It’s been a rough summer for me personally, but one saving grace has been new episodes of Rez Dogs and How to with John Wilson. I saw the Barbie movie, of course, and even though I didn’t understand what it was saying about womanhood and mother-daughter relationships, I did cry.
You know how dreams are weird because their function is to help your brain process emotions and experiences and trim back memories? That’s how I feel watching this current season of And Just Like That. Every episode is so surreal and random. There’s the Sam Smith cameo, the unending product placement for Hudson Yards, the plotline where Charlotte sees a fat woman, etc.
Che Diaz is less annoying this season. Even so, the way they treated Miranda at the non-binary comedy club (who is the first comic and why are they sexually harassing audience members??) was so cruel and when Miranda confronts them about it, their reaction is like, “Why do I always have to explain myself?“ Not to get upset about the wheelings and dealings of a fictional character, but what is Che’s deal and why is their stand-up so bad? I hope their new, bald love interest fucks them up. It also irks me how meek and differential Miranda is at her internship. She’s always been a conventionally successful, driven person and now she’s just grateful to have a desk. Also a bummer that there’s an entire arc about an unwanted pregnancy and nobody even says the word “abortion.”
I really liked the first two seasons of Starstruck, a BBC show about a broke, extremely 27 27-year-old living in London named Jesse. On New Year’s Eve, Jesse hooks up with Tom Kapoor, a movie star she meets at a club (she doesn’t recognize him at first and only learns his true identity whilst snooping around his suspiciously nice apartment the morning after), and the two stay in touch and eventually start dating. This show feels so grounded for a rom com—all the cast members look like real humans, the jokes are goofy and not overly set-up, and everyone’s job is unfulfilling and tedious, whether they’re a famous actor or a nanny.
I watched the series premier of The Last Resort, the newest nightmare from the 90 Day Fiancé cinematic universe. This show takes some of 90 Day’s most iconic couples and makes them go to “therapy” (therapy is a really generous word for what happens on this show. the therapists are mostly brought in to stir the pot, one of them specializes in “past life regression.“) At the end of two weeks, the couples must decide to break up for good OR re-commit to each other. Kalani and Asuelo are here, so are Yara and Jovi. Big Ed is present along with his improbable new girlfriend, Liz. Angela shows up with a hefty stack of divorce papers, which she plans to present to Michael if he doesn’t show her proper deference. It’s important to note that Michael’s corporeal form is in Nigeria and his participation in the show is facilitated by Zoom.
What is there to say about a show like Last Resort? There’s a story involving oral thrush and the concept of a “hall pass“ that is the worst thing I’ve ever heard. Is anyone speaking more beautiful, inventive English than Yara? She’s a poet. 90 Day Fiancé and its spin-offs have a tendency to cross into sad, tedious territory and I’m sure Last Resort will have its moments, but this was perfect trash garbage for a Monday night and I’m anxiously awaiting tonight’s episode.
I watched two episodes of Glamorous, a Netflix original’s Netflix original about an aspiring makeup influencer named Marco who lands a job at his favorite cosmetics company. The show has a cartoonish, iCarly quality and Marco’s whole personality is not knowing how to do anything, ever. Nonetheless, he has a surfeit of love interests (I’m cheering for Ben, the nice office gay). Kim Cattrall plays Marco’s boss, a former supermodel who doesn’t know how to ask for help. The dialogue is something else (“I’m a twink on PReP. I can do anything!“) and not afraid to repeat jokes e.g. anytime something fails or doesn’t work out, Marco compares it to a Katy Perry single. This show is a slog to get through, but also super endearing and gay.
I also watched Jury Duty as a reward for unpacking my TV and was so charmed by the middle school humor. Rashida Olayiwola is perfect as the bailiff. May we all be as kind and adaptable as Ron.
In audio land, I listened to The Retrievals podcast with rapt attention. I’m very grateful for new Mitski.
In book news, I read The Guest by Emma Cline (someone please come over and talk about the ending with me), The Holy Days of Gregorio Pasos by Rodrigo Restrepo Montoya (incredible, would recommend) and March by Geraldine Brooks (this novel is fanfiction about the dad from Little Women and it’s very white savior-y and overblown, but there is a scene where Papa March and Marmie smash to the dulcet tones of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s flute playing).
On the internet, I loved reading Andrea Long Chu re: Yellowstone and “I bought 6 things at Martha Stewart’s Garage Sale“ by Choire Sicha. I was also very into this oral history on work and hanging out with friends before cell phones and the internet (“If someone didn’t show, you would sometimes have to call your home voicemail from a payphone, and put in your code, to see if they had left a message for you on your home phone.“) Apparently people were less flaky and there was a lot more just going to someone’s house and seeing if they were home. GO FIGURE.
I haven’t purchased anything fun or useful lately. I spent all my money moving to Vermont and I have that post-moving disease where you don’t want to shop for anything, even groceries, ever again. I did, however, switch from liquid detergent to these ECOS detergent sheets. Our new house doesn’t have a washer/dryer, so every week I schlepp my soiled garments to the village laundromat and pay anywhere from $40 to $50 to wash and dry four loads. Detergent sheets make this process a little easier, since they’re super lightweight and you just toss them in. Plus, I notice that my whites come out really well. ECOS detergent sheets—a boring product that works.
My goal for this week is to watch the Jenna Lyons season of RHONY and write about it. Thank you Claire for the suggestion :) As always, let me know what you’re watching, reading, or using to do your laundry in the comments.
xoxo, Maddy
I pandemic-watched several seasons of 90 day in a fugue state and am alarmed at the fact that I know all these couples despite having little to no memory of watching them lmao. guess i gotta watch this new season. also here's an idea for a reality show: all the therapists who do fake therapy on tv (the blonde chick on vanderpump, dr. frankie, the people from this shit, etc) get put on an island. each therapist is told that it is their job to conduct therapy on everyone else, but they must stay covert. if they figure it out they get removed. last one standing gets their license revoked <3
Oh god how i lovehate the 90 day fiancé world. i am concerned at how dazed liz looks most of the time with ed.
i can't wait to read what you write about jenna lyons!