They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with Shara White, founder and editor-in-chic of Speculative Chic!
What does Shara love when she’s not herding cats and keeping this blog running smoothly? Spoiler alert: the cutest kid ever, a divisive film in a popular franchise, a show that’ll fork with head and your heart, a drama that’s terrifyingly real, and a superhero show worth gushing about. Curious? Read on to learn more!
It’s hard to believe the year is almost over, but with any year comes a slew of new favorites, and I couldn’t resist grabbing the last My Favorite Things slot at Speculative Chic for 2019. I’ve already gushed this year about What We Do in the Shadows, Dark, NOS4A2, and The Boys. And yes, I realize those are all television shows. We’re in the Platinum Age of Television, and there’s just too much great stuff out there. I’ll try to make sure that my favorites aren’t all TV shows, but you know what Yoda says about trying.
Speaking of Yoda.
First up, The Child from The Mandalorian. Yes, that’s right, Baby Yoda. How can anyone look at this adorable little creature and not fall head over heels in love? The Mandalorian in and of itself is an interesting show, currently too episodic for my preferences (though as of this writing, I’ve seen chapter 7, which ties in the previous episodes in a meaningful way and sets up chapter 8’s season 1 finale rather nicely). I’m not sure I’d be returning week after week if not for Baby Yoda, who is so stinking cute I just want to hug him. Those big eyes, those floppy ears, the wisps of fuzzy hair on the top of his head, the way his nose scrunches and how he really, really wants to help Mando fly his ship. Too. cute. for. words.
It’s an interesting thing to be a Star Wars fan in this day and age. Since Disney brought the property, we’ve had more engagement with media than I could’ve ever hoped for when I was a teenager, gobbling down Expanded Universe novels with gusto. I can’t say I’m fatigued just yet, though. Outside of the movies, I’m not engaging with the Expanded Universe like I used to (my teenage self is shocked and appalled!). That being said, The Force Awakens is still my happy place, and while preparing to see The Rise of Skywalker in theaters, it made perfect sense to rewatch The Force Awakens, and of course, I couldn’t rewatch The Force Awakens without rewatching The Last Jedi.
When I saw it in theaters, I liked it. But I’ve seen it a few more times since then, and after this last viewing, I’ve come to really, really love the film. Fanboys be damned, but this movie just does so many beautiful things, specifically found in the little, tiny moments. I was particularly in awe in how the final showdown between Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren was handled, because if you’re paying close attention, you realize: there’s a few characters who realize Luke isn’t actually there, and it’s shown so subtly it took more than one viewing to catch it.
Rian Johnson has taken a LOT of flack over this movie, but truly, I think time will be more and more forgiving of this film, especially once the emotional backlash is taken away and people can appreciate what it’s trying to do: reminding us that the Force is for everyone, and not just those with bloodlines behind them; and how, in parallel, so is Star Wars: it’s for everyone, not just those who grew up on the original trilogy.
Yes, I’ve seen The Rise of Skywalker. Yes, I have opinions. No, I won’t talk about it here: you’ll just have to wait for the Sound Off!
Moving on from the Star Wars fandom, I want to embrace a show that’s near and dear to my heart, and reader, it is ending. That’s right: The Good Place. This show has been a beacon of light in such a volatile and hostile world, and it’s is all about how humans have this endless capacity for improvement and goodness, if only given the chance. The final season isn’t quite over: it’s on holiday hiatus and should be returning January 9th with five new episodes (if we’re to believe IMDB). It’s been such a joy to see these characters grow and learn and love and be better people, all while staying true to their personalities. The last episode before the hiatus, “The Answer,” focused on our beloved Chidi, giving us a deep-dive into his history and showing us why he is the way he is, and it’s such a powerful episode that it nearly made me cry at several moments. If you aren’t watching The Good Place, run, don’t walk, to Netflix, start with season 1, and enjoy.
It’s hard to imagine enjoying a show that’s as serious as a heart attack, but if you haven’t seen the Chernobyl mini-series on HBO, you are missing out on an amazing experience. Chernobyl tells the story of the nuclear power plant in Russia that exploded back in 1986, and it chronicles what happened afterwards that made it one of the world’s worst man-made catastrophes. The acting is phenomenal (Jared Harris is the lead, and that man’s talent constantly amazes me), the cinematography is riveting, the music is compelling…. y’all, it’s just so damned good. Further enhancing my experience was listening to the podcast, aptly titled The Chernobyl Podcast, where host Peter Segal interviews series writer and creator Craig Mazin, and they talk about each episode and why they did what they did, and how often some of the true stories behind the show were even more horrifying and weirder than what was portrayed. Believe me, there are times in the show you want to reach through your screen and shake the teeth out of people for their hubris.
Chernobyl is an amazing, sober experience that opened my eyes to a piece of history I lived through but truly understood so little about. I encourage everyone to watch it.
And last, but not least, Watchmen.
I don’t have the nostalgia factor (pun intended) with the comic book that a lot of others do. I read it as an adult before the film adaptation came out, and I enjoyed it. I understand why it’s such a seminal work in the industry, let alone the superhero genre. And I was super curious to see what this show, originally advertised as a sequel but not, would give us, and how it would live up to the work that inspired it.
Guys. GUYS. It is absolutely, without-a-doubt, one of the most amazing, transformative works I’ve ever seen. I don’t even know where to begin, that’s how much I want to gush.
Regina King, who plays Angela Abar/Sister Night. She is an absolute revelation, a gem. I loved every moment of her on the screen. Her character was so intense, so vivid, and so real. King’s acting chops had me riveted, and to say more is to venture into spoiler territory. But the end of the season (series?) did right by her, if you want to believe a very certain thing about a very specific person and their powers.
King’s not the only one I loved on this show. All of the acting was top-notch, and spiritually speaking, HBO’s show is a true successor to the comic in spirit, and it also creates so much opportunity to engage with the world and the future the comic created, while also giving us new insight to the comic’s own internal history. I know some things had my husband a little puzzled, because he’s currently reading the prequel comic series, and some things just don’t jive with the show. I can happily and blissfully and ignorantly say that with the original graphic novel as an anchor, the prequel comics can do their own thing, and the television show can do its own thing, and it’s fine. I’ll go ahead and say I think the show’s doing it one better (Hooded Justice. Oh. My. Stars. HOODED JUSTICE). I can’t wait to sit down and just watch this all over again, now that it’s ended and I know where the story is going. Watchmen, too, has its own podcast hosted by Peter Segal, and those three episodes allow him to talk about the background of how and why the show finally came to fruition with Damon Lindelof. If you’re a fan of the show, I also encourage you to give this podcast a go, simply to enrich your experience. But if you haven’t seen Watchmen yet, it’s not to be missed.
Born in the Gateway to the West, Shara White currently hails from the mountains of East Tennessee. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Hollins University in 2003 and received her Master of Arts from Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction Program in 2008. While she was deciding what to be when she grew up, Shara spent six weeks in 2005 attending the Odyssey Writing Workshop. She’s trained miniature horses, sang opera, and now works in the finance industry. She ran a book review blog, Calico Reaction, for 7.5 years, and sometimes (read: rarely if ever) blogs at Calico Writes. She is an avid reader, an entertainment junkie, and also writes original fiction in her spare time, which exists somewhere on the space-time continuum. If you find it, please let her know.
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