But shapes always changed, and many were genuinely surprising.
He observed many genuinely surprising and reproducible physical phenomena, usually of ultra-microscopic particles near the limits of perception.
Critics praised the storyline, calling it "genuinely surprising", with the plot having a "merry go round of suspects".
The story is well told and there are a number of genuinely surprising and touching moments.
And, as in all the best spy stories, the last chapters bring startling revelations, genuinely surprising denouements.
That genuinely surprising turn did not end the Season 1 finale however.
He was still processing the amount, which was genuinely surprising.
"In a year when we thought there would be no increase, it's genuinely surprising," said Allan Goodman, president of the institute.
Some of her new findings were genuinely surprising.
Short, snappy, amusing and genuinely surprising, it combined all the best elements of what a short film should be.