1. Dickinson - I love this show so much, you guys. It totally took me by surprise - I was expecting more of a typical period piece about Emily Dickinson. But it's so much more than that! It's funny, sarcastic, original, sweet, and is filled with unexpected dance interludes (I will never get over the house party scene with everyone twerking in period costumes from the mid-1800s. One of the best scenes I've ever seen. Totally mesmerizing and HILARIOUS). I've never really given Hailee Steinfeld much attention. I feel like she's usually over-praised for mostly mediocre performances. But she fits this role really, really well. However, the supporting cast is just divine - especially Ella Hunt and Anna Baryshnikov (who has the more subtle but funny dialogue). I've only watched the first season so far because I'm trying to savor it.
2. The Morning Show - I'm a little mixed with my thoughts on this show - overall, I don't think I liked it. But there is some really great stuff within it, so let's talk about that first! I'm a big Billy Crudup fan and he is glorious in this - just devours everyone else around him. I also think Bel Powley and Gugu Mbatha-Raw absolutely steal the show from the big three cast members. And as for those big three - both Jen Aniston and Steve Carell have some really strong scenes that they carry effectively. I like the discussion that it opens up about the "me too" movement - the people left in the wake of these accusations that have to deal with the fallout, their roles and responsibilities in ensuring their work environment is safe for all employees, their own guilt in letting toxic environments exist, etc. I also think the final three episodes of season one are brilliant. Okay...now the bad. The biggest reason that I couldn't really get into this show is because of Reese Witherspoon - both the actress and the character she portrays are just so frustrating. I've actually liked her in a few things recently like Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere (she does entitled white woman very well), but most of the time I can't stand her acting. She tends to squint her eyes in very obvious ways. Angry? *squints eyes* Skeptical? *squints eyes* Confused? *squints eyes*. If you took a drink every time she squints her eyes in this you would die of alcohol poisoning (with just one episode!). I also HATE her character with a fucking passion. The whole "real woman" angle is just always so grating because it's so meaningless (what exactly is the alternative to a "real" woman?). And she's supposed to be "messy" and "be the narrative real women are living" because apparently "real" women are messes? Fuck off with that nonsense. And I find it really hard to believe that a young audience would connect with this character; she's still a privileged white woman in her mid-40s (I'm pretty much describing myself - and I definitely don't think young people connect with me). So basically, what I'm saying is that she really ruins the whole show for me since she's a huge part of the series. Also, every episode leading up to the last three really drags everything out for an unnecessary length of time.
3. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - I kept procrastinating watching this show for no real reason other than it seemed...annoying? I'm a fan of The Gilmore Girls (although not as big of a fan as some of the hardcore fans) - it's such a well-written show, with some really great colorful characters, so I knew that I would probably like this, but it still seemed to irk me in some way. But, I'm really glad to say that I was so wrong. I loved it from the very first second I hit 'play'. It's really witty, sarcastic, rebellious, but also very lovely and sweet. And I just love Mrs. Maisel so frickin' much. I could probably write a whole essay about how amazing this character is, but I will just simply say that she's just perfect. There's many reasons I love this show but I think the two others that I want to point out is (1) the not so subtle shunning of gender roles and (2) the fact that it's about a Jewish family, which is so weirdly rare. I had no idea how comforting it would feel (the only other show that I can think of that features a Jewish family prominently is The Goldbergs, yet it took 57 episodes for them to acknowledge that the family is Jewish - isn't that crazy? Mrs. Maisel does it in its first episode). I don't think this show is for everyone, but if it's something that you've been contemplating watching - I highly recommend it. It's just pure joy.
4. You - UGH THIS SHOW. I was harassed into watching this by a co-worker who also has become like a little sister to me (she actually doesn't work with me anymore and has moved to Florida, which is devastating because I'm terrible at keeping in touch with people, but I am really going to try this time because she's one of the best humans I've ever encountered). She's about 15 years younger than me and we have very different tastes, but she kept insisting that this very terrible show is "SO GOOD". It's definitely not. Yet, it's one of those trainwreck type shows that I just can't look away from. I watched the first 5 episodes in one sitting (which is super rare for me - 3 episodes is usually my max unless they are 30 minute episodes). So, in case you don't know what the show is about, it's about an obsessive stalker, but the show is told through his perspective. It's actually a good concept to see how manipulators think - usually they have convinced themselves that they are the good ones and that is exactly the case here. He truly believes that he's helping the woman that he's become obsessed with. I think I would actually like it if it had better actors, better dialogue, and if it just wasn't so trashy. Penn Badgley was always the worst part of Gossip Girl (and I was always a big fan of that trashy show. Although, I really want to watch it again because there is no way in Hell the reveal of "Gossip Girl" works logically). I wish he played this character with a little more charm because he just seems so skeevy from the beginning - it's hard to believe that any woman would fall for that. Also, none of the plot would work if this stupid girl had window coverings on her first level NYC apartment. I actually looked into it because it's just that dumb - she undresses, masturbates, has sex all in front of an uncovered window. The creator's response to people asking about this very questionable plot device is that "she's too poor and that she's on a quiet street" which is absolute bullshit. She shops for a bed and questions if she should get a Queen or King size - so she has enough money to buy window coverings and even if she didn't, she surely can afford a sheet to tack up? Or tape some fucking newspaper to your windows! There is just no excuse. And it's NYC - there are no quiet streets. So basically, they needed a convenient way for this guy to stalk her so they were like "oh hey let's just have him watch her from right outside her window". It's just so dumb. Plus, as mentioned, the dialogue is so cringey - "they say girls with daddy issues are really good in bed" might be the worst line I've heard in a while. It's all absurdly terrible, but I am totally going to keep watching it. Fuck my life.
5. The Alienist - I've only watched a few episodes so far and it's not really grabbing me - it reminds me a lot of Ripper Street (which is a show that I liked but I started to get bored by it probably around the third season, so it became more of a chore to watch). However, the cast in this is really, really great - Luke Evans, Daniel Bruhl and Dakota Fanning are all terrific. It's also very gruesome and I like the little details in every episode - it forces you to pay attention. I hope that it picks up a little bit, though.
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