Let's Talk! About What I've Been Watching Lately
I need someone to hold a gun to my head and force me to read a single book this year.
At first, this was going to be a very serious deep dive review of The Pitt. I opened a Google document, I started drafting my thoughts out, I started rewatching the season to take notes, but as I kept writing… I lost all of the inspiration I once had. Not because I don’t feel strongly about The Pitt, we will circle back to that, but because I realized I just didn’t have anything to add to the table of conversation that one-off tweets couldn’t capture to the same effect.
If you somehow haven’t heard of The Pitt, and instead of just watching the show you want to be told what to think, I would recommend Amandabb’s video on the subject. We shared a lot of the same opinions on characters, and she gets my points across better than I could articulate myself. She also has an infinitely more interesting perspective to share on the show than I do.
Instead of doing a deep dive on The Pitt specifically, I decided to explore my thoughts on a few of the projects I’ve been watching throughout this past month. Because trust! I do have some thoughts on plenty of shows and films, but not enough on any in isolation… at least just yet. Some of these may be expanded upon eventually. That’s not a promise, but a vague threat.
Shows.
The Pitt on HBO Max is a medical show told in “real time” over a 15-hour shift, each episode being one hour, following an emergency department staff of a hospital. I may have explained that in the most clunky way possible, in my defense… I’m not paid to write out synopses of shows. I’m not paid at all, actually. Anyways, I recommend watching this show with as little knowledge as possible. Maybe check out a content warning, as this does have some disturbing imagery and upsetting themes, but it’s quite satisfying by the finale. The way this show escalates, things from earlier in the day connect to things later in the day. Everything grows and just lands in a full circle. The structure of its storytelling isn’t limiting whatsoever, despite what I would have thought going in. The day is so full.
I didn’t put off watching this one because I feared I wouldn’t like it, though admittedly there’s this thing that happens when social media hypes something so much - it’s usually TikTok that is the worst offender - I start to become concerned. I’ve been pointed in the wrong direction many times. I couldn’t have possibly expected how much The Pitt would surpass my personal expectations. Incredible show! Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor and Supriya Ganesh give some of the best performances of the year thus far. Santos is a good woman, though, and if you don’t see that… do some self-reflection. If I were to have written about this show as I initially intended, I would’ve made a point to have a Santos defense side-tangent.
Forever on Netflix getting a season 2 within a week of release is the most excited I have ever been all year. You never know with Netflix, so it felt like I could truly exhale. I adore this show. To know me is to know I’m a longtime enthusiast of Lovie Simone. Selah and the Spades is one of my favorite films to get introduced to me in the 2020s decade, largely due to Lovie’s incredibly complex work. Just by her presence alone, I always knew I was going to watch this show in practically one sitting… and that’s exactly what I did.
Forever is a modern adaptation of a Judy Blume novel that I have not read. This iteration is about two teenagers who had known each other as children but reconnect at a New Year’s party. Though they hit it off quite quick, Keisha isn’t in the best place after a private video of hers got leaked by her star athlete ex-boyfriend. She doesn’t want to tell her mother about this, as her mother sacrifices so much solely for her daughter to live a comfortable and full life. This results in some frustrating back and forth miscommunication between Keisha and Justin, but when I say frustrating, don’t read it as derogatory. Every conflict felt all too realistic for the era of time being depicted. I was a teenager in 2018, and the way in which they navigated conflict (by blocking each other every 5 seconds) rang so true to my personal experience. No, they don’t communicate in the most effective ways possible, or deal with their issues in ways that seem rational to adults who know better… but that’s because they quite literally don’t know better. They’re kids. This show does what the coming-of-age genre should do… it speaks to a truth. I want to yell at my screen! I want to help Keisha through what she’s going through, because I know there’s another way!!! But I have such a deep empathy because I know how Keisha feels in these moments. She feels as though there is no other way. Keisha’s truth is that she did what she could, given the cards she was dealt. This series really has a grasp on how world-ending and isolating everything feels when you’re a teenager.
I also find this being set in 2018 to be a good choice, both narratively, and in terms of timeline. Season two is left wide open to possibilities, especially when you consider the actors ages. It could be set in the college years, or time jump over the college era, or a hypothetical season 3 could be post-college. It’s why I don’t agree with the sentiment that the ending of this season shouldn’t have led to a season 2. There is so much life left for Keisha and Justin to live.
With all my praise, the second half of the series is when this season of television becomes elevated for me, personally. I became more invested once a certain plot point is mostly done away with. The first half could border on being a bit too repetitive at times. Regardless, everything was portrayed so earnestly, I was deeply moved by this entire series. Lovie Simone, Michael Cooper Jr., Xosha Roquemore and Karen Pittman deliver excellent work all around. I would be interested in writing about this show more in depth, I know there is some discourse going on about this one… just know I would die for Keisha Clark. Any slander against her will have to go through me from here on out.
Besides those two shows, I watched the first episode of season 2 of Poker Face, but that’s not enough to give an opinion outside of “Cynthia Erivo ate that.” I’ve been watching Vanderpump Rules; I’m finishing up season 4 right now. That show… it just exists in a realm of its own. Modern surrealism. Not a single person on that show is behaving like a normal human being. Vanderpump Rules is just one big case study on human behavior.
Films.
Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, quite safely ranks as my personal film of the year thus far. This issue was meant to be focused on what I’ve been watching in May, this film had me seated in April, but Sinners has set a bar that needs to be acknowledged. I’ve been meaning to write about it, but I don’t like writing about things I’ve only seen once (I touched on this in my Thunderbolts* review) and especially with something as large-scale as this. There were so many moving parts in Sinners from beginning to end, this is A LOT of film, and I’m still actively processing certain aspects of its script. There are some more obvious sources of praise, that others have praised already that I would also highlight. That one-shot music sequence. Wow. Stunning!
What I know for sure is I’m still thinking about Jayme Lawson to this day. What a star. I wouldn’t single her out as the best performance whatsoever, as Pearline was a simpler character in the grand scheme of things, but her aura is so undeniable that she commands to be a standout in anything she stars in. Wunmi Mosaku’s performance as Annie is the true beating heart of the film. Delroy Lindo, Miles Canton and Li Jun Li brought so much depth to the text as well. Everyone brought something to the table in their own right. Every moving part worked to create a masterful cinematic experience. The script, the direction, the music. It’s all so thoughtful. I really couldn’t praise this film enough. I haven’t gotten a chance to rewatch this yet, which is such a travesty. There’s so much more to be said, much of which has already been said… maybe I’ll pick this back up when I am able to take notes on a rewatch. I didn’t expect to cry at the end, it was distressing.
Another Simple Favor, directed by Paul Feig, was truthfully one of my most anticipated film releases of 2025. The original film has been a poster on my wall since 2018. While I could probably say this lived up to the hype, I’d have to specify that’s a different metric than saying it’s simply good. I think the original movie toes the line of quality storytelling and camp quite well, whereas this one just goes triple-down in the mess. I met it where it was at, and had a splendid time, though I don’t think the storytelling here was sharp or impressive… at all. I’d enjoy a franchise here that pays homage to campy mystery-crime novels in different settings. I love seeing Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick work off of one another. I think there’s material here.
Just yesterday, I saw Final Destination: Bloodlines, directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein. I actually have next to nothing to say about this that doesn’t exist in a greater context of the franchise as a whole. Maybe one day I’ll write a ranking of the entire franchise, but until then… I thought this was a fun time. That’s all I have to offer you right now. It added some interesting perspective to the franchise while also leaning into the total outrageousness of the concept. Sometimes to a fault, but overall… a good time at the movie theater.
Those are all of the new releases I’ve seen in the past month, but I’ve been watching predominantly women directed projects lately. Perhaps I’ll go deeper into this topic later in the year, but for now: Alma’s Rainbow (dir. Ayoka Chenzira), Working Girls (dir. Lizzie Borden), Mark Mary + Some Other People (Hannah Marks), and Never Better (dir. Julianne Fox) are all first-time watches from this month and they are all incredibly worth your time! Look into them!
In terms of films I’ve revisited in this past month, I saw The Wiz in theaters… and wow. Seeing this film in theaters changed the whole experience for me. If you ever get the chance, it’s just so magical to see on the big screen.
Finally, The Old Guard. Legitimately my Avengers. KiKi Layne is my Captain America. I loved this film in 2020, and now seeing how it holds up… I’m ridiculously excited for the sequel dropping on Netflix next month.
Anyways… I don’t know how to close out this issue. I would normally include books and albums as well, but I’ve been just horrendous at reading anything at all lately, and I’ve yet to catch a single new album release this entire year thus far. I turned 25 and naturally decided it was time to fall out of pop culture entirely. A canon event. Goodbye!