"The 4th episode, the mid-point, showed us glimpses of" .. a penis?? A.K.A Lucius Malfoy wand. I couldn't help myself haha I'll see myself out now. I am LOVING the slow burn of this season.
Something the first episode does and I appreciate was not so much of the jump backs (if I recall). So you really are rooted in the present timeline. That makes a huge difference. I was just having a conversation yesterday about this setup of knowing how something ends and then going back in time. I’m mixed on this approach. I mean naturally I love knowing how things end but does a story lose the sense of mystery and curiosity that’s dimming our sleuthing and imagination skills and rendering our patience elasticity rigid? Yes
What I appreciated about episode one was that throughout the entire thing I kept asking questions like, “Why are they doing this?” “Why do they live here and not there?” “Why isn’t he doing this thing I expected he should be doing!”
I really love stories that spark curiosity, mystery, and intrigue and don’t over explain what you’re watching. I feel like they don’t make shows like that as much anymore—we’re spoon fed so much exposition.
The West Wing is a great example of show writing that didn’t spoon feed you what was going on. They weren’t afraid of their audience being confused about the plot, because that confusion is what made us invested in the clarifying outcome.
What are you watching lately? - Recently binged "The Recruit" and am a little bummed that it's been cancelled. Recently binged "The Night Agent" and am REALLY glad this is getting another season. I was watching "Running Point" with my Dad during my Caregiver Week and was really liking it. I don't know what episode # it was, but it was the one where she was having the special dinner with the troublemaker basketball player. LOL. Who happens to be Tom Hanks' son?! What the what? That was unexpected trivia I just learned. Also, I'm getting some kind of "vibe" between Kate's character and the coach. Don't know if anyone else was feelin' it or if it goes anywhere, but I was getting the impression that he's starting to catch feelings for her.
Chet Hanks! And yeah definitely a vibe between Kate and the coach but as Isla/Kate tells Jackie after his painful bout of chlamydia from too many sexual partners and zero protection, “Of course you want to sleep with everyone you work with. But you don’t actually do it!”
LOL. THAT made me laugh. OMG, that poor kid. And that other popular player--the one where she nearly went H.A.M. on the podcaster for spreading the rumor about trading him--is it just me or does he look like Boris Kodjoe's brother? They've got to be related. LOL
BWAHA! Ok, not just me then. Yeah, Boris is older but I don't know if he has any siblings. If he does, this guy could pass for a close relative. I'm gonna look it up.
I’m also glued to White Lotus and living for the shit to fully hit the fan. Thanks for the proper intro to Walton Goggins - I fully get this spell he’s casting and the Slate article was fab.
Thanks Yara and Gillian! Yes I knew a guy in my 20s who was 💯 Goggins and I have to see what became of him! He was like 10-15 years older so he’d likely be a zaddy now. Or bachelor zaddy? Can’t wait for shit pieces to splatter in White Lotus - think I’ve officially killed this visual for us
Bachelor zaddy 😂 I love a charismatic man rocking the receding hairline - I heard Jude Law speaking about this on a podcast and how much he’d always admired Jack Nicholson’s hair. This is turning into the perfect club.
I’m an OG American Idol fan who’d stopped watching a long time ago, then started watching again when it relaunched with Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan. It was an exponentially better show in the relaunch—all positive and encouraging, unlike the Simon Cowell days. It was a favorite way to unwind on a Sunday night.
This year Katy Perry is out and Carrie Underwood is the new judge, and I hate it again. Katy was the heart and soul of the show, and Carrie is just… I can’t even explain it. Tight? Formal? Not very much fun? Says dumb shit to contestants like being a stay at home mom is putting your family first (as if working moms are neglecting their kids 🙄)? I’m only one episode in, so I’ll give it some time, but 🤢.
(I couldn’t think of anywhere else to rant about this besides on your substack about tv 😂)
I loved reading this. Not an Underwood groupie and while I watched American Idol OG (Clarkson, Studdard) it was only two seasons so I enjoy knowing about the reboot and how it’s been going. I could see Perry being a superb fit for a judge. Didn’t she also do AGT (America’s Got Talent)? That show also had some supportive and enthusiastic judges!
I cannot wait for The Last of Us season 2!! I still haven't been able to fully enjoy a new game since I finished playing TLOU 1 & 2 and that was 2 years ago. It just set the bar so high and so far the show has delivered too.
Thanks! I too was in love with this show. I made a commitment to write week to week (recaps)which was good practice and something I used to do quite regularly. It’s good to flex that 💪
Yes! And Take this Waltz (how I first discovered Luke Kirby, whose shout out I also enjoyed in your post.) I highly highly recommend her memoir “Run Towards the Danger.” She also mare the audiobook so listening is a double SP dose.
On another note, I relate to her childhood bereavement. Oddly enough we both lost our moms as children and because she was on my radar as a child when I watched, “Avonlea,” I followed her trajectory closely. We both have Toronto /Canada connections as well. Sufficed to say, “Stories we tell,” and Sarah’s family birth order (how she was kept a bit in the dark) made me think about my little sister Sara. Just weird coincidences
Oh, wow, Beth. There really are a lot of parallels there. Now I really think the book would be of interest…
(BTW, I watched Avonlea too — after pretty much wearing out my VHS copy of Anne of Green Gables — and one of Polley’s memoir chapters talks about working on Avonlea as a child (not happy memories). She also has one of the best takes I’ve read about child actors on set in a chapter dedicated to her time working on The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.)
Regarding typos, as Alisa Kennedy Jones says at the bottom of her Substack newsletters (and I live in real time): “PS - I am a human typo. Amnesty appreciated” I think she should trademark this. I really want to use it so maybe 🤔 not.
You’re the second person to note this so I feel compelled to share this article with you for a deeper dive. All I know is a heck of a lot of thought went into it and it’s the same composer who did all three seasons - Cristobal Tapia de Veer (https://screenrant.com/why-the-lotus-lotus-season-3-intro-music-theme-different/) He also did the music for “Babygirl”
(2024) He wanted this to film more authentic to the Thai culture and the season’s themes of spirituality and mortality
Prime Target really was pretty silly. I stuck with it to the bitter end, but really…
I get the feeling with White Lotus that all the actors were a fraction away from heat exhaustion! They look like they’re boiling, and it adds to the feeling of lassitude in the first few episodes. But I love it anyway.
Haven’t tried Surface yet, but it sounds intriguing.
Wendy - You had the Cambridge connection! I can’t fault you for sticking with it. You’re so right about The White Lotus. I look at Rick/Walton Goggins and he’s pretty much how I would appear minus being a dude with a six pack. My hair all strung out from humidity and chronically red in the face
I started Running Point, I’m 4 episodes in- maybe starting to get a little bored. I missing a show I can really get into. I haven’t found one in a while. I tried Berlin ER on Apple, was kind of excited about having a German show to watch, but it didn’t end up hooking me. You got me curious about Surface.
Yeah try “Surface” - first off I need someone else to talk to this show (selfishly) about and secondly and more importantly I think you’ll enjoy it. It’s my private show - I put on my laptop or iPad and just get sucked in for the hour. I’m in my happy place
Sometimes I’m so spaced out! I sat down with a nice bowl of polenta and bean stew, on a solo lunch, said to myself, Let’s see what Surface is all about. Only to realize that I’ve watched it! But it seems so long ago. I guess Season 1 has been around for a while.
I love Dark Winds but I'll wait until we have more episodes to watch! And I'm loving this season of The White Lotus! Saved The Grosse Pointe Garden Club because I loved DH!
Thx for sharing Ani. I hear you on waiting for more Dark Winds episodes to drop prior to starting. Otherwise you are held in suspense and for a show like this that is all about the cliffhangers that’s rough. I did the same for “Severance” season 2 and haven’t yet started! My husband and I keep waiting for the perfect opportune moment when our brains will be entirely alert and we can focus, especially knowing how slow going the first few episodes are of this show. It’s proved hard to find that time! And heck yeah to The White Lotus. It’s so good. I’m planning to go back and watch the first season this week and next for an upcoming podcast. I can’t wait! And lastly, Gross Pointe is such a guilty pleasure show
You must. It's definitely in the show's first half (I'd venture to say quarter). The scene is a family scene and he's sitting on a high stool in a towel, zonked out.
Thanks, Kate! The Righteous Gemstones is fantastic. It's wrong in all the right ways, which often makes for good comedy. Danny McBride is a master at this.
What are you watching lately? - Recently binged the second--and final--season of "The Recruit." Bummed it's not coming back. Recently binged the second season of "The Night Agent." I'm pretty sure it's coming back for a 3rd season, which I'm happy about. I started watching "Running Point" with my Dad while it was my Caregiver Week but need to finish it. Her brothers are hilarious, as is the Boris Kodjoe look-alike dude and Tom Hanks' son! A little bit of trivia that I recently found out about. I get the feeling that the coach is starting to catch feelings for Kate's character, so I'm interested to see if anything happens there (hoping not, because I love that fact that Max Greenburg from "New Girl" is her fiancée)
We binged Running Point. So cute.
Now we’re onto Sex Education. I know. We’re late to the party but we love when we find a show and it already has 4 seasons.
Sex Ed - You are in for a treat! We got bored going into the last season and abandoned ship but first three were fun
"The 4th episode, the mid-point, showed us glimpses of" .. a penis?? A.K.A Lucius Malfoy wand. I couldn't help myself haha I'll see myself out now. I am LOVING the slow burn of this season.
Hahahaha / omg hats off to this. Thanks Sara! Btw enjoying “Shy Creatures”
Thx for reco
I was dying to say it somewhere!
Now you see why I write romance
Haha I'd dare to say it was a little more than just a glimpse. I was expecting it and it still surprised me
Just watched the first episode of Paradise and immediately came here to say WOW! Can’t wait for more!!!
Something the first episode does and I appreciate was not so much of the jump backs (if I recall). So you really are rooted in the present timeline. That makes a huge difference. I was just having a conversation yesterday about this setup of knowing how something ends and then going back in time. I’m mixed on this approach. I mean naturally I love knowing how things end but does a story lose the sense of mystery and curiosity that’s dimming our sleuthing and imagination skills and rendering our patience elasticity rigid? Yes
Oh yay!
You’re in for a treat. After you’re done, or if you can watch shows simultaneously I highly recommend “The Residence” in Netflix - a witty whodunnit.
What I appreciated about episode one was that throughout the entire thing I kept asking questions like, “Why are they doing this?” “Why do they live here and not there?” “Why isn’t he doing this thing I expected he should be doing!”
I really love stories that spark curiosity, mystery, and intrigue and don’t over explain what you’re watching. I feel like they don’t make shows like that as much anymore—we’re spoon fed so much exposition.
The West Wing is a great example of show writing that didn’t spoon feed you what was going on. They weren’t afraid of their audience being confused about the plot, because that confusion is what made us invested in the clarifying outcome.
What are you watching lately? - Recently binged "The Recruit" and am a little bummed that it's been cancelled. Recently binged "The Night Agent" and am REALLY glad this is getting another season. I was watching "Running Point" with my Dad during my Caregiver Week and was really liking it. I don't know what episode # it was, but it was the one where she was having the special dinner with the troublemaker basketball player. LOL. Who happens to be Tom Hanks' son?! What the what? That was unexpected trivia I just learned. Also, I'm getting some kind of "vibe" between Kate's character and the coach. Don't know if anyone else was feelin' it or if it goes anywhere, but I was getting the impression that he's starting to catch feelings for her.
What the what is right
Chet Hanks! And yeah definitely a vibe between Kate and the coach but as Isla/Kate tells Jackie after his painful bout of chlamydia from too many sexual partners and zero protection, “Of course you want to sleep with everyone you work with. But you don’t actually do it!”
LOL. THAT made me laugh. OMG, that poor kid. And that other popular player--the one where she nearly went H.A.M. on the podcaster for spreading the rumor about trading him--is it just me or does he look like Boris Kodjoe's brother? They've got to be related. LOL
Ok I kept thinking it was Boris Kodjoe! Agreed they have to be related
BWAHA! Ok, not just me then. Yeah, Boris is older but I don't know if he has any siblings. If he does, this guy could pass for a close relative. I'm gonna look it up.
Really enjoying Running Point. White Lotus is in the queue! Thank you for the thoughtful reviews, Beth!
Thanks Amanda. I so appreciate Running Point’s ~30 (<30) min episodes. It’s perfect. I wish more shows did this!
I do too!
I’m also glued to White Lotus and living for the shit to fully hit the fan. Thanks for the proper intro to Walton Goggins - I fully get this spell he’s casting and the Slate article was fab.
And finally - The Last Of Us… can not wait!
Thanks Yara and Gillian! Yes I knew a guy in my 20s who was 💯 Goggins and I have to see what became of him! He was like 10-15 years older so he’d likely be a zaddy now. Or bachelor zaddy? Can’t wait for shit pieces to splatter in White Lotus - think I’ve officially killed this visual for us
Bachelor zaddy 😂 I love a charismatic man rocking the receding hairline - I heard Jude Law speaking about this on a podcast and how much he’d always admired Jack Nicholson’s hair. This is turning into the perfect club.
Matthew McConaughey?
I’m an OG American Idol fan who’d stopped watching a long time ago, then started watching again when it relaunched with Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan. It was an exponentially better show in the relaunch—all positive and encouraging, unlike the Simon Cowell days. It was a favorite way to unwind on a Sunday night.
This year Katy Perry is out and Carrie Underwood is the new judge, and I hate it again. Katy was the heart and soul of the show, and Carrie is just… I can’t even explain it. Tight? Formal? Not very much fun? Says dumb shit to contestants like being a stay at home mom is putting your family first (as if working moms are neglecting their kids 🙄)? I’m only one episode in, so I’ll give it some time, but 🤢.
(I couldn’t think of anywhere else to rant about this besides on your substack about tv 😂)
I loved reading this. Not an Underwood groupie and while I watched American Idol OG (Clarkson, Studdard) it was only two seasons so I enjoy knowing about the reboot and how it’s been going. I could see Perry being a superb fit for a judge. Didn’t she also do AGT (America’s Got Talent)? That show also had some supportive and enthusiastic judges!
I cannot wait for The Last of Us season 2!! I still haven't been able to fully enjoy a new game since I finished playing TLOU 1 & 2 and that was 2 years ago. It just set the bar so high and so far the show has delivered too.
I can't wait to read your review of it too
Thanks! I too was in love with this show. I made a commitment to write week to week (recaps)which was good practice and something I used to do quite regularly. It’s good to flex that 💪
Always love a Sarah Polley shout-out!
Yes! And Take this Waltz (how I first discovered Luke Kirby, whose shout out I also enjoyed in your post.) I highly highly recommend her memoir “Run Towards the Danger.” She also mare the audiobook so listening is a double SP dose.
On another note, I relate to her childhood bereavement. Oddly enough we both lost our moms as children and because she was on my radar as a child when I watched, “Avonlea,” I followed her trajectory closely. We both have Toronto /Canada connections as well. Sufficed to say, “Stories we tell,” and Sarah’s family birth order (how she was kept a bit in the dark) made me think about my little sister Sara. Just weird coincidences
Oh, wow, Beth. There really are a lot of parallels there. Now I really think the book would be of interest…
(BTW, I watched Avonlea too — after pretty much wearing out my VHS copy of Anne of Green Gables — and one of Polley’s memoir chapters talks about working on Avonlea as a child (not happy memories). She also has one of the best takes I’ve read about child actors on set in a chapter dedicated to her time working on The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.)
That’s right! She was in that movie too.
Regarding typos, as Alisa Kennedy Jones says at the bottom of her Substack newsletters (and I live in real time): “PS - I am a human typo. Amnesty appreciated” I think she should trademark this. I really want to use it so maybe 🤔 not.
A human typo! Love that too. Sounds like a writer's Halloween costume!
What?!! Mind blown 🤯
That was supposed to say “narrated the audiobook” but I hope you got that from “mare” (weirdest autocorrect in awhile!)
Me too. Have you seen “Stories we tell”?
Absolutely superficial, but why did they change the theme song of White Lotus???
You’re the second person to note this so I feel compelled to share this article with you for a deeper dive. All I know is a heck of a lot of thought went into it and it’s the same composer who did all three seasons - Cristobal Tapia de Veer (https://screenrant.com/why-the-lotus-lotus-season-3-intro-music-theme-different/) He also did the music for “Babygirl”
(2024) He wanted this to film more authentic to the Thai culture and the season’s themes of spirituality and mortality
Prime Target really was pretty silly. I stuck with it to the bitter end, but really…
I get the feeling with White Lotus that all the actors were a fraction away from heat exhaustion! They look like they’re boiling, and it adds to the feeling of lassitude in the first few episodes. But I love it anyway.
Haven’t tried Surface yet, but it sounds intriguing.
Thanks for the round-up, Beth.
Wendy - You had the Cambridge connection! I can’t fault you for sticking with it. You’re so right about The White Lotus. I look at Rick/Walton Goggins and he’s pretty much how I would appear minus being a dude with a six pack. My hair all strung out from humidity and chronically red in the face
I started Running Point, I’m 4 episodes in- maybe starting to get a little bored. I missing a show I can really get into. I haven’t found one in a while. I tried Berlin ER on Apple, was kind of excited about having a German show to watch, but it didn’t end up hooking me. You got me curious about Surface.
Yeah try “Surface” - first off I need someone else to talk to this show (selfishly) about and secondly and more importantly I think you’ll enjoy it. It’s my private show - I put on my laptop or iPad and just get sucked in for the hour. I’m in my happy place
Sometimes I’m so spaced out! I sat down with a nice bowl of polenta and bean stew, on a solo lunch, said to myself, Let’s see what Surface is all about. Only to realize that I’ve watched it! But it seems so long ago. I guess Season 1 has been around for a while.
I have to try it now!
I love Dark Winds but I'll wait until we have more episodes to watch! And I'm loving this season of The White Lotus! Saved The Grosse Pointe Garden Club because I loved DH!
Thx for sharing Ani. I hear you on waiting for more Dark Winds episodes to drop prior to starting. Otherwise you are held in suspense and for a show like this that is all about the cliffhangers that’s rough. I did the same for “Severance” season 2 and haven’t yet started! My husband and I keep waiting for the perfect opportune moment when our brains will be entirely alert and we can focus, especially knowing how slow going the first few episodes are of this show. It’s proved hard to find that time! And heck yeah to The White Lotus. It’s so good. I’m planning to go back and watch the first season this week and next for an upcoming podcast. I can’t wait! And lastly, Gross Pointe is such a guilty pleasure show
Somehow I missed that Jason Isaacs full frontal. I now have to go back and explore. And no I am not going to let this go....😉
You must. It's definitely in the show's first half (I'd venture to say quarter). The scene is a family scene and he's sitting on a high stool in a towel, zonked out.
It certainly took me by surprise!
Thanks for the shout out and recommendations!
I need to get into a the Righteous Gemstone, that looks awesome, will see if we can get it in the UK, it’s not been advertised. 👏👏
Thanks, Kate! The Righteous Gemstones is fantastic. It's wrong in all the right ways, which often makes for good comedy. Danny McBride is a master at this.
It’s available on Sky Comedy in the UK!
I will check that out later and report back! 👍👏
Heck yeah! I can see your Substack headline now. Not really but it’ll form
😂
What are you watching lately? - Recently binged the second--and final--season of "The Recruit." Bummed it's not coming back. Recently binged the second season of "The Night Agent." I'm pretty sure it's coming back for a 3rd season, which I'm happy about. I started watching "Running Point" with my Dad while it was my Caregiver Week but need to finish it. Her brothers are hilarious, as is the Boris Kodjoe look-alike dude and Tom Hanks' son! A little bit of trivia that I recently found out about. I get the feeling that the coach is starting to catch feelings for Kate's character, so I'm interested to see if anything happens there (hoping not, because I love that fact that Max Greenburg from "New Girl" is her fiancée)