I haven’t posted anything on TV and film in such a long while which is such a shame because I’ve really missed doing it, and it’s also bizarre of me not to have given how much TV (especially) I watch. These posts are a lot of fun to be write about, so here’s to writing more on TV and film in 2020.
Without further ado, here are some of shows I have been watching:
The Good Place
IMDB: Four people and their otherworldly frienemy struggle in the afterlife to define what it means to be good.
I’ve finished watching the series, and I’m so sad that it’s come to an end. Season 2 and 3 did drag at some points, but Season 4 of The Good Place was one of the best final seasons of a series I’ve ever watched, and it’s great that producers are realising that not every show, particularly sitcoms, needs to be a good 10 seasons. What I really loved about this season was the many experiments Chidi, Eleanor, Michael, Jason, Tahani and Janet undertook to help those who’ve entered the Bad Place become better people. I could have watched more episodes focusing on this special series of moral makeovers because the process in itself – let’s call it purgatory because The Good Place really is a more entertaining, understandable and light-hearted version of Lost – is like studying psychology and sociology without the exasperating and excessive technical terminology.
Spoilers abound, Jason is the first to go through the final arch which makes a lot of sense because if there’s anything Jason is great at, it’s understanding his own feelings and not being afraid to act on it. But when he waited for over a 1000 bearimys for Janet to return to the final arch so he could give her the locket to remember him by, my heart just melted. Janet and Jason have the best chemistry with Michael and Tahani coming a close second which brings me to…
Wonder whether or not Chidi and Eleanor have any actual chemistry or was it a forced relationship? I love Chidi and Eleanor individually, but ever since Twitter exploded on Chidi and Eleanor’s apparent lack of chemistry, I’ve had to question whether I’ve been trying to make logical explanations as to why they’re together. I mean, I get it, Chidi is a real catch, intelligent, fun, and absolutely adorable, so who can blame Eleanor for crushing on him, but when I saw Chidi and Simone being two wonderful geeks together, their chemistry was clearly visible. But Eleanor’s character arc and the plot required different, so… Chidi and Eleanor it was.
I was so glad to see Tahani stay behind and pursue a career in the afterlife, couldn’t be more Tahani if she tried, because otherwise it would have been a truly miserable affair. Seeing the light go out of Chidi’s eyes as well as Chidi and Eleanor watching that setting sun (sunrise over sunsets because sunsets make me feel sad for some reason) in the finale, I was feeling slightly depressed because death seems so final. I wonder, as Muslims (and if you’re Christian you can let me know too!), whether you think you will tire of heaven (or in the show’s case, ‘The Good Place’)? In Islam, we are taught that we will never tire of contentment and satisfaction in Jannah (heaven) which is reassuring, so watching The Good Place finale delivering a different take made me feel extremely melancholy.
I will miss all these characters, and it’s lovely to see Michael got his happy ending – living like a human! And he was truly living it up, that silver fox.
COMEDIANS of the World
IMDB: Netflix takes stand-up comedy global with this series that features a diverse group of comics from 13 regions around the world. Dozens of comics perform, bringing their unique perspectives of what is funny around the world. The comics, who represent eight languages, hail from such nations as South Africa, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, India, and — of course — America.
This was a lot of fun to watch! There were some that didn’t work for me, but, overall, I enjoyed it. There are a few episodes which contain English subtitles as some comedians from their respective country speak in their own language, but I think where this is stand-up comedy, it was difficult to grasp the humour – though, this is a personal view. But this isn’t so much a criticism as I think it’s great that ‘Comedians of the World’ caters for a wide variety of audiences. Otherwise, of the comedians, South African comedians knocked it out of the park – Riaad Moosa, Tumi Morake, Loyiso Gola and Loyiso Madinga. Loyiso Gola was my favourite of ALL the comedians to watch and his sets covered “foodies”, white privilege and problematic pop culture and pretty much just mocked everything with a chuckle. I’ve since watched this episode SO MANY TIMES.
Mae Martin’s (UK) anecdote on her obsession with Bette Midler made me both laugh and cringe inside, and it’s another one I can watch on repeat. Another great comedian is Joel Creasey (Australia and New Zealand), and his set on hosting the Just for Laughs festival where he had to interview Ellie Kemper and his subsequent meetings with her where he repeatedly and accidentally horrified her is another one I loved watching.
You (Season 2)
IMDB: To escape Candace and the ghosts of his past in New York City, Joe changes his name and moves to Los Angeles, vowing to start fresh and change his ways. But then he meets Love, his charming new coworker.
***(Warning: spoilers below!)***
- The moment Love said I wolf you, we should have known.
- The set up to episode 9 when everything hits the fan was a teensy bit of a drag.
- I understand Joe a lot better now. He grew up watching his mum in abusive relationships, couldn’t understand his mother’s dependence on these terrible men when he believed that they only really need each other and that he was capable of looking after her by himself… and now he’s trying to fix women, like he tried to fix his mum, and be their sole protector. It’s hard not to feel sorry for him, but he is still a murderer – though I wouldn’t count this season as an indictment of his character, he did after all kill the paedophile and otherwise tried to avoid killing where possible. I’m conflicted, but I can sympathise with Joe and what he had to go through as a child and understand why that’s shaped him to be who he is now, but I don’t have to agree with all his actions or justify it.
- I haven’t been this furious at a characters death – Delilah – since Hodor and Shireen’s death in Game of Thrones. I was raging inside. What a traumatising life Delilah had and just as she’s on the cusp of happiness, of new beginnings, it’s gone… just like that?!
- Ellie is a brilliant and fiery opportunist, but it’s sad that someone so young had to grow up so quickly. *spoiler* Good to know that she’s making sure that Joe is paying up.
- Argh! Candace! Why didn’t you go straight to the police or a news channel instead?! But, then again, would the Quinn family still manage to find a way to cover it up anyway?
- Forty is outrageous, but he’s a lovable rogue. And, yay, ADHD representation, I barely see any ADHD rep on screen or in books.
I don’t know what I think of the prospect of a Season 3 of You, but if Joe is still up to his old shenanigans, and by the look of that “hello, neighbour” he definitely is, Love might just murder him, and the series will be over and done with. But I could definitely watch one more season and I will 100% binge-watch it. I only realised a month ago when they issued the teaser for You, Season 2, “you’ve met your match” that we all thought it was Candace who was Joe’s match, but it was actually Love!
Sophia Ismaa
Have you watched any of these shows? What are your thoughts on The Good Place? Do you think Chidi and Eleanor have any chemistry? Who are some of your favourite comedians? What did you think of season 2 of You? Do you like Joe Goldberg? What are some shows you’re watching? Let me know in the comments!
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Sofearless 
I haven’t seen the first two, but YOU was good. Thinking back, there were a lot of signs that we should have seen, and now that we know…I’m not sure I am okay with it.
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The signs always become clear once everything is clear, but I think it’s good storytelling when you at least have an inkling which I think a few people did!
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Afraid to say that I’ve not seen these but I did watch The Stranger on Netflix and it was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time 🙂
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I’ve heard so many mixed reviews about The Stranger, so I’m very very conflicted about whether to watch it or not. A common review: “it’s s***, but you have to watch it.” I – what am I supposed to do with that?!?! 😓
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Haha yes, that’s not helpful. Personally, I enjoyed it, there were enough unexpected plot twists to keep you interested and it was well acted.
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Paha, I think it’s possible for a show to be both sensational and enjoyable. I’ll check it out!
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I thought Eleanor and Chidi had chemistry before they got together if that makes any sense? I enjoyed more the element of teacher Chidi than relationship Eleanor and Chidi plus I think once they finally committed the show kept throwing up obstacles to take them apart again which was kind of annoying on it’s own.
To be fair thinking about it I never got Jason and Janet’s romantic chemistry either. Honestly the most natural long-running chemistry between the characters for me would probably be Tahani and Eleanor. But still a fantastic show overall!
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Best friends chemistry, that’s the only way I can see it now. Good point about the obstacles, so many obstacles that we didn’t really get to see them together as a couple. It’s like if Friends ended it right after Ross and Rachel finally got together in “The One with the Lobster”, but Ross and Rachel had obvious chemistry, and not in the mentor-student way.
Noooo, I love Jason & Janet! Tahani & Eleanor have the lust part going, for sure. If I had to throw another couple in there, it would be Tahani and Michael. *don’t stone me*
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Sadly, I’ve only watched the first season of the Good Place but I was shocked when I discovered that the Good Place was originally the Bad place and how it was a whole plot to make them suffer without knowing it.
It was genius when you think about it.
My favourite comedians have to be:
Trevor Noah and Hassan Minhaj.
If you haven’t watched Hassan Minhaj’s show Patriot Act I definitely recommend you watch it because it is absolutely amazing!
It’s available on Netflix and on Youtube (For free).
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Paha, I LOVED that twist! Especially the time when Jason figured it out. 😂 I can only imagine how much fun Michael had doing a social experiment like that. I would actually want to do it too. 🙃
OMG. Trevor Noah and Hasan Minhaj are my favourite comedians too and I LOVE Patriot Act. Have you seen the episode on India with the uncle shouting “you are a traitor” at Hasan (something along the lines) and then taking a picture with him. I wonder if the uncle still agrees… I tweeted about Hasan Minhaj and my tweet ended up on an article! 🤣 The fast fashion episode was really good as well, and I’m like do I need to buy so many clothes now? But it’s hard because I love clothes. 😭
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My obsession with Patriot Act is unbelievable, I haven’t watched the episode on India but I’ll definitely check it out ASAP.
The fast fashion one was eye opening and very interesting but it made me feel so guilty…
The tweet thing, soo cool!!!! How did it go? How did u find out?
That Twist was so shocking I couldn’t help but gasp at how shocking it was. Ooo it was so good!!!
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It’s by far the BEST episode of all of the volumes. But that might be because I’m South Asian too, lol!
Yeah, but we gotta try and assert that Marie Kondo lifestyle in our life. We don’t need that many clothes, we can also return clothes, and I need to keep the same energy with my books, I can buy a book if I know it’s earned a permanent place in my bookshelf.
I searched up my name on google and went on news tab lol! You should do it for yourself as well!
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I will definitely try out the news tab thing but I guarantee I know what I’m going to get.
References to a former Formula 1 race car driver who’s last name is my first name…
Ah, the life. 😂
Generally I only wear a couple of items of clothing but I do admit I have clothes that don’t need to be there.
Book, I find it useful to shop at charity shops you can find so many amazing books there! Around 90% of my book shelves at home are second hand books.
The other 10% are mostly birthday gifts.
That episode was amazing! I loved it!
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I’m guessing you either got into trouble at school or won something at school or there’s nothing there for now!
I only two formula 1 drivers: Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. And I have a feeling that your first name isn’t Schumacher or Hamilton unless your parents cannot stand you.
I saw in that episode that sometimes the clothes that don’t sell in charity shops are disposed of in piles in some sort of massive junkyard. I think the best thing we can do, given that we have sisters, is to pass it on, she usually likes stuff that I don’t like unless it’s trousers so that helps.
OMG same! I feel really bad though because it means money isn’t going to authors. But you know if I borrow a book from the library and I end up LOVING it, I will go and buy the book e.g. All the Bright Places. I’m lucky that the few books that I have purchased at full price, I’ve ended up loving and not wanting to get rid of, so Alhumdulillah!
Yay, it’s good to hear that you enjoyed it!
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My name is definitely not Schumacher or Hamilton 😂 but that cracked me up 😂
To be honest, for big names and authors like JK Rowling etc they don’t need the money as much as charities do so I would rather buy a second hand book from the charity shop and help people who need the money than buy it from a regular book store and only add onto the millionaire authors’ piles of money. If you get what I mean.
My sister and I have nothing in common when it comes to clothing. She likes skirts and dresses I’m all for tracksuits baggy clothes and trousers.
The only thing we can agree on is abayas and even then sometimes we don’t like the same style of Abaya.
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Sorry, but your name is officially Schumacher from now on, non-negotiable. 😔 no more @ crystal girl, it’s Schumacher @ Crystal girl from now on.
That makes complete sense! I think once we review it, we’re basically promoting it, so we’re doing our bit to support as much as we can!
LOL! My sister is you and I am your sister. I LOVE dresses. But I also love baggy clothes as well. Who says I have to restrict my fashion sense, I wanna try out everything!
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😂 my name is Schumacher 😂 okay 😂
We can support authors in many different ways like you said reviews, posting quotes from their books etc.
I would love dresses if they looked nice on me but I always end up looking weird and I decide against them 😂 I also rip them very quickly because I like running and long dresses and running don’t go well together 😂
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Paha, I should be doing a wrap up for March soon & I’m linking your blog, you will be introduced as Schumacher. Enjoy! 😂
Oh, definitely not, the dress will be flying and that’s not it! But dresses in the summer? Yes! With sneakers. Is. A. Whole. Aesthetic.
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Btw, for some reason when I try to click on your blog through the comments, it says your blog no longer exists. I wanted to link back to your blog on Wrap Up and Our Women on the Ground, but it wouldn’t show up! I’m going to try again next week by doing it through the readers tab, hopefully it’ll work.
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What in the world is going on with my blog? Ahhhhhhhhh I’m going to scream!! I haven’t touched anything other than the comments thing! This is getting so annoying! Thanks for letting me know 💓
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I noticed that you changed your URL, so it’s redirecting to your old URL which no longer exists because it’s changed! But if I go on my reader and manage followers, then I can drop a back link to your website! 🙂 It may also be that someone else also has your URL too.
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Ohh! How could I forget? Yeah, that changed… riiigghttt…. oops… 😂 thank you for that
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I keep hearing about The Good Place, but was worried that it might be a morally preachy show until your post convinced me otherwise. That might just be the next TV show I try!
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Not in the least bit morally preachy… although the final season can be a teensy bit morally preachy, but it does it in a fun, light-hearted and nuanced way that it doesn’t feel like it’s beating you over the head with it. It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever watched, hope you watch it one day!
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That’s really good to hear. I will definitely give it a try sometime!
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I haven’t seen any of those shows but have been advised by a trusted friend with similar tastes that I should check out The Good Place. I’m currently enjoying Star Trek Discovery, Lost In Space, Locke & Key, and The Expanse. My problem is that, by the time I sit down to watch t.v., I’m so tired I fall asleep within 10 minutes!
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It’s the kind of show that has mass appeal. Philosophy and morality explored in a fun and lighthearted way through practical applications and social experiments without beating you over the head with it.
You like your sci-fi! Oh no, I hope I reach that level of tiredness that watching tv shows become a perfect lullaby!
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I’m waiting for Season 4 of The Good Place to drop on Netflix so I can binge it lol. Come on, Netflix!
What have I been watching? Phew. Where do I start lol. I am once again binging New Girl!!! Winnie the Bish is once again in my life. Huzzah!!! I’m also watching Love is Blind. I’m obsessed lmao. And there’s a lot more but I’ll quit at 2 haha.
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Dude, season 4 of The Good Place was already dropped! 😂 begin your binge-watch because it is one of the best shows I’ve ever watched. Also, Chidi is mine, so don’t try to make any claims on him. 👋
Omg, I’ve been thinking to binge watch New Girl, but more so the season where Coach is back – especially that episode where Coach and Schmidt try to become models! 😂 that was the best Winston & Cece ness around. Cece & Winston and Winston & Coach forever. I think Jess, Nick & Schmidt have their own group and Winston, Coach & Cece had their own group which is weird because, well, that’s some kind of group *POC’s unite!* LOL!
Isn’t it just the best?!?!!?!!?!! Please tell me you like Lauren and Cameron, they’re the best couple. But let’s be real Amber was the real winner – got the man, got her debts paid, got money without having to work, got a free wedding dress even. 💆🏼♀️
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It did?!?! When?? Omg!!
A classic Winston and Cece mess around lol. They’re the best duo, honestly. When he was so honored to be a bridesmaid… my heart.
I was so here for Lauren and Cameron!!!! Lmao oh Amber. She really hit the jackpot. Jessica on the other hand, bothered me. She kept chasing after Barnett even though he was with Amber! Plus, the way she talked to Mark… he deserved way better!
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They did one episode a week for the second half of the final season, I think it was from January 2020, so it most likely dropped the final episode from February – March. *internally marvels at own memory*
No offence to Jess, but Winston should have been Jess to maid of honour. Also, what on Earth was Jess doing that season trying to help make sure Nick and Reagan’s relationship didn’t go off the tracks? Why would you be the architect of your own misery? 😭 someone on twitter said “Nick is single to me. What’s Jess gonna do? Knit me some bunny socks?” 😂
First solo winner of Love is Blind. Did you see in the reunion that she tried to deny that she was trying to make moves on Barnett? When Amber called her a sheisty bitch. LOL. I think she was trying to feel something for Mark because she knew just how much he liked her, or trying to get HIM to break up with her… but he was like Love isn’t Blind, I am, sweetie. ☺️
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I checked! It only has 3 seasons on there. There’s 4 right?
I think Jess was trying to prove to Nick that she wasn’t into him because he did call her out on it. She’s basically a mess lol. Should’ve listened to Cece smh.
YES!!! When Amber called her out!!! That gave me life!! Jessica was just awful to Mark. He really loved her and she was over here making fun of him (When she visited his place). She sucked.
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Yikes! Netflix’s got beef with you. I think I had a bit of a problem before earlier on where the latest episode wouldn’t appear. You might have to email Netflix. But definitely don’t miss out on the show, it’s one of the best shows of our generation!
Pahaha. You can always trust Cece to be a realist. The actress who plays Cece, Hannah Simone, did two appearances on Lilly Singh’s (superwoman on YouTube) recently as well, but I think Kal Penn stoke the show.
When she said that she thinks Barnett’s hot to Mark’s face… yikes. Mark could definitely do better, but I just know that if Jess whistled, he would run to her. 🤕
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