I spent the better part of the last decade afraid. Afraid to try, afraid to cast my own shadow, and afraid to let go of things that no longer served me because I’d convinced myself that it was a part of me I didn’t know how to live without. Then, after a little therapy (just a year) and a trip to the Caribbean, I suddenly found myself finally ready to start trying some new things and playing to my strengths. I discovered that true failure wasn’t in the trying and failing, but in never having tried at all. So we enter the self-indulgence and importance of a blog. I don’t hate the world at large enough to inundate it with another fucking podcast. I do so loathe the extent to which everyone believes they've something important or worth saying, and so for years I’ve stayed quiet and reserved my thoughts for myself and the very privileged few who know me. Then I spent the past year documenting my media consumption; books, films, music on TikTok week by week, and I found myself having a deeper appreciation for the things I was taking in by saying a little something about each of them, rather than just picking them up and moving on to the next. The music I liked, I loved and appreciated, and found myself coming back to more often. The films I liked became some of my all-time favorites, and people took a genuine interest in what I liked. As opposed to just sharing my taste with friends and family, I found myself putting strangers onto all the things I was falling in love with, and found a new sense of community. But as TikTok became more and more precarious of a platform and it’s future became uncertain a few people asked if the reviews and weekly roundups would continue, and I truly did want to continue sharing what i was consuming with the rest of you so now we find ourselves here on the other side of fear trying something new.
The Soundtrack
Honestly, we ate too good with music last year. So far this year, I haven’t had anything that had me as excited as almost every drop we got from start to finish in 2024. Amazing pop records, the biggest rap beef of my lifetime, and some incredible new Midwest emo and indie releases. So with a lack of great new material, I spent a lot of time looking back, digging through some of the best of years previous, and found some forgotten gems and classics that I’ve just gotten around to.
Here Come The Lords X Lords of The Underground
The Lords of the Underground are a seemingly forgotten Hip-Hop outfit from the 90’s most well known for the Biggie sampled “Chief Rocka” (used on Big’s Machine Gun Funk on Ready to Die) I’ve always loved the idea of artists sampling their contemporaries and Biggie’s use of the Chief Rocka sample is one of the earliest examples I’m aware of. Hailing from Jersey The Lords’ debut album Here Come The Lords is filled with the classic 90’s East Coast boom bap I’m all too familiar with, but the way they play off one another and use the soundscape of the album to flow in and out of verses feels fresh and inventive even in the present. Unfortunately, the group found little further success after their first record, but it’s still worth returning to after all these years and is another example of why the 90s are considered a golden age for the genre.
The Price of Tea In China X Boldy James & The Alchemist
Boldy James has always been an enigma to me. A rapper from my home state, seemingly with respect from both sides of the game, the more lyric-heavy artists and fans loved him just as much as the bass-heavy trap camp. I’d never heard a single song. I had been aware of him as early as 2015, but it wasn’t until he collaborated with legendary producer The Alchemist that it seemed like his music reached beyond the murder mitten. Even after linking up with the Alt-Rap Houdini that is Alan the Chemist, I still waited 5 years to turn this on, and I can’t help but kick myself for missing out on one of Detroit’s most underrated MC’s, a monotone flow with some of the sneakiest and hard-hitting one liners make Boldy such an easy and chill listen. Every song feels like smokin out ya car on a cold winter’s day, or a sesh in someone’s basement.
Small Talk at 125th & Lennox X Gil-Scott Heron
Ashamed to say all of my knowledge about one of the 20th century’s most prolific poets comes mostly from him being mentioned in other media, whether it be a name drop in rap songs or TV shows, or his records being used to soundtrack scenes in film or TV( see; Lovecraft Country) . While this isn’t my first record of his I’ve discovered (became enamored with Pieces of Man after Mick Jenkins named one of his albums after the classic) Small Talk features more of Heron’s powerful spoken word poetry. While there is one song on here that I can no way condone (The Subject was F****** a 3 minute long diatribe about observing a queer dance going on in his neighborhood that uses the community as mostly a punch line, even the wisest of us have our faults). The rest of the record muses on the political state of the world in the 1970s United States, the funding of the space program taking precedence over the welfare of the people in this country, thoughts on blackness, and his place in the community. Ultimately, Heron’s words ring true to this day; his insight into the ills of his country and community was somehow equally right on time and ahead of his time.
SABLE, fABLE X Bon Iver
Justin Vernon has been more visually seen this album cycle than at any other time since I’ve been aware of him. More interviews, more public appearances, more album promotion, even a celebrity pickup basketball game with the teams seemingly representing both the SABLE and fABLE sides of the album. But even with a wider net cast, this album will keep core fans satisfied. Vernon’s ability to stay relevant after all these years, after dropping an unassuming but powerful first record 15 years ago, is something to behold. I’ve always been a casual listener, dipping in and out between records, and he takes a decent time between records, just enough time for him to be missed. But he also keeps pushing his sound forward ever so slightly without sacrificing the melancholic and resonant writing that’s made him such a staple.
PAID IN MEMORIES x Jessie Reyez
When my college girlfriend first introduced me to Jessie Reyez, she had literally one song out, and we watched the live acoustic version of her singing in what would become her signature, almost whining singing voice somewhere close to the L.A. River near an overpass with highway traffic speeding off in the background. But the lyrics felt so applicable to both of our limited experiences with love that we clung onto it.
Almost a decade later, Jessie still seems to be writing and performing from that same place but with significantly more material. The production on her latest record is the most pop forward to date but she uses it to her advantage and builds an album full of horny jams and unrequited ballads featuring some of Hip-Hop and R&B’s biggest names. With just over 20 songs and clocking in at an hour, it’d be easy to say this is just another overstuffed R&B release, but when every song is dripping with an overabundance of energy, it’s hard to deny the need for each one.
The Crux X Djo
Stranger Things’ Joe Keery very well could have coasted off the success of the biggest streamers’ biggest show, taken the route some of his younger co-stars have taken, and just become more fodder for the machine that is Netflix original content. Instead, he’s become one of the biggest names in the indie pop space, has had multiple hits blow up across social media, most especially 2022’s End of Beginning, a viral sensation that will become a classic in years to come. His newest record shows no signs of him slowing down or coasting on his newfound musical success. He’s still writing fun and energetic records reminiscent of some indie sleaze bands of the late 2000s and early 2010s. I hear The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, and Vampire Weekend all over this record, but with a more upbeat zeal that’ll appeal to older fans of those bands as well as his younger core audience.
I had the great fortune of being born in the 90s, my favorite decade in American filmmaking and music, not only because I was born then, but also because it was one of the last decades where a majority of movies were still shot on film and where hip hop had its golden age. so a few years ago, I saved the top albums from that year, and I finally got around to listening to them all these past few months. I originally wanted to get a sense of what the world was like around the time I was born, and what better way to discover that than to listen to the music that dominated MTV and the radio during that year.
To The Faithful Departed X The Cranberries
A lot of stock is put into the sophomore slump, can a successful band or artist keep the momentum going from a smash first record? often a second record has so much weight put on it that bands crack under the pressure and rush and release sloppy unfinished records that completely turn off their audience. But i think just as much emphasis can be put on a third record’s success. The band has made two successful records but hasn’t necessarily cemented itself in the zeitgeist as a band worth continuing to listen to for years to come, They may feel the need to experiment with their sound to appeal to a wider audience and completely alienate their base. A third record can make or break a band’s reputation for years to come, and The Cranberries’ third offering, To The Faithful Departed, manages to toe the line spectacularly. Partially a eulogy to the man who got them signed and the lead singer, Dolores O’Riordan’s grandfather who passed between the making of their last record it muses on the lives these men led, what people who leave us offer us after their passing, and the tribulations that came with the band’s continued success. O’Riordan’s siren voice still calls to listeners with heartbreaking lyrics about loss and success all tied into a neat yellow melancholy bow.
Older X George Michael
After overrunning the last decade with some of the biggest pop hits on either side of the pond, in ‘96 we find George Michael behind a piano in an upscale bar in a metropolitan hub of the world making smooth, jazzy lounge singer type records that regardless of where they ended up on the charts soothe the souls that survived the raucous club scene of the 80s and find themselves now enjoying the fruits of their labor with a stiff drink in hand and enough money to explore a more relaxed but enticing atmosphere. With no pressure to compete on the charts at the highest level with his peers, you can see that getting Older doesn’t mean you have to stop having fun, you’re idea of what constitutes it just changes slightly.
Murder Ballads X Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
My intro to Nick Cave, like most of the people my age, was the song O, Children on the soundtrack for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, pt. 1
How ignorant did I feel when I discovered he’d been a defining voice of the UK independent/alternative scene for the better part of 2 decades by the time I’d found him. I never dug deep into his discography minus a detour into the album O, Children belonged to (Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus) but in ‘96 he dropped what him and The Bad Seeds consider their “comedy album” a collection of gruesome and violent fable-like songs about unsuspecting victims and blood-thirsty killers that somehow both unsettle and soothe the soul. I imagine listening to these on a moonlit night in Autumn, this somewhat satirical record harkens back to an old style of song that speaks to their English roots, it feels like something you’d hear being sung in a pub around a fire.
18 Til I Die X Bryan Adams
This one is a soft spot for me. Listen, the way people talk about how Phil Collins fucking snapped on Disney’s Tarzan soundtrack they need to talk about how Bryan Adams was going NUTS on the Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron soundtrack. I’ve never heard anything other than that from him and part of me is glad because while it’s a nostalgia pick I can certainly tell now as an adult Bryan Adams isn’t the “cool” pick, his music is a little simple and possibly even a little basic but that very pop rock sound of the 90s that I love shines through in his music and that raspy singing voice he’s got adds a level of charm i can’t resist. This album also has maybe one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard in (I Wanna Be) Your Underwear truly some of the most cringy and unsettling lyrics I’ve ever come across. But the rest of it is serviceable,, it has this very 80’s Bruce Springsteen quality to it that I’m certain wasn’t appealing to everyone in the more cynical 90’s, but to me now almost 30 years later, it hits.
Evil Empire X Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine’s sophomore record almost ended the band entirely, after a bout of infighting that brought about a brief hiatus between recording sessions, the band came back stronger than ever and released one of their best records to date. luckily for listeners, the anger at the system that made them great was greater than any ill will between band members. I gravitated to their music in college, and the dissatisfaction they felt when they looked at the state of the country in ‘96 still resonated with me 20 years on. For the politically minded and despondent youth they’re a prerequisite; their infectious high energy and at times informational lyrics can rally anyone for a revolution.
The Movie
This year, I cut the cord with the streamers and am trying to rely exclusively on the physical media library I’ve amassed over the years and the local theatres in my area. Although my roommate still has a few and I’m signed into a few friends’, I’m trying to use them sparingly to widen my net a little with the films I’m watching and committing to seeing the ones I’m excited about in the theatre. So far, I’ve come across a few new all-time favorites, some horrible, downright offensive watches, and some of the best theatre experiences of my life.
Kneecap
With the same kinetic energy of an Edgar Wright film Kneecap fictionalizes the rise of Ireland’s newest export; IRA-sympathizing, Irish speaking rappers who have it out for the system that oppresses them and intend to drug, drink and fuck their way to freedom. The film follows two friends who start as drug dealers, and after surreptitiously linking up with a disaffected music teacher, begin a campaign of making hip-hop songs in their native tongue about the state of the youth in Ireland. This film just further proves the effect hip-hop has had on the world at large and that music, and more specifically this genre, will always speak to the disenfranchised and angry and will always prove dangerous to those who wish to silence and control their voices.
Babygirl
Look, it’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. After the end of Succession’s historic run and the baton being passed to shows like Industry, I think some would agree that the need for the uber-rich’s perspective is waning in these times. But the erotic thriller feels all but extinct in the conservative sex-negative climate we seem to be hurtling towards, so any attempt at it seems novel and refreshing, and something that directly avoids the male gaze and focuses on female pleasure is needed now more than ever. After her debut (the Gen Z romp that was Bodies Bodies Bodies), Halina Reijn seems intent on creating stories that appeal to a younger and more liberal crowd, and may even be attempting to combat the anti-sexual sentiment among us.
Anora
Sean Baker’s Oscar winner is another surprisingly divisive Best Picture, I was utterly confused by the negative response to Everything, Everywhere, All At Once a few years previous not only because of my love for the film but up until I logged onto Twitter.com (fuck Elon Musk) I was completely unaware that there was any contingent that existed that disliked the film as a whole. Before the Oscars, I’d only heard good things about the film to the point I was convinced it couldn’t live up to the hype. When I finally sat in a PACKED (emphasis on packed) theatre to see it, I was not in the slightest disappointed by what Sean Baker had been able to execute. a slice of life dramedy about a group that had often been relegated to absolute tragedy and criminality on film. Instead, I saw a well-rounded central character, despite the film’s fast-moving pace, who was just as strong as she was cunning. I feel like a lot of the film’s detractors want to chalk up their issues to some moral grandstanding about the lack of intimacy coordination on set and the depiction of sex workers not being accurate according to their perspective (of having one friend who maybe has an Onlyfans) and while i appreciate a dissenting voice that calls into question a films flaws I doubt how much I can trust the expertise of those with less experience with sex workers than the director who has made three films on the subject and has a storied history with them in his personal life. I also think it constantly minimizes the work and talent of the lead actress, who is undeniable in the film.
Conclave
I have little to say about this film, it was great, fantastic performances all around, and had an air of intrigue I don’t think Catholicism has had since Spotlight. But the serendipity of this film being one of the top films of last year, DIRECTLY before the need to select a new pope arose, is kismet pop culture perfection. Priming us all to learn how a new pope is selected and adding a layer of mystery to the process is, in some ways, prophetic.
Nickel Boys
Powerful. I was really lucky to catch this one-of-a-kind film in theatres. I think this is the kind of thing that will be taught in film classes in 10 years. The same way I was watching The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in intro to film, they’ll hopefully show Nickel Boys. It is a constant devastation that parts of black history in this country have to be dramatized in this way to be remembered, every new story uncovered is a new tragedy that we were unaware of the horrors these boys suffered. I was well aware of the residential schools that long housed the youth of Canada’s indigenous population and of course I assumed it happened across North America to other indigenous people’s (if Canada did it, we did it and probably worse) but the fact that this story was more than likely only known to a few regionally, and maybe some scholars is a crime. They hoped that it was a history that would be buried and forgotten just like those boys. Thank god for storytellers like Colson Whitehead and Ramell Ross, who knew the importance of telling this story and doing it unforgettably.
Sing Sing
I don’t think I’ve seen a film this year that has felt so healing. The state of America’s prison system has been well documented. It’s one of the worst in the world, and is dismal considering that there’s known evidence that it does nothing to rehabilitate those housed there, and that it’s all a capitalist scheme meant to further disenfranchise the poor, minorities, and the mentally disabled. This film cracks open the smallest ray of light and hope in the carceral existence of these characters. Before any healing can begin, this film breaks you down to enter a system where humanity is hard to come by. It then shows you how those incarcerated find ways of coping and escaping from their physical state and entering a space where they’re ultimately allowed to discover their humanity again. This film stresses the importance of creativity, art, and self-expression; regardless of your circumstances, it can keep you sane and alive.
To Sleep With Anger
When I first saw Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep in my intro to film class freshman year of college, I was enamored in a way I doubt my white classmates could have been. I think it was my first exposure to seeing black people on screen with this level of tenderness and attention to detail on the ordinary. Not black people in extravagant and unbelievable situations, but instead just living. While perusing the Criterion website as I’m wont to do, I came across another Charles Burnett film starring Danny Glover set in early 1990s Los Angeles. Kind of every buzzword I needed to hear, and i was having it shipped to me directly. Threw it on during BHM with some friends, and while it was somewhat surreal and off-putting, the performances were great, and not all of the symbolism was lost on me. Also, it was insane to see a young Sheryl Lee Ralph here when I was not expecting to. But luckily watching Sinners later this year put it into a greater context and I saw how this one family’s connection to their old lives in the south in many ways came back to haunt them, it provided them some comfort for a time but the longer they held onto their old ways in the physical manifestation of an old friend the more troublesome and life-threatening he became. This is true of so many families in so many cities. We brought so much of our culture with us during the Great Migration, and it helped us stay connected. It’s why you see a fish fry in every hood in America, but as much as it helped, some outdated ways of thinking damaged how we interact with our loved ones.
The Daytrippers
This is what I miss about 90s cinema that I feel like is lacking in the present day film landscape. The 90s independent cinema boom allowed a flood of stories from so many different voices that were daring to do something fresh and original with little to no money. Even more specifically the scene of artists and filmmakers doing work in New York was cementing the image of the city and documenting what the city looked and felt like at the time, of course New York will always be and has always been New York but the idealized image we have of it or at least that I have is of the Seinfeld, Juice, Wu-Tang, and Biggie era of the city. And films like this on a smaller and more localized level give you a sense of the lives of the commuters and young professionals of the time. And how can you go wrong with the 90’s indie darling Parker Posey’s stamp of approval?
Sinners
Best film I’ve seen so far this year, hands down. I don’t even have to talk about the movie here because I know everyone’s seen it and has Taked it to death. Instead, I’d rather talk about the filmmaker and what a film like Sinners’ success means for the industry. Ryan Coogler has sneakily become the most authentic and prolific blockbuster director of his generation. While many seem satisfied to play in the television space, he’s determined to bring what he loves about movies to the big screen. The cultural specificity that he brings to his films isn’t something that turns off the masses but instead entices them. He understands that making shit that black people think is cool will bring EVERYBODY to it. If he’s sacrificing anything to make sure he and his art stay true to himself, I’m unaware of it because he leaves it all on screen for us to behold. When I first saw Fruitvale Station all those years ago, a film that inspires zero re-watches, I thought he did a phenomenal job for a first-time director and hoped to see more from him in the future. I could never have imagined he’d take it this far. This film is special and uniquely genre-focused with mass appeal. I can count on one hand the number of filmmakers capable of doing that, and for maybe the 3rd time, Coogler has cemented himself in film canon.
The Series
Even without any subscriptions of my own I still found a way to watch some of the bigger television releases of this year. Some things took a dip in quality after having a strong couple of season foundation, others came back with not a bang but a whimper, and one show proved itself to be in the conversation for best television of the year, the decade, if not of all time.
Paradise: Season 1
This was a show I had zero intention of ever actually watching. The premise seemed like something straight out of Shondaland that had somehow, through development, been dumped on a streamer by some stroke of luck. Yet, it’s turned out to be a bit of a hybrid between something you’d see on one of the big three networks and a small order streaming show that’s become so popular. Although I’m familiar with James Marsden and am a huge a fan of Sterling K. Brown’s work on This Is Us-I think his turn as Randall Pearson may go down as the most defining work of his career despite his efforts to grow beyond it in subsequent years-this seemed a bit paint by numbers and all of the promotion for it looked a bit dull and underwhelming. Luckily for me, my roommate is the target demo, and this immediately became a show I walked in on her watching, stood there with my hands on my hips, suddenly invested, until I sat down and went back to the pilot. It’s not a groundbreaking piece but it’s the type of show that feels missing from my usual viewing ever since I got rid of cable all those years ago and the last of my network shows dipped in quality enough for me to give up on them entirely (RIP The Good Doctor, the show may still be on but I ain’t watching it). So having a show like this that’s a little cheesy and basic but with enough bite to it to revel in is refreshing.
Abbott Elementary: Season 4
Quinta Brunson is single-handedly keeping network television alive, and I say that with my whole chest. I genuinely think this is the only network television show I’m still watching and the only one I’d ever watch week to week. All that to say, this is the weakest season thus far. It is by no means bad; there were more good episodes than bad, but there were some duds. Gregory and Janine, actually in a functional relationship, could never live up to the will they won’t they slow burn of the first three seasons, but trying to balance that out with a new love interest for Ava was an incredibly smart play on the show’s part. The challenges of the golf course, the public transit strike, and the district becoming an active enemy were pretty entertaining moments but the few episodes that ignored those season long plotlines entirely could be pretty dull (don’t get me started on the It’s Always Sunny crossover) I’m still convinced this is the blackest show on TV and am more than happy to keep watching.
A.P. Bio: Seasons 1-2
Right before I cut my ten-year cord with Netflix, they dropped this on the platform, and while I’m not an Always Sunny fan (can’t get past that first episode, you know the one). I am a fan of all of them individually, and Glenn Howerton has always seemed interesting to me as a leading man. I remember when this show first aired, I remember thinking it would never work. But as time went on, there seemed to be a very strong contingent to keep it on the air, and I do love a scrappy underdog. But I was never invested enough or impressed upon by a fan to figure out where to see it until Netflix dropped it in my lap. Even though I feel like after that second season, where they switch from network to streaming, the quality dips SIGNIFICANTLY to the point it becomes unwatchable, those first two seasons are still brilliant. Anchored by Glenn Howerton’s hilarious performance as a disgraced philosophy professor, what starts as a one-man humiliation ritual slowly becomes a hilarious ensemble comedy. Has some classic tropes at play and some deftly written characters, but takes time to dig into the more emotional aspects of failure, self-actualization, and grief. I can’t recommend the beginning and the beginning only of this show enough.
Invincible: Season 3
I think this show is still finding its footing in so many ways. 3 seasons in, and it generally knows how to stick the landing at the end of each season, but season 1 is still technically the only one that seems to me to have stayed consistent the entire way through. I think, unfortunately, the thing working against it most is time. They had all the time in the world to perfect season 1 because all people knew up until that point was that it was being developed, but they had little to no expectations about another Robert Kirkman property being adapted. It also dropped while the pandemic was still raging and could pick up a lot more viewers than it normally would have, and because of that popularity, waiting long periods for animation to be done well wasn’t something the vast majority of the fan base was ready to do. So instead things were rushed, and it’s evident in not only the quality of this season’s animation (lookin at you PowerPlex) but also entire storylines and characters felt a little more rushed than usual. In comparison to the slow build to season 1’s finale, I was relieved to make it to this finale’s level of quality. That doesn’t mean there weren’t aspects of the rest of the season I enjoyed, but it just felt imbalanced.
Daredevil Born Again: Season 1
I hate to say, maybe it was never gonna live up to what that Netflix show was. Disney is allergic to letting something good stay that way. The one exception may be Rogue One and Andor. Under the circumstances of having new creators brought in who tried to completely disregard what made Daredevil a character people loved in the shows original iteration, and then bringing in the original creators to clean up their mess.) this has some very clear moments of greatness and captures some of what you loved about the Netflix show. I’ll say that the first episode from start to finish had me somewhat optimistic, but from episode to episode, that feeling came and went. I think our two leads understand their characters and hold the show down for the most part, even when they don’t have great material. This feels like a hobbled-together piece, throwing in random bits from the MCU and the show’s original run to appease fans. But I’m also not delusional about the quality of the Netflix series dipping over it’s run, as soon as they tried to open it up into it’s own smaller universe each show seemed to be getting incrementally worse until we got Luke Cage Season 2 (got one episode in) and Iron Fist (didn’t even try). I’m still hopeful that the second season can right this ship because I want more of these characters, and I don’t want them to have brought it back just for this.
White Lotus: Season 3
I think this show may have the most contentious opinions in terms of quality between seasons. I am a huge fan of the 2nd, enjoyed the first one as well, maybe not as much, and I am indifferent to this one. It has not stayed with me in the same way, and I genuinely think it’s not as tight. Allegedly, some storylines were left on the cutting room floor that make this feel somewhat disjointed and nowhere near the same level as the previous seasons. I think it’s just one of those shows that is cursed by its popularity and may have been influenced by its viewership. It’s not just the incestuous nature of one of the storylines that feels like (wtf?), but even beyond that unsettling piece of the story. The other characters have seemingly rushed and maybe a bit obvious endings. While not a total waste, I feel like there’s always something interesting being said about the wealthy and power dynamics among the different classes; this season just doesn’t seem to come to a really clear conclusion about any of it. Maybe that wealth can corrupt any of us? Not sure, but I think any casual fan of the show will still be able to enjoy it for the most part, all the other staples of the seriesare present.
Severance: Season 2
Another pandemic watch that felt unfairly boosted by the fact that everyone was trapped inside, which also had a long hiatus between seasons but never lost the interest of its audience. Going into this second season, I was worried that maybe the cliffhanger at the end of Season 1 was the thing that made it so popular and after all this time, it just had a great ending. What if the long wait wasn’t worth it and it was all hype? Incorrect. Blown away. It’s some of the best TV of the year and if it continues in this direction we’re gonna have to recontextualize the conversation about the best TV shows all time and the new cliffhanger blows the other one out of the water. I had forgotten that the design of this world was also part of the draw. The overwhelming blandness of corporate office life became a prison for some of our characters and suddenly the image for what may be the epitome of conformity suddenly became an edgy and terrifying backdrop for a sci-fi thriller.
The Sopranos: Seasons 4-6
I always try to keep at least one classic watch in the tank, either something I never finished or a prestige show I just hadn’t gotten around to yet, and after years of seemingly avoiding it, the Italian crime drama made it to the top of the list. This show, much like its protagonist, towers over the TV landscape with an imposing and somewhat daunting presence. Sometimes it feels as if it couldn’t possibly live up to the hype it’s amassed over almost twenty years since it went off the air. I was still a tween when that unprecedented ending first hit screens and was still aware of how impactful it was. Finally seeing it play out for myself after watching these characters fuck, fight, and feast season after season was nothing short of astounding, the idea that a show was able to stay this consistent over this many years. Even their weakest season would be some shows’ apex. Some of the shows it gets compared to seem to pale in comparison, and it feels like an insult to even put them in the same conversation. The principal cast all get their moment to elevate the form throughout the entire series run, even the day players can have a moment that leaves you rethinking your entire existence and moral philosophies. I will say a takeaway I kept coming back to was that The Wire, a show I watched a few years before I got to this, is always in the same conversation as The Sopranos as one of the best shows ever produced for TV and I do feel as if it is unfairly misaligned and drops to the 2nd-4th spots of the best of all time conversation and I think it’s entirely because it lived in this shows shadow. This story of a family of Italian mobsters in Jersey started a year or two before the story of the drug game in Baltimore and maybe unintentionally these shows about two different sides of the criminal underworld (on the same network) were pitted against each other and the show with the primarily black cast has nowhere near the cultural cache as the one about the atypical white nuclear family. While I will admit that The Wire does not have the same consistency over 5 seasons of television (still a docks/port season defender), its highs are greater than its lows and at times greater than The Sopranos’. I know the promotion for each was different, and a lot more time and money went into getting The Sopranos screened in more homes as the show’s popularity took off, but we do have to ask why that is. What makes one show more marketable than the other, and what does that mean for each individual show’s lasting impact? I’m grateful that we have a more diverse television landscape now and that there’s plenty of room for shows with more traditionally popular casts and more diverse ones to co-exist but I worry that a show as important, well written, and indelible as The Wire is still having it’s legacy overshadowed by that of The Sopranos.
The Novel
I finally started to sink into the growing stack of books on my coffee table and listen to a few audiobooks that have been in my Spotify library for years. I also tried to keep the balance between fiction and non-fiction, even though I almost exclusively read memoirs and historical books in 2024.
Before The Fall by Noah Hawley
A random pickup from my trip to Houston a few years back. Found in a fun little bookstore with two cats running around and a pimped out kids section, I’m talking bean bag chairs and little princess thrones, it was fantastic. I truly think it was two for one after I’d already purchased another. A professor of conspiracy theories suddenly finds himself embroiled in one and has to use the resources he’s amassed from years of research to solve his wife’s murder. Written by Noah Hawley, when I picked it up, I had no idea he was mostly known for writing television, including some of my favorites like Fargo and Legion, but has a few novels under his belt as well and while this works purely in print i can 100% see the Ben Affleck led version of this on a big screen.
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Actually, my favorite writer. I’ve read all of his works up to this point, and following his foray into fiction with a globe-trotting novel about the biggest conflict of our time is just so him, and it’s why I feel his work is essential to the moment. The Message impresses upon the reader the need for writers and artists to keep a record of what’s happening in the current climate. It also calls into question the authors own past works in which he equated the situation that has been occurring in Palestine for decades to the Jim Crow South to make a case for reparations for the descendants of slaves in the United States and in traveling to what is now Israel he comes to understand how inaccurate his comparison was. He lays out the facts of what life in Palestine is and unflinchingly calls it what it is, an apartheid state and a genocide. This book is equal parts history lesson and call to action, and is essential reading for those committed to the cause.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
A class tragedy. A revenge story. Two people who grew up together are so clearly in love, but societal expectations drive them away from each other and make everyone around them miserable. This was an audiobook that had been sitting in my library for years, and it’s taken me completely by surprise. Emily Brontë has created conditions in which both of these individuals become insufferable, but the reader is devastated because even when they’re being horrible to one another and the people around them, they deserve each other. Cathy wasn’t shit and I completely respect Heathcliff getting his get back on everyone in this story but when his years long machinations don’t go fully to plan he makes it everyone’s problem. Equal parts Pride and Prejudice and The Count of Monte Cristo.