Mindful Consumption #0
Get to know me, the reviewer, before things get fun around here.
Hi everyone! Happy to be in your inbox for the first time! It’s been a dark few days since I first posted, and it would feel disingenuous of me not to address it, so let me be very clear: I despise Trump, and what is currently happening in the US is horrifying to me. However, I am going to begin—and will continue—talking about art and what I’m consuming on my Substack because art is one of the most powerful tools we have for fighting back, fostering empathy, and envisioning a brighter future. Use it wisely.
Welcome to Mindful Consumption! This is the first edition of a weekly newsletter that gives you the run down on all my thoughts about what I’m consuming—watching, reading, seeing, the works. I’m super excited about this, and I hope you are, too. But before we get into the regular weekly edition next week, this week, I wanted to give you a sampler of my taste, just so we can get more acquainted. Shall we?
What I’m watching
You don’t need me to tell you about Succession. Maybe your parents watch it, or a couple of your friends do. Maybe when you’ve seen screenshots of it on Twitter1, you couldn’t imagine how it could be entertaining. Maybe you even watched the first episode and didn’t continue. I understand—I did the same. But a voice from the heavens spoke to me and said to give it another try, and before I knew it I was in so deep that I was being Kendall Roy for Halloween2. I didn’t keep tuning in because I was particularly fascinated by business, but because the character writing—and acting— is absolutely brilliant, it’s darkly hilarious, and I am a sucker for a family drama. I had such a deep attachment to this morally bankrupt (but certainly not financially bankrupt) family that I cried watching the finale. This will forever be one of my favorite TV shows, if not my favorite—good luck to future shows hoping to unseat it.
I’ve been a subscriber to Alice Oseman’s Patreon since I was seventeen, so when Heartstopper was green lit for Netflix, I followed every step of the way with excitement and trepidation. We all know that many adaptations end up being pale imitations of the book (or in this case, comic). But I am happy—overjoyed, even—to share that Heartstopper is as perfect a television show as it is a webcomic3. It follows two British boys at an all-boys school as they meet, fall in love, and navigate the ups and downs of life and love together. It’s poignant and beautiful and extremely well acted by Kit Connor and Joe Locke as the main characters (both of whom I also saw on Broadway—needless to say, they are fantastic). I have successfully convinced many people to watch it, including my friends at the Columbia Publishing Course; they were reluctant at first, but as the five of us sat around a tiny 13 inch laptop connected to a speaker, I watched as each of them fell hard for the story.4 Just trust me. You’ll fall for it, too.
The Last of Us is not my typical kind of show. I don’t do horror movies, or jump scares, or anything grotesque, but this show proved to me that with the right characters and the right story, I will throw my fear out the window and lock in. The Last of Us takes place in an alternate version of our world where a fungi called cordyceps, due to global warming, gains the ability to infect humans and essentially turn them into man-eating zombies. And there’s no cure for infection—until a young girl named Ellie ends up in a US Quarantine Zone, and it’s discovered that she’s been bitten and didn’t turn. Joel, a hardened survivor, is tasked with bringing Ellie on a treacherous and brutal journey across the country to find the Fireflies, a resistance group who will use Ellie to create a cure for infection. This show consumed me. Joel and Ellie’s transformation from reluctant travel partners to father/daughter was one of the best character arcs I’ve had the pleasure of watching, and the day after watching the finale, I found it hard to focus on anything but them them them. Scaredy cats like me, give it a chance. You can always look away during the gore.
TL;DR — Give me compelling characters, a real plot, deep, heartfelt feelings, and incredible acting, and I’m yours. Note that reality TV is absent. I know nothing about the housewives or Scandoval or who the latest Bachelorette is. But from my point of view, it looks fun over there, so definitely keep doing what you’re doing.
What I’m reading
I envisioned my friend’s apartment on the Lower East Side as Nick and Andy’s cozy abode in We Could Be So Good, and every time I visit her, I feel like I’m stepping into their story. This book is the embodiment of domestic love: it’s a slice-of-life story following two journalists in the 1950’s in New York City as they go from friends to lovers, and reading it made my heart ache. It’s written in third person present tense, which is my absolute favorite when done right, and the dual POV is so good and angsty. It was also the only romance book named to the New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2023–and it’s deserved.
I have been known to love a good romantasy. Emphasis on good. The genre is so popular and saturated now that finding a truly original romantasy feels like a pipe dream. Reader, I found it in La Vie de Guinevere. It’s Outlander meets a Knight’s Tale, where 22-year-old Vera is living in modern-day Glastonbury when Merlin—yes, that Merlin—finds her and tells her she must return to Camelot since she is actually Queen Guinevere. The problem is she doesn’t remember her life as Guinevere, and the key to saving the kingdom lies within those memories. It has everything, I swear: angst, romance, found family, exquisite world building, and gorgeous, lyrical writing. I read it in my apartment over a cold, early winter weekend with the heat on, a candle lit, and one of those YouTube videos of a fireplace in a library. I am of the firm belief that this is the way it was meant to be read, but don’t let this stop you from reading it on a beach or a plane or in bed. If you feel like I do, like the genre can’t surprise you anymore, read this.
I’d never woken up in the middle of the night after having a stress dream about fictional characters until reading The Green Bone Saga. It takes place in an Asian-inspired country which has a natural resource—jade—that grants superhuman abilities to those who can harness it. Two crime syndicates control the supply of jade, but when a drug is made that allows anyone to use jade, that’s where our story begins. And oh, does it take you on a ride. If you love family sagas (told you I was a sucker for a family drama), intense, action-packed fighting scenes, morally grey characters (no, seriously), and want to read some of the best world building in fiction, I implore you, please pick up this series. While reading the third book, Jade Legacy, my tears were so thick and heavy I could barely see. A sign of a good time, if you ask me.
TL;DR — This is extremely representative of my reading taste — romance, romantasy, and fantasy. I’m not a fan of reading literary fiction, or really anything that can be described as “speaking to the human condition.” Just give me a scene where two characters are in the middle of a fight when one of them shouts, “It’s because I love you!” and I will probably give it 5 stars.
What I’m seeing
If there’s one thing about me, I’m not seeing movies. I’m seeing Broadway shows.5 In my opinion, it’s one of the best reasons to live in the city, and if you hate musical theater, just know that you are severely missing out. There’s nothing that compares to watching a performer sing their entire soul out that it brings you to tears, to stepping out of a theater humming your new favorite song that you’re going to dance to in your room for the rest of the night, to returning to cast albums again and again and again.
So let’s talk about my three favorite shows from last season: Merrily We Roll Along, Suffs, and The Outsiders. I walked into each of these theaters as one person, and I left a little bit changed. Unfortunately, the only one you can still see is The Outsiders, as Merrily and Suffs both closed. :(
Merrily We Roll Along was originally a flop—it closed on Broadway after just 16 performances. This revival, starring Jonathan Groff (Jesse St. James), Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), and Lindsay Mendez (you probably don’t know her but she’s a big Broadway name), was the version of Merrily We Roll Along that the people deserve. It tells the story of three friends over the course of twenty years, but the story is told backwards. We meet them as their friendships have crumbled, and slowly, we work our way back to where they began as bright-eyed young talents with big dreams. It is poignant and heartbreaking and an evergreen reminder that the only constant in our lives is change. I cannot talk about this show without talking about Franklin Shepherd Inc, the 11 o’clock number that plays near the top of the show. It was electric, thrilling, and earned Daniel Radcliffe his Tony award. I give it a standing ovation every time I listen to it, and I am begging for that pro-shot.
Suffs was one of my early lottery wins last year (shoutout to the Broadway lottery for real), and I didn’t know much about it beyond the fact that it was about the women’s suffrage movement and the lead actress also wrote the music, the lyrics, and the book. As we were settling into our seats, my friend and I were talking about what we wanted from new musicals—an original story with an incredible, memorable soundtrack. At intermission, we turned to each other with tears in our eyes because oh my god we’d found it. There was so much I didn’t know about the women’s suffrage movement. Did you know a woman literally died fighting for our right to vote? How about that one mother’s letter to her son, a lawmaker in Tennessee, led him to make the deciding vote on the 19th Amendment? It’s all told in Suffs in a way that’s both entertaining and inspirational, but not preachy or boring, and it ends with an important reminder: progress is possible, not guaranteed, and we have to keep fighting for it.
The Outsiders won Best Musical over my beloved Suffs, so I had to see what the fuss was all about. Honestly, I get it—all around, it was excellent. The folk-rock music is great (Run Run Brother earned a spot on my top 5 on Spotify wrapped), those actors are singing their hearts out and pouring their souls into these characters, especially the Greasers who simply long for something better than what they have. The set, while economical, evokes that grunge feeling of Tulsa ‘67, and they utilize every aspect of it. Then, there’s the rumble, which is one of the coolest things I’ve seen on stage. There’s rain, bloodied faces, gravel kicked into the first row, people being smacked with lights. It’s exhilarating to watch—and I definitely would like to see it again. If you’re one of those Broadway haters, I truly think The Outsiders could change your mind. Or, just go to see hot men who can sing. It’s a treat.
TL;DR — Like my television shows, there’s not a particular type of musical I’m drawn to. I’ll really see any show regardless of the plot. I want to hear songs that speak to my soul while moving the story forward. And truthfully, I just love being in a theatre.
If you enjoy any of these, let’s talk about them! If it wasn’t clear, stories are one of my favorite topics of conversation, and I consume a lot of them in any way I can get them. We haven’t even addressed the audio dramas I’ve listened to or the webcomics I’ve read! And if you have any recs, always feel free to drop them down below.
See you next week!
I will never ever call it X.
It has been suggested to me that I should be Jeremy Strong at the Golden Globes for Halloween this year. Jury’s still out.
No, really. The first and third seasons both have 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, if people still care about that.
I have a hilarious video of one of my friends shouting “Yes! Home run!” as Nick and Charlie kissed for the first time.
But of course I saw Wicked and loved it.
The people want a picture of you as Kendall Roy