Somebody Somewhere needs to be EVERYWHERE!

 

Courtesy of IMDb

I kept hearing buzz about Somebody Somewhere. It was recommended a lot in a Schitt's Creek fan group. Then Jennifer Weiner recommended it. I also saw some posts from my friends. So I decided to give it a whirl. And I'm SO glad I did!!! If you have not watched yet, here are some reasons you'll want to check it out. And if you are a fan like me, go past the trailer for some thoughts with spoilers included.

Somebody Somewhere is basically about a woman living in a Midwestern small-town suburb/rural area. Her sister passed away and now she feels unmoored. With the help of some friends, she tries to find herself again. I'm just giving you the basics since there's so much more to the story. Also, keep in mind that it is pretty crass, especially in terms of the language being used. The c-word is thrown around a lot. There's also a bunch of toilet humor. None of that bothers me, but I wanted to give a fair warning. However, it's worth getting through the crass stuff to experience the heart of the show. I really just love everything about this show and can't stop thinking about it. I wish each season was longer than just seven thirty-minute episodes. 

I hadn't really ever seen most of the actors, but there were a few familiar faces scattered about. One of them is in season two and I only vaguely remember this actor from Will and Grace. (You'll see...) I like that it was mostly actors who were new to me. They all did a great job as an ensemble cast.

I just wish it was available in a way so that everyone could watch it. 

Reasons to watch Somebody Somewhere (there are more than 10 this time):

1. It's funny! I definitely laughed out loud a lot from each episode.

2. Sam's friendship with Joel is everything. It reminds me of David and Stevie's friendship on Schitt's Creek and makes me wish that my gay best friends still lived around the corner.

Courtesy of Chicago Sun-Times

3. Sam's voice. I don't know what it is, but the lower tone is just soothing to listen to. Especially since her sister (the other one who is still alive) sometimes sounds like Karen from Will and Grace. I enjoyed hearing her sing too.

4. Two words: Fred Rococo. You'll see... (Fred is the best. Seriously!) 

Courtesy of Jezebel

5. It has so many emotional highs and lows and you just feel like you're on this ride with Sam the whole time.

6. It's so honest and genuine. People are flawed and no one holds back from being who they are. 

7. Mike Hagerty plays Sam's dad. I mostly remember him from Overboard and Friends. He's really good in this role and just so sweet too. Even though Mike passed away, they didn't kill him off on the show. (This is not a spoiler, but it's also good to know if you don't want to watch him die all over again on a TV series.)

Courtesy of The New York Times

8. So much great LGBTQ+ representation! 🌈

9. The music! Lots of eighties throwback tunes. 

10. The cozy small-town feel. While it's not always great that everyone knows everyone else's business, I can also see why it appeals to Schitt's Creek fans (like myself) so much.

11. Everyone is so likable! Well, almost everyone. There are a couple of characters who are meant to be unlikable. But they are small potatoes and only indirectly affect Sam's life. There is one character I didn't like at first, but I now love.

12. There's no body shaming. Sam sometimes will make fun of herself, but she also is confident enough to sit around in a T-shirt and underpants while her friends are over. It's refreshing and keeps the triggers away. 

13. Sam is so relatable. I just felt so connected to her the entire time. 

14. It's being renewed for a third season because it's just that good! I'm going to go through withdrawal waiting for season three though. I miss this show so much already!

Fun side note: In one of the episodes, I recognized the first improv teacher I had at Comedy Sportz. So cool!!! (The last time I saw him was at my bachelorette party, over 19 years ago.) 

Have I sold you yet? If not, check out the trailer here:

   

 SPOILERS:

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Favorite characters:

Sam: Obviously! Such a great lead character. I said this earlier, but I definitely found her relatable in so many ways. I really liked when she put people in their place and said what she was thinking. She was also a good sister to Tricia, even though Tricia could be passive-aggressive toward her sometimes. 

Joel: At first, I thought he was going to be annoying, but after a few minutes, I realized how great he truly is. He's just so incredibly kind and I couldn't see him even hurting a fly. I loved when he went out in the storm to get the dog. His friendship with Sam was just so much fun to watch and I loved everything about it.

Fred: As I said before, Fred is the best! He has such a great personality and I love how he's always so friendly and fun to be around. He has the best sense of humor too. I love how sweet he is to his wife, as well. 

Tricia: I didn't like her for the first couple of episodes, but then she grew on me and I started liking her a lot. I felt so bad about her situation with Rick cheating on her with her best friend. I was cheering her on when she told Charity off and when she made those pillows. I like how she started to appreciate Sam more and show that she cared about her well-being. I was also surprised that she's my age, since she looks way younger. 

Ed: Sam and Tricia's dad is so wonderful. I just like everything about him. The way he dotes upon his wife made me think of how my grandpa was with my grandma. Even when he wasn't on season two, I still felt his presence. 

Least favorite characters:

Charity and Rick. That's all. Charity a lot more than Rick, only because she kept making things worse for Tricia afterward with all her stupid lies and not taking any responsibility for what happened. Grrr... 

Honestly, the mom was a piece of work, but she also was an alcoholic and beyond help after she had her stroke. It just hurt to find out that she wouldn't let Ed come to see her. I wonder what will come of her being at the place in Wichita. 

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Is it just me, or was anyone else confused by how much time had passed between the first and second season and all that had happened during that time? Like when did the mom have a stroke? Why was Joel suddenly renting out his house? Did Tricia's store close down because of what happened with Charity and Rick? Why were they getting rid of the stuff in the barn? I felt like there were missing pieces I was trying to fit into some puzzle. (If I missed something and someone wants to answer any of these questions, I would appreciate it!)

I really liked "Choir Practice" and I wish they had continued it even after Joel confessed to the priest about lying about what it really was. I thought they were setting up the barn as a new "Choir Practice" venue, but then it seemed like nothing ever came of it. When Sam first went there, it made me think of when I first started going to Rocky Horror. Everyone was just so friendly, welcoming, and accepting. I felt like I truly fit in somewhere for the first time and I can imagine Sam felt the same at "Choir Practice."

I wish Sam would have confronted the girl who slandered her in her book. That would have been fun to see.

If you have made it this far, tell me what you love most about Somebody, Somewhere.

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Think Pink: My thoughts on Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies

Courtesy of IMDb

At first, I was hesitant to watch Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. The trailer wasn't grabbing my attention enough. However, a friend had posted about it being good, so I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! While I've always been a Grease (and Grease 2) fan, this show blows both movies out of the water. It's so progressive and it touches upon real issues, even while being set in the 1950s. It's like a cross between Glee, Degrassi, and season seven of Riverdale. And it's a musical too. A 10-episode musical, to be exact! Each episode has a few song and dance numbers. Most of them are fast-paced, but there are a few ballads too. 

Courtesy of Variety

I hadn't seen any of the actresses on this show before, but after looking on IMDb, some of them had small roles in other shows I've seen. The one familiar face is Jackie Hoffman, who is also currently on Only Murders in the Building. She plays Principal McGee, who is actually an assistant principal during this time period, which is a prequel to Grease. She is perfect for the role and has some great moments. I actually saw her perform a long time ago at Second City Northwest, along with Nia Vardalos of Greek Wedding fame.

Along with being progressive, I love that there's a lot of diversity and that an LGBTQ+ storyline is included.

Take a look at the trailer and then give this show a try! It's so worthwhile. After you're done, do not go any further, as there will be SPOILERS for everyone who has seen all ten episodes.

SPOILERS below.

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Overall, I really enjoyed this series. There are a few things that I wish had been done differently, but I will write about that soon enough.

Thoughts on the four main characters:

Jane: She sometimes came off as a goody-two-shoes, but I like how empowered she became when she connected with the three other girls and formed the Pink Ladies. I also appreciated some of her badass moves in response to how Buddy's group was treating her. She was annoying with the love triangle and I wish she had just picked someone. 

Fun side note: I learned that the actress who plays her, Marisa Davila, was on an episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend a while back. Here's a song where she is featured.

Cynthia: I liked Cynthia overall. She kind of reminded me of Adam from Degrassi, but mostly in appearance. I love that she got an LGBTQ+ storyline on the show and I wish she had handled it better instead of having to make a grand gesture later on. Like maybe she could have actually talked to Lydia about how she was feeling earlier on. However, I know in that time period, it was scary to confront such feelings.

Olivia: While she has the best singing voice in the group, her tetchiness got to be too much. She was too standoffish with her friends. I also didn't like the whole plot involving her relationship with Mr. Daniels. She was already screwed over by him and she kept going back to him anyway. I'm glad her friends got her to come to her senses at the end. While I felt bad for her about things not working on with Gil, she had her chance and blew it to be with Mr. Daniels instead. 

Nancy: She is my favorite from this group as she is fun and quirky and tells it like it is. I felt like she could have been utilized better. Her storylines were basically about her fashion skills or her back-and-forth interest in Potato. I feel like she could be working with more challenges than she currently is. Having said that, I loved her reaction to Cynthia's confession. And I love how she cares about keeping the Pink Ladies together.

Thoughts on some of the other characters:

Hazel: I like her a lot. She's smart, talented, and has a good head on her shoulders. I'm glad she got invited to join the Pink Ladies. She'll be a great addition to the group.

Buddy: I'm glad he grew a spine even though it took him a while. He should have spoken up about the election results as soon as he found out. I'm glad he at least confessed to starting the fight with Richie. I like his friendship with Hazel, even though it sounds like he has feelings for her now, which could complicate things for her and Wally. 

Susan: I really had hopes that she would change after the episode where she sang about how she didn't really like the life she has. (It reminded me of Alyssa's song in The Prom.) She was even trying to be nice to the Pink Ladies and may have succeeded in that if her mom hadn't been so horribly awful. Then she just went back to being a mean girl again. 

Richie: I thought he was an enticing love interest for Jane until he let his jealousy and assumptions get in the way of that. I love how he showed his vulnerable side to his friends and I also hate that he got expelled after the fight. I heard that the actor left the show though. 

Lydia: At first she seemed intimidating, but then I liked how she helped Cynthia and I am glad she explained to Cynthia why she didn't trust her later on. It also explains why she was so guarded in the first place. 

Fun side note: I recently saw someone in my neighborhood who looks very similar to her, but I didn't pick up on that similarity until watching this show. Maybe it's because of the hairstyle. Niamh Wilson played a somewhat similar character in Degrassi but had a different look.

Assistant Principal McGee: At first, I didn't like how she was so hard on the Pink Ladies. Like she singled them out and gave them all this extra work for just being themselves. However, I liked that she picked up on the shenanigans going on at the school and that she eventually saw their side of things. I love when she caught them taking a part from the principal's car and acted like she had vision problems so that they would get away with it. I also love how she told off the principal in the last episode. And it was fun that she got her own song in one of the episodes.

I also loved young Frenchie and Rizzo. The girl who played Frenchie did her voice so well! And Rizzo was just full of attitude. Dot was fun for comic relief, but it was hard to take her seriously overall. She looked like a young Jan and also reminded me of Dolores from Grease 2. I think it's just the pigtails.

Onto the music. There were a lot of songs I really enjoyed, and some that just didn't do it for me. The imperfect rhyming got really annoying and some songs just didn't carry the feel from the time period. I liked the cover of "Grease is the Word" as well.

Favorite songs:

"Face to Face": Had a 90's girl band feel to it. 

"Please Please Please": I loved the tune, the vocal combo, and the artistry.

"Land Don't Look So Bad": I liked Hazel and Wally having a song together and it had a great sound.

"Girls Can't Drive": We get to see a different side of Susan. This is the one that reminded me of "Alyssa Greene".

"Merely Players": The LGBTQ+ aspect, obviously. But also, it was really well done.

"Take the Wheel": This one was just a lot of fun and I liked Jane's confidence.

Least favorite songs:

"In the Club": Unnecessary and boring.

"Girl Gang": It was trying to be like "The Telephone Hour" from Bye Bye Birdie, but it failed. Just really annoying.

"Carelessly": It felt pretty cheesy and I didn't like how they dragged out the word "care" in the chorus.

"Hit Me Again": Richie is challenging his friends to fist fight with him. 

"Pulling Strings": It has a Coldplay feel to it and it's mostly Buddy talking about why he's too much of a coward to speak up about what his father did.

"The Hand Jive": The mneumonic device for the hand moves is what seals the deal for this one being on my least favorites list.

Also, did the year fly by the same way it does in the movie? It felt like it was just Halloween and the fall ball, and then they're having this spring carnival? Did I miss something?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this show. I really hope there will be a second season!

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