci Sequence.
In the television drama "Touch," actor Kiefer Sutherland portrays a man, Martin Bohm, who has been unwittingly chosen to facilitate the occurrence of certain events and thereby ensure that the harmonic balance of the universe is maintained. He is introduced to his role of universe custodian by his son, Jake, who has never spoken a single word. Yet, just when Bohm seems on the verge of losing his son to Social Services, the young boy begins a type of pseudo-communication with his father -- through numbers. And it is through these numbers and seemingly haphazard circumstances and series of events that Bohm finds and ensures a connection between others and, more importantly, with his son.
And a child shall lead them...
Jake has a gift. He is in tune with the universe. According to Professor Arthur DeWitt (played by actor Danny Glover), whom Bohm consults in an attempt to better understand his son, he has a higher purpose. In the introductory narration of each episode, Jake tells viewers about connections and patterns and how a Chinese legend insists that there is a red thread that connects everyone that has ever existed. He also maintains that all that can and will occur is mathematically calculable. Among the numbers that allow this strange bit of mystical predetermination to occur is the Fibonacci sequence.
The Fibonacci sequence is a neverending string or series of integers posited by Leonardo of Pisa (a.k.a. Fibonacci) in 1202 that begin at zero and, taking the next number in sequence (1), is found to have a special binary progression where each successive integer is found to be the sum of the previous two. (For example: 0,1,1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, and so on.) In that progression, the Fibonacci numbers keep a ratio that can be realized in a spatial pattern that resembles a spiral emanating from a central point, much like the spiral found in sea shells, the arrangement of stems on a plant, and in the spiral of a spinning galaxy.
The Fibonacci sequence has proven to be applicable in the real world as well. It is used in computer algorithms, musical tunings, and in determining formal patterns and ratios of content elements.
In the series "Touch," young Jake uses numbers to communicate to his father that they are important and are related to an upcoming event. He often silently constructs the Fibonacci sequence with objects at hand. Bohm then begins a quest to discover the significance of the numbers, sometimes finding himself in harrowing situations. Many he encounters think him mad, but his intrusions into their lives ultimately end in some form of amicable and/or fortuitous meeting for those with whom he has become involved. The connections are never overtly apparent and Bohm begins each show with a new mystery to solve, his silent son occasionally directing with a number or purposely disappearing to force his father to follow another path (in attempting to relocate his son and keep him safe).
"Touch" is a multi-layered drama about a father's love for his son that plays upon the idea of human interconnectedness and that everything happens for a reason. It entertains the idea that in an increasingly crowded world, it is important that people reach out to each other and connect. And although the show works along the lines that a higher purpose exists, it is not a predetermined pathway that is immutable. Things can happen to throw off the cosmic balance.
But that's where Jake and Martin Bohm enter the picture. And as Bohm fights to attempt to build a relationship with his mute son, he is finding that he, too, has a higher purpose and a connection to others. Because one thing always leads to another... but it only works if he can find just where the players' lives touch.
