What We're Watching, Vol. 4

At The Attic on Eighth, we are obviously a multimedia bunch, with our regular reading discussions and film lists. In fact, some of our very first interactions as friends were excitedly messaging scene for scene reactions to some of our favorite shows across oceans and time zones. In this monthly series we paraphrase group chats surrounding our most recent views. Nothing keeps us together like binge-watching together, even if we’re not in the same room.

---

Photo by Raquel Reyes

With summer becoming almost unbearably long (due no doubt to the unbearable heat waves that have been plaguing the planet), sometimes all we want to do – or all we can do – on an afternoon or evening is to sit back, turn on every fan we have, and binge watch a show or two.

This month, we talk critically acclaimed sitcom Schitt’s Creek, female driven historical dramas, and rewatches of our comforting favorites.

Olivia Gündüz-Willemin

With the string of heat waves continental Europe has been dealing with and a string of similarly unpleasant life events striking unannounced this summer, television has been a bit of a balm to my soul. I haven’t been able to focus much on reading, and finally giving in to some shows I’ve wanted to watch for a while has given me the much needed jolts of culture and fiction that I find I regularly need. Without a doubt, the main show on my radar this past month has been Schitt’s Creek. 

I started the show a couple of months ago, after years of not being able to find the episodes (it isn’t on Netflix in Switzerland, which is quite honestly shameful), paused for a couple of months for reasons, and then marathoned its last three seasons in July (a sixth and final season has yet to air). Both Raquel and our old Lifestyle Editor Lee have been raving about Schitt’s Creek to me and to each other for years. I know from experience that if both of them love something, there’s an almost zero chance that I won’t enjoy whatever it is (as long as it isn’t horror). Thankfully both for Schitt’s Creek and me, trusting them paid off. 

It is without a doubt one of the best shows I have ever seen. It’s funny in the very best ways. It’s satirical and self-conscious and socially-aware and it creates incredible characters, but it does so with great soul. It makes you feel so deeply that you forget you’re watching a sitcom. It also attacks you to your core in that way only a hilariously contemporary show can – I have never felt so specifically attacked nor needed to screencap so very many verbal exchanges. I haven’t really seen it described as such, but it is the perfect romantic comedy in my book. While it is first and foremost a show about a family, it treats romance with such reality and respect that it made me feel so much more than any drama (I’m not ashamed to say that it made me cry of happiness at one point). I absolutely love it, and I’m excited for it to become a lifelong favorite.

Olivia and Raquel discussing the crucial plot points of Schitt's Creek.

Raquel Reyes 

Of course, Olivia’s running commentary while watching Schitt’s Creek inspired a rewatch for me in parallel to the seasons she watched and followed up by my own watching of Season 5, as I had missed it when it originally aired earlier this year. I’m not ashamed to say I’ve cried happy tears over this show over the years, and Season 5 didn’t leave me wanting — having watched this small town’s production of Cabaret for example, not only repeatedly during my watch of the episode which included it, but again several times since, I can equally say that Schitt’s Creek is more than willing to produce the gut punching sobs as well. Where is Emily Hampshire’s Emmy nod?! She’s been ROBBED. Truly they’ve all been robbed. Like Olivia said, it’s a family show, and while I don’t typically care about television awards, no one deserves an ensemble cast win more than this found family of hospitable outcasts and bankrupt socialites.

Otherwise, I’ve been on a slight documentary kick lately. While I don’t usually find myself choosing to sit down for two hours to learn about something I will undoubtedly find fascinating (as is that whole millennial-commitment-to-longer-media issue), I will gladly watch several episodes of anything surrounding a random skill or adventure. Given my proclivity for watching one too many glass-blowing process videos on Instagram for as long as I can remember the Explore page coming into my life, I was ecstatic to see Blown Away, an entire series devoted to it, one day spit out at me by the Netflix algorithm. I’ll admit the judging process left something to be desired (my grudge lies with editors mainly — who doesn’t show every competitor’s final product on a competition program??) I was glad to see diversity in place, particularly the solidarity amongst the women competitors and judges and their shared experiences working in a male-dominated art field. They respect and root for each other and I love it. On that note I’ve also finally started Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, and find it a charmingly fun antidote to all of those “pretentious male chef explores the world and butchers ingredients in his own watered down dish” shows. Chef and writer Samin Nosrat enters every kitchen, farmers’ market, apiary, and more with a reverent fascination and pure enjoyment that makes me want to immediately travel home and cook with my own mother while we drink fruit infused waters and chat about life in our native Spanish. 

Eliza Campbell

To the surprise of absolutely no one I’ve also gone down the Schitt’s Creek lane this month. After absolutely roaring through each season I’ve decided that it’s one of my favourite sitcoms of all time and also deserves every Emmy award it’s up for. More than anything, I really value the heartfelt dedication that Dan Levy put into creating the relationship between David and Patrick. It’s lovely to see such a well-paced and truly genuine gay relationship blossom in the sitcom format. I also can’t stop saying ‘Ew, David!’ or ‘Ouch, David!’ in Alexis’ voice. Other than that I’ve also become a fan of Derry Girls and am (surprisingly) calmly picking my way through the episodes available on UK Netflix so I can savour how hilarious and brilliant they are while we all wait for season three!

Zoë G. Burnett

During the summer months, it’s difficult for me to hunker down and binge watch an entire series, meaning I currently have a whole list of neglected tasks but a tan with the color of a perfectly toasted marshmallow. When I can’t get to the ocean and the heatwaves have laid me to waste, my mornings have recently been occupied with the hilariously raucous The Year of the Rabbit, and my evenings belong to the delectably rotten third season of Harlots. Both are well-researched and highly diverting, so long as you don’t mind getting your elbows dirty while gazing at Harlots’s incredible costumes and, well, at Freddie Fox. Maybe that’s just me? Anything to distract us from the fact that we’re melting is just fine.

M.A. McCuen

I’m mourning the end of one of my favorite shows, Jane the Virgin, which had its series finale this week. Two years ago, when I lived in Ireland, my roommates and I binge watched the first three seasons together during rainy autumn afternoons. Because of this, it holds a fond place in my heart, not just as an excellent show, but as a series that brought us all together and kept us laughing. We still text our group message after each new episode to remark about how the show has progressed. While I haven’t loved this last season, I have loved the way the show balances issues like immigration and feminism, alongside a telenovela-based plotline and deep emotional sincerity. 

This summer, I’ve become obsessed with the show The Bold Type. It’s about three best friends who work for a fashion magazine (à la Cosmo) in New York City. It follows their adventures in their love lives, careers, and friendships. The show is definitely progressive and feminist, which I absolutely love. In each episode, the girls push the magazine to become more inclusive, diverse, and empathetic. From deportation, to reproductive health, to #MeToo, the show really dives into contemporary issues of our time without making them gimmick-y. The best part of the show is the bomb.com soundtrack. If you like any of the Attic playlists, I feel like you’ll enjoy the show based on the music alone.

Annie Jo Baker

I’m not good at watching TV—I get bored halfway through a season (or even episode) and give up, or I watch a good chunk, enjoy myself, get distracted, and forget about it, until I realize I never did finish The Young Pope or Forever, even though they’re both one season limited series.

Most of you probably know the premise of The Young Pope, but I want to say it again—Jude Law is the pope. That’s it. That’s the plot. Also, Diane Keaton is his surrogate mom, a chain-smoking nun named Sister Mary. It’s delightfully trippy without being overtly surreal, more Hannibal than Twin Peaks. Forever is about, uh, well, actually, I can’t tell you the plot without ruining the first two episodes for you. Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph play a very mild-mannered married couple, living very quiet, mild-mannered lives. It’s incredibly gentle and calm and humane, with a smattering of supporting characters injecting chaos.

I’ve also started rewatching the stop-motion animated YouTube series The Most Popular Girls in School, which I first saw while still in high school and which remains one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen. Content warning for very strong language, just to be safe, but that’s it.

Rachel Tay

It started when I moved away to college, I think, the Masterchef binges that became a beloved summer tradition at home. Wanting to spend more time together, now that we hardly saw each other, my mom and I found something in common — that minuscule overlap between her preferred Chinese/Korean/Taiwanese media and my own predominantly Anglophone interests — in food. Not that either of us fancied ourselves as good cooks, or even competent ones at all, but we just enjoy good food. More than that, we love watching glossy and delectable culinary creations come into fruition (see also: my addiction to the BA Test Kitchen videos on YouTube).

I suppose that was how we came to start watching old Masterchef episodes the first summer I moved home from college, and we’ve been avidly following the new seasons ever since. This summer is no different, for week after week, we watch contestants cook up recipes that make one wish gourmet restaurants open till late — and preferably in one’s own kitchen, delivering stunning flavours straight to one’s mouth. This year I’m rooting for Fred, a garrulous Chinese boy with a surprising knack for refinement, though my mom believes that Dorian, a dark horse who has just started showing her skills in the competition, might just come up on top. Who knows? Then again, it doesn’t quite matter to us who ultimately takes the trophy, since we’re only here for the drama and the slow-panning shots of food. Perhaps the real Masterchefs were the instant cup noodles we devoured along the way. 

---

What’s Next?

Olivia – I started the new Four Weddings and a Funeral adaptation last night, so next for me is watching the rest of that. I can’t say it’s good so far, but it is… entertaining.  After that, I’m also eager to start The Bold Type.

Raquel – I’ve watched the first four available episodes of Four Weddings but don’t want to spoil anything! I had trouble early on but once I made peace with its failings, it began to grow on me somewhere between episodes three and four. I’m hoping the rest of the series follows that growth.

Eliza – I’m honestly up for suggestions! I’m thinking of completing Black Sails or going for something new like the Blown Away documentary series Raquel mentioned on Netflix!

Zoë –  Despite the urge to swan dive into an Italian Neorealist pit of existential dread once September hits, I plan to fill the Japanese post-war hole in my film education. First on my Criterion Channel list are Akira Kurasowa’s Drunken Angel (1948) and Stray Dog (1949).

Megan- Similar to others, I’m hoping to watch Four Weddings and A Funeral soon. I’m also looking forward to watching the new season of Harlots. 

Annie Jo — I’ll get to Blown Away at some point because ‘run away to Prague and become a glass-blower’ is my back-up life plan, but frankly, I’m just sitting here astounded that they actually remade Four Weddings and a Funeral. I thought that had been a joke.

Rachel – Could I fit another Fleabag rewatch into my schedule? I don’t know. But will I watch Fleabag again and again, every time a new wave of think-pieces on the show hits? Sure. 

What are you watching this month?

---