Happy March 341st!
In case you missed it, we're still in the middle of a global pandemic, and it's still just as important to stay home as much as possible to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Judging by the amount of people I see out and about on a daily basis, it seems like some of you need some additional incentives to stay home. So, as a treat, here's my second quarantine binge-watch guide with all of my recent favorites.
Leave a comment to let me know what I should watch next + what you've been watching during these quaran-times.
1. Breaking Bad
Yeah, I'm fully aware I'm years behind the times with this one. To be completely honest, I thought I would hate this show. I thought it would be just an action-oriented show about drug dealers, and I wasn't interested. But... I stand corrected, and I'm willing to accept and admit my mistakes.
The writing on this show is just... *chef's kiss*. So good. It definitely is action packed and it is about drug dealers, but it's like an immersive, long-form movie that you can't stop watching. I also have to admit, it took me a little while to come around on this show even as I was watching it. But, once I was hooked, I was fully hooked until the very last second.
If you, like me, judged this show and haven't watched it yet - now is your time. It's a great binge-watch with every episode on Netflix. It's a dark show, but in these dark times, it's almost a nice relief to watch someone else's life totally fall apart.
2. Was it Love?
My friend, Emma, and I watched the first 4-5 episodes of this show after completing an absolutely exhausting hike and spending the rest of the day laying on the couch trying not to fall asleep. It's the perfect antidote to Breaking Bad/a pandemic/anything bad.
It's so fluff filled, it's absolutely not for anyone looking for something serious or particularly poignant. It follows a single mother who always aspired to be a film producer, but dropped out of college one semester before graduating after becoming pregnant. Years later, she finally gets her chance, and reunites with old friends from college to make a movie. Also, forget love triangles, this series has four potential suitors chasing after our leading lady.
It's simple, fun, dramatic and full of twists and turns. I'd highly recommend as an escape from life. New episodes are coming out every Wednesday and Thursday on Netflix.
3. Unsolved Mysteries
Netflix rebooted this old series recently, and I am here for it. I grew up watching these unsolved cases and spooky stories when I'd stay home sick from school, and that's what makes this reboot so perfect.
Instead of covering a few different cases each episode, this new series focuses on one case per episode. They stand alone, so you can watch them at your own pace in your own order. For all my fellow true crime fans out there, this is absolutely for you!
4. Hamilton
Although I'm sure you've all heard of Hamilton by now, I couldn't write this post without including it. I've seen Hamilton three times in the theater, and my general feelings going into watching the recording (recently released on Disney+) were that it would not hold a candle to the live show.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
The recording is stunningly filmed, and really highlights the true magic and sheer talent contained within that original Broadway cast. You'll feel like you really are in the room where it happened (pretend I'm the first person to make that joke).
I know some of you may still be holding out. Maybe you're not a musical theater person, or you're not a history person, or you're not a movie person. None of that matters.
Hamilton is an experience, and it's one that you have the ability to access right in the comfort of your home. Remember, people were paying hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars to see this show, and now it's accessible to anyone. Watch it, and then come back and thank me for persuading you, and then go back and re-watch it (you'll absolutely want to).
Honorable Mentions: Listen: Blood Ties, a podcast from Wondery. You can listen to this wherever you listen to your podcasts. It is a fiction podcast that follows two siblings after the death of their parents in a semi-mysterious plane crash. It's extremely relevant, timely and compelling with several twists and turns. Plus, the brother is voiced by Josh Gad. The episodes are short and it's an easy binge-listen.
Read: This article "Working Parenthood Is A Terrible Deal Right Now". As someone working for a school district, this has been on my mind a lot lately. This article is both hard-hitting and full of real heart, asking the questions I imagine many working parents are asking right now. Whether or not you're a parent, I think this is well worth the read.
Don't forget to let me know in the comments what you're reading/watching/filling the void with during quarantine season. Also don't forget to stay home and wear a mask and be safe out there.
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Completely agree with you on Hamilton! The others I might give a go. I’ll add Gordon Ramsey’s Uncharted. He is the most likable I have ever seen him and seeing how people access food all over the country is fascinating.