After a week with no episode on March 25, the penultimate episode aired yesterday, with the final episode airing next week. The recent episode focuses on the causes global warming and its effects, while addressing some common claims about how global warming is not a result of human activity.
The series has spent plenty of time focusing on ideas that are scientifically grounded but controversial in public discussion, such as the age of Earth, evolution, and now global warming for an entire episode.
The concern Neil Tyson has over global warming is similar to how Carl Sagan was concerned about possible nuclear warfare, which is referenced in the episode. If civilization can endure the threat of mutually assured destruction, why not global warming too? The Apollo Program was developed as a result of Cold War tensions, so the threat of global warming could inspire another technological tour de force.
Considering how Neil Tyson, and probably Ann Druyan, desires people to become "scientifically literate", perhaps expecting Cosmos to cover such controversial topics to this extent is logical. After all, by airing on Fox, the show is not aimed towards people who expect there to be frequent sequences devoted to bleeding edge science.
A Spacetime Odyssey has been more of a time odyssey than a space one. More often than not, episodes were focused on prominent scientists and their fundamental discoveries. Although the lack of updated astrophysics material can be disappointing, having the life of Michael Faraday, for example, presented in a relatable way is certainly enjoyable. It gives these scientists lives, ones that cannot be understood by merely reading a university textbook.
