A Quiet Place Part II: A Perfect Sequel

Before I get into an actual review of A Quiet Place Part II, I need to explain the circumstances around how I watched this movie. I went to a 10:30am showing at my local theater. When I got to the auditorium, I was the only one there, which is not the most comforting feeling when you're about to settle in for a horror movie - you kind of want some fellow scaredy-cats screaming with you in the audience, you know? But halfway through the previews, an older woman showed up and paused when she saw the admittedly bizarre sight of me sitting all alone in the middle of the auditorium. She then proceeded to take a seat in the row in front of me, and the two of us indulged in this cinematic spectacle alone but together, two New Yorkers spending Sunday morning the way God intended. It was a beautiful thing. After the movie ended, we ran into each other in the bathroom and I decided to tell her, "I was so glad you showed up, it would have been scary to watch that movie alone." And she smiled and in a German accent went, "Yeah, it was a great movie." And honestly, that's all the review you need. But if you want more, let's get into it. 

First, you might need to refresh your memory with my review of A Quiet Place. Or you could go into the movie cold, because it starts at the very beginning, giving us a flashback that even the original movie never bothered with, showing us how the aliens arrived on Earth and proceeded to wreak havoc. This is a clever bit of storytelling in several ways - it catches people up who never saw the original movie, it re-introduces the Abbotts and their family dynamics, and it newly introduces Cillian Murphy as Emmett, a friend of the family who we never met in A Quiet Place but who will now become a critical element in their goal to save humanity.

Yes, that's where this sequel is going. After the flashback to Day 1, we pick right back up where we left off, with Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and her children having just killed a bunch of aliens but with their home completely destroyed. Now they have to make their way to any survivors, which is how they find Emmett. He is a bitter recluse, having lost his entire family at this point, and he isn't too thrilled about having to help the Abbotts. But Regan, the deaf teenage daughter (Millicent Simmonds), who figured out in the last movie that the feedback given out by her hearing aid could incapacitate the aliens, now has a plan to weaponize that on a wider scale via a radio station that seems to be operated by other survivors. She just needs to figure out how to get to them, and Emmett becomes her unwitting companion on that journey while Evelyn stays behind with her newborn baby and injured son Marcus (Noah Jupe).

While Emily Blunt was the star of the first movie, this sequel really allows the kids to shine. Regan is a stalwart heroine, not letting her deafness serve as any kind of impediment to going on an absolutely insane mission to save the world. While Marcus deals with all manner of horrors as he is trapped in a shelter that offers up some crucial protections against making any noises that could grab the aliens' attention, but comes with its own perils. I won't give anything away, but oh man, this movie is brimming with clever details where you just know something awful is going to happen if a character forgets to attend to that one little thing, and yup, it's every bit as terrifying and satisfying as you expect when those details come back to haunt them. 

Sound design is such a critical part of these movies, and I was struck again at how excellently sound is deployed or withheld throughout the film. When we're pivoting to Regan's perspective, everything goes deathly silent to reflect her deafness; my fellow audience member and I were so still in our seats, loath to make any movements lest the aliens come after us. In tense moments, the skillful score by Marco Beltrami propels you to the edge of your seat and sets you up for the next jump scare. (Speaking of jump scares, this movie is BRIMMING with them, and honestly, if you have a pacemaker or any kind of heart condition, stay away. This movie is NOT for you.) And in the in-between moments, when we're just watching these characters walk through the woods or nervously scour a pharmacy, you will be aware of every crackling leaf and every footstep. This is why you should watch this movie in the theater - I know it's hard to understand why it's important when so much of this movie is completely silent, but that's the point. If you're watching at home, you'll be distracted by other noises, but in a movie theater, when the Dolby sound just shuts down on you and you have to hear the sound of your own breathing? That's some nerve-wracking shit.

Written and directed by John Krasinski, A Quiet Place Part II is a spectacular sequel. The script is so clever, offering up little tidbits that then become hugely important plot points to drive the narrative forward and save the day. These actors know these characters like the back of their hands now and offer up some tense and wondrous performances that will make you cheer. And I have to give a special shout-out to the ending. Many writer-directors have a tendency to get so caught up in their world that they then have to milk the ending for all it's worth, giving us all manner of epilogues and assurances. But Krasinski knows how to end his movie on a high - the important work is done, we don't need to see the rest. To be clear, if he writes A Quiet Place Part III, I will go see it ASAP. But if he doesn't, I'm perfectly content with how he chose to wrap up this amazing story. 

The Sparks Brothers: Your New Favorite Band

Recently, my Twitter timeline featured a lot of tweets about The Sparks Brothers, a new documentary by Edgar Wright about some band that musicians really seemed to admire, but were not that famous. I certainly had never heard of them, but I love anything Edgar Wright does and the interviews in this film seemed to feature a lot of actors and musicians I like, so I figured they wouldn't steer me wrong. Well I figured correctly and was treated to a 140-minute extravaganza detailing the wondrous journey of this bizarre band. 

The film is the story of Ron and Russell Mael, the two brothers who make up the band, Sparks. They have been making music for five decades, ever since the band first formed in 1967, and Wright offers up a loving and thorough ode to their evolution across all those years. We get the history of these brothers, who were born and raised in California, but then went on to form this band that became so famous in the UK and Europe that most of their fans were convinced they were a British band. And we get a detailed summary of each album they released, including the inspiration behind the music and the history of what was going on with the band at the time. So far, they have released 25 (!) albums, and each one is completely different from the last, so there is a LOT to unpack here.

This movie takes you on a wild journey and even if you think that this music is not for you, you may find yourself changing your mind by the end. Because Sparks has hit every genre imaginable, so somewhere in those 25 albums, you're gonna find something that tickles your fancy. And it's simply impossible to not admire these brothers. They are artists in every sense of the word - they haven't been chasing fame for all these years but have been pursuing their delirious and delightful musical vision. Many of the interviews feature fans pointing out their favorite lyrics from a Sparks song, and it ranges from outright silly to downright emotional, and everything in between. My personal favorite was a song called My Baby's Taking Me Home, but I would be hard-pressed to explain why. In fact, having now written that sentence, I am going to be humming that song for the rest of the day. 

These brothers have been working together for so long but they have settled into a perfect routine. They each have their contribution to the band and it's wonderful to see how they play off of each other and use each others strengths to elevate their material. Russell was the younger brother, the "pretty boy" with an ethereal voice, while Ron was the older, more protective brother, who wrote all the lyrics and stood by the sidelines playing his keyboard and drawing comparisons to Adolf Hitler because of his mustache (that's a whole ridiculous and amazing thing). So yeah, watch The Sparks Brothers. You will have absolutely no idea what you're getting into, but I guarantee that you're in for a treat. If Edgar Wright's goal was to create a new generation of Sparks fans with this movie, mission accomplished. 

Lupin: Move Aside Herlock Sholmes

(Before I begin this review, no, that is not a typo in the title, it is referring to the second collection of Lupin stories that is genuinely--and hilariously--called Arsene Lupin versus Herlock Sholmes). 

When Part 1 of Lupin premiered on Netflix in January, I didn't pay any attention. What did I care about a French detective show that was inspired by the Arsene Lupin detective stories written by Maurice Leblanc in the early 1900s? But then I started noticing a lot of great buzz about this show--Twitter had come alive and was raving about it--so apparently it was time to take notice. My friend Peggy and I decided to watch "together" (she is in California, so it was a Zoom watch situation) and I immediately regretted suggesting this activity for a weeknight. Because of course we couldn't stop with one episode. We ended up watching three the first night and then polishing off the final two the next night, at which point we yelled "why are there only five episodes, WHEN IS PART 2!"

Well Part 2 just dropped this month and Peggy and I cued it up over another two-night binge. And by the end, we were just as delighted by the whole thing as we were back in January, with the added bonus that Part 2 wrapped up all the storylines a bit more neatly so we weren't left with a giant cliffhanger for six months.

If you're one of the few souls on this planet who have yet to experience this phenomenon, here's a quick primer. The show follows Assane Diop (played by the magnetic Omar Sy, who the French already loved and now the whole world wants to play James Bond), a French-Senegalese immigrant who is determined to avenge the death of his father, who was framed for a robbery by the wealthy Pellegrini family 25 years ago. Assane takes his inspiration from the Arsene Lupin books, following the twisty plots, disguises, and schemes concocted by that "gentleman burglar" to plot his own takedown of the Pellegrinis and ensure that justice is finally done. What follows are numerous escapades where Assane is the puppet master and we as the audience just have to blindly follow along and marvel as we go back and forth in time to understand how he pulls off each complex heist.

The other characters in this show include Assane's best friend Ben (Antoine Guoy), his ex-girlfriend Claire (Ludivine Sagnier), and their son Raoul (Etan Simon). And we have the hapless police detectives on the other side who are trying to figure out who the hell is responsible for this crime spree across Paris. Of these detectives, only Youssef Guedira (Soufiane Guerrab) is close to cracking the case because he is a massive Arsene Lupin fan and starts to piece together that the criminal he's chasing is a fellow Lupin lover. Of course, his colleagues deride his fanciful theory, much to their detriment.

Lupin only consists of ten episodes (so far) so I won't go any further. Suffice to say, you need to set aside a weekend and indulge in an epic bingewatch of this glorious show. It's shot beautifully and will make you pine for a trip to Paris, and is scripted so elegantly that you will have multiple "omg" moments as yet another twist is revealed. Assane is constantly playing the long game and your feeble mind will have to catch up to his machinations, but it is such a puzzly and splendid journey. 

In the Heights: NYC Is Back Baby!

It can come as no surprise to anyone that I seized the chance to watch In the Heights on opening weekend. After all, this movie is the reason I chose to reactivate my AMC membership a month early and head back to the cinema. A movie based off a musical with lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, directed by Jon Chu, and all taking place in my beloved Manhattan in the height of summer? Yes please. 

Our protagonist is Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), a Dominican-American bodega owner who inherited the store from his father but harbors his suenito (i.e. "little dream") to return to the DR where he can run a bar on the beach. However, in the opening song that kicks off this glorious film, you will get introduced to the entire barrio of Washington Heights and the cast of characters that are so integral to his life. There's his wonderful Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz), who isn't actually anyone's abuela but is the local matriarch who ensures everyone is taken care of. There's his cousin, Sonny (Gregory Dias IV), who helps him out in the bodega. Then there's Kevin Rosario (Jimmy Smits, getting to belt out some tunes!), who runs a local cab company and is excited to see his daughter Nina (Leslie Grace), who is back home after her first year at Stanford. Everyone is very proud of Nina for making it out of the Heights, but she has some complicated feelings about her new life in university. She also has a love interest in Benny (Corey Hawkins) who works for her father, while Usnavi's own love interest is the lovely Vanessa (Melissa Barera) who works at the local hair salon but has her own suenito of being a fashion designer.

It's a sprawling cast, and I haven't even gotten into all the salon ladies or the piraguero (played by Lin-Manual Miranda) who is in constant conflict with the Mister Softee truck (owned by an actor you may also recognize from Hamilton - that's a fun cameo for you to watch out for!). But don't worry, you are in extremely capable hands, because with the brilliant script by Quiara Alegria Hudes (who wrote the book for the musical), the absolutely luscious songs by Lin-Manual Miranda, Alex Lacamoire, and Bill Sherman, and the whipsmart direction from Jon Chu, you're not going to get lost for even a second. Instead you are going to be immersed in a riotous, colorful, cacophonous, joyous celebration of this neighborhood and its people. 

The timeline is driven by an impending blackout, which is one of the most ominous events a New Yorker can experience in the summer. In the lead up, we get to know these people and start to witness some of the familial tensions and burgeoning romances. Things comes to a head as the lights go out and we have our big climax. And following that, we slowly resolve all these storylines and see if everyone can make their dreams come true, even just a little. You'll have to see it for yourself, but I can guarantee you won't be disappointed. 

Now let's talk about the songs. They are so impeccable. Filled with impossible rhymes, peppered with Spanglish, evoking every human emotion under the sun, telling tales of hope, loss, and love. And my favorite would have to be "96,000" which takes place in a public pool and involves choreography, costumes, sets, and production design that would be worthy of an old-school MGM musical. In this song, everyone talks about what they would do if they had a winning lottery ticket and it singlehandedly tells you everything you need to know about all of these characters and their motivations. It's such clever exposition and executed to perfection. 

This movie is also a celebration of Hispanic heritage. Hollywood movies about Latinx people are so fond of treating them like a monolith but here we have a collection of folk from a bunch of different countries, all talking about their different experiences. Everyone came over here in search of a better life, but they came from Cuba, Puerto Rico, DR, Mexico, etc. and while they speak a common language, they don't all have a common heritage. There's a constant refrain of characters wondering what their lives might have been like if they had never come to New York. But this movie proceeds to showcase all the reasons they stayed and the unity they have come to feel now that they are all citizens of the Heights. 

Jon Chu's last movie was Crazy Rich Asians and I couldn't help grinning as I found parallels between that movie and In the Heights. That film also had the task of portraying characters who are historically viewed as a monolith in Hollywood (i.e. Asians) and tapping into their humanity and individuality. It also used food as a way to convey culture and made me very hungry, which is a theme that is repeated to great effect in this film. Oh man, every time they showed the steaming bowls of food lovingly prepared by Abuela Claudia or the delicious ice-cold piraguas being sold on the streets, I was sorely tempted. This movie is a visual, auditory, and gustatory treat. Watch it during a heatwave for maximum effect, but mostly, just watch it. It will charm and delight you and is absolutely the blockbuster we needed to formally kick off the summer.

We Are Lady Parts & Hacks: More Ladies, More Laughs

Heading into this weekend, do you find yourself pining for more lady comedies? Do you want to see a bunch of women getting up to a bunch of hilarity as they attempt to smash the patriarchy? Well, you're in luck because I have not one, but two recommendations of excellent female-centric comedies that recently debuted on HBO Max and Peacock. Apparently as we get more streaming services, we get more ladies behind and in front of the camera to tell us their wacky tales.

Hacks: This is a story of two funny women from different generations who team up to write jokes and trade barbs about their own brands of feminism. The splendid Jean Smart plays Deborah Vance, a famed comedienne who has been doing a stand-up show in Vegas for years but needs help refreshing her material. Enter Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), a 25-year-old comedy writer who tweeted some terrible things and can't get a job anywhere in LA, so is forced to go to Vegas to see what Deborah wants. While Ava has zero interest in the job, she manages to capture Deborah's interest, despite a disastrous job interview, and then, the two are off to the races.

This show is at its best when it's focusing on the relationship between these women and when it's focusing on Deborah. There are a lot of clever observations about how Hollywood in general and the stand-up comedy world in particular treats women, and Deborah has been through it all during her decades-long career. She has dealt with the rampant sexism and the #MeToo era, and she has little patience for Ava's brand of confessional humor and need to share everything that is going on in her mind and her body at any given moment. When the show tries to show us how good these ladies are at comedy, it encounters the Studio 60 on Sunset Strip problem - it's really hard to write a show about comedians and make your audience believe that their comedy is actually funny. That's why 30 Rock was so much more successful - that was about a comedy show that wasn't actually good. Similarly, Hacks makes it clear why Deborah's material has gotten stale and needs updating, but the suggestion that Ava's "entitled millennial" shtick is novel and entertaining does not come off so well. 

And yet, the show makes for compelling viewing. Some of the storylines are inane, and some are deeply heartfelt, and there are some deep character studies into the psyches of these two women that underscore why they gravitate to each other. Jean Smart is at the top of her game on this show, so if nothing else, you need to watch it just so you can get on the Smart bandwagon and start demanding she be in more things. The first season consists of ten half-hour episodes so you can breeze right through it to get your comedy fill. Or, follow the HBO model and dole it out to yourself two episodes at a time over five weeks, to really keep that high going.

We Are Lady Parts: This is a British show, in collaboration with Channel 4, so it's not going to be your typical American fare. What it IS going to be, is some amazingness about a group of British-Muslim women in a punk band where they sing banging anthems like "Voldemort Under My Headscarf" and "Bashir with the Good Beard." Directed and written by Nida Manzoor, the first season is six episodes of distilled brilliance, tackling all manner of major social issues with wit, charm, and verve, whilst being hysterical and a mindblowingly good time. The episodes are only 25 minutes long so you can easily go through this entire show in an afternoon, but once you're done, you might just need to watch them all again.

The show follows five women (played by Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliette Motamed, Faith Omole, and Lucie Shorthouse), who are all Muslim, but therein the similarities end. The greatest contribution this show probably makes to mainstream pop culture is that it showcases how there is no such thing as a Muslim woman. These characters are not a monolith - they are all individual people with their own distinct personalities, backgrounds, and approaches to their faith. Some of them cover their hair, other don't; one wears a niqab, while another is covered in tattoos and wears ripped jeans. They are all from different cultural backgrounds too, so you get to see the differences between an African Muslim, versus a South Asian one, versus an Arab one. But what does bind all these women together? Their strident feminism and love for punk rock. These ladies are jamming out in this band and fully embracing their joy, and while they have a lot of shit to deal with in their daily lives, when they get together for a performance, they leave it all on the mat.

I loved Ramy's portrayal of Muslims in America, but wished I could get more insights into what life was like for the women on that show (the standalone episodes that did focus on his mom and sister were truly excellent but left me wanting more). Well now my prayers have been answered. We Are Lady Parts is an ode to Muslims, an ode to women, and a chance for a segment of society that is highly misunderstood to get the chance to shine in the spotlight. And putting aside the subject matter for a second, it's just a brilliant TV show, period. It's visually inventive, with some bonkers soliloquies and animations to heighten the silliness when characters are at their peak level of social embarrassment. And the music is funny, raw, and genuinely entertaining. So watch this show. You will be delighted, and you will also learn something. What could be better?

Cruella: Two Emmas for the Price of One

Well, after 14 long months, I finally set foot in a movie theater. And I kicked things off with Cruella. Emma Stone and Emma Thompson going head-to-head in an array of sumptuous costumes? What a perfect welcome back to the cinema.

There was a moment when I was watching Cruella that I realized some parallels could be drawn to Joker. After all, this is a villain's origin story that is very sympathetic to the villain. But let the comparisons end there. Because this movie is a gorgeous, fun feast for the senses. I did find myself desperately trying to remember anything about 101 Dalmatians, because there were clearly a lot of references being made to the original source material that went way over my head. But eventually I gave up the struggle and just enjoyed this movie on its own terms. 

Emma Stone stars as Cruella, who we all know as the woman who wanted to make a coat out of a bunch of Dalmatians. But in this film, we first meet the young girl, soon to be orphaned (I would say "spoiler alert" but this is a Disney movie after all - being orphaned at an early age is almost mandatory). Her name is actually Estella, but her mother calls her Cruella when her naughty streak comes out. After her mother dies, we see how the young Estella gets to London, meets two young thieves, and re-establishes herself as a grifter, all while harboring dreams of being a fashion designer. As luck would have it, she gets a big break working for Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), who is essentially Miranda Priestly on steroids (unsurprising as the original script for this movie was written by Aline Brosh McKenna, who wrote The Devil Wears Prada).  And that burgeoning mentor-mentee relationship quickly morphs into something far darker.

The final screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara is chock-full of plot but not too convoluted. There are twists and turns but even if you're not paying attention, it's so jaw-droppingly beautiful that you won't be able to look away. Costume designer Jenny Beavan, who has already won two Oscars, goes all out, designing fashionable haute couture for the Baroness, and a more progressive punk rock aesthetic for Cruella. This movie is set in the 1970s and has a soundtrack to match, with every iconic anthem from that time period let loose on your eardrums. I can't imagine what the music budget was for this film, but I imagine Disney could afford it to further elevate this movie as a complete audiovisual assault on the senses.

In summary, Cruella is a fantastic summer treat. It's a live-action Disney movie so you know exactly what you're getting. Light and fizzy, nothing too traumatic, aesthetically firing on all cylinders with two incredible actresses guiding you along the way. It's a perfect way to return to the cinema if that is something you are contemplating, but even at home on Disney+ it would be an entertaining ride to satisfy your summer blockbuster cravings. Like lemonade on a hot day, it's sweet, tart, and refreshing. Drink up. 

90-Degree Watch: Inside, Plan B, Romeo and Juliet, Friends: The Reunion

If you live in NYC, it's going to be a weekend of endless sunshine and 90-degree weather. Some of us might be excited about this. Others might be less than enthused and wondering what on earth to do as they stay indoors and crank up the AC. For that latter group, oh do I have a host of recommendations.

Inside: This is a comedy special by Bo Burnham, who you might last remember from his incredible turn as Ryan in Promising Young Woman. But here, he has reverted to his stand-up comedy roots. Except this is a one-man special that he wrote, directed, shot, and edited all by himself in his house during the pandemic. I could easily spend an entire blog post raving about this show but it's only 87 minutes long and I need you to savor it all without knowing too much beforehand. I've told everyone I know to watch it. It is wildly inventive, colorful, hilarious, and harrowing. When people ask me to describe it, all I can do is gush and repeatedly say at increasing decibel levels, "Oh my God, it's SO GOOD!" 

This show acutely captures the feeling of what the last year has felt like for those of us who have been stuck in our homes. There's the heightened insanity of everything that was going on - the social media explosions, the brand awareness campaigns, the endless FaceTime conversations, the absolute frenzy of trying to keep yourself occupied and then suddenly just wanting to give up on everything. The special mostly consists of brilliant songs that Burnham performs about a variety of topics. As a teaser, there's one where the chorus goes, "Is this heaven? Or a white woman's Instagram?" I mean, how can you resist? It's a simply genius piece of comedy that will leave you feeling vaguely unsettled as you remember just how excruciating things have been since March 2020. But also leaves you with the feeling of...now what? Excuse me, I think I need to go watch Inside again and soothe myself.

Plan B: This is a raucous teen comedy that reminded me a great deal of Booksmart. We have the ambitious straight-laced student, Sunny (Kuhoo Verma), who has gotten herself into a bit of a situation, and she teams up with her stoner friend, Lupe (Victoria Moroles), for a weekend of hi-jinks as they traverse the state of South Dakota in pursuit of a morning-after pill. In terms of the broad strokes, sure, this is a pretty standard teen movie. There's a party, things go wrong, then our duo must go on a quest to fix it. But oh what a duo. 

In case the actresses names' didn't give it away, we're talking about about two Indian and Latina teenagers. As you can imagine, I am always excited when I get to see an Indian teen on screen and this portrayal doesn't disappoint. It's not that she does something profoundly Indian or anything, but oh the joy of just seeing someone who looks like me getting up to the shenanigans that I've seen white kids get up to on screen for decades. And the movie is the directorial debut of Natalie Morales, an actress who always delivers when she's in front of the camera and clearly can also deliver behind it. I'll bang my drum again - women directors make amazing movies about women and girls! Shocking, but true. 

Plan B is yet another unique and satisfying entry into the teen comedy genre. It will still give you some R-rated insane surprises, but there's also so much heart, as well as a reflection on how we punish young women by chipping away at their access to reproductive healthcare. And as always, there's some great commentary on female friendship and how teenage girls can hide things from each other and have to warily navigate the waters of their burgeoning sexuality. But even if you're not interested in getting on my soapbox, you can enjoy this movie for the comedic pleasure it affords. TL;DR: Great performances, fun story, perfect weekend watch.

Romeo and Juliet: OK fine, comedy is not your thing, you need high Shakespearean drama? Well PBS has got you covered with a lush filmed adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Originally planned to be a live play on the National Theater stage, director Simon Godwin was forced to change his plans as the pandemic shut down all live theatre in the UK. So instead, he filmed his actors on the stage, creating an eerie play-film hybrid that starts out with the cast in rehearsals and then slowly builds sets around them as the action progresses through the scenes that we all know so well but still feel so fresh in every new Shakespeare adaptation.

The most novel thing about this adaptation is the casting of Josh O'Connor and Jessie Buckley as the star-crossed lovers. They are full-grown adults, rather than the tiny teenagers we are used to seeing in the most famous filmed adaptations of this play. I know Romeo and Juliet is heralded as being an iconic romance, but let's be real, the Juliet in the play is only 13, everything about the reality of the situation is icky. But watching O'Connor and Buckley play out this doomed romance lends it so much more gravitas. They deliver beautiful, swoony performances, and as the sets and blocking reflect that all of this is still taking place on a stage, you get to experience this both as a movie and as a play. It's a worthy nod to the power of both theater and film and a reminder that while they did a great job of salvaging this piece of art, we did lose so much from not being able to watch it live on stage.

Friends: The Reunion: Alright, you're either in or you're out, you know who you are. If you're a Friends fan, you've probably already watched the Reunion, so you can keep reading to see what I have to say about it. If you're not a Friends fan, stop reading. There's nothing for you here. 

Friends shaped a large part of my childhood. When I started watching it, I was a 12-year-old in Bahrain and had no idea that two years later, I would actually be living in Manhattan, alongside the Friends (yeah I didn't realize they filmed in LA, it was a huge disappointment). The series finale aired when I was sixteen, right when I was taking my final exams in high school, and I remember my mother being very worried that I was going to fail my Maths exam the next day because I was so heartbroken. But I did not flunk, and my Friends love remained forever.

All this is to say that the Friends reunion is a hearty piece of nostalgia for those of us who care. It features a re-enactment of the famous trivia scene when Monica and Rachel lost their apartment to Chandler and Joey. There are some random cameos, and then some appearances from more beloved folk (yay Maggie Wheeler!). But most importantly, this is a chance to see the six Friends in a room together again, reminiscing, re-enacting scenes, sharing stories and gossip, and constantly tearing up or laughing as they remember the good old days. And yes, they featured some of the famous scenes from the ten seasons, and yes I laughed my ass off when I watched the blooper reel of the "Pivot!" scene. Because come on. How could you not? I know a lot of people were all about the Schwimmer & Aniston "revelations" but whatever. To me, this was a chance to reunite with a show that sparked my lifelong love affair with TV and gave me joy that continues to this day. I'll Be There For You, indeed. 

Mare of Easttown: Broadchurch Comes to Pennsylvania

My initial plan was to wait until all of Mare of Easttown had aired and then binge it all. Then I started seeing so much good buzz about it that I caved by Episode 3 and got caught up. Which meant that I then got to experience the joy of a genuine watercooler show - granted no one is gathering around a watercooler these days, but every Monday, I would call up my colleague and go "hey, have you watched Mare yet, what's your latest theory on who the murderer is?!" It was a glorious time.

Of course, the first thing this show brings to mind is the British show Broadchurch, which premiered in 2013 and became a global sensation. Like that show, Mare of Easttown is about a female detective in a small town who has to investigate a murder. In Broadchurch, the detective was played by the incomparable Olivia Colman. In Easttown, Mare is played by the incomparable Kate Winslet. With that casting alone, you know you can't go wrong, but the cast doesn't stop there, including the wonderful Julianne Nicholson as her best friend Lori, and Jean Smart as her irascible mother, Helen. David Denman, who I had not seen since The Office, shows up as Mare's ex-husband, Frank, who lives right next door, and Angourie Rice plays their daughter, Siobhan. Guy Pearce shows up as a potentially too-good-to-be-true love interest, while at work she is partnered with Detective Colin Zabel (played by the charming Evan Peters) to help her crack a missing person's case that has been going nowhere for a year and may be linked to this recent murder of a young teenage girl.

I can't go into more detail about the murder and potential suspects because this is a seven-episode limited series and you need to experience each delicious morsel for yourself. Written by Brad Ingelsby and directed by Craig Zobel, this is exactly the kind of storytelling we need more of these days. Every episode is perfectly paced, brimming with potential clues and red herrings, and ending with a dramatic cliffhanger that lets you theorize to high heaven for a week until the next one airs. And the performances are brilliant. Mare is dealing with a great deal of personal trauma, but she is also an excellent detective, so you have to watch her deal with that angsty work-life balance and try to sort out her personal affairs at the same time that she's in pursuit of a killer. The show is also set in a suburb of Philadelphia, so you will instantly notice the distinctive accent which most people never attempt in Hollywood. If you have any Philly friends, they have either already told you about this show or you need to alert them to its existence so they can finally hear some people who talk like them. Which is of course hilarious as a lot of the cast members aren't even American but are nailing that accent like all fine British and Australian actors must.

There's not much more to say here. Mare of Easttown is well-nigh perfect and has my heartiest recommendation. The actual mystery is sublimely plotted and while you may not figure out who the murderer was, you won't feel cheated when you do find out because there were plenty of clues along the way. There are SO MANY red herrings and there was even a moment in the final episode when I was starting to get disappointed before realizing the show had one last fake-out up its sleeve. And the actors are simply a joy. Kate Winslet is impeccable from start to finish, playing this incredibly stoic woman who doesn't say much, but gives away a world of emotion with the look in her eyes or her tightly pursed lips. She knows everyone in this town, and her interactions with the various people who fall on the wrong side of the law can range from comic to heartbreaking. The supporting cast has some real contenders for Emmy season, and by the end, you'll be so satisfied with this show, but so dissatisfied that there isn't more to watch. That's the trouble with great television - it always leaves you wanting more. But if you haven't watched any of this show yet, you have seven splendid hours ahead of you. Go forth!