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vices-aand-virtues · 4 years

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My Top 10 Shows of the Decade

My top 10 shows of the decade, criteria being it must have started and finished between late 2009-2019. Nothing that is currently airing or that started before late 2009 but ended in the 2010s will be included.

10. Broad City — fully empowered women (mostly) living in NYC and barely scraping by. Just gals bein’ pals with iconic zingers and gif-able moments. A true testament to the power of friendship and how important it is to have someone who can make you laugh.

9. Hannibal — brief vegetarian stints each season because who KNOWS what kind of meat you’re really eating!! Beautiful cinematography and soundtrack. Stellar acting and cast. A great take on a story we think we know.

8. Poldark — *INTENSE VIOLIN BOWING* The intro itself is *chef’s kiss* The development of Demelza is truly a sight to behold. Her storylines alone are enough to keep me captivated, but Ross scything shirtless definitely isn’t bad either.

7. Game of Thrones — wish it was higher up, but after S7-S8, hard to justify it when these other shows nailed all seasons. Nevertheless, even having read the books, and rewatched multiple times, I still find myself on the edge of my seat, often hoping for better outcomes.

6. Parenthood — when you cry the entire final season, I think that means something is going right. Parenthood was my comfort show for awhile bc it has the perfect amount of humor, feel good moments, and “I need to cry so I need to be triggered by something” emotional storylines. A truly stellar cast, but Mae Whitman is a gem especially, and Joy Bryant’s Jasmine is truly great. And Lauren Graham goes without saying.

5. Jane the Virgin — had a few downs in the later seasons that I didn’t love, but ultimately I loved everything about this show. Telenovela tropes? How to deal with religious guilt? Deep exploration of the modern concept of soulmates??? Yes pls #rogeliomybrogelio

4. Veep — crying laughing is hard to get me to do, but I did it with veep easily. Sometimes it was eerie how close to home it got, but it always maintained its comedic integrity without feeling preachy.

3. The Durrells — Greece!!! An English family relocates after living miserably in England following the death of the family patriarch. Shenanigans abound. Absolutely beautiful shots of the scenery and lovely cinematography. Great writing. Love how they found a way to satisfy their fans without it feeling like fan service. Though my only qualm is that I’ve never thought I would cheer so much for someone to get a divorce or cheat on their S/O. Also, how can a finale + final season be so, so wonderful and poignant and do everyone’s stories a good justice, but still completely and utterly break my heart!! Historical actuary be DAMNED I want my post-WW2 Christmas special with all the reunions (perhaps UNIONS???) we deserve.

2. Fleabag — very hard to decide between these last two. Fleabag I stumbled into bc of gifs online and a love of Andrew Scott. I had literally no idea what the plot was or what to expect, yet my expectations were still exceeded in ever conceivable way. It’s the perfect combination of dark humor, reality, drama, and lightheartedness. I’m torn between wanting more and PWB’s perfect and heart-crushing ending.

1. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend — ultimately my favorite bc, as a musician, I so, so appreciate the work put into creating the outstanding songs and musical numbers. I’ve listened to this soundtrack for six straight hours in the car before. Not every song is a banger, but they’re all bops. Then the therapist in me adores how mental health is portrayed and discussed. And the diversity!! I put off watching the last 3 episodes bc I couldn’t bear to be finished with the show. I was having a real shroedinfsr moment — it’s neither finished nor unfinished if I haven’t watched it.

Honorable mention:

1. Bojack Horseman

2. Broadchurch

3. Downton Abbey

4. Upstairs, Downstairs

5. Sherlock

House of Cards would get a mention but I don’t wanna glorify K-Space.

Also Parks and Rec started early 2009 or else it would be on the list.

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myhahnestopinion · 5 years

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The AARONS 2018 - Best TV Episode

Peak TV is tearing me apart trying to binge-watch every show that is epic, so defending individual chapters of these shows is a good way to remind oneself to not get so lost in the big picture. Here are The Aarons for Best TV Episode:

#10. “Captain Underpants and the Costly Conundrum of the Calamitous Claylossus” (The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, Season 1, Episode 7)

Even more so than the fun but formulaic movie of last year, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants embraces the irreverent spirit of Dav Pilkey’s children’s books. This charming childishness is no more prominent than in “The Costly Conundrum of the Calamitous Claylossus,” in which the latest vile villain brings the world of the Wedgie Warrior from its traditional genial 2D animation to 3D Claymation, threatening its survival... due to, as the characters note, the budget cuts to their show needed to maintain such animation. This meta-narrative proved that, when it comes to the colossal undertaking of retaining the joy of Pilkey’s series, the Netflix Series is certainly wearing the pants.

#9. “A House Divided” (Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, Season 3, Episode 10)

Trollhunters rose above the basic tropes at the backbone of its story thanks to the creative spirit of creator Guillermo del Toro. For its final season, del Toro’s influence was felt harder than ever, particularly in “A House Divided,” which marks protagonist Jim Lake’s fateful loss of innocence, a common theme among the director’s works. Jim’s journey has left him with an impossible choice, which renders the viewer nervously unable to breathe for the duration of the episode, only to culminate in an unforgettable ending that features only the sound of breathing. While spin-off series 3 Below may be off to a good start, it will be difficult for any of del Toro’s planned Tales of Arcadia to match the heights of his subterranean world of trolls.

#8. “I’m Not the Person I Used to Be” (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Season 4, Episode 8)

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s final season is off to an affecting start, but has suffered from a sense of place-setting in its first half, the blessing and the curse of its extended episode order this year. However, the series’ endgame seems to have finally begun in its tight-knit mid-season finale, which saw the return of season 1 mainstay Greg like you’ve never seen him before… literally. Skylar Astin gets off on the right foot as the recasting of the role, a backstage change used within universe to demonstrate and further develop Rebecca’s changing sense of self as she seeks happiness and reconciliation, noble pursuits that make for notable television. That doesn’t sound so crazy now, does it?

#7. “Winner” (Better Call Saul, Season 4, Episode 10)

If Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has made excellent television out of the pursuit of personal growth, then Better Call Saul’s moral decay can perhaps be designated its mirror image. As with all of the show’s season finales, “Winner” is a product of bad decisions on the part of the characters, and great decisions on the part of the show’s creators. The episode acts as a microcosm of a season filled with exhilarating schemes, striking cinematography, and poignant decisions, culminating in a turn of events that remains shocking despite being known as inevitable. The episode title says it all. This one’s a winner.

#6. “Legends of To-Meow-Meow” (Legends of Tomorrow, Season 4, Episode 8)

As noted in its ranking in the Best TV Shows of the year, there is a large assortment of gonzo episodes of Legends of Tomorrow that deserve distinguished praise, but the show might have snuck its most awesomely oddball episode in just under the wire for this awards show. A teammate’s transformation into a feline following a regretful change to history is but the cat-alyst of an episode that illustrates the multiple revisions to the Legends of Tomorrow (aka Custodians of the Chronology aka Sirens of Space Time) timeline via retro-TV-themed intros, explicitly mocks the comparatively tame nature of the concurrent running “Elseworlds” crossover, and, yes, teaches kids helpful lessons through the power of singing puppets. It’s an episode brimming with loveable moments, but all knit together with a touching story of a lost love that perfectly illustrates why Legends of Tomorrow has clawed its way up to the best of the Arrowverse.

#5. “Time’s Up for the Gang” (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 13, Episode 4)

Always Sunny has never shied away from addressing hot-button issues, tackling racism, abortion, and gun control with a biting satirical edge in just its first batch of episodes. Yet, it’s still shocking how much dark humor the show can unearth in the most unlikely of places, a delicate balancing act that succeeds because the show is keenly aware of where its jokes should fall. Written by series standout Megan Ganz, “Time’s Up for the Gang” puts its hilariously-horrible cast of characters through the ringer over their past behavior with rollicking gall and technical grace. There’s likely no other show that can maintain such quality and relevance thirteen seasons in, suggesting that Always Sunny’s time is far from over.

#4. “Jeremy Bearimy” (The Good Place, Season 3, Episode 4)

Written by the bearer of one of Twitter’s best accounts, and the mind behind last year’s eclectic entry “Dance Dance Resolution,” Megan Amram, Jeremy Bearimy brought The Good Place’s third season roaring to life in wild fashion. Kickstarting with the reveal that our universe’s true nature is more “Jeremy Bearimy” than timey-wimey, the episode features a slow descent into existential crises that is, despite the show’s wonderfully heightened reality, presented in the most relatable of fashions: a truly, truly disgusting bowl of chili. The episode’s major resonance lies in the credo cultivated in its final moments, a commitment to doing good in the face of inescapable punishment, but it’s also an unbearably funny journey to get there.

#3. “Free Churro” (BoJack Horseman, Season 5, Episode 6)

BoJack Horseman’s most remarkable episodes, such as previous Aaron winners “Fish Out of Water” and “Stupid Piece of Sh*t,” have been those that have toyed with its animation format. “Free Churro” breaks these conventions in a completely different manner, isolating the entire action of the episode to a single monologue via eulogy delivered by Will Arnett’s BoJack. This striped-down focus parallels the striping down of BoJack’s psyche through a rambling, soul-churning soliloquy that lays bare BoJack’s tragic backstory. As it goes on, the monologue leads the protagonist and the viewer to the harrowing realization that perhaps there will not be a happy ending waiting at the end of all this. It’s heavy stuff, but the cherry on the top of a great episode is the comedic pay-off to the piece, in case you were afraid that “Free Churro” was entire free of cheer.

#2. “Party Monster: Scratching the Surface” (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Season 4, Episode 3)

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, like BoJack Horseman, is a show that address a history of abuse in unexpectedly uproarious ways, and, like BoJack Horseman, produced one of the best episodes of the year by breaking its Unbreakable formula. Framed as an expose documentary on Kimmy’s once-captor, the Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne aka DJ Slizzard, “Party Monster: Scratching the Surface” is at once a staggering assortment of long-running gags, a painfully precise mockery of documentary formats (including riotous instances of narrative tangents and stock footage), and a scathing lampooning of how misogynistic radicalization takes hold. The show has always been fueled by a righteous fury, but with the fourth season’s no-holds-barred approach to its darker material that never sacrifices the rapid-fire humor, it’s sad that Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt will be ending this year, when it seems like it’s still just scratching the surface.

AND THE BEST TV EPISODE OF 2018 IS...

#1. “Teddy Perkins” (Atlanta, Season 2, Episode 6)

Unexpected even in a show that’s routinely impossible to predict, “Teddy Perkins” is undoubtedly the strangest episode of TV all year… and certainly the best. Fulfilling, and perhaps exceeding, the bizarreness of Atlanta’s oft-cited inspiration Twin Peaks, the episode follows Lakeith Stanfield’s Daryl quest for a particular piano that lands him in the decrepit mansion of the peculiar eponymous Teddy Perkins, an eerie, ersatz late-in-life Michael Jackson, played by star Donald Glover in extensive make-up. It’s surreal without sacrificing structure (in fact, the episode aired unbroken by commercial to enhance the immersion) or the show’s social commentary. For the entire extended-length of the unnerving and unforgettable episode, viewers are rankled by the horrifying possibilities of a show that has so unequivocally shattered all boundaries of television, including the possibility of a fateful end for a beloved central character. A standalone dreamlike masterpiece strengthened by its relation to a superb show, “Teddy Perkins” will undoubtedly perk up your ears if you’ re not already all in on Atlanta.

Yes, I know my puns got worse as the episodes got better.

NEXT UP: THE 2018 AARON FOR BEST TV PERFORMANCE!

#tv #TheAarons2018 #TheAarons #TheAaronsTV #bestof #bestof2018 #atlanta #teddyperkins #unbreakable kimmy schmidt #bojack horseman #thegoodplace #alwayssunny #legendsoftomorrow #bettercallsaul #crazyexgirlfriend #trollhunters #captainunderpants #epictalesofcaptainunderpants

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theinquisitivej · 6 years

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Bojack Horseman Season 5 – A Season Discussion (Part One of Two)

Confronting the truth of who you are or why you do the things you do can be one of the most difficult challenges you face. Maybe doing so will make you realise that the responsibility of your actions ultimately falls on nobody else’s shoulders other than your own. Maybe being honest about why you did something crazy will mean you have to confront a hard truth that causes you a great deal of emotional pain. Or maybe being truthful about who you are will make you worry that you’re not right for the person you’re in a relationship with, or that you may not even be the right person for anyone at all. Facing such difficulties can be disheartening and make you feel powerless in your attempts to overcome any one of them. It’s an understandable and relatable struggle, and one which I would argue that the main cast of Bojack Horseman face in this fifth season. Bojack Horseman Season 5 looks at the excuses we make as we shift focus away from who we really are and justify our mistakes.

I won't provide a summary for the overarching premise or plot of this show as a whole in this review; if you want a general introduction to Bojack Horseman, one of my favourite television series out there right now, then check out the extended review I put out last year which covers both the series overall and its fourth season. In fact, I’m not even going to be providing a brief plot summary for Season 5 (because when do I ever do anything briefly with my writing…). This isn’t a review of Season 5, necessarily; it’s more of a full discussion which assumes you’ve seen it or otherwise don’t care about spoilers. So, leave now if you have plans to see it and want to go in blind. Otherwise you can stick around as I go over some of the episodes and talk about how they tie into what I consider to be the season’s main theme: the struggle of being honest with yourself and others versus the alternative of making excuses which take you further away from who you are, and can even take you dangerously close to excusing the unforgivable.

In the season’s first episode, ‘The Light Bulb Scene’, we see Bojack go through an experience which, on paper, could be liberating for him and make him feel more comfortable with who he is – he has to film a nude scene for his new show ‘Philbert’. Not only that, but the director specifically structures the scene so that Bojack is fully illuminated and has to do a full rotation in front of the camera. Bojack is of course extremely reluctant because he is constantly terrified of people seeing who he is under the surface and pushes most of the people he meets away as a result. But with some convincing from Princess Carolyn, he goes through with it. At first, Bojack does seem to be more comfortable once the scene is over. He jokes with colleagues about it, even walks around naked for longer than he needs to and invites everyone working on the show over to his house for a party that night. Even though Bojack has hosted countless parties at his house in the past in an effort to make himself feel less alone, it really does seem that Bojack has laid himself bare to the world, and doing that has made him happier and more open to inviting people into his home and possibly even his life as well.

But then he talks with his director Flip at the party, and some of the things he says makes Bojack’s positive demeanour slowly slip away. He’s not comfortable with some of Flip’s assumptions about his co-star Gena, and that stuff Flip says about the show not being about Bojack, but about his character Philbert, shakes him in a way that he wasn’t prepared for. Bojack doesn’t voice his thoughts, but in that moment his face conveys his discomfort with the direction he’s heading in, even though on the surface, he did the scene, and the people around him think he’s comfortable with all of this. As he watches the fish dancer with a static, unnatural looking smile on her face and the camera alternates between her face and Bojack’s, both the audience and Bojack realise that his refreshed outlook is just a performance that presents the world with a seemingly positive veneer that says nothing of what he is really feeling underneath. Bojack has only laid himself bare in a superficial sense; he’s shown the world his body, but who he is underneath continues to be hidden.

In the Diane-focused second episode of the season, ‘The Dog Days Are Over’, Diane needs to get away, and when her boss tells her to produce content during her trip, she decides to write an article on 10 Reasons To Go To Vietnam, which means she has to retroactively explain why she went so far away. We hear the composed, articulate, best version of Diane as her internal writing voice narrates the episode and goes through each of the different reasons for why she decided to make this trip. The reality of the trip, however, is a different story, as it doesn’t run as smoothly as she planned and Diane realises she doesn’t fit in with Vietnamese people despite her heritage, even inadvertantly causing offence to a stranger by touching her son’s head (a rude gesture within that culture). In her head, Diane keeps going through her different excuses for why she’s in this place, and they all sound like the typical explanations for why people go travelling. She wants a tangible reason that she can point to which explains to herself as much as anyone else why she’s done this, and she wants the reason to sound like it was a measured, deliberate decision rather than something she decided to do in the heat of the moment based on an emotional reaction.

But the story we’re seeing, both in the present and in the past as we see the events that led up to this trip, shows us that they don’t quite fit with her. Each of her excuses frame her as someone she’s not, and as she gradually admits that each of the reasons she’s listed don’t apply to her, we see the “actual reason [Diane] went to Vietnam”: that her heart was broken when she saw her soon-to-be ex-husband kiss another woman in the same way he used to kiss her. We saw Diane sobbing at the start of this episode and we didn’t know why, and at the end of the episode we return to that same moment as Diane remembers it, and it feels like her heart is breaking all over again, and ours along with it. But after facing the truth of her emotions after making a literal list of excuses for why she did something crazy when she was hurting, she says truthfully that she takes comfort in learning that she “can survive being alone”. Confronting the true reason for her actions is painful because it forces her to revisit a moment that devastated her, but at the same time, it gives Diane strength by making her realise that she was strong enough to face this and still be here.

In ‘Planned Obsolescence’, Todd and Yolanda end the episode on a frank conversation in which they decide to break up. Despite coming out on the other side of an awkward evening with Yolanda’s family who are all very open with how sexual they are while Todd and Yolanda are both asexual, and despite Yolanda telling her family the truth about her asexuality and them being respectful and accepting of her, Todd still feels that he and Yolanda haven’t been honest with themselves and with each other. They’re very different people who are only together because they both happen to be asexual. But as ill-suited as they are for each other, Yolanda worries that the chances of finding someone who’s compatible and also asexual are slim to impossible. As optimistic as Todd is, you can hear from his voice that he also has similar concerns. And yet even so, Todd proposes they make an arrangement that, if they haven’t found anyone by the time they’re 100, they’ll meet up again. Todd may not be the brightest guy, but he is a shining light in this show and continues to have the healthiest outlook out of anyone in the main cast. He makes his excuses to himself and to Yolanda’s family, but in the end, he confronts the truth of who he is, and finds a way to be okay with it even if it means he may not be with someone perfectly matched to him, or with anyone at all. Bless this show for giving us Todd.

As an aside, the farcical interactions between Yolanda, Todd, and her family as the script playfully has its fun with all the familiar conventions of situational-comedy has resulted in some of the hardest laughter I’ve experienced from television this year.

Taking us to the other side of things, let’s talk about one of the most talked about episodes of the season, Episode 6 – ‘Free Churro’. Apart from the prologue showing us a memory of Bojack’s father talking at his silent son for three minutes, ‘Free Churro’ is a twenty-minute monologue of Bojack giving a eulogy at his mother’s funeral. There are camera cuts to different angles, but the whole episode is set in one location, and the sole point of focus is Bojack as he delivers his eulogy and goes on his many tangents. In a way, it’s the stylistic opposite of ‘Fish Out of Water’, the almost entirely wordless Season 3 episode that focused on telling a purely visual story as Bojack explored the many underwater locations of the Pacific Ocean. ‘Free Churro’ sucks you in with its one extended, unbroken scene and Will Arnett’s exceptional vocal performance as Bojack as his soft cadences convey the fluid emotions that pass over Bojack during this whole sequence. It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before, in either Bojack Horseman or in animated television in general.

There is so much meat to chew over and reflect on in this episode, but for me, I’ll focus on the significance of the last words of Bojack’s mother and how he processes them. In his eulogy, Bojack keeps coming back to her last words - “I see you.” He wonders what his mother meant by that, wonders if she meant anything at all by them. Did she acknowledge him in her last moments and finally accept him? This is what you would typically expect a grieving child to cling onto, but after a lifetime of cruelty from his parents and waiting for some sign that they loved and accepted him, Bojack is not sure if he believes this. He keeps offering alternative explanations; maybe she was saying that he doesn’t fool her, and that she sees him as the mess-up that he is, or maybe her mind was going and she meant nothing by it other than simply saying that she saw him. By the end of the episode, Bojack believes he’s connected the dots when he realises they were in the Intensive Care Unit – the I.C.U. . He concludes that his mother was looking past him and was just reading the letters off of a sign. He decides that yes, of course she didn’t mean anything positive by those words, it was all just a random coincidence, and that in the end, his mother had nothing to say to him on her death bed.

Given what we’ve seen of Beatrice Horseman in the last four seasons, that’s certainly possible; she is the kind of person who could do that. But the thing is, even though Bojack treats the conclusion he reaches as the truth of the matter, there’s nothing in the episode which necessarily confirms that this was the case. Beatrice could have been offering a last-minute act of kindness to Bojack, but Bojack is so ready to believe that his mother had nothing to say to him that, the moment he considers the possibility that his mother was acknowledging him, he looks for excuses for why that isn’t true. In his own words, Bojack was “prepared for more cruelty” when his mother was dying, but he “was not prepared for ‘I see you’”. He thought he knew what his mother would say to him, but when she said something else, it shook him, and he didn’t know what it meant or how it made him feel. After he convinces himself that the excuse he’s come up with about the ICU is the truth, he concludes “I guess it’s good to know. It’s good to know that there is nobody looking out for me, that there never was, and there never will be. No, it’s good to know that I am the only one that I can depend on”. Bojack clings to this excuse with such certainty because it cements the impression he’s always had that he is alone, and that’s the only way things can ever be.

Because otherwise him being alone and having no one else to rely on isn’t because of his parents and the way they treated him. If he accepts that he doesn’t have to be alone because of his parents, he might have to accept that he needs other people, and he needs their help. But sadly, he isn’t quite there yet.

To be concluded in Part 2…

#The Inquisitive J #review #tv review #film #tv #television #film critic #film discussion #critical analysis #criticism #critical discussion #critical article #bojack #bojack horseman #bojack horseman season 5 #bojack horseman review #bojack horseman season 5 review #the inquisitive j reviews

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thecinephale · 5 years

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Best Movies of 2018

My favorite movies of the year were rough around the edges. Ambitious, personal works that were messy and real. There were a lot of big films this year that I personally didn't like that much (or at all), but I really love this list of films and I hope you check them out.

Still need to See: Bird Box, Border, Cold War, Custody, Dark River, I Am Not a Witch, On the Basis of Sex, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, Summer '93, The Third Murder, Tyrel, Unsane, Where Hands Touch, Where is Kyra?

Films I didn't prioritize because someone involved has behaved in a way that makes me uninterested in their work: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, The Death of Stalin, The House That Jack Built, A Simple Favor

Really Liked: -Annihilation (dir. Alex Garland) -Blockers (dir. Kay Cannon) -Crazy Rich Asians (dir. Jon Chu) -Destroyer (dir. Karyn Kusama) -Let the Sunshine In (dir. Claire Denis) -Mary Poppins Returns (dir. Rob Marshall) -Mission: Impossible - Fallout (dir. Christopher McQuarrie) -The Rider (dir. Chloé Zhao) -Private Life (dir. Tamara Jenkins) -Skate Kitchen (dir. Crystal Moselle) -We the Animals (dir. Jeremiah Zagar) -You Were Never Really Here (dir. Lynne Ramsay)

Really Really Liked: -Eighth Grade (dir. Bo Burnham) -Happy as Lazzaro (dir. Alice Rohrwacher) -Leave No Trace (dir. Debra Granik) -Love, Simon (dir. Greg Berlanti) -Mary Queen of Scots (dir. Josie Rourke) -Nancy (dir. Christina Choe) -On Body and Soul (dir. Ildikó Enyedi) -Tully (dir. Jason Reitman)

Loved:

10. Black Panther (dir. Ryan Coogler)

Finally. Proof that Hollywood doesn’t have to choose between style, substance, and entertainment. Black Panther was the biggest film of the year and also one of the best. With stunning cinematography by Rachel Morrison, inspired costumes by Ruth E. Carter, and an album of the year worthy soundtrack by Kendrick Lamar, Ryan Coogler has broken through the Marvel machine to make something truly special. And like all the best superhero movies the supporting cast is incredible, Letitia Wright being the obvious standout, along with moral foils Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong'o. This is everything I want from big budget filmmaking and it's such an exciting relief to be reminded that it's possible.

9. The Tale (dir. Jennifer Fox)

The Hollywood Reporter recently published an article about the 16-year-old girl who inspired Woody Allen's Manhattan. The woman, reflecting on her time with the director and known child molester, is unsure how to frame their time together. She was underage and knowing what she knows now about Allen, their affair feels different. But at the time she was in love. Reading this article, I felt overwhelming gratitude for filmmaker Jennifer Fox and The Tale, a painful and important movie about her own teenage love affair, about her own rape. Fox's vulnerability and skill not only make this a great movie, but a truly life-changing experience. There is one moment in particular that uses cinema in a way I've never seen before. This is by no means an easy film to watch, but it's really worthwhile if you can handle it.

8. Dirty Computer (dir. Janelle Monáe & others)

This "emotion picture" available to watch on YouTube strikes such a moving balance between pure joy, harsh reality, and cautious hope. Its very existence is a sign that its optimism is not misplaced. Musicians have become some of our greatest auteurs with voices and stories Hollywood would otherwise ignore. Janelle Monáe along with Chuck Lightning, Emma Westenberg, Alan Ferguson, and Lacey Duke created a film that is at once a sci-fi epic, a visual album, a public coming out, a celebration of queerness/Blackness/femaleness, and an ode to everybody different. This year was bleak and nothing brought me more comfort than this movie, this album, and obsessing over Monáe and star Tessa Thompson's relationship.

7. Good Manners (dir. Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra)

Come for the lesbian werewolf musical fairy tale genre mashup, stay for the complicated explorations of race, class, and parenthood. This movie is overflowing with so many ideas, cinematically and thematically, it's thrilling to watch it all fit together. It's so rare to watch a movie and have literally no idea where it's going and I will cherish the experience of my first viewing (I literally SCREAMED at one moment in a crowded theatre, seriously) while also hungrily rewatching to unpack everything that's going on. I can't promise it will all work for you, but I can promise you won't be bored.

6. Shirkers (dir. Sandi Tan)

As a teenager Sandi Tan made a feature film with her friends and an enigmatic mentor. Imagined as the start of a Singapore New Wave, their dreams were crushed when the mentor vanished with the film reels. Now decades later, Tan's documentary recalls the experience… with the help of the recovered reels. Part memoir/part mystery/part lost cinema classic, Shirkers is about youthful creativity, exploitation, and so much more. Ultimately this is a portrait of an art form. Within its 95 minutes it encapsulates everything movies can do and everything movies take. It's currently streaming on Netflix and a must-watch for anyone who makes movies or cares about how they're made.

5. Widows (dir. Steve McQueen)

Like a Michael Mann movie if Michael Mann cared about things other than digital cameras, Steve McQueen's cold and stellar heist movie lacks subtlety in all the best ways. Led by Viola Davis this candidate for greatest movie cast ever of all time ever does not disappoint. Everybody is so, so good, and it's thrilling to watch this kind of 1970s American genre film through a point of view that doesn't belong to white men. There's a lot to unpack here, with character, plot, and theme, and I've only seen it once, but that was enough to know that this is a capital G Great movie.

4. The Miseducation of Cameron Post (dir. Desiree Akhavan)

Not every queer person has gone to conversion therapy, but I'd guess most of us have doubted our feelings and our identities. What could have easily been a more serious But I'm a Cheerleader instead finds its own purpose, its own humor, and ultimately exists as a still relevant portrayal of the gaslighting we continue to face for just being ourselves. Chloë Grace Moretz gives one of the best performances of the year as the equal parts cool and vulnerable Cameron and my love for writer/director Desiree Akhavan knows no bounds. NOTE: Sasha Lane plays a character who is disabled and Forrest Goodluck plays a character who is Two-Spirit despite not being so themselves. Considering how good the film is otherwise I dream of a version with a supporting cast who understand the experience of their characters.

3. If Beale Street Could Talk (dir. Barry Jenkins)

Like the masterpiece of a novel it's based on, Barry Jenkins third film is an overwhelming tribute to life in the face of despair. Instead of offering hope, instead of suggesting that being Black in America will someday be easier, Beale Street shows how love, romantic and familial, can provide temporary escape and a reason for being. The entire cast is incredible and gorgeous. Every frame is lush, the score is beautiful, and the moments of joy are as moving as the moments of pain. We are so lucky to be alive while Barry Jenkins is making movies.

2. Shoplifters (dir. Hirokazu Kore-Eda)

I went into Kore-Eda's Palme d'Or winning tribute to chosen family ready to feel grateful for my own chosen family. The friends, mentors, beauticians(!), doctors(!!) who have loved and supported me and made me feel like I wasn't alone these past few years. That happened. But what surprised me was how much it made me appreciate my biological family as well. Like the houses in my favorite TV show of the year, Pose, the makeshift family of Shoplifters ends up being like any other. There are clashing personalities, there are frustrations, there are fights. But more than anything there is care, there is self-sacrifice, there is love. Community is not defined by perfection. Family is not defined by perfection. Kore-Eda has spent much of his career asking the question, "What is family?" and this film provides the least and most satisfying answers.

1. In Between (dir. Maysaloun Hamoud)

I loved my favorite movie of the year so deeply that a one paragraph pitch just won't do. Fortunately, the best site on the entire online, Autostraddle, had me write a gushy review. Read it here or if you're already convinced watch In Between free on Kanopy and then read it: https://www.autostraddle.com/in-between-review-the-super-gay-super-feminist-film-no-ones-talking-about-444114/

Television!

Extremely honorable mentions like how is there so much good TV these all deserve to be in the top ten: BoJack Horseman (S5), High Maintenance (S2), Insecure (S3), Jane the Virgin (S4), Random Acts of Flyness (S1), Sharp Objects, Supergirl (S4), Take My Wife (S2)

10. Killing Eve (S1) 9. Atlanta (S2) 8. The Good Place (S2/3) 7. The Americans (S6) 6. The Bisexual (S1) 5. ACS: The Assassination of Gianni Versace 4. Queen Sugar (S3) 3. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (S3/S4) 2. Vida (S1) 1. Pose (S1)

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limitless-intheory · 6 years

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answer all horror asks

The Silence of the Lambs: What was something that you used to be afraid of that you aren’t afraid of anymore?

Well, I used to be deathly afraid of nighttime. When I was little I couldn’t sleep without the light on. Sometimes, I couldn’t even sleep with it on. It was really bad.

It: What do you believe in?

This is a very broad question. I guess I believe in ghosts. I believe in reincarnation because the thought of going to one place for all eternity terrifies me. You know, as I write this, I realize that a much easier question to answer would be what don’t you believe in.. because boy howdy, do I have some answers for that.

The Nightmare on Elm Street: Have you ever had problems sleeping? Any nightmares?

As I stated before, as a child I had a reaaaallly hard time sleeping. Like, I had this horrific nightmares and sleep paralysis constantly. It got so bad that my parents locked me in my room one night to stop me from waking them up because I was so terrified.

Friday the Thirteenth: What would you do for those you love?

The people I love are the only reason I live. For them, I’d do anything.

Psycho: What was your childhood like?

A very complicated question. On one hand, you’d think it would have been terrible due to my parent’s constant fighting and my mom’s plethora of issues (including her cheating on my dad, constantly being in and out of rehab, and last but not least, her suicide attempt), but honestly I remember it being quite pleasant. I never had issues making friends and even though I looked like Danny DeVito I managed to make a lot of great memories.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: If you could go back and change one thing, what would it be?

I would prevent myself from cheating on one of my ex boyfriends. It is my biggest regret.

The Ring: What’s your favorite tv show? What do you think about the effect of media on people?

My favorite tv show is currently Bojack Horseman. I think media, while having the ability to make a positive difference, almost always has a negative influence on the minds of its consumers. People mimic what they see. And just look at what the most popular broadcasted things are today..

Saw: If you were given only one week to live, how would you spend it?

I’d do all of the crazy illegal shit that i’ve always wanted to do. And I’d tell a couple people off. And I’d tell a bunch of people things I’ve always wanted to tell them.

Scream: Are you excited for the future?

No.

Jaws: How prepared are you for the situations you’re put in? How well can you handle situations you’re put in, especially if they make you uncomfortable?

Geneally I handle things absolutely terribly. I just kind of suck.

Dr. Giggles: If you had to lose a body part, what would you lose and why?

I guess my left hand. Who even needs it, anyways?

The Amityville Horror: Why do you like your favorite book as much as you do?

Okay, first off, my favorite book is Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan. The story actually brought me to tears in the middle of class when I read the climax. I was completely gripped by the story throughout the entire book and I never wanted to put it down. It effectively transported me into another world, allowed me to see things directly through the character’s perspective and empathize with them. And, it depicted several mental illnesses wonderfully. 10/10 book overall.

Silent Hill: If you could go anywhere without worrying about money, where would you go? Where are some places where reality feels distorted for you?

I want to see everything. Literally everything. I want to visit every goddamn place on this Earth. Reality feels distorted at dusk in forested areas when all of the fireflies come out. It also feels distorted in shopping centers late at night, especially if Christmas music is playing. And in elevators.

The Conjuring: If you could learn any new skill, what would you learn?

Lockpicking.

Insidious: When you were a child, what job did you want when you got older? What job do you have now? Do you like it? Why or why not? If you could have any job, what would it be?

As a child, I wanted to be a Veterinarian. Currently, I work at a Culver’s (for those who don’t know, it’s a fast food place). I guess I like my job well enough for what it is. I certainly don’t want to work there for the rest of my life. I have no idea what job i’d want. Something that doesn’t involve people.

Cooties: How well do you protect against germs? Do you get sick often?

I don’t attempt to protect against germs at all. I know I should, for other people’s sakes, but I just really don’t care. I get a cold about once a year. I’ve never been super seriously sick.

The Babadook: What is something keeping you from truly being happy?

My damn broken heart.

Annabelle: What did you do for fun as a child?

I read a lot, went to parks, watched movies, rode my bike, played with dolls. I played a lot of make believe.

Black Christmas: What’s your favorite holiday? Why? What are some good memories you have with it?

I know I’ve said before that my favorite is Halloween, but in all honesty, I love Christmas. I’m a sucker for those good holiday feels. I love gift giving, snow, hot chocolate.. just the whole atmosphere. Cheesy, I know. I have so many good memories.. most of which involve him, so I’m not going to bring those up.

Hellraiser: Are some lives worth more than others?

Absolutely.

Silent Night, Bloody Night: What’s your least favorite holiday? Why?

I hate Thanksgiving. I don’t like the food, the tradition is horrible, and the idea of Black Friday is capitalist filth and I hate it.

Children of the Corn: Do you believe in a higher power?

I.. I have no idea dude.

Carrie: Have you ever been told something you didn’t want to be/ gotten news you didnt want to hear?

For some reason, people like to tell me intensely personal things even if i barely know them. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

Cloverfield: If you were in the zombie apocalypse, would you hide, and if so, where would you hide? What group of people would you want with you through this?

Hell no I wouldn’t hide. The apocalypse is a free chance to die and i’ll be damned if I pass that up. Surviving is too much work, anyway. My shit luck would get me killed immediately, regardless of if i tried to stop it.

Halloween: What is your favorite thing to wear?

Oversized hoodies, spiky things, and edgy black shoes.

The Haunting: Have you ever been convinced that your house is haunted or that a ghost or other villain was after you?

As a child my nightmares would oftentimes center around ghosts and demons in my house out to get me, so yes, I was convinced my house is haunted for several years.

Paranormal Activity: Do you believe in the supernatural?

I believe that there are many things in this world we cannot explain, we can’t understand, and that we are not meant to understand.

Evil Dead: Who is someone you look up to and why?

I really admire my sister. Even though she has her flaws and is still trying to figure out her life, she is such a strong, beautiful individual and I’m so lucky to have her.

The Exorcist: what’s your relationship with your parents?

We argue a lot.. to be fair, I can be a complete shit sometimes. But we have the mutual understanding that we love each other, despite our flaws. There are some things I cant forgive either of my parents for, but I still love them all the same.

Ta da! I did it.

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sapphoschld · 6 years

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I was tagged by @forestwitchadam

Name: Kristen

Gender: Female

Height: 4′11 &1/2 (yes that 1/2 is important! don’t @ me lol)

Age: 18

Wallpaper on my phone: a rainbow flag with the words “love is love” at the bottom left of it

House: Hufflepuff (again don’t @ me)

First ever crush on a teacher: My 8th grade science teacher. It’s the only time I’ve ever had a crush on a teacher and I felt bad for having it bc he has a family.

Coolest Halloween Costume: I’ve never really had a cool Halloween costume, but my favorite was definitely an Ariel costume.

Favourite 90s tv show: According to my mom, I watched The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air religiously when I was a child

Last Kiss: My first kiss. I would absolutely take it back if I had the chance bc the dude I kissed turned out to not be a good guy.

Have you ever been stood up: No I don’t think so.

Favourite pair of shoes: My choir heels. I mean yeah I really like my regular pair of shoes, but my choir heels are comfortable. It’s just a shame I don’t get to wear them very often bc I have flat feet, which means that my feet don’t have an arch.

Have you ever been to Vegas: No, I haven’t. I might go one day.

Favourite Fruit: watermelon and cantaloupe

Favourite Book: Although I haven’t read the entire book yet, I’m gonna have to go with The Book Thief.

Stupidest thing you’ve ever done: One of the stupidest things I’ve ever done is definitely getting back together with one of exes out of pity and bc he literally fuckin told me he would kill himself if I left him. We’re not together anymore and haven’t been for awhile but.. yeah.

All time favourite shows: Grey’s Anatomy, OINTB used to one of them but I kinda just lost interest in it (I might check out season 6 when it comes out next month), Bojack Horseman, The Great British Baking Show. There are probably more but I can’t think of them rn.

Last movie you saw in theatres: I have no idea tbh. It’s been wayy too fuckin long since I’ve gone to the movies. But it was probably a Harry Potter movie.

Tag people you want to get to know better:

any of you guys can do it Idrc

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characterdiagnosis · 7 years

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Bojack Horseman has (BPD) Borderline Personality Disorder

I decided to kickstart this blog by dissecting one of my favorite characters, Bojack Horseman. Although Bojack does fit the criteria for other mental illness, such as Major Depressive Disorder and Alcoholism, I stand firm on a final diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder. I’m going to explain my decision using evidence from the show and diagnostic criteria summarized from the DSM-5, the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the U.S.

In it’s most simple definition, BPD is an issue of emotional dysregulation, and although it may share similarities with Bipolar Disorder, they are not one in the same. BPD is estimated to affect up to 5.9% of the population. Not only are their emotions much more intense than the average person’s, the level of emotion is often disproportionate to the event. These emotions are so overwhelming they may render the individual afraid and powerless, or cause erratic, dysfunctional behavior. Five or more of the following criteria could indicate a potential diagnosis for borderline personality disorder.

1. frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5.

Fear of abandonment is often partnered with an exaggerated sense of dependency on another individual. This can result in sabotage of other relationships, punishment in the form of retribution ("I’ll leave you before you leave me" or "I’ll cheat on you before you cheat on me"); jealous fits of rage, emotional withdrawal, and self-harm (including suicide attempts). The individual may even accuse the person of being unfaithful or of loving other people in an unbalanced or inappropriate way.

This kind of behavior is evident in season one, when Bojack gets Todd addicted to video games so he must stay reliant on Bojack. The sad part is that he has such low self-esteem that he believes the only way people will stay with him is through concerted efforts of control and manipulation. At their core, people suffering with BPD feel worthless and alone.

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“In a vain effort to appeal to Diane, BoJack takes her suggestion and helps Todd develop his rock opera. When BoJack realizes that Todd's inevitable success will lead to him moving out, BJ pays off a couple different people to help him get Todd hooked on that video game that had previously ruined his life. All because BoJack can't stand the notion of possibly being alone, and the only way to ensure that doesn't happen, was to make sure Todd's rock opera was unsuccessful.” - Youareposthuman [Reddit]

2. a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation

“Either you end up hurting someone, or they hurt you.”

Relationships are incredibly difficult to manage, even for the average person. For someone with BPD, a relationship can become a minefield of unhealed trauma. Setting healthy boundaries isn’t something that comes naturally to many, but it is especially difficult for those suffering from BPD. From the beginning, Bojack’s on again/off again relationship with Princess Carolyn illustrates his inability to open up or commit emotionally. She describes Bojack as a "self-pitying masochist." He knows in his heart of hearts that him and Princess Carolyn have always been a relationship of convenience, with both of them coming together mainly out of fear of being alone.

“It’s so sad that when you know someone for who they are, it ruins them.”

Bojack Horseman also begins a relationship with his publicist, Ana Spanakopita, which he describes as “complicated.” Although they have sex and she controls nearly every aspect of his life, Bojack knows next to nothing about her. When she refuses to divulge information, Bojack decides to follow her home, an obvious invasion of privacy. He thought he had something real with her, but he just projected his own feelings onto her at a time when he needed comfort. The crux of their relationship is about control and power.

Bojack liked Charlotte because he was in a dark place. Charlotte was both mentally and physically outside of the LA bubble. He needed to escape from the "tar pit". She was also someone from his past; a happier time. He did have a genuine connection with Charlotte but it was a long time ago, before he was famous, and he's been clinging on to it ever since.

Wanda is one of the few people who remembers Bojack with any sense of fondness. One of the major reasons he liked her was because she didn't know about his bad traits. They break up after he threatens to auto-erotically asphyxiate himself if she doesn’t confess her love for him.

Diane and Bojack have a friendship framed by Bojack’s jealousy and intense dislike for Mr. Peanutbutter. They meet when Diane is assigned to ghost write his biography. Because it is her job to get to know the real Bojack, he quickly develops strong feelings for her. From early on in season one we know that Bojack is in love with her, as suggested by Princess Carolyn and Mr. Peanutbutter on numerous occasions.

Bojack also has a corrupted relationship with his mother and his ex-best friend, Herb.

3. identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self image or sense of self

Who are you? Most people are familiar with identity disturbances, having experienced at least one themselves, usually during adolescence. People with borderline personality disorder experience identity disturbance and need for people to like and approve of them.

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Bojack is constantly unsure about his own skills, personality traits, and moral compass. In the first episode of the show when he “finds out” Princess Carolyn has other clients he asks her, “What other clients? Are they more talented than me?” His self-esteem teeters between inflated and nonexistent. Because Bojack does not know how to validate himself, he seeks external validation from others in order to reaffirm his identity.

In season 2, episode 2, Bojack decides that adopting an upbeat attitude will change his life. Issues with Bojack’s identity surface in his obsession with watching old episodes of Horsin’ Around. When he agrees to let Sarah Lynn live with him in the very same episode, he does so under the misguided idea that it will make him feel less alone and fix his problems - like it works on Horsin’ Around. He proceeds to spend the episode behaving like he’s on an episode of Horsin’ Around, including a total change of demeanor. Todd explains to him that this isn’t a TV show, this is real life, but Bojack refuses to see outside of his delusions.

More horse than a man, or more man than a horse?

At the end of season 3, Bojack watches a herd of horses running across the open plains. This brings us full circle to the ending theme song which has lyrics that read:

It's been so long

I don't think I'm gonna last

I guess I'll just try

And make you understand

That I'm more horse than a man

Or I'm more man than a horse

This can be interpreted one of two ways. The first suggests that Bojack must make the choice between being a man and a coward - given that horses naturally flee from perceived danger. At one point Bojack even confesses, “I’ve been running my entire life.” He is coming to a crossroads where he must decide if he will continue to run from his problems or face them head on.

The interpretation that I subscribe to is a bit more literal. Rather than a metaphor for cowardice, Bojack is wondering if his unhappiness comes him living the life of a man, rather than what comes naturally - being a horse. His crippling childhood never allowed him to internalize any ideas about worth and self-image, so he instead relies on more “measurable” external factors like talent, wealth, or relationships.

4. impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating). Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5.

Bojack easily fits all the types of listed self-damaging behaviors, as evidenced below. He’s been known to modify his body, abuse drugs/alcohol, spend and drive recklessly, behave sexually inappropriate, and binge eat.

Spending: We know immediately that he is prone to throwing parties and spending tons of money to make them a hit. Even though he explicitly tells Todd he won’t buy a cotton candy machine (because he can’t control himself around them) he buys one anyway.

Sex is often used as a tool in Bojack’s self-destruction. A prime example of this is when Bojack has sex with Todd’s girlfriend, a move he knows would destroy Todd and effectively ruin his relationship with Bojack. Even worse, in "Escape From L.A." Bojack nearly sleeps with Charlotte’s daughter, Penny, then seventeen years old. He thought he might be able to have something with Penny, but that was just a failed attempt to replicate what he previously had with Charlotte. All ambiguity is gone by the end of season 3, as BoJack explicitly states he intended to sleep with Penny, even if he wishes that he was better than that.

Substance abuse (alcoholism) becomes clear in the first episode of the show, but it is reinforced time and time again. After Diane gets engaged to Mr. Peanutbutter, Bojack goes on a two week bender and ends up on Princess Carolyn's front lawn. A “bender” is the status of being bent for more than a day. Usually results in loss of memory, money, strange tattoos, and other things you'll have a hell of a time explaining. The most apparent example of this is during season 3, episode 3, when Bojack and Sarah Lynn take a ton of drugs and try to make amends.

Reckless driving is merely the backdrop to their downward spiral. They drink and drive, on top of ingesting a variety of drugs.

Binge eating is one of the newly recognized eating disorders. Most of us have done it at least once or twice. However, it can become a serious problem when someone has recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food. This “binge” is usually accompanied by feelings of shame and guilt, or a loss of control.

We are introduced to this behavior in the first episode of the show, when Bojack breaks up with Princess Carolyn and eats nine baskets of bread. Afterward in the car, he asks Princess Carolyn if she thinks he looks chubby. When Bojack finishes telling the story to Todd, he’s still focused on intense feelings of guilt over prospective weight gain and concern about his body image, while simultaneously inferring he just ate an entire pizza.

The food is often eaten very quickly, for reasons related to stress, and usually to the point of discomfort, or even pain. In the same episode Bojack admits to standing in a corner alone, eating cotton candy to the point of puking at Todd’s last party. (This comes full back around by the end of the episode, where he is shown doing the exact same thing.)

This behavior recurs again and again, such as in season 2 episode 2 when Bojack buys muffins just to prove a point and then eats all of them on the ride home. In the third season, he belches again after raiding Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter's fridge. These episodes of gluttony can be seen as yet more failed attempts to handle his inner turmoil resulting in his appearing inconsiderate and repulsive to others.

5. recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior

Having BPD often makes suicide look like a good solution when it’s not. This suicidality can appear at different times, in different ways, and for drastically different reasons. For example, some may use suicide and/or self-harm as an “escape rope” from chronic overwhelming emotions, while others may threaten suicide and/or self-harm as a means to exert control or manipulate others.

“So if you don’t mind, as long as you don’t love me, I’m going to step into this noose.”

In season 2, episode 2, Bojack casually threatens to auto-erotic asphyxiate himself in order to make Wanda admit she loves him. While it is hard to say whether or not Bojack was serious, this behavior is not uncommon among people with borderline personality disorder. Suicidal gestures and threats are often used as a way to exert control when an individual feels powerless or overwhelmed by emotions. The desire for control is not necessarily malicious in nature. The person threatening or attempting the behavior almost always feels a genuine sense of desperation.

6. affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days)

In the first episode, Bojack has what a doctor later describes as a “minor anxiety attack” when he finds himself thinking that maybe he is “just a washed up has-been.” The panic attack is so bad he ends up in the hospital. When Princess Carolyn suggests Bojack call the ghostwriter because the book deal is stressing him he responds, “You want me to call this woman on the phone?” and proceeds to have another anxiety attack.

7. chronic feelings of emptiness

Imagine being full of empty. Bored. All the time. People with BPD feel an acute sense of nothingness that diminishes their worth outside of relationships with others. This feeling can be turned inward and result in self-loathing, panic attacks, self-harm, etc.

Bojack dissociates pretty regularly - disconnecting almost entirely from his environment, and at times, his emotions. The opening of the show includes Bojack’s bust, superimposed over different scenes. His face is sad, eyes empty and lifeless. He appears totally indifferent and unresponsive.

He is also shown having flashbacks during bouts of dissociation, such as Diane points out in season 1, episode 2 when she asks him about his childhood. “You just sat here for five minutes in silence and then said, ‘Uneventful.’”

Mr. Peanutbutter: All I ever wanted was to be your friend. And you treat me like a big joke. You think I don't notice? Why don't you like me?

BoJack: Mr. Peanutbutter.

Mr. Peanutbutter: No, tell me.

BoJack: Because I'm jealous.

Mr. Peanutbutter: Oh. Of what? Diane?

BoJack: No. Of everything. Everything comes so easy for you.

Mr. Peanutbutter: Oh, and it doesn't for you? You're a millionaire movie star with a girlfriend who loves you, acting in your dream movie. What more do you want? What else could the universe possibly owe you?

BoJack: I want to feel good about myself. The way you do. And I don't know how. I don't know if I can. I'm sorry, Mr. Peanutbutter. I can't tell you how sorry I am.

8. inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights)

Bojack experiences intense anger in both big and small ways. Small events like a stray curly fry being among their normal fries is enough to set him off, or receiving repeated calls from an unknown number.

Other Borderline Behaviors:

Oversharing is the act of prematurely revealing personal information. This behavior can occur for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it can be used as a “test.” If the person responds nonjudgmentally, they have passed, assuring the Borderline that it is safe to get to know them. Other reasons for this behavior include few boundaries, a desire for instant intimacy, impulsivity, and a compulsion to confess their “sins.”

In the second episode of season 1, after only just meeting Diane at the party, he confides in her that he uses horse tranquilizers recreationally, and that he just takes a small does to help him sleep at night, and a much, much larger dose to get him through the day. When Diane reads this back to him from an email, he is visibly embarrassed.

“You ruined me Bojack.” A Childhood of Chronic Invalidation, Neglect, & Abuse

Borderline personality disorder develops due to a combination of genetic predisposition and life experiences (nature and nurture.) Still, most people that experience trauma, chronic invalidation, and neglect, do not usually develop borderline personality disorder. However, most people with borderline personality disorder have experienced a childhood full of chronic invalidation.

Emotional invalidation is when a person's thoughts and feelings are rejected, ignored, or judged. Children who are regularly invalidated by their parents which learn to distrust their emotions, a precursor to BPD. Despite the chronic invalidation and abuse revealed via Bojack’s memories, he describes his childhood as “normal” (”Bojack Hates the Troops”) This is because Bojack, like many people in the real world, does not realize what constitutes as abuse, especially from his parents.

When he gives his father a father’s day card, his father criticizes him for taking the easy way out and not trying his best. He also slaps him hard in the face when he answers “wrong.” This type of abuse goes on and on, such as his father making him build his own tree house before tearing it down. His mother is equally as abusive in different ways, utilizing gaslighting and other methods.

Bojack begins showing signs of depression in early childhood. In "Yesterdayland,” he sends a letter into a television show that reads:

I am a good kid and I like to play, and I like to go to school, but sometimes I get sad. What do you do when you get sad? How do you not get sad?

His parents walk in while Bojack is watching TV and fight in earshot, yelling loudly and smashing dishware. His mother soon enters the room, angry and critical. She explains to her young son that before he was born, she was beautiful. She tells him to make up for all the damage he’s done, he better grow up to be something great. This plants the seed of Bojack’s deep-rooted need for perfectionism.

In “Stop the Presses,” Bojack maintains that he doesn’t want to talk to anyone, he just wants control over his own life. Many people with BPD don’t get the help they deserve due to a lack of knowledge or stigma surrounding mental health issues. Bojack Horseman is one of them. Don’t be like Bojack Horseman. If you relate to some or most of these listed criteria, get your brainhead checked by a real professional.

#bojack horseman #bpd #borderline personality disorder #mr peanutbutter #character analysis

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pr · 5 years

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I was tagged by @twothirtyams

FINALLY got around to it HERE:

Nickname(s): Energizer Bonnie. Bon Bon. Bon. The Bonster. Babe (Jake literally has called me Bonnie less than 20 times akdjakanan).

Gender: Lady gal. Tbh I would be agender because I just don't care but along that same vein I just don't care enough to explain that all the time/insist on pronouns. So. Respect to y'all who do. ✌

Height: 5′6″ (I'm the tallest woman in me or Jake's families but also like. Why am I not 5'11"+ akdjakajaj Kaylor's impact….)

Time: 5:47p CST

Where I'm from: Dallas, Texas. (I would specify the suburb but nobody outside DFW seems to kno lol.) Living in Austin, Texas for 21 more days though...

Hogwarts house: SLYTHERIN. Through and through. When I took the quiz at like 15 and got put in the opposite of Gryffindor I cried. But like. Now, I cannot imagine ever not identifying with everything about Slytherin. The ~dark side~ has never ever been appealing to me - I didn't even have an "emo phase" (I thought MCR was scary even) lol but. Ambition and cunning? Hell. Yes. Also Merlin was a Slytherin so. Dab.

Favorite show: Parks and Recreation has taken the top spot for yeeeears - but now it is tied with Crazy Ex Girlfriend. (I base a lot of my identity on kinned TV characters akdjakaj but ANYway.) 30 Rock close 2nd. Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul are 3rd, shockingly. Bojack Horseman an unfortunate 4th but I kin Bojack in a negative way. Always, ALWAYS stan Avatar: The Last Airbender at #5. I have too many to list tbh lol so just check my TV tag.

Favorite animal: So preface: I only like female animals. Akdjakaja. JUDGE me as you WILL. BUT. Other than hyenas, female animals don't RAPE. SO! ANYWAY! Bunnies at a hard #1!!!! 🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰 Alligators, sharks, dolphins, elephants, horses/ponies, cows, pigs (lotta livestock akdjakajaba), cats, opossums, cheetahs, big cats in general, GIRAFFES (KK……) - I love animals a lot (from a sanitary distance akdjakajaj)

Favorite band/artist: I will not even count the obvious answer because that isn't fair. Other than her: Paramore/Hayley Williams, Ariana Grande, Lorde, Hayley Kiyoko, Halsey, Bastille, Troye Sivan, Harry Styles/One Direction, Rush (hate you Jake…), the cast of Hamilton and Crazy Ex Girlfriend.

…

...you can't judge me.

Song stuck in my head: Well I'm currently listening to Kung Fu Fighting akdjakaj but other than that Love Kernels has been stuck in my head for OVER A WEEK!!!!

Last movie I saw: Uhhh….tbh I really do not watch enough movies??? Honestly, it might have been Endgame?? God I am sad akdjakakja. Watched Crazy Ex Girlfriend 3× since June tho akdjakana

Last thing I Googled: murphy texas fourth of july concert

Other blogs: I've got a SHIT ton of saved URLs, but other than my temp hiatus blog @kaylor and its side blog @marvelousmidgesusie nah. Too much effort.

Do I get asks:Absolutely not. Never have never will akdjakajaj I'm good with it now.

Why this URL: Not to be like. Dramatic. But. After getting a canon URL previously and receiving 0 validation from it, I started this blog under the guise of like. Having just...a fun URL I can change whenever just to enjoy. So, when the lyrics were leaked, I jumped on this bitch because it was fun! And I'll probably change it again once Lover releases.

Number of blankets: Oh my God. Over 10. Too many.

Followers: Little over 125 I think.

Following: Idk. Maybe 200?

Average amount of sleep: I have been working pretty hard to make it at LEAST 8 - but that never fucking happens aidhakan 7-6 usually and it makes me MISERABLE.

Lucky number: 187, and any combination thereof. I know. Weird. But. On birthday turning from 7 to 8, July 18th (7/18), I decided that was the best day of my life, and that was my number. Do I remember anything about that birthday? Absolutely not. But. The number stuck. It shows up in my life a lot. From random (187 on a bus or on a utilities panel driving by), to mildly interesting (my license plate just has 718 or reblogging/liking things that equal combos of the numbers a lot), to really freakin' weird (the number my mom has had for almost 30 years ends with 0718, my Jake's birthday just happens to be August 17th 8/17). So. Idk. I just wike it.

What am I wearing: Tee from a coffee shop, A&M workout shorts, sports bra, crap underwear, and my heart on my sleeve.

Dream job: For my entire life, it was working in film, most recently being an editor. But within the last few months, in a dramatic turn of events, my ideal job would be doing what @tree-paine does: being the publicist of clientele in media, music, film, sports, maybe even politics. Idk.

Dream trips: Jake and I have an elaborate dream of traveling down the Alps from Frankford to Austria to Switzerland to Mulan and ending in Verona. Additionally, I am desperate to take Jake to NYC, LA, Boston, and San Fran. Would love to visit almost every hotspot in the US (Chicago, Atlanta, NOLA, Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Disneyworld, Colorado, Alaska, etc). Also VANCOUVER, lots of East Asia, lots of Europe, Giza, Jerusalem, South Africa - but I have literally never been out of the country and am TERRIFIED of flying let alone over the OCEAN. UM. I just want to be well traveled man lmao.

Favorite food: LOTTA shit I am NOT picky, but tops for sure: cinnamon rolls, cheeseburgers, pizza, mac n cheese, blueberries, pasta in general, sushi, and Jake's aglio e olio/veggie nachos.

Instruments I play: Lol. As if. I spent almost $300 on a keyboard but have been too depressed to try. Maybe someday. Have also been dying to sing for 23 years…

Eye color: Very, VERY light blue. Whenever I am in public, people lose their SHIT on the daily when they see my eyes. But for me like. Blue eyes be creepy. Lmao. I really want green/hazel eyes but like. W/e. So it goes.

Hair color: Naturally this dark, awful shade of ash blonde. But I've been coloring my hair since middle school, and for the past 5 or so years it has been a natural ginger copper. I dye my brows too, people think it's really because I am such a cracker ass white gal akdjakanakan

Aesthetic: Check my "aesthetic" tag lol. Idk. Peach/salmon tones. Farm animals. Florals. Dresses with sneakers. Women. Taylor Swift lyrics over pastel backgrounds akdjakaj. BUNNIES. Shots with a lot of negative space. Mornings and coffee and eggs and pancakes. Waking up next to Jake. Texas hill country. Cowboy boots worn right. Snow. Christmas. Idk. Just like. Look at the "moodboards" tag too akdjakaj.

Languages I speak: English, do you see my lily white ass akdjakajaj. I can speak Spanglish well enough to get through a transaction or vaguely pick up words but that is IT. Would love to know Cherokee, Korean, German, and whatever the hell Australians are saying tho.

Most iconic song: One time, I had a dream that I wrote my senior thesis on why the song "Red" was on the level of modern icon/classic as songs "Don't Stop Believin'", "Livin' On A Prayer", "Smoke On The Water", etc. I was insistent the opening notes were on the same level as "Immigrant Song" aodaajakaja. And I was SO passionate about it I WOKE UP CRYING AKDHALAJAKKAAJ.

Anyway.

OTHER than that, this is 100% subjective and to me personally but: Tim McGraw because those opening notes are just nostalgic as hell; Out of the Woods because when that leaked I was just starting to get back into TS and I put on my headphones and covered myself in a blanket and closed my eyes to be fully into it and oh my God...it was immersive, I will never forget that feeling; IV Sweatpants by Childish Gambino, because it was the MOST PLAYED SONG OF 2018 on our Spotify akdjakajaj; My Shot/Wait For It from Hamilton because they have both inspired and driven me to feel like I can take on the fucking world; and A Diagnosis from Crazy Ex Girlfriend because it changed my life and I have listened to it more times than I can count.

When I created this account: A few months ago. I am changing my person this year, and starting fresh with how I present my online persona was an important part of that process for me. But I have been on Tumblr on various accounts since 2010/11 lmao.

Best memory: Getting moved to the front row at my first TS concert, the 1989 Tour; so, so many things with Jake, years of memories; getting my bun; reconnecting with Sarah; a lot of SXSW 2018; my 20th birthday.

Best pun: The first thing that comes to mind is a post I reblogged earlier about how Lyra from The Golden Compass does not have a moral compass in the metaphorical sense and I said, "I mean. She has a compass. She quite literally very much has a moral compass." I thought I was funny lol.

Random fact: I finally got diagnosed with BPD! And I've lost 20+lbs this year (getting healthy, it's a good thing)! My closet is color organized by item!

I tag:

@kayspiracy @jake-from-state-farm-school @toastedcoconutchips @vagabonds-and-troubadours @grizzlybairparty @thefuckingstory @pictureofsoph1sticatedgrace @his-dark-memerials @taylorswift

#THANKS FOR THE TAG TAAAAAAAAY #op #about me #tagged

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unorganized-thoughts-blog · 6 years

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Thought Dump #1

I made this in my phones notes. Decided to post them here. Thought Dump #1 • I don’t know how somebody can be as self destructive as I am. I’ve gone to three different high schools in the last three years looking for happiness yet I’m disappointed every time. • There are very few things that actually give me purpose in my excuse of a life. • Why do my parents have to over complicate everything. Two years ago I realized I needed glasses. My parents would tell me the other one was supposed to handle it. I didn’t get them until a year later when I kept making a big deal out of it. • Video games are fucking amazing. They let me escape from myself. Normally I’m me, a genuinely pathetic person. But when I log into my computer I become whoever I am online. My worries disappear and I can be my most genuine self. • I hope one day this was all worth the pain. • I recently lost a friend. She hung herself over two of my friends kissing. It genuinely pisses me off that that was the breaking point for her. Her note was all about how she loved Friend A but Friend A broke up with her. Then she found out Friend A still liked her ex Friend B. It’s a genuine shit show and has made friends A and B mentally fucked. Although Friend B won’t admit it. • Eminem’s music speaks to me so much. A lot of the time he’s rapping about depression I just instantly choke up. His song Beautiful always makes me cry. • I wonder how long it’ll take for me to get bored with this. • Bojack Horseman is a great show. I relate to it an almost scary amount. • I have a decision coming at the end of this semester that would involve me moving back to my moms for my last year of school. All I do is talk about my friends back there. And recently my dad hit me. He grabbed me and shoved me up against the wall. If it wasn’t for my step mom it probably would have been a lot worse. I looked him dead in the eye when it was over and told him to swing next time. • That last one spiralled off topic lmfao • Anyways, I have the opportunity I move back in with my mom. Of course living at my dads has perks such as my job, friends up there, family up there, ect... but moving to my moms brings me literally a street away from my girlfriend, my best friends in the fucking world live down nearby, and I might finally find happiness. • From my last school after my first year of living at my dads I went through two friend groups and managed to retain: 0 friends. I don’t know how I managed but I lost every one of those “friends”. Worse then that they genuinely hate me. I was at a local hangout spot near the old school and two of them walked in and saw me. They were laughing as I mindlessly scrolled through Instagram killing time. They threw a newspaper at me, and missed. But it sent a stronger message IMO. It meant that I somehow became their laughing stock. I don’t know how but I’m the person in that group nobody likes and everybody talks about and laughs about how they live. It’s heartbreaking • I have a girlfriend that means so much to me. Which scares me because we’ve only been dating a month and a half, yet I’d hurt anybody who tries to hurt her. I don’t think I’ve met somebody worth more to the world in my eyes. She’s going to make it in life. She’s so fucking pretty and talented. She can play piano like it’s a second language and has amazing people in her life. It really upsets me when she’s sad because I know she’s going to do great things. She just has to wait and see. • I recently had a party with my friends at my moms. I ended up having a lot much to drink and threw up and blacked out. My girlfriend ended up staying with me all night and taking care of me. Why is she so good to me when I’m just a worthless pile of shit. • I got her birthday/Christmas present today. She loves overwatch and has been asking for a pachimari plush for so long. I got her one and two mini figures. I’m just gonna give it all to her the 26th. • I gave them to her but I don’t think she liked the mini figures. She liked the plush but I don’t think she liked it that much. Sucks but I like to think I made her happy. • I went to another party that Friend A was having. Friend B ended up being fucking wasted and throwing up and passing out in the bathroom. I told him not to have half a red solo cup of vodka and like a little sprite. My girl had a good time. She was dancing for the entire night and had me dancing with her. Of course drunk me came to the realization that I was in fact falling in love with this person. I really hope I don’t screw this up. • I wish I had somebody or somewhere to share these thoughts with • I’d make a tumblr account but then I’d feel like I’m just making people feel bad for me, when I’m reality I just want to find somebody who relates to what I go through and maybe make them feel better by making them realize their not alone. • I’ve been at this for almost and hour of just crying and writing down whatever thoughts came to my head. Nice. • I’m probably gonna keep making these when I’m upset. • Self harm is a foreign concept to me. I never really understood hurting yourself when you’re upset. People try and justify it by saying it reminds them that they’re alive or by saying they want to cut too deep one day. Just stop. Get some help. You’re worth so much more than that don’t ruin your body. Then again my knuckles are almost constantly bruised lately. • Fuck it I’m gonna make a tumblr account and share these with people.

#depression #sad #less upsetti more spaghetti

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foursprout-blog · 6 years

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The 15 Best Holiday-Themed TV Episodes To Binge Watch This December, Ranked

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/happiness/the-15-best-holiday-themed-tv-episodes-to-binge-watch-this-december-ranked-2/

The 15 Best Holiday-Themed TV Episodes To Binge Watch This December, Ranked

youtube

Youtube / The Office US

If you’re as obsessed with the holiday season as I am, you’re probably already streaming all the Christmas- and Hanukkah-themed episodes of your favorite shows. Trust me, I’m right there with you. That’s why I’ve decided to compile this definitive list of the best holiday TV specials to watch this December.

1. The Office, “Christmas Party“

The best thing about The Office is that it’s FULL of holiday episodes, but their first is by far the best. Dunder Mifflin’s “Secret Santa” party goes awry when Michael pulls a classic, well, Michael move and switches up the entire gift-giving process, leading the entire office into mayhem as they compete over an iPod. What’s best about this episode is that it has all the magic of the early Office seasons — Michael’s tone-deaf actions, Jim and Pam’s addictive will-they-or-won’t-they chemistry, and, of course, Dwight’s outrageous one-liners. This is definitely the episode I’ll be playing on repeat this year.

2. Bob’s Burgers, “God Rest Ye Marry Gentle-Mannequins“

I’m honestly obsessed with the holiday-themed Bob’s Burgers episodes, mostly because they really focus on the spirit of the season. In this episode, Bob finds a squatter named Chet in a storage unit he inherited and the Belchers decide to take him in for the holiday season. But there are two distinctly unique things about Chet: he’s great at creating window displays and he claims he used to be a store mannequin. As Chet becomes increasingly unstable, he threatens to ruin Christmas if the Belchers don’t reunite him with his past love. This episode is as weird as it sounds, but it manages to be quirky and sweet all at once.

3. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, “A Very Sunny Christmas“

If you’re a fan of It’s Always Sunny, this episode is classic. Mac and Charlie are gearing up for Christmas when they make some rather unpleasant realizations about their childhood holiday traditions, leading to a rather violent fallout as they attempt to confront the past. Dennis and Dee, on the other hand, try to get back at Frank for years of shitty Christmases with a plan a la A Christmas Carol, but that backfires when Frank realizes they still haven’t learned the lessons he’s been trying to teach them all along. The whole gang comes together at the end when Frank has a change of heart, but because this is It’s Always Sunny, it doesn’t have the heartwarming ending that you’d expect.

4. Community, “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas“

Community’s first-ever Christmas episode is a huge nod to Christmas classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, considering the whole thing is in claymation. Abed is stoked for Christmas, but his friends start to get concerned when he tells he views the world is stop-motion animation. The gang decides to indulge in his fantasy in hopes of controlling it, attempting to turn the day into a much-needed therapy session, but Abed has other plans: he’s going to find the meaning of Christmas, whether his friends plan on helping him or not. It ends up being a sweet episode with a great meaning, and I, for one, can say that it definitely helped me get over my fear of terrible claymation.

5. Friends, “The One With The Holiday Armadillo“

When Ross’s son Ben stays with him for the holidays, Ross is bent on honoring their Jewish heritage and teaching him about Hanukkah. But instead of being excited, Ben is upset that Santa won’t be visiting him this year, prompting Ross to figure out how to mix both Christmas and Hanukkah into one succinct holiday. The whole debacle ends with Santa Claus, Superman, and “The Holiday Armadillo” all banding together to teach Ben the meaning of Hanukkah. Elsewhere, Phoebe tries to sabotage Rachel and Joey’s living situation when she worries Rachel doesn’t want to be roommates with her anymore.

6. Bojack Horseman, “Sabrina’s Christmas Wish“

It may not be part of the actual television series, but Bojack Horseman‘s Christmas special definitely could fit nearly anywhere in the storyline. Bojack doesn’t plan on celebrating Christmas, but Todd manages to convince him to watch the special holiday episode of Bojack’s old show Horsin’ Around. The entire episode is a show within a show as we watch the youngest daughter on Horsin’ Around discover Santa for the first time, but she has a big wish for him: she wants him to bring her dead parents back. Horsin’ Around brings us the normal Christmas sentiments we’re conditioned to look for in holiday specials while Bojack Horseman delivers the strained, somewhat sad satisfaction we’ve learned to expect from such a dark, funny show.

7. The OC, “The Best Christmukkah Ever“

The OC introduced me to the idea of “Christmukkah,” the merging of Christmas and Hanukkah into one beautiful, festive holiday. At least, that’s what they celebrate in the Cohen household, where half the family is Jewish and the other half Christian. It’s Ryan’s first year with the Cohens, which means he’s along for the ride. But because this is the OC, there’s still plenty of drama between festivities: there’s a lavish party, Sandy and Caleb have a showdown, Marissa gets drunk (lol are we surprised?), and Anna and Summer compete for Seth’s confession. Let’s not forget Summer’s Wonder Woman surprise, which is definitely one of the best OC moments of all time.

8. SNL with Alec Baldwin in 1998

You wouldn’t expect SNL to be high up on the Christmas special list, but boy, did this one hit all the right notes. In his opening monologue, Alec Baldwin is visited by the ghost of Christmas present and future (John Goodman and Jimmy Fallon, respectively), though not past, who happened to drink just a little too much the night before. This episode also introduced us to “Schweddy Balls,” which is hands-down SNL’s best holiday-themed skit (and yes, it’s about almost exactly what you think. Almost.)

9. Modern Family, “Express Christmas“

When the family realizes they won’t be able to be together on Christmas day, they make a plan to celebrate early — only to realize that the only day they’d all be free to spend together before New Year’s is actually that very day. They decide to throw together a last-minute holiday get together, meaning they have only a few hours to get a tree, decorate the house, buy gifts and make a special Christmas dinner. The episode is full of all the gags and witty one-liners that you’d expect from Modern Family, as well as one parting Christmas message: even when everything goes wrong, you still have family.

10. New Girl, “Santa“

The gang decides to spend the holidays jumping from Christmas part to Christmas party, but they don’t expect the drama that comes with it. Jess is revisited by an ex who hopes to make things right, Schmidt must deal with Cece’s rejection, and Nick has to come to terms with the fact that his girlfriend is a bit of a wild child – and that she definitely wants to have sex with him in public. It’s a cute episode that’s all about love and friendship, and I’m here for it if only because of Nick’s terrible attempt at a lap dance.

11. 30 Rock, “Ludachristmas“

It’s Christmas in New York and the TGS cast is getting ready for their annual Ludachristmas party, but the whole thing is ruined when Kenneth locks everyone in a room and forces them to focus on the true meaning of Christmas (with a little help from a reverend, of course). Elsewhere in the city, Liz’s family and Jack’s mother have all come up to visit. Liz’s seemingly perfect and oversupportive family gets to Jack, whose mother, Colleen, is as critical and bitter as ever. As both storylines head toward disaster, the show reminds us of two critical things: Christmas isn’t just about the gifts and every family is, at its core, dysfunctional.

12. Parks and Recreation, “Citizen Knope“

During her two-week suspension, Leslie decides to use her extra time to focus on her campaign and forms a citizens action committee to continue involvement in the local government. She also surprises her friends at the Parks and Rec department with incredibly thoughtful and meaningful gifts, which prompts her co-workers to build her a miniature version of City Hall made of gingerbread — and another present that’s far more meaningful.

13. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, “my mom, Greg’s Mom, And Josh’s Sweet Dance Moves!“

When Rebecca’s critical mother Naomi visits West Covina for Hanukkah, Rebecca finds herself bending over backwards to please her — and even going so far as to lie about her life. Rebecca hopes that if Naomi is proud of her new life, she’ll finally give Rebecca a precious heirloom she’s been waiting her whole life to inherit. But when Naomi discovers the true reason she came to California, it threatens to ruin their entire relationship. Meanwhile, Greg visits his mother for Christmas, though he’s still bitter about how she left him as a child. To cope with the situation (and to finally have a witness to how horrible his mother is), he invites an unexpected guest along for the ride. If you haven’t seen Crazy Ex-Girlfriend before, this episode might be lost on you — but if you have, it’s an absolute staple.

14. Arrested Development, “Afternoon Delight“

The Bluth family is quite literally incapable of having a normal family gathering, and Christmas isn’t any different. Everyone’s getting read for the Bluth Company Christmas party, but naturally, there’s plenty of drama. When George Michael ditches the party for his girlfriend, Michael teams up with Maeby, who wants to get back at her parents. This prompts Lindsay and George Michael to unite after both feel abandoned. The writers rely on their usual hijinx, from ridiculous incest gags (watching Michael and Maeby accidentally perform “Afternoon Delight” together never gets less awkward) to Tobias, once again, being completely disregarded by the entire family, despite being hit my a car. It’s a pretty standard episode for the series, but hey, it’s still about Christmas. Who needs Santa Claus when you’ve got G.O.B. running around in a banana suit?

15. Black Mirror, “White Christmas“

Black Mirror is a strange show to be on this list, but they DO have a Christmas episode, and it’s actually a pretty interesting one. The episode revolves around two men who are stationed at a remote outpost who finally decide to open up about their lives while sharing breakfast on Christmas morning. The episode consists of three different storylines, but the most heartbreaking (and Christmas-themed) one is about how one of the men was “blocked” from seeing his ex-girlfriend and child, but how he visited him every Christmas regardless to leave his daughter gifts. Like most Black Mirror episodes, the whole thing has creepy (and quite frankly sad) undertones, but if you’re looking for something holiday-themed, this one still fits the bill.

#Happiness

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foursprouthappiness-blog · 6 years

Text

The 15 Best Holiday-Themed TV Episodes To Binge Watch This December, Ranked

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/happiness/the-15-best-holiday-themed-tv-episodes-to-binge-watch-this-december-ranked-2/

The 15 Best Holiday-Themed TV Episodes To Binge Watch This December, Ranked

youtube

Youtube / The Office US

1. The Office, “Christmas Party“

2. Bob’s Burgers, “God Rest Ye Marry Gentle-Mannequins“

3. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, “A Very Sunny Christmas“

4. Community, “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas“

5. Friends, “The One With The Holiday Armadillo“

6. Bojack Horseman, “Sabrina’s Christmas Wish“

7. The OC, “The Best Christmukkah Ever“

8. SNL with Alec Baldwin in 1998

9. Modern Family, “Express Christmas“

10. New Girl, “Santa“

11. 30 Rock, “Ludachristmas“

12. Parks and Recreation, “Citizen Knope“

13. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, “my mom, Greg’s Mom, And Josh’s Sweet Dance Moves!“

14. Arrested Development, “Afternoon Delight“

15. Black Mirror, “White Christmas“

#Happiness

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