My husband and I recently watched The OA on Netflix. It was marketed as perfect for fans of Stranger Things. There definitely were some elements that reminded me of ST, such as the nosebleeds and a scene involving a waffle. It ended on a bizarre and confusing note, so I'm glad there will be a second season. And it can't get here soon enough!
Here's a trailer, in case you want to see what it's all about:
And here are some reasons to watch this fascinating series (at least in my opinion). I don't think there are any spoilers here, as I am keeping it vague:
1. One of the creators is named Zal Batmanglij. Is that not the most bad-ass name ever?!?
2. Brit Marling (Prairie) is girlcrush-worthy. She's beautiful and ethereal. I just love watching her.
3. One word: Homer. Emory Cohen brings this character to life in such incredible ways. He's my second favorite after Prairie.
4. It features Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter films) and Phyllis Smith (Sadness from Inside Out; also on The Office)
5. There is a transgender character. I wish they shared more of his story. Hoping that will happen in season two. He has a great singing voice.
6. The story is just so compelling. I found myself getting totally drawn in.
7. "Product placement" of Costco. (I don't know what to call it if it's a store instead of a product.)
8. The violin piece that is absolutely haunting.
9. There is some really cool cinematography in various parts of the show.
I hope you get a chance to watch The OA (or are as into it as I am) because I would love to discuss it more!
(Side note: Lately, I want to sing "We Know the Way" from Moana so I can say "O-A, O-A...")
I know I am totally late to the game, but I finally started watching Gilmore Girls from the very beginning....and now I'm hooked. I think I didn't watch it originally because it conflicted with Friends when it first premiered in 2000. And then I was also exactly eight years between Lorelai and Rory's ages at the time, so I was worried I wouldn't be able to relate. Funny thing is that I'm now eight years older than Lorelai started out on the series, but it's different now. I'm just so glad I decided to give the show a chance. The banter is witty and makes me laugh out loud.
I love the small town feel of Stars Hollow with all their traditions and town hall meetings. Everyone seems to know each other's business. Everyone in the town is such a character in their own right. I especially love Miss Patty, the former stage star who teaches dance class and constantly gives her opinion. And how often do you visit a town where there's a troubadour?!?
I even like Lorelai's parents, Emily and Richard. I didn't like Emily in the beginning, but now I'm seeing her good side, even when she makes me so angry sometimes. Then there's Paris, whom my friend said is her favorite. I'm starting to see why and I get so frustrated when Rory ends up on her bad side. They have such good friendship potential. Paris' friends are too shallow for her! I adore Lane too (her mom is a piece of work though). And Sookie! Melissa McCarthy plays that role to perfection. Michel has even grown on me. It seems like the angry harp player (played by Alex Borstein, who does the voice of Lois on Family Guy) has disappeared though.
And, of course, there's Luke. I'm totally shipping him and Lorelai! The show was written that way, right? Kind of like how Ross and Rachel started out on Friends? Or how Mindy and Danny started out on The Mindy Project? Some characters are just meant to be shipped!
Since I don't have the time or patience to analyze and discuss every episode, I'm just going to share my favorites from the season. I did get some spoilers from Lauren Graham's new book, but it didn't ruin the surprise feel of certain moments. And I'll probably forget the others down the road and be totally shocked.
What I didn't know is that Rory's name is also Lorelai. Fun fact!
If you haven't watched this series (a newbie like me), look no further as you will either see spoilers or won't understand what I'm talking about. In the meantime, here's a trailer for season one (apologies for the quality):
Favorite episodes:
1. Pilot: It really establishes the plot and characters, which made me know why I couldn't stop at just one episode!
4. The Deer Hunters: I love the whole scene with Lorelai telling off the principal of Chilton.
7. Kiss and Tell: I love how everyone is making a big deal over Luke not having an autumn motif in his diner. And Rory's reaction to her first kiss from Dean is cute. I also love that Lorelai invites Dean to movie night at their house and gives him the "don't hurt my daughter" talk.
12. Double Date: Rune was so weird and rude, but I love how this kicked things off for Sookie and Jackson. I even love when Jackson told Rune to go bowling by himself. And there was definite chemistry between Lorelai and Luke when they were hanging out at the diner after the fancy restaurant idea went bust.
13. Concert Interruptus: I loved seeing a new side of Paris in this episode.
17: The Breakup, Part 2: I think the best part was when Rory finally "wallowed." My heart just went out to her. I loved most aspects of this episode from Lane meeting a new guy at the party and not wanting to admit she was having fun, to seeing Summer break up with Tristan, to Sookie being a control freak when Jackson was trying to cook for her, etc.
20. P.S. I Love You: There were a lot of funny and really good moments. I wouldn't mind having someone cook a fancy breakfast for me in the morning, so I envied Rory a bit when she ended up at her grandparents' place.
21. Love, Daisies, and Troubadours: I love the pissing match between Max and Luke (you know I wanted Luke to win that one), and Dean and Rory's kiss at the end is so perfect. There were just some really great moments overall and I can't wait to see where this goes!
The way things are going in our country right now, some comic relief is definitely needed. My go-to humorist is the clever, talented, and wickedly funny...Randy Rainbow! He's like Broadway's answer to Weird Al. Perhaps snarkier. When he puts out a new video, my day is complete. And yes, he makes fun of the Cheeto all the time and doesn't apologize for it. The Cheeto is too worried about Alec Baldwin or his imagined popularity and grandeur to attack Randy, which is just fine by me. I even let my kids listen to some of the videos that aren't offensive and they think he is funny too.
I'm sharing some of his videos that I like best. I recently discovered that he does more than just ridicule the Cheeto. He has some stuff out there from a few years ago that just has me in tears (the good kind).
Here's a video he did prior to the Tony's. Probably one of the better "Alexander Hamilton" parodies out there!
This is one of my favorites. Done after the Hamilton "incident" in November.
If you've never seen Into the Woods or don't know all the songs that well, you won't appreciate this as much as I did.
This was my introduction to Randy. He had me at "Super..."
I just found it recently. While I love that he used a song from Thoroughly Modern Millie, it also is bittersweet.
I also just found this recently...a RENT parody!!! So perfectly funny.
He also does great interviews that rival the ones Weird Al has done in the past. His interviews remind me of a friend I grew up with who would make tapes where he was interviewing our Rabbi and fitting in all the Hebrew words to match his questions (or vice versa). Most of them are political, but I'll keep it neutral for now. He did a funny interview with Barbra Streisand last year.
This is just a taste of his awesomeness. If you like these, visit him at his YouTube channel, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
