Television
The Righteous Gemstones S4E3 (Max)
Ahh, I didn’t watch it yet! So you’ll get a double header next week. Does anyone care? I do not know, and am mostly doing this for me, so…
Side Quest – S1 (AppleTV+)
This was a four-episode, uh, side quest from the same universe as Mythic Quest.
The first episode was familiar: the art director (Derek Waters) and his girlfriend are on vacation, constantly interrupted by Creative Director Ian Grimm (Rob McElhenney). It was a good start, with characters we knew in a new location but acting in the same ways. It tackles the age-old (or capitalism-old) problem of work/life balance and what your employer is owed while you are on your own time.
Episode 2 took us entirely out of the familiar Mythic Quest world and put us in a Black-owned comic shop where 5 of her customers are waiting for the same comic book (it’s a Mythic Quest comic!).
I think this one was my favorite. It had someone I already loved (William Stanford Davis from Abbott Elementary and Shalita Grant, who played the incomparable Cassidy Diamond in season 3 of Search Party) and some other actors who I could see doing big things in the future. The standout in that category for me was Ramon Reed, who has excellent control over his body, almost like a dancer.
The third episode was about a cellist, and while this one had promise in the beginning, I felt like it was the weakest of the four. It just felt a bit too heavy-handed for me.
The final episode took place inside of Mythic Quest, the game. A group of friends who have been raiding together. It was fun, but the best part was a 7-year-old who constantly farted.
Hacks S1-3 rewatch (Max)
Good as hell.
The White Lotus – S3E6 (MAX)
This one deserves its own post, so here it is. It probably won’t be up until Wednesday.
Mythic Quest S4E10 (AppleTV+)
I never shipped Poppy and Ian, so I don’t know how I feel about this at all. I don’t think Ian should be in a relationship at all until he does a hell of a lot of growth and healing. Otherwise, he will continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.
And I don’t mean just going to therapy to say he’s going. I mean really doing the hard work of healing. It’s hard, but there’s honestly nothing better than seeing the results and the rewards that come with it.
I really hope there is a season 5 so I can see the resolution.
Abbott Elementary (Hulu)
Another solid entry from the crew.
Australian Survivor Season 12: Brains vs. Brawn 2 E16-18
The tides have turned, and now both Logan and I are 100% on team Kaelen now. Listen to us talk about the latest three episodes of this fabulous season of Australian Survivor here.
Dimension 20: Fantasy High (Dropout TV)
We finished this season on the same day my Augefort Owlbears sweater (hoot. growl.) and talking Gilear plush arrived. The finale was incredible. Like the previous seasons were. They are full of action that I can follow, emotions I can feel and, again, some of the best, freshest storytelling I’ve seen in years.
Very Important People (Dropout TV)
This was one of my favorites of the season and I can’t really put my finger on why. The guest was Paul Robalino, and the character he created was Skyler DeMarco, a sweepstakes winner.
I am a dork and watch a lot of behind-the-scenes and special features, so I was familiar with Paul from the times when he wore a producer hat. I was not, however, familiar with him as a performer, and he is delightful.
He was not as skilled as some other performers this season, and I think that worked for him. Vic played off him so well, and I can’t stop sticking out my tongue and going, “Ah!”.
I know we are winding down to the last few episodes of this season, and I am honestly very sad.
But hopefully, that means Thousandaires will be coming back soon!
Um… Actually (Dropout TV)
We randomly put the latest episode on, and, for the first time, I understood why this show exists. It’s not to truly be a competition, which is how my brain was watching it before. It exists so people can geek out about the tiny lil fandoms or nuggets of trivia that they are obsessed with.
Now, I’m on board. I think the change from Mike Trapp to Ify Nwadiwe was a good one, as well.
SNL: Mikey Madison (Peacock)
This is quite an unpopular opinion, but I loved this episode. It felt unhinged in the best way. Midway through, my brain said to me, “Jacki, this feels like Mikey Madison really wanted to take an improv class but ended up on SNL instead.”
It really vibed with my brain.
I was howling at the Spring Break pretape.
And Devon Walker’s Weekend Update appearance was by far my favorite thing he’s ever done on the show. And it felt like he was comfortable doing it.
Oh and I did not like Morgan Wallen’s music or stages or expressions or the way he didn’t acknowledge the cast and just walked off stage abruptly. I hope he never goes back on the show.
Movies
Death of a Unicorn (In Theater, thanks to my aaa24 subscription)
You know what? This was fun. It was a good movie, but not great. Fun performances, fun concept. Gorgeous Unicorn blood. It’s like a pop song of a movie.
My interest was held throughout, but I didn’t walk away knowing anything new about the world or myself. I guess that is what I look for in my media.
Or a score or soundtrack to get obssessed with. While there are a few catchy tunes in the score, there is nothing obsession worthy. I’ve started listening to the score when I get home from a movie and it’s been a fun experience.
However, watching the previous free A24 movie did cause me to become utterly obsessed with John Malkovitch’s pop career.
