Fall Binges Part 2: Rivals, English Teacher, Kaos, Agatha All Along

There has been an explosion of TV over the past month as I try to juggle new series with returning ones. Here are some reviews of the new shows that have kept me occupied and might suck you in too!

Rivals: I binged this show in one giant gulp and it's the best thing I've watched in ages. Based on the 1988 novel by Jilly Cooper, it is a raucous and over-the-top British delight. Insanely raunchy (there's nudity from the very first scene, so be forewarned), and hysterically devious, this is the story of what happens when Lord Tony Baddingham (played by David Tennant, who relishes in putting the "Bad" in Baddingham), the owner of a TV studio in the idyllic English countryside, hires Declan O'Hara (Aidan Turner, who I last drooled over in Poldark), a feisty journalist, to host his own chat show on his network. Declan moves down with his family, which includes his bored wife, Maud (Victoria Smurfit), and two daughters, the oldest of whom, Taggie (Bella Maclean), catches the eye of the local bad boy aristocrat, Lord Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell). Rupert is cartoonishly horny, and has quite the reputation, but as the series progresses, there's the sense that perhaps this rake can be reformed. But maybe not, because man, he shags a lot of women over the course of eight episodes.

Every single character on this show is having an illicit affair or lusting after someone, and the soundtrack is filled with some great 80s pop tunes, with some heavy breathing thrown in. There are a LOT of characters, who all have their own agendas, but everything weaves together seamlessly and entertainingly and there is just oodles of plot to keep you occupied in between sex scenes. The whole thing also ends on an enormous cliffhanger, so I will be first in line to binge all of Series 2 as soon as it's available. Until then, treat yourself to Series 1, and then maybe, watch it all over again. 

English Teacher: Created by Brian Jordan Alvarez who also stars, this show is like the anti-Abbott Elementary. Alvarez plays Evan, a gay English teacher in Austin who is disenchanted by the profession but still going through the motions and trying to get his life together. His love life is a mess, and he constantly seems to be choosing the wrong men to sleep with or find attractive. In the meantime, his fellow colleagues have their own little dramas, including his best friend, Gwen (Stephanie Koenig), and their hapless principal Grant (Enrico Colantoni). Over the course of eight episodes, we get to follow the adventures of this motley crew as they try to navigate the modern world of teaching and grow up themselves while they're trying to help their students grow up too. I wouldn't say this show is "heartwarming," but it's definitely silly and fun, and it's worth a binge when you need a good laugh on a lazy afternoon.

Kaos: If you're a fan of Greek mythology (and who isn't?!) then this is the show for you. Created by Charlie Covell, this is a sprawling series that is set in a modern-day version of Mount Olympus, where the gods still hold sway over humans but also have their own petty squabbles. Meanwhile, there's an ominous prophecy that binds several mortals together, and if they achieve their destiny, they might topple Zeus, which naturally makes him very antsy. It's all very cryptic, and there are many threads to unravel, but as the eight episodes progress, you'll start to see how all the disparate pieces come together despite Zeus's best efforts to thwart all anarchy. The production design is excellent, the actors are superb, the cinematography is splendid, but Netflix decided to cancel the show, so all we have is this one glorious season. It's still worth a viewing, because the season does feel like we get a bit of a resolution, even though there certainly would have been plenty of story to cover in future seasons. But if you simply want to indulge in one tight season of inventive and audacious Greek lore, start watching this show. You won't be disappointed.

Agatha All Along: Do you remember everything that happened in WandaVision? Yeah, me neither. Anyway, at the end of that show, it turned out a witch named Agatha Harkness (the glorious Kathryn Hahn) was the big bad who wanted to steal the Scarlet Witch's powers. So now, in this show created by Jac Schaeffer, we follow what happened to Agatha after the events of WandaVision. The supporting cast features all-stars like Aubrey Plaza, Patti LuPone, Ali Ahn, Sasheer Zamata, and Debra Jo Rupp, as fellow witches who accompany Agatha on a quest to follow the Witches' Road, a Wizard of Oz-style endeavor that is meant to help each of these women regain something that they have lost. But they are also accompanied by a mysterious teen (played by Joe Locke), who seems fascinated by magic and this quest, but can't explain to anyone what he's doing there. 

Unravelling the teen's identity and Agatha's ultimate endgame is the point of this show, and it is appropriately eerie and spooky, with quite a few jump scares thrown in to make it perfect for Halloween. However, as is typical of much of the Marvel Televisual Universe, it was so stuffed with lore and jimjams that I found myself wildly confused most of the time and decided to just watch for vibes rather than any understanding of the plot. The first episode has a great conceit, and then Episode 7 is a standout that has some great narrative devices that truly kept my eyeballs glued to the screen. But can I tell you what happened on the rest of this show and whether it all got satisfyingly resolved? No, I cannot.

October Movies Part 2: We Live in Time & Conclave

I went to the theater twice this week. I watched a movie I hated and a movie I was genuinely surprised by. Let's find out which was which!

Conclave: Directed by Edward Berger and written by Peter Straughan, based on the novel by Robert Harris, this movie follows the drama and intrigue of a papal conclave to elect the new Pope after the old one dies. Ralph Fiennes plays Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, who is in charge of running this conclave and ensuring that they follow the protocol and quickly elect the next leader of the Catholic Church. Thomas has been plagued by doubts (a doubting Thomas, if you will), but he is now determined to do his duty and ensure the conclave goes through without a hitch. Easier said than done.

There are all manner of personalities vying for the position. There's Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Aldo Bellini, a liberal who wants to continue the old Pope's reformist agenda and has Thomas's vote. But they're up against Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) from Nigeria, who would be the first Black Pope but is also virulently against homosexuality. Cardinal Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow) is ambitious and scheming, while Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) is a racist Italian who wants to take the Church back to its origins and give up all this reformist claptrap. Thomas has his hands full managing all these people, and as he uncovers more secrets about each of the favorites, he starts to deftly swing the vote, desperately trying to ensure the wrong man doesn't become Pope. It's a bit like watching the 2024 US election, except with a lot more candidates.

I won't say much more because this film has twists and turns, culminating in an epic final twist that I defy anyone to see coming. It caught me thoroughly off guard and is the reason I want everyone to watch this film so we can all discuss how bonkers and amazing it was. Apart from the script and impeccable acting, however, this movie is also firing on all cylinders when it comes to the production design by Suzie Davies. I knew they couldn't possibly be filming in the Sistine Chapel and its environs, but damned if you won't feel exactly like you're in the Vatican instead of a studio set. Beautifully shot by Stephane Fontaine with a mysterious and fun score by Volker Bertelmann, this movie is a thoroughly entertaining and delightful piece of cinema that will keep you guessing till the very end.

We Live in Time: When the credits rolled on this film, I went "I knew it, OF COURSE this movie was directed and written by men!" Written by Nick Payne and directed by John Crowley, this is a melodramatic romance that goes back and forth in time as it chronicles the love story of Tobias and Almut (Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh) over a decade. Garfield and Pugh are absolutely charming and wonderful, and it's nice to get to see them work in their original British accents for a change. They are magnetic and are the reason I kept watching this film and delighting in their chemistry. But the plot of this film? WOOF.

If you're a fan of these actors and think that having a child is the be all and end all of every couple's existence, please go forth and watch this movie without reading the rest of my review. But if you're childfree, or a woman who has any kind of sense of prioritizing her health over the romantic ideal of biological procreation, please read on as I vociferously denounce this movie's mawkish sentimentality and spoil the rest of the plot.

Early in their relationship, the two have to have a difficult conversation as Almut doesn't really care about having kids, while Tobias does. They have a potentially relationship-ending fight, but Tobias realizes he would rather just be with Almut who is right in front of him than lose her for the promise of non-existent children. Yay, it's true love. Then, Almut is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. While her doctor recommends a hysterectomy if she wants the certainty of getting rid of all the cancer, Almut is suddenly overcome with the idea of having a child with Tobias, and therefore decides to hang on to her uterus and one ovary so that she can have a shot at conceiving a child. She goes through chemo, enters remission, and then we enter into a montage of sex, negative pregnancy tests, disappointment, and then an IVF cycle, until Almut is finally gloriously pregnant and can give birth to their daughter. And then a few years later, her cancer comes back. And while she agrees to treat it again, rather than taking it easy and trying to ensure all the treatment has a fighting chance, she decides to prioritize her career as a chef, entering into a brutal culinary competition that tires her out and ensures that she will die at the end of this movie.

This movie managed to hit all my pet peeves: people who think that biological conception is the only possible way to fulfill their dream of having a child when everything about their biology is telling them not to, and people who then don't do what their doctor tells them to when they're sick. This is the ultimate "women can have it all!" movie, except in this case, the woman gets to have a career, a child, and then cancer. Yeesh. I know Almut was the one with cancer, but I spent most of the film feeling sorry for Tobias because he was just trying to be with the woman he loved but she kept making chaotic decisions. So once again, as I am on my soapbox, let me please remind all the women of the world: there is nothing beautiful and fulfilling about pregnancy. It is one of the most dangerous things you can do to your body and is basically classified as a medical illness for those nine heinous months that you are carrying that child in your uterus, until we get to the delivery when a whole new host of things can go wrong and kill you. If you want to be a mother, great, adopt a child. But stop battering your body if pregnancy will be dangerous or difficult for your health. Not all women need to be biologically pregnant to be fulfilled, OK? And please, do not literally kill yourself to have a child or to be declared the best chef in the world. It's simply not worth it.

October Movies Part 1: My Old Ass, Sing Sing, Wolfs, Saturday Night

So far, October has been a bit more promising on the TV front than movies. But there are still some options for you in the theater or on streaming so let's get to them!

My Old Ass: This is a genuinely wonderful movie that people should be watching in droves. It has flown a bit under the radar because it doesn't have any big-name stars attached apart from Aubrey Plaza, but it is a sweet, funny, and moving film. Written and directed by Megan Park, it tells the story of 18-year-old Elliott (the brilliant Maisy Stella), who is spending her last summer at home with her family on their idyllic cranberry farm before she leaves for university in the big city (Toronto!) and can finally begin her life. When she does shrooms with her best friends, she has a trip where she is visited by her 39-year-old future self (played by Aubrey Plaza). Future Elliott has some good advice, mostly around cherishing this time she has left with her family, and to not be so desperate to grow up. But there is also some more cryptic advice that you will spend the rest of the film worrying about until the surprising conclusion. 

This is one of those films where you shouldn't pay too much attention to the science fiction implications of time travel: future Elliott puts her number into present Elliott's phone as "My Old Ass" and the two of them are still able to communicate after she is done tripping - don't think about that too hard. Instead, just go along for the splendid ride to experience a beautiful story about living in the present and not worrying too much about the ramification of your choices. Also, Elliott is unapologetically gay and has a great support system, so this is a great movie for queer kids and other folk who would like to just enjoy the fantasy of seeing a gay kid live their life without too much drama. This is a gem of a film and while it seems too small to get much recognition at awards season, I do dearly hope it might get a nod for Park's screenwriting or Stella's lead performance. Everyone, please run to the theater and watch it immediately.

Sing Sing: Speaking of powerful lead performances, it should come as no surprise that Colman Domingo is great in this film. Directed by Greg Kwedar, who co-wrote the screenplay with Clint Bentley, this is the story of the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program at Sing Sing prison in upstate New York. This program has been running for almost 30 years, and the focus of this film is on  John "Divine G" Whitfield (Domingo), a prisoner who joined RTA and became a playwright and director, while he also fought his wrongful conviction and tried to secure his release. Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin also co-stars as himself, and we get to see how Divine G scouted him to join the RTA program, gradually molding him to become a star actor in the program, after overcoming his initial skepticism.

This is a film about the transformative power of the arts and the important work RTA does to get these prisoners to process their emotions and learn new ways to express themselves instead of the old standbys of anger and violence. Sing Sing is a maximum security prison, and many of these men are serving life sentences with little or no hope. But participating in RTA gives them joy and a new purpose in life. I listened to a podcast with Maclin and it's wonderful to hear this man, who had such a rough start in life and was sentenced to 17 years in Sing Sing for robbery, speak about what this program did for him and how he is now taking the work forward by helping prisoners and at-risk youth with these skills. I can't say that I always found this movie engaging, but the actors (most of whom are actual RTA alumnae) are captivating and the story they are telling is compelling and important. And the final scenes when you get to see some of the real-life plays that RTA put on through the years is enough to make you believe in humanity after all.

Wolfs: Oof. Written and direct by Jon Watts, and starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, you would have thought this movie would be great. But it's an Apple TV+ production and is "aggressively mid" as I once heard NPR's Linda Holmes describe a lot of their catalogue. Clooney and Pitt are playing "fixers" who get called into a Manhattan District Attorney's hotel room when she accidentally finds herself with a dead body and doesn't know what to do next. She called Clooney, while Pitt was called in by the hotel owner, and now these two lone wolves must work together to clean up the situation. Which leads to a wild night across New York City as they unravel the plot of how this "dead" man ended up in that hotel room, and other tangled conspiracies that ultimately relate to who they work for in the first place. 

Honestly, I cannot tell you much more beyond that, because I barely understood this convoluted plot, the cinematography was so dark I could barely see any of the action, and apart from the very end, in a diner scene, when it felt like I could finally see Clooney's facial expressions and be reminded me of why he's such a great actor, I was thoroughly bored. I was expecting the two leads to recapture the old Ocean's Eleven magic, but their banter felt forced, and every line of dialogue just fell flat. Pitt also seems to be an increasingly sketchy public figure who needs to account for his terrible behavior towards Angelina Jolie and their children, and while he ordinarily whitewashes his reputation by producing excellent movies, this movie is such a dud that his luck has run out. So don't bother watching this film, and let's just all band together for a Pitt boycott instead. That would be a much more worthy use of our time.  

Saturday Night: Directed by Jason Reitman, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Gil Kenan, this is a movie about the 90 minutes preceding the airing of the very first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. As we swoop through the studio and Rockefeller Center, following creator Lorne Michaels (played by Gabriel LaBelle) around as he deals with recalcitrant actors, peeved writers, a righteous censor, eager comedians, doubtful studio executives, and...a llama, it's an absolute whirlwind of chaos. As someone who watches SNL every week and is a fan of the many iconic comedians and characters that got their start on this show, this movie is a veritable who's who of famous names. But it felt like watching The Bear, an anxiety-provoking hellscape where you just want to be like "man, is this even worth it." And oddly, it also felt like watching Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, where everyone's laughing at the supposedly hilarious sketches, while I just sat there thinking, "huh, this doesn't seem that funny." 

Obviously, SNL is an institution, and that first episode WAS really funny and led to this show still being on the air 50 (!) years later. But this movie is such a hagiography, such a self-aggrandizing piece of "yeah, it's us against the establishment, man!" that it's a bit hard to swallow, given that SNL now IS the establishment. The movie is trying to convey how this scrappy little show was going up against the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, with all these counter-culture comedians that no one had heard of, and it was so risqué and daring. But in the cold, hard light of 2024, it no longer feels fresh or innovative, a lot of the jokes feel sexist and tired, and apart from Lamorne Morris's delightful turn as the lone Black cast member, Garrett Morris, this just feels like a sea of white people patting themselves on the back for sticking to their guns. I really did want to like this movie, and while I do think it's a technical marvel with the way it conveys all the frantic energy and endless fires (figurative and literal!) that Lorne has to put out until this show can finally go live, it ultimately didn't seem to have anything new or exciting to say. Which is probably what most people say about SNL these days.

Fall Binges Part 1: How to Die Alone, Ludwig, Nobody Wants This

It's getting colder and it's time to spend more time on the couch bingeing TV (OK fine, I do that regardless of the weather). Over the past month I have been making my way through some quality fare, so if you've missed out on the following shows, might I suggest you get all caught up?

How to Die Alone: If you saw Natasha Rothwell in the first season of The White Lotus and thought, "that lady needs her own show!" then this is the answer to your prayers. Here, Rothwell stars (and also created the show!) as Mel, a 35-year-old "broke, fat, Black woman" who works at JFK airport. She is currently single, has one best friend, Rory (Conrad Ricamora), and her boss, Alex (Jocko Sims), also happens to be her ex, who is about to get married to the woman who was meant to be his rebound. Mel doesn't have a lot going on in her life, but when she has a near-death experience, she is determined to make some changes. Including how to find someone to serve as her emergency contact.

Over the course of eight episodes, you are going to watch this woman attempt to evolve but in such a frustrating manner that you know it's all going to fall apart. The show can feel like very broad comedy at times, but then it gets incredibly sharp and incisive. The Thanksgiving episode where she goes to her brother's house for Thanksgiving is a particular standout, managing to be deeply uncomfortable and thrilling, showcasing all the many ways in which families can be infuriating and loving, often at the same time. Mel's life is extremely chaotic, and while it was sometimes hard to watch her be the architect of her own destruction, I binged this show in two days, compelled by Rothwell's riveting central performance and all the fascinating supporting characters. The airport setting is definitely engaging; JFK can be one of the most irritating places to visit as a traveler, but maybe on my next trip, I will amuse myself by imagining what Mel and her colleagues are getting up to behind-the-scenes.

Nobody Wants This: Looking for a delightful romcom that you can binge in one delightful sitting? Then this is the show you seek. Created by Erin Foster and starring the charming pair of Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, this is a story of what happens when Joanne (Bell), a woman who co-hosts a podcast with her sister about her sex and dating life, ends up dating Noah (Brody), who is...a rabbi. 

As broad and ridiculous as that premise sounds, the show is sublime. The writing is pitch perfect, and rather than just leaning into a bunch of jokes about Jews or sex-positive millennials, it deftly manages to highlight the very real issues that are keeping these two people apart, but more importantly, the very real chemistry that keeps pulling them together. It also doesn't hurt that the supporting cast consists of Judith Lupe and Timothy Simons as Joanne's sister, Morgan, and Noah's brother, Sasha. Those two are up to some craziness on the sidelines, and watching the antics of this couple's friends and family members is almost as delightful as watching the couple themselves.

While this first season offers up a complete and delicious romance to satisfy all of your cravings, I am desperate to find out what happens next. And if the writing and acting wasn't enough, the show's soundtrack is full of absolute bangers that always brought a smile to my face. This is the perfect comedy: funny, charming, and brimming with heart. I defy you to not be instantly bowled over by it - everybody wants this!

Ludwig: When my friend sent me the trailer of this show, I couldn't have been more excited. A BBC show starring David Mitchell, my favorite British comedian, as a puzzle creator who is trying to figure out the disappearance of his twin brother, a police detective, and ends up solving a bunch of murder mysteries as though they were different types of puzzles? Inject that directly into my veins!

Written by Mark Brotherhood, this show is a delightful comedy mystery series, and I binged all six episodes in a flash. Every episode features a unique murder that John "Ludwig" Taylor (Mitchell) needs to solve, but there's also the overarching mystery of why his twin brother James has disappeared that he is investigating with James's wife, Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin), and son, Henry (Dylan Hughes). Meanwhile, no one at the police station has figured out he is not his brother James, so he needs to keep bumbling about James's colleagues at the police station while he looks for clues, whilst accidentally solving all their murder cases in brilliant fashion. The tone is deftly comic but intriguing, the murders are all intricate and satisfyingly solved, and I instantly wanted to go buy a big book of logic puzzles when I was all done. If you like reading cozy mysteries, this show is the TV equivalent and is the perfect fall treat. Unfortunately, it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, so Series 2 had better be filming right now.