A good old-fashioned Disney sports drama, complete with a plucky underdog story, historically accurate social injustices, and a score with more swells than the English Channel, Young Woman and the Sea is a return to form for the studio behind uplifting sports dramas like Remember the Titans and Cool Runnings. Based on the true story of swimmer Trudy Ederle, this triumphant tale of human perseverance takes place in the years following the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in the United States, though it did little to change their daily lot. Despite suffragette efforts for equality, sports remained strictly a man’s game. When Trudy Ederle sets her sights on becoming the first woman to swim across the English Channel, she must battle both the harsh conditions of the sea and the turbulence of a patriarchal system not only standing in her way but actively sabotaging her efforts to succeed. Read More
THE LEFTOVERS Season 2 Episode 5 “No Room at the Inn”
Matt (Christopher Eccleston) is one of, if not the most, nuanced character in the series because he struggles more than any other character in holding onto a conviction, and in the context of The Leftover’s absurdist carnival, he has the most to lose. For this, I could watch the entire drama unfold from his perspective. Two of the most satisfying pieces of schadenfreude in the franchise have involved the doubting minister because he’s a whipping boy that hasn’t kneeled despite his moral assassinations at times. Read More
THE LEFTOVERS Season 2 Episode 4 “Orange Sticker” Review
Are the leftovers looking for departure? Michael (Jovan Adepo) aggressively scrapes the “verified” sticker off his house because nothing is really verified in Miracle. Michael removes it like a formerly held belief system, but other homes still wear the label if only just to be verified of something. Miracle’s inhabitants are starting to catch up to the foreshadowing in earlier episodes. Read More