Issue #7: Have a happy & safe Diwali (ft. a bunch of TV news that made us SCREAM)
Hi,
Welcome back to Continue Watching and happy Diwali! In this truly deranged year, every festival has felt like a meditation, and Diwali is no exception. We have some time off work (well, a weekend) and there is SO MUCH happening in the world of television that it’s hard not to feel a little hopeful.
There are no essays in this issue, primarily because one of us had a meltdown over not having finalised the topic for her essay until the 11th, but also because you probably do not want to read long critiques on anything right now. Eating, sleeping, binge-watching, and talking to people who make you feel warm and gooey is an exponentially better way to spend Diwali.
That, however, does not mean that we have nothing to say. In the last two weeks, there have been so many TV announcements that have made us squeal that we need to LIST. THEM. DOWN.
The Bridgerton teaser is out and, YOU GUYS, everyone is so hot. You only really need people to be hot and have chemistry in a romance show, and there is a surplus of both in this teaser. One of us is absolutely not interested in old-timey romance (they won’t stay up texting each other till 5am?), but even she knows that this is good stuff. What do you think?
Season two of Love Life has cast William Jackson Harper as the lead character! If you don’t know about Love Life, what a treat you’re in for. Season one focussed on Darby (Anna Kendrick, always charming), who is a typical 20-something living a typical 20-something life. The show might seem uneven and immature in the beginning, but that’s because early 20s are a weird time for everyone. As Darby grows up, the show also grows on you. Very watchable, very likeable (but you’ll have to get creative to watch it). If they’ve cast Chidi from The Good Place in season two, then this is shaping up to be an anthology, and since Eleanor and Chidi had ZERO chemistry, we’re excited to see Harper as a proper romantic lead. Can’t wait!
Speaking of second seasons, Emily in Paris got renewed for a second season!!! Is this punishment for watching trash on Netflix? The streaming service followed this announcement with an unhinged tweet. What is even real anymore?!
NOW LOOK AT THIS
Source
You know why teen shows are so addictive? First, because we cannot believe what the kids are up to these days. And second, because WE CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT THE KIDS ARE UP TO THESE DAYS. Even though we’ve all done stupid shit in our teenage, what the OG Gossip Girl children did in the first five episodes of the first season, we have not done in 30 years of our existence (and never will). The intensity and earnestness with which teens approach everything, no matter how misguided, makes them endlessly watchable.
If you thought that Emily in Paris is the HEIGHT of cringe/trash TV you will be served with this year, Netflix is here to wake you the fuck up. Watch this:
We have no words (not true). Out of touch, privileged morons are always fun to watch, but maybe 2020 is not the year for this. Or is it the perfect year for this because we all need to be lulled into denial where we can say (or hear, let’s be real) things like, “Of course we go shopping in a Rolls Royce, is there any other mode of transportation?”
And finally, FINALLY, what we were saving for the end of this list. (MASSIVE GREY’S ANATOMY SEASON 17 SPOILER AHEAD)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
One of us has not stopped screaming since this happened. McDreamy IS BACK. Even if it is some sort of a dream/death sequence Meredith is in after passing out in the two-hour premiere of Grey’s season 17. We stopped watching this heartache of a show when they ruined Alex’s character development of 16 years and made him leave Jo for Izzie (DEATH TO ALEX). After surviving the death of pretty much every single character we cared about, this was the breaking point for (one of) us and we decided to never go back. And yet. And yet. Shonda knows how to get us. As one of our earliest and loveliest subscribers Apoorva put it, “Grey’s is like that ex which always has access to my heart.”
Okay, after that extremely impassioned screaming, let’s get to what we’re watching right now (because we’re never not watching something).
CURRENTLY WATCHING
Kashika
Dash & Lily: Holiday movies and TV shows are my jam. Most of them are silly, unrealistic, and super contrived, but I don’t care. November and December are truly magical months and we need this kind of escapism. Dash & Lily is about two teens (are you seeing a pattern?) who are having a terrible Christmas, except that they are now connected by a mysterious notebook that Lily left at a bookstore with some sort of a treasure hunt for whoever finds it. Of course, Dash finds it and now they’re both trying to figure each other out with the help of the most idiotic dares possible. It’s sweet and stupid, but I’m loving it. Streaming on Netflix.
Itaewon Class: A truly average Korean show that I am fast-forwarding like nobody’s business. It’s about a young man who takes on an influential businessman to avenge his father’s death. Just writing this summary is making me realise this was never my scene, but some revenge dramas are very delicious to watch. This is not one of them. Streaming on Netflix.
—
Shahana
A Teacher: Kate Mara plays Claire Wilson, a young English teacher at a school in Texas, who starts an affair with her 18-year-old student, Eric Walker, played by Nick Robinson. I’m only one episode in, and I’m hoping the show tackles how grooming works and doesn’t romanticise the relationship in any way. Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
The Undoing: Starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, and written by David E. Kelley (who also wrote Big Little Lies), The Undoing revolves around the murder of a young woman and the rich people accused of it. It has the feel of Big Little Lies, but I’m not as taken by it yet. The mystery is still intriguing enough that I’m going to stick to it, though I cannot figure out what the deal is with Kidman’s character. However, I am really enjoying watching Hugh Grant again though, in a role not at all similar to the rom-com leading man roles I grew up watching him in. Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
So that concludes the longest intro this newsletter has ever had (and hopefully will ever have), and while we do not have essays for you, we have multiple recommendations for shows you can watch if you’re spending Diwali by yourself (or not, you do you!). If you always spend this time with family but haven’t been able to go home this year, this can be a difficult weekend. But these TV shows are guaranteed to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling that will be nowhere close to home but infinitely better than endlessly scrolling through Netflix and Prime.
We hope you have an excellent Sunday (and lucky you if you have Monday off)! Let us know which TV developments you’re excited about (IS IT McDREAMY?) and what your comfort watch for this holiday season is! Have a happy and safe Diwali!
Continue Watching (and reading!),
Kashika and Shahana
Recommendations
We get so many requests for TV show recs from friends, so we’ll get to them here in every issue.
Diwali’s coming up and I’m alone this year. My flatmates aren’t here, and I can’t travel to my family (obviously). I want a show that I can just sink into that will help me forget about how much things suck. Maybe I should also take this opportunity to tell people to Wear Your Damn Mask.
Yes, we hear you! We’d pay for a billboard to shout Wear Your Damn Mask and Stay Inside if we had the money. And we’ll do you one better, we’ll give you a few different recommendations instead of just one so you can pick between genres.
Gilmore Girls
The happy and safe option on this list, Gilmore Girls follows the life of Lorelai Gilmore, who got pregnant at 16 and ran away from her rich but overbearing parents, and Rory, her daughter, who is 16 when the show starts. This is a hug in the form of a TV show, where almost every problem is solved by money that is readily available or friends who are always willing to lend a hand to Lorelai. Over the years, the shortcomings of both Lorelai and Rory have been very evident, but that rarely takes away from the warmth and joy of watching them both go through life being each other’s BFF and biggest champion.
Streaming on Netflix.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
If you’re a fan of dark humour, then this is perfect. Follow The Gang, a group of complete sociopaths who run an Irish bar named Paddy's Pub in Philadelphia. The Gang is literally The Worst and they’re all absolute garbage people. There is nothing aspirational about these guys, and no matter how shitty you’re feeling, there is one silver lining: at least you’re not one of them.
Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Doctor Who
If you love science fiction, tune into Doctor Who. The basic premise is this: The Doctor is from an alien race named Time Lords, and he stole a time machine years ago to go travel across space and time. Talk about #Wanderlust! He often has a human companion who travels with him, and if you’re wondering why there are so many different Doctors—it’s because a Time Lord is able to “regenerate” and become a new person but also stay the old one. Sounds confusing? It really isn’t, just watch the show. A mostly happy show full of “wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey stuff,” there’s 15 years worth of TV to catch up on this weekend.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Shadowhunters
If fantasy television is more your steam, we’ve got you. Based on the popular book series The Mortal Instruments, Shadowhunters revolves primarily around Clary Fray, who learns on her 18th birthday that she’s part of a group of supernatural beings called shadowhunters who essentially exist to kill demons. A very inclusive show with a bunch of people of different sexualities and genders, with a fair bit of action and demon-killing thrown in. In a year this horrible, maybe watching demons getting their asses beat is just what you need.
Streaming on Netflix.
Pretty Little Liars
Four very attractive young girls are terrorised by a mysterious figure named “A” who threatens to expose their deepest secrets. Who is A? All signs point to their ex-best friend Alison (who in all flashbacks just seems like a horrible person)—except she’s dead. “A” makes the girls do all sorts of bizarre and illegal things and no one thinks to confide in the police or their parents. Watch seven seasons of a weird show getting weirder as you scream “WHO IS A?” at the screen in every episode.
Streaming on Viu.
The Tudors
Did you think we forgot period show lovers? Following the life and reign of English monarch Henry VIII, known primarily for having six wives (He had SIX wives, and weirdly they were all named Katherine or Anne, save one) of which he beheaded TWO and breaking with the Church thus creating the Church of England. Henry VIII is the historical version of a bigda hua ma da laadla, and is a good depiction of how fraught and dangerous life at the Tudor court really was.
Streaming on Netflix.
We hope you enjoyed reading this issue as much as we loved writing it. Please write to us if you have any feedback. We look forward to your emails, comments, tweets, and DMs with requests, criticism, recommendations, and anything else that you want to tell us. You can also follow us on Instagram here. And if you haven’t already, do subscribe!