THERE'S TOO MUCH TV - Roundup October 2023

“What are you watching?” is pretty much the automatic question I get when I tell people what I do for a living.

I don’t have time to do full conversations on everything I’m watching but here are some stray thoughts on everything I’ve watched in the last month. I’ve also been requested to include content warnings for shows that need them, so you can see those beneath each title!

No spoilies this time~

Maid — Netflix
CW: Domestic violence, language, sex

I finally got around to watching 2021’s Maid, which I’d been putting off because it seemed supremely depressing. Which it is. But it is also the only show I’ve seen that shines a spotlight on the financial and social pressures faced by many people living paycheck-to-paycheck, and to demonstrate just how systemic the obstacles facing those people are. The portrayal of domestic violence is nuanced and empathetic, pointing to the generational traumas that play into it from all angles and the struggle it takes to break the cycle. It reminds me of this article about the “Time Tax” and how difficult our state social systems are to actually use.

Mad Men (Seasons 1-2)
CW: Racism, sexism, -isms galore

I’ve been rewatching Mad Men for an upcoming video about advertising that I’ll tell you more about when I get a little closer to actually making it, but I’ve been absolutely blown away during this rewatch. I’ve always held Mad Men in high regard, but I remembered that it took a little while to get into the show at first. But I think a lot of that has to do with watching it right out of school. Now that I’m a little more mature of a TV viewer, the quality of writing, acting, and direction is astounding right from the jump. It really puts a lot of the TV that’s come out in the last couple of years in perspective.

Mr. Robot (Season 1)
CW: self-harm, drug abuse

I also rewatched the pilot episode of Mr. Robot, which is one of my favorite shows of the 2010s. It is an incredible time capsule, feeling at both times like it is still as relevant as ever, and also like it’s sporting a 90s era anti-authority aesthetic. There is a lot of pointing directly to capitalism as the problem behind a number of social issues today, which wasn’t necessarily the case in 2014, when this show aired—and certainly was not being said on a network owned by Comcast. At the same time, that “f society” attitude feels like an identification of the same undercurrents that we have seen funnel young men into red pill and black pill ideologies.

Reservation Dogs (Season 3) — FX/Hulu
CW: Language

Finally finished Reservation Dogs and I must say, I’m glad the show ended when it did—at the height of its game. The exploration of the older generation in this final season felt thoughtful and poignant while not replacing the stories of our main dogs. It gave the show a real sense of the weight the community plays on the reservation and the journey they all share. The show should always be remembered as one that introduced a much larger audience to the experiences and lives of people who are so often invisible to us in our everyday lives.

Loki (Season 2) — Disney+
CW: confusion

I’m confused, are we supposed to be rooting for the saving of the TVA or its destruction? We were all about toppling it last year but now everything is backwards. I haven’t been keeping up with the MCU franchise, which feels a bit like the Riverdale extended universe at this point, is this supposed to be making sense? I still dig the aesthetic, and Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson are great scene partners, but I don’t think this makes any sense.