Hey friends! Hope summer is treating you well so far. Things are stressful and yet slow on my end. I’m waiting for summer activities to pick up. If you’ve been watching the news, you know that the air quality has been on quite a journey lately. The sky seems to be back its normal self, although I’ve noticed the air quality to be a little less stable. I didn’t have any clarity on what I wanted to share, but since I have been watching a bit of television, I figured I’d share that with you.
Let’s start with a throwback.
Pretty Little Liars
For a fit of nostalgia, I started rewatching Pretty Little Liars. At first, I enjoyed it. But now at the end of season 3, I almost wished I didn’t. It’s absolutely a fun show. I loved watching it in high school every Tuesday night at 8pm. But binge watching has made me realize how flawed it is. To clarify, Pretty Little Liars is a show about a group of girls who get harassed by an anonymous person a year after the death of one of their friends.
Is the show great at setting up mystery? Yes, absolutely! Is it great at getting me to care about where the story is headed? Yes. But does it make me feel satisfied? No. I honestly feel like the show is like being on TikTok. You love the quick hits of dopamine but since you’re not getting any substantial, you just feel empty. The revelations the show gives aren’t as great as when I first watched it. Mostly because I see the plot holes and the things that make no sense. I’ve come away with more gripes with the show instead of reveling in the nostalgia.
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HIMYM + HIMYF
I am currently watching these two in tandem with a friend, and it’s one of my favorite things. I am enjoying How I Met Your Father as a new show, but it does lack some serious things that I love about the original. It lacks that clear sense of direction that the original seemed to have. There isn’t as much playing around with perspective and chronology. The show lacks a cohesion because there are so many characters, yet I remain deeply invested.
I have some predictions that I am intrigued to see pan out. My guess is that Sid is the father. The how is not something I understand, but I feel like I love the friendship between Sid and Sophie the most. Sophie’s the type to have her head in the clouds and Sid grounds her, but they both can boost each up. I would be shocked, however, if Sophie didn’t end up with Jesse or Ian, though. I hope to see Josh Radnor reprise his role as Ted, and give some advice!
The Crown
Where HIMYF fall short, The Crown succeeds. I only restarted this show, and I’m honestly confused why I stopped watching it. I’m currently at season 4, which is painful to watch because you know what’s coming, but I am enjoying it. The Crown is making me wish I created videos instead of writing this blog. I love writing but the incredible cinematography this show has is just insane. The camera angles and the way that it can feel at times so intimate and so removed. I honestly think that the cinematography might be one of the things that sets The Crown apart. I don’t know another show I can think of in which camera angles are used the same way.
And the dark filter! In season 3, episode 9, Imbroglio, there’s a whole story about England needing to conserve electricity, so it’s dark and everyone is using candles, and it makes you feel like Charles has now been placed in the dark because of what his family has done. (It give them a sympathetic portrayal, which is interesting framing-wise considering what’s happened.) I love how cinematographer Adriano Goldman has used light and framing and camera angles in the show. It’s captured my attention and makes me want to watch the show from the beginning from that perspective again!
Actually, if you don’t believe me about the cinematography that I can’t stop raving about, then believe that Adriano Goldman got an Emmy for The Crown!
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Let’s get less serious again!
Parks and Recreation
I started watching Parks and Rec. It’s definitely a show when I want to watch something fun. I love Leslie! She gives me goody-two shoes vibes but still very fun. I honestly haven’t gotten deep into any storyline yet. It’s all just one off episodes right now. One thing I do hate is how badly they treat Jerry. Humor is fine as long as it’s not hurting someone. It feels like it’s just cruel, and that can make it a little hard to watch.
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iCarly
I started watching the revival version of iCarly. It’s such a fun show! It doesn’t take itself too seriously and that’s why it works as a comedy. I think How I Met Your Mother is an anomaly in that it works as a comedy and a deeper drama on love and life. But iCarly makes me laugh, and it had me rooting for Carly and Freddie to get together, which is an absolute delight.
House of Cards
Apparently, I love going back to shows I’ve stopped watching for whatever reason. House of Cards is the perfect show if you love politics but also the more calculated mind game. It feels like chess but in the White House. It’s definitely not PG, but it’s definitely engrossing. It’s rooting for an anti-hero for sure. But at least with Frank, we understand what he wants, even if we don’t agree with its methods. Nothing much to say other than I really do enjoy watching Frank puzzle piece his way through the White House.
Hopefully next week, I will come back with something more substantial. But I guess this post is just a reminder that small pleasures matter too.
Sincerely,
Gigi
Studying Life with Gigi 