National Poetry Month is almost over, and because of the current pandemic, April feels like it didn’t really even happen this year. Our normal springtime activities have been halted, and we haven’t been able to truly enjoy this season as we usually would. Today, I’m turning to poetry to channel that spring energy and feelings of hope that should come with seeing the world blossom, even if we’re not getting to experience it fully this year. Here are five poems about flowers to carry you into May and bring a bit of beauty to your quarantined spring.
Read moreWhy Did I Just Watch All Seven Seasons of New Girl?
In our present moment, a lot of people are re-watching things that bring them comfort, which makes perfect sense. Everything is weird and scary, and there’s nothing like some pop culture comfort food to bring your head to a place of temporary normalcy.
Unfortunately, I can’t really use COVID-19 as an excuse for what I’ve been consuming, because I started long before we realized just how global this pandemic was going to get. In early January, I was going through a pretty rough period of anxiety and depression. I wanted to watch something that was both comforting and new to me, perhaps something I’d popped in and out of while it was on network television but had never fully committed to because it was decidedly un-good. I knew what it had to be. New Girl.
I’m not sure why it was so clear to me. Maybe it’s because of the neverending thirst for Nick Miller (Jake Johnson) on Twitter. Maybe it’s because I feel like we, as a society, did Zooey Deschanel dirty by writing her off as “too quirky.” Maybe it’s because I hate myself. But whatever the case, I made it to the finale yesterday, and do you want to know something? I cried.
Read moreSurvivor S40: e11 Recap "This is Extortion!"
Hello from quarantine! Todd and I have been dutifully watching Survivor each week while self isolating, and I have been dutifully winning our family fantasy league each week. (Todd here, and look, I have tried to win, but I am clearly not as good as Mary. Them’s the facts.)
This week, we thought we’d try something a little different.
Read moreListen to Your Heart E2: "The Shoe Has Dropped, and It's A Boot"
Emily: Welcome back to the show that isn’t what we wanted but perhaps what we need during these quarantine times. This is the second week of Listen to Your Heart, but these people are acting like they’ve been in here for, like, a year. And apparently they think we know who they are or who any of these “established” “relationships” are. We do not.
Mary: They’ve known each other for approximately two days to a week and yet they’re all ready to be in love and make big commitments. I continuously kept saying, “DO YOU EVEN KNOW EACH OTHER?!” at my TV. I’m not sure about the editing on this show because, as you said, they expect us to know who’s “established” with very little explanation of who these people even are. It’s a roller coaster ride. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE.
Read moreBSG #40: The Bone Dome / Gideon the Ninth with Leah Rachel von Essen
BSG #40: The Bone Dome/ Gideon the Ninth with Leah Rachel von Essen
In the myriadic year of our lord—the twenty thousand and twentieth year (after death), the year of the COVID-19 pandemic!—the Book Squad packs our pets, our books, and our dirty magazines, and we escape to the House of the Ninth. Joined by guest Leah Rachel Von Essen, we engage in a rousing discussion of “Gideon the Ninth” by Tamsyn Muir, the first in Muir’s Locked Tomb trilogy. Topics include queerness without romance, magical world-building, and the difference between necromancy and necrophilia. Then we cover some listener feedback and talk about what’s on the #BookSquadBlog. On our next episode (May 4) we’ll talk about “Devs,” the new Hulu show from BSG favorite Alex Garland. Our next bookpisode (May 18) will be about “The Ninth House” by Leigh Bardugo. Send your comments and feedback to thesquad@booksquadgoals.com, and don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe!
Click through for summary, table of contents, and show notes!
Read moreSurvivor S40: e10 Recap "Full Circle"
Hello, everyone! We hope you are staying safe and inside during these difficult times, as you might have heard in a commercial during this week’s episode of Survivor: Winners at War. To get it out of the way up front, Mary is still absolutely dominating the Survivor Fantasy League, and Todd is in no way upset about it. Nope. Not at all. Here’s the real question for this week: did you cry? Because this episode really wanted you to cry. Jeff didn’t even make the contestants compete to meet with their loved ones (including kids!), and the Edge-ians also got to meet their loved ones. There may or may not have been some tears shed when Mary and Todd were watching. Don’t ask who shed them; it doesn’t matter. Anyway, is there dust in this room? Let’s get on to the recap!
Read moreYou Can Finally Watch THE HUNT. But Should You?
After much controversy, multiple release dates, and a global pandemic, Blumhouse’s The Hunt is finally available to watch On Demand in your home.
Vulture has pretty comprehensive coverage of the pre-release controversy for this film over here, so if you want to read more about that, have at it. Then come back and join me when you’re ready. I will try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible.
Read moreListen to Your Heart E1: "Week One"
Mary: Welcome to Listen to Your Heart, a new Bachelor franchise show where a group of musically talented people go live in a house to find their perfect duet partner, and maybe love. Because Emily and I are social distancing along with the rest of the country, we’ve decided to recap this show because, well, why not! Join us, won’t you?
Read moreJesus Camp: Why This 2006 Documentary Is More Urgent Than Ever
I wanted to write something Easter-themed for today’s blog post, but after typing “easter,” “bunny,” and “rabbit” into all of my streaming apps and finding nothing even remotely appealing to watch, I decided to search “Jesus.” That was when I came across 2006’s Jesus Camp, which despite its acclaim, I’d never seen.
Just a couple of weeks ago, President Donald Trump said he wanted to have our country “reopened” by Easter, saying, “So, I think Easter Sunday, and you'll have packed churches all over our country. I think it would be a beautiful time.” Watching Jesus Camp for the first time in 2020, I was surprised by how much the film resonates with the current moment, especially when it comes to the role Christianity plays in politics.
Read moreSurvivor S40: e09 War is Not Pretty
Hello, all! While time has become even more of an illusion than usual, we need things to anchor us during the week. Maybe you look forward to watching your church service from bed on Sunday mornings, or you are watching Devs (the next Othersode) and you can’t wait for each Thursday, or maybe you are a big fan of Jeff Probst and those wacky castaways, and so each Wednesday you sit down to watch Survivor. Well then welcome, because we are here to recap this episode, which was especially wild, even by Survivor’s standards.
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