What We’re Watching, Vol. 11
At The Attic on Eighth, we are clearly 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 shared shows across oceans and time zones. In this monthly series we gather to chat our most recent views. Nothing keeps us close like binge-watching together, even if we’re not in the same room.
March has arrived and with it the hopes of a relaxing springtime and the excitement of that seasonal rebirth. As such we look to new, but retain the comfort of our favorite themes, aesthetics, and content, be it through comforting rewatches or highly anticipated sequels and season releases. Ranging from family stories to dynamic female leads, historical drama, and even a few classics, March presents options for every one of our interests, and we can only hope the season continues in that vein.
Here’s what we’re watching this month...
Raquel Reyes
As I mentioned last month, Sex Education was at the top of my to-watch list, based on a quick glance when it first aired and our very own Olivia’s recommendations that is was worth revisiting. I was pleased to find it delivered, and thoroughly enjoyed watching both seasons over the course of a few days. Like Olivia said, the show carries itself beautifully through the sort of topics we probably didn’t know enough about in our own younger days, and with tact and heart that doesn’t feel clichéd or over done. Of course Otis and Jean, being the leads (and not to mention Gillian Anderson’s undeniable pull on screen), bring so much joy and appeal to the show, but I couldn’t help but fall for all of the supporting characters and their own poignant moments throughout. My personal favorites were Mikael Persbrandt’s depiction of Jakob, and Aimee Lou Wood’s portrayal of Maeve’s BFF Aimee. As Jean’s love interest, Jakob plays a vulnerability so direct and unseen of the usual brooding male lead, and I found it so wonderfully refreshing, much like Wood’s Aimee, a character typically cast aside as the popular sidekick but here with her own struggles and ambition. I won’t divulge spoilers but Wood’s performance in episode 3 of season 2 and the fallout of that event was so tremendous it spoke not only to the show’s consistent range but her own as well.
In the ongoing society that is now a ‘Post-Fleabag’ world, I think every person on the planet is either searching for, or even writing, the next big ‘Fleabag-like’ thing, whatever that means exactly, though I suppose the general equation is something like “everyday woman is appealing in her recklessness and maybe figures herself out but also definitely hooks up with hot people along the way.” I enjoyed Fleabag, even on subsequent viewings, though I will admit I became tired of its overexposure as someone who very much likes to keep beloved things to herself. (I realize how that sounds as a person very much recommending beloved things online, don’t judge me.) I would keep them all to myself, but just as I arrived here and heartily recommended the wonderful ‘Fleabag-like but worthy of its own fanfare’ This Way Up early last autumn (which I still heartily recommend, by the way), I arrive now with an equally enthusiastic recommendation for the ‘Fleabag-like but oh so worthy of its own fanfare’ Gameface. Created by, written, and starring Roisin Conaty, Gameface follows the comedienne as Marcella, a thirty-something woman slogging her way through a failing acting career. Gifted life-coaching sessions by her mother, Marcella uses the unexpected access to professional assistance as an opportunity to truly analyze her life and work through the hurdles keeping her unhappy. Certainly not as gritty as Fleabag, Gameface follows the sitcom route but retains its humor, realism, and depth. Conaty is relatable, empathetic, and genuinely trying to be better. As we see her struggle time and time again, it’s not yelling at the screen but understanding that we feel, and genuine happiness when she finally succeeds. I may bemoan the public, obsessive result of Fleabag, but I will grudgingly take it for all of the real, relatable, ‘worthy of their own rabid fanfare’ women of a Post-Fleabag world.
Sam Cohen
I’ve been in love with Masterpiece on PBS for as long as I can remember, which is why I happily pay for the added subscription on my Amazon Prime account. Since I’ve hit the final season of Gilmore Girls on my re-watch—which, I’m sure we can all agree, is not the best season and is alternately very strange and very upsetting—and I wanted to offset this with something different and refreshing. I took to my PBS queue in the hopes of falling in love with a new show, and I am pleased to report that I am now in a happily committed partnership with The Durrells in Corfu. The show originally premiered in the UK under the title The Durrells, but thankfully the PBS subscription provides full-length UK episodes instead of the abridged US versions, which means the only difference is the title.
Starring Keely Hawes as Louisa Durrell (you may know her from Bodyguard with Richard Madden, if you were swept into that craze last year like I was) as the mother of four boisterous but lovable children. Josh O’Connor (who currently stars as Prince Charles on the latest seasons of The Crown) plays the eldest Durrell child, Larry, who is a devoted yet troubled writer working on his first novel. The remaining Durrell children, Leslie, Margo, and Gerry, each face their own set of unique problems as Louisa does her best to wrangle them all. The family chooses to move from Bournemouth, UK to Corfu—an island off the coast of Greece—after Larry suggests the idea when the Durrells face particularly bleak circumstances in the first episode.
I cannot accurately describe how much I love this family. The show is based on the Corfu Trilogy which are autobiographies written by Gerald Durrell. If possible, I enjoy the show even more because it’s based on real people who had some fascinating and unique adventures during their lifetimes. Everyone is vibrant, lovable, and frustrating in equal measure. The cast of characters that accompany their Greek journey are hilarious, sweet, and kind-hearted. I’ve already devoured the first season and am steadily making my way through the second. With beautiful landscapes and intimate glimpses of family life, this show is a breath of fresh air that I like to take in over and over again.
Zoë G. Burnett
Between screening Emma. last week and Portrait of a Lady on Fire this evening and writing reviews for both, the only other film I’ve been able to watch is admittedly on brand. Orlando (1992) stars Tilda Swinton in this honestly bonkers adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel, directed and written by Sally Potter. And I mean “bonkers” in a good way! Tilda is the absolute star of the show, except when gay icon Quentin Crisp appears as a resplendent Queen Elizabeth I and commands the young Orlando to never grow old. Following this order, Swinton’s performance as a lord and then a lady spans two centuries of the highest tier of fashion and decor, trying to make sense of life as a high ranking, immortal, magically trans aristocrat would know it. The rest of the film is a luxuriant visual feast, complete with an anachronistic but not unfitting soundtrack and narrative asides that must have inspired Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s internal/external commentary in Fleabag. An easy choice for a midweek brain break, Orlando is essential viewing for Woolf devotees and film lovers alike.
M.A. McCuen
Cold February days seemed perfect for binge watching and that’s exactly what I did for the last month. Seriously, I’ve watched so much TV lately. This month featured the Season Premieres of two of my favorite shows: The Bold Type and Outlander. As always, The Bold Type is terrific at tackling intersectional issues with a killer playlist. If you haven’t given it a shot yet, I highly recommend it for readers and writers of the Attic. I don’t love Outlander as much now that the Frasiers have settled in America, but I’m too endeared by the characters to stop watching.
I’ve also been really enjoying some of the new shows that Netflix has been putting out. I practically inhaled Love is Blind, which is both hilarious and addicting and weirdly hopeful. I’ve been loving Cheer, a multi-part documentary about a top cheerleading team in Texas. Even if you aren’t interested in cheerleading or Texas, the commentary on youth, athletics, and ambition is really interesting. And of course, the crowning glory of this month was the new To All the Boys movie! The first film was an aesthetic delight, and PS I Still Love You was equally delightful. I felt like it did a great job of dealing with issues that teenagers face when they start a relationship. I had such aesthetic envy for many of the outfits and the sets in the show- particularly the Belleview Senior Villa. I hope I can retire to someplace so well decorated one day.
Finally, I’ve been undertaking a very cute television task for the last month or so. My boyfriend and I have been making the other person watch our favorite shows. He’s having me watch The Office (all the way through) and I’m making him watch Downton Abbey. It’s been a pretty sweet way to get to know each other! I’m happy to finally understand all those Office references and memes. And, I can’t deny that I’m not enjoying yet another Downton rewatch.
What are you watching this month?
In a personal essay, Elizabeth Slabaugh visits the disappointments and realization of tempered dreams around traveling to Oxford after not being able to spend a semester at the university due to chronic illness.