Ranking the Top Five Seasons of The Bachelorette

July 9, 2019 Susan

Let’s be honest: this season of the Bachelorette has left a lot to be desired. And while I like Hannah and I’m rooting for her, I want to take a moment to appreciate my **all-time favorite Bachelorette seasons**.

Are You The One? S8|E3: I'm Not A Sex Robot

July 8, 2019 Emily

Hello, and welcome to another week of Are You the One? recapping. Sorry this one is late, ladies and gents and everyone in between. I was doing a bit of my own celebrating over the long 4th of July weekend and I didn’t get a chance to watch this amazing show until yesterday. But I’m back and ready to give these lovely people in search of love my full and undivided attention. So let’s just dive right in to the episode…

Ari Aster's Midsommar: Anxiety, Break Ups, and Bad Trips

July 6, 2019 The Squad

Welcome to the Hårga, a commune in Northern Sweden that is at the center of Ari Aster’s sophomore film Midsommar, following his amazing debut film Hereditary (see our thoughts on that movie here). How did the strange and unsettling world of this commune stack up to Aster’s first film? We invited one of our favorite guests (and horror enthusiast/host of the podcast Everything Trying to Kill You) Mary Kay McBrayer to help us work out our feelings about this movie.

So come along, have some hallucinogenic tea, and let’s figure out Midsommar together.

Spoilers to follow.

The Bachelorette S15E8: A Pile of Bologna

July 3, 2019 Susan & Emily

This week is important because it’s the week before hometowns, but also because it’s the week we got a special lil’ treat added onto the preview of the Luke P. dinner fight. More on that later. For now, let’s see if Team Frat-tastic can catch up to Team Sausage Party in The Netherlands.

YA Book Club: Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

July 1, 2019 Mary & Emily

This month Emily and Mary read Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand, a novel full of twists, turns, demons, and powerful girls.

Mary: Hellooooo!

Emily: Hello, I am here.

Mary: We are BACK after a hiatus with more YA content for you! We recently read Claire Legrand's Sawkill Girls, a story about a strange town, a family bound to a demon (?), and the young girls who try to save everyone.

The book follows Marion, a girl who moves to Sawkill Rock with her family, Val, a girl who is part of a matrilineal line bound to servitude of a weird evil entity, and Zoey, the daughter of the sheriff who has strange powers and wants to avenge the death of her best friend. Together, Zoey and Marion try to figure out what's up on the island, why so many girls go missing, and they eventually have to team up with Val to solve the mystery!

How would you categorize this book? What genre is it? Supernatural? Mystery?

Emily: It's not really a mystery. Because we know who's doing it from the beginning.

Supernatural thriller maybe.

Mary: That's true. I think supernatural thriller is a good description. There are definitely a lot of thrills.

I read this book really fast, and the entire time I found it kind of predictable. There were some nice twists and turns, but it wasn't necessarily...surprising. Predictability isn't a bad thing, though. This felt like a comfort read to me. What were your general thoughts?

Emily: So I don't think the "what happens next" is the main point here. I think this is a parable about the patriarchy and the way women are controlled in our society.

Mary: Yes, yes! Say more about that. I totally agree.

Emily: It's a lot to unpack, and I think that's what the real reveal is as the story goes on. Because at first, we're introduced to this family that seems to be controlled by powerful women.

Mary: I guess we should say HEY, THERE ARE SPOILERS!

Othersode #29: Kelli Is Single / Black Mirror Season 5

July 1, 2019 The Squad

Click through for summary, table of contents, and show notes!

Are You The One S8|E1&2: He is the Babadook of the House

June 29, 2019 Emily

What a time to be alive. Catfish is back. Love Island is in full swing. Our Bachelorette queen Hannah is narrowing down her final men, and you know what that means: Bachelor in Paradise is on the horizon. But most importantly? Y’all. As of this week, Are You the One? is back. And it’s the first sexually fluid dating show ever. This is history in the making. Years from now, everyone will be asking you where YOU were when Are You the One? Season 8 premiered. It’s that serious.

So you know once again, for the third season in a row, I will be here recapping the drama. Because this show is golden, and the drama this season is going to be INTENSE.

High School Musical Songs Ranked on How Useful They Will Be for the Wildcats as They Turn 30

June 28, 2019 Todd Osborne

This year marks the 13th anniversary of High School Musical, a Disney Channel Original Movie (or DCOM for those in the know) that sparked the careers of Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens and ushered in a renaissance for musicals, especially those aimed at teens. While I could write many words about the significance that High School Musical has had in my own life and to the larger pop cultural landscape, instead I am doing something a little more offbeat. I am boppin’ my own beat all the way to the top. As a fellow member of the class of ’08, I feel a special kinship to the HSM kids, and that means that this year (or early next year) Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, and all the rest will be turning 30. And so I am going to rank every song in the High School Musical series based on how useful they will be to the Wildcats (and the rest of us) as they turn the big 3-0.