Monday Media Musings - 1/24/22

The Flight Attendant, Episodes 5-8: I'd say this stuck the landing, and took some unexpected routes to get there. I like how, ultimately, the heart of the story was Cassie's friendships with Annie and Megan, and that these relationships were allowed to be messy and have sharp edges. ( Spoilers )

Paul Hollywood's City Bakes: We were browsing around YouTube the other night, and the algorithm served up this show, a series from 2016-17 wherein the celebrity baker visits cities around the world, going into bakeries and touring the sights. Specifically, it showed us the San Francisco episode, and we couldn't resist giving it a try. It was a trip to see Paul outside the tent, relating to people and food differently -- although he still had strong opinions, obviously he's not critical in the same way he is as a judge. I also experienced an overwhelming sense of nostalgia for the days when I could walk around the streets of my city, popping in and out of shops, hanging out in Craftsman & Wolves (the patisserie that Paul visited, one I know well) with a croissant and a cup of coffee. Is it weird to be homesick for your hometown while you're still living there? Anyway, then we watched the Jerusalem episode, which provided a totally different experience because it's a city I've never visited and know very little about. I enjoyed it, although of course he leaned really hard into the "blend of food and cultures" and not at all into real issues of violence and oppression. We'll probably watch more as the mood strikes us, although it's not really a show where I feel compelled to track down every episode.

Encanto: This was lovely, although I suspect the strong reactions I've been seeing online had my expectations dialed up a bit too high. Not that I didn't love it -- I did! But it didn't provoke as much of an emotional catharsis as I expected. Mirabel and Bruno were excellent, "We Don't Talk About Bruno" totally slaps, as they say, and "Surface Pressure" (Luisa's song) was a wonder. And I love how clearly steeped it was in Colombian culture and tradition. This might be one to watch a second time, to look for early undercurrents of the later reveals.