Since this is a time where we all should be staying at home, I’ve got a little more time on my hands to work on things and watch some shows. I’ll start off with a few shows that I’ve seen recently. I’m currently binge-watching Gilmore Girls and it’s wonderful.
TV Shows
Love is Blind (2020)
This was quite an interesting show. I wanted to give it a chance to see why people disliked Jessica so much. Plus, the concept of falling in love with someone without meeting them? So intriguing.
Synopsis:
The series follows thirty men and women hoping to find love. For ten days in a speed dating format, the men and women date each other in different “pods” where they can talk to each other, but not see each other. Whenever they decided, the men were able to propose to the woman they want to get married to. After the proposal, and meeting face-to-face for the first time, the engaged couples headed to a couples retreat in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. During this trip they spent time getting to know their partners, and were able to meet the other couples participating in the experiment.
Following the couples retreat, the engaged couples moved to the same apartment complex back in Atlanta. While at the apartments, they all met their partners’ families and explored their partners’ living conditions. At the altar on the day of the wedding, the engaged couples carried out wedding ceremonies and needed to make their final decisions at the altar about whether to split up or get married, answering the question “Is love blind?”
Wikipedia
After finishing the season, Jessica’s character and actions weren’t the best, but I didn’t dislike her as much as I thought I would from all the memes and information that were shared about her. Possibly due to watching The Bachelor, I don’t think anyone’s character would be as bad as I had been imagining Jessica’s to be.
Highlighted thoughts:
- Wowza, the contestants fall in love super quickly. Then again, how much time have they spent together that wasn’t shown to us? Still, how crazy to get engaged to someone within 10 days or less
- Out of all the guys, I liked Cameron and Damian the best
- Wait, you’re telling me that out of the cast that the show was mainly focused on, Jessica was the oldest? You’d never know by her actions and some of them were quite embarrassing
- Giannina contradicted herself every second and it drove me crazy. The tension escalated as soon as she started screaming one second, stated she doesn’t want to talk about it, and then complained about her and Damian’s communication. You can’t win with her
- Jessica was dying for someone to make a fuss about the age difference between her and Mark, but it didn’t happen. Barnett totally friend zoned her each time she brought up their relationship, good for him!
What makes me sad most of all is how this show took away the beauty of a wedding. I really liked the concept of talking to someone without knowing what the other person looked like, but to question whether the person you’re engaged to says yes at the altar ruined it for me. That’s a terrible experience.
Are they going to say yes? Who knows, but I hope so. I’m glad that at least some of the contestants found love, but talk about an emotional rollercoaster.
Gilmore Girls (2000)
Season 1 (2000)
I started missing this series, so I thought now to be the perfect time to start it over again since I haven’t watched it in at least 6+ years and I forgot the in between stuff that happens. This show is 20 years old! The world wasn’t ready for this kind of wit back then.
Synopsis:
The first season of Gilmore Girls introduces Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), as well as the fictional Connecticut town of Stars Hollow and its many quirky inhabitants. The central plot point of the season is Rory’s acceptance to Chilton, an elite prep school, and Lorelai’s need to borrow money from her parents, Emily (Kelly Bishop) and Richard (Edward Herrmann), in order to fund her daughter’s education. Lorelai’s parents lend her the money, but on one condition: she and Rory must attend dinner at their home in nearby Hartford every Friday night until the loan is repaid.
Lorelai’s relationship with her parents is full of animosity as, not long after giving birth to Rory at age sixteen, she left her parents’ home and moved to Stars Hollow in order to keep them from imposing their privileged lifestyle on her daughter. Her parents, while still loving her a great deal, continue to resent her for this choice. This results in a significant portion of the conflict throughout the season as Lorelai deals with having her parents in her life on a regular basis for the first time since she was a teenager. It also leads to Lorelai feeling distressed by Rory’s positive relationship with her grandparents and obvious interest in their way of life.
Wikipedia
I know that I mentioned the show in the past and half-complained about how they ramble on, but after watching season one the dialogue isn’t as bad as I remember. I love the show, really, but the dialogue can be a little off-putting at times. I am a little sad that there are some cultural references that are over my head, but I’ll get them eventually as life goes on, right?
Highlighted thoughts:
- I know I won’t like Dean later on, but he’s the perfect textbook first boyfriend [or at least I think so] and he made me happy in this season. I’ll always have a soft spot for him. Plus, I really like his leather jacket, so that tops the cake
- Paris is quite the character and she really needed Rory in her life. She’s a complete basket case, but she’s fierce, that’s for sure
- Lorelai’s relationship with her parents is heart-wrenching to see. It’s like every time they get close, they backtrack a few steps
- Jackson is the farmer we need to create new foods, I forgot about his experimenting
- I do enjoy the wittiness of this unrealistic dialogue, above all
It’s so crazy how young Alexis Bledel looks, especially when you compare to how people look now. She was 19 in the first season and yet she looked so young! Then again, people always say I look younger than I am, so maybe my imagination of how old people should be versus how they look is skewed.
Movies
All the Bright Places (2020)
It’s been forever since I read the book, when it was released in 2015, but I instantly recognized the title whenever it popped up on Netflix as a suggestion. I had no idea they made this book into a movie but I was so excited. All the Bright Places is a movie that should be watched, and it will definitely hurt your heart.
Starting the movie, I checked Rotten Tomatoes and it doesn’t look like the film is highly rated, but I’ll see how I feel about it myself.
Synopsis:
Based on the internationally bestselling novel by Jennifer Niven, All The Bright Places tells the story of Violet Markey and Theodore Finch, who meet and change each other’s lives forever. They attend the same High School in the fictional town of Bartlett, Indiana, and they meet in an unconventional way. As they struggle with the emotional and physical scars of their past, they come together through a school project, discovering that even the smallest places and moments can mean something. This compelling drama provides a refreshing and human take on the experience of mental illness, its impact on relationships, as well as the beauty and lasting impact of young love.
Wikipedia
Highlighted thoughts:
- Finch is definitely one of those kids I would despise having in a class. I will admit, I loved how he organized all his sticky notes by color, so that was really pleasing to see
- Finch and Violet sending one another messages definitely gave me The Fault in Our Stars feels. Also, them sharing quotes, I adored
- The rollercoaster looked fun to ride, but I was sketched out since it was built by the man. I would so try it though.
- The camera shots of all the places Violet and Finch went, those were almost as bad as flashbacks to watch. My poor heart
Finch helped Violet get her life back and I was just a blubbering mess watching it, honestly. It was a bit abrupt with how it ended, but I guess that’s pretty symbolic of the overall meaning of the film.
I Still Believe (2020)
I was so excited to watch this movie as soon as the advertisements started popping up on social media. I’ve always liked Jeremy Camp’s music and I was curious to watch this faith-based movie about the start of his music career.
Initially, I wanted to go see this in theaters but since the virus temporarily shut them down, Amazon Prime Video would have to do. I know people have been upset about the price of renting movies to be high, but it’s less than the cost of gas and movie expenses that I consider it to be a deal. Plus, I could watch it another time within the 48 hours I have of renting it. It was worth the price and I loved the message of the movie. This movie truly deserves its own post, but I want to rave about it now, especially during a tough time like the present.
Synopsis:
Based on Camp’s memoir of the same title, it focuses on Camp’s romance with his first wife, Melissa, whom he married in October 2000 despite knowing she was dying.[6] The couple were informed after their honeymoon that Melissa’s cancer had spread. She died in February 2001, 4½ months after they married.[7] It dramatizes Camp’s college years, his rise as a well-known singer, and eventually meeting his second wife, Adrienne.[7] with whom he has three children.
Wikipedia
I’m so glad I didn’t go watch this in theaters because I cried throughout the movie, and no one wants to see me be a blubbering mess, especially not in public.
Highlighted thoughts:
- Jeremy and Melissa’s date looked like one of the best dates ever. Plus, I love how he brought up the sky and galaxy reference whenever he proposed to her, not to mention how he presented her the Milky Way candy bar
- I am in complete awe of how constant Melissa’s faith in God was throughout her illness
- The fact that Jeremy continuously chose Melissa and wanted to be the person by her side until her death was the purest definition of love
- It was so neat to see how Jeremy and Adrienne met, which was through Melissa’s story and how it affected her
There were so many wonderful reminders in this movie to carry with me during all the trials in my life and I hope it inspires you as well if you watch this film.
I’ve watched a few more things, but I’ll leave it with these for now, so until next time!
What have you been watching lately to keep you sane?
I caved and watched Love is Blind because of all the internet memes about Jessica and I was super curious to see why she was so disliked. And to be honest, I don’t see why she’s so hated either! I mean, she wasn’t the greatest but still doesn’t deserve the hate she’s receiving online.
To this day, I still haven’t watched Gilmore Girls! It was so hyped in the early 2000s so I’m tempted to give it a shot, especially since I really have no reason not to give it a shot with the isolation happening, haha.
Right? Then again, I guess the Internet is just hyping up people now with their opinions. While I was watching, I kept waiting for something major to blow up with Jessica and it didn’t really happen.
Ahh, definitely the time to give it a shot! The first few episodes are slower starts, but the show really pulls you in. Hope you’re safe and well, Claire! ♥
Ahhh I love Gilmore Girls. I can’t believe 2000 was 20 years ago. How is that possible????
I loved All The Bright Places and yesterday we watched Tiger King. So good!
Right? It’s so weird to think about how 2000 was actually that long ago. I’m in such disbelief, but I’m loving the series all over again!
Oh gosh, Tiger King was so bonkers. I don’t even know what to make of that show! I’m glad you enjoyed All the Bright Places as well! I may have to watch it over again.
I don’t think Jessica’s actions were the best either, but she doesn’t deserve all the hate she got, or is still getting. And I agree, she tried to get anyone and everyone to make a big deal about the age gap, but no one cared lol. I can see where she is coming from, where she might feel guilty if the guy changed his mind later or felt like he never had his bachelor years or whatever but he seemed determined to make her happy. She just couldn’t or wouldn’t allow herself to get past that.
I think the wedding part of it wasn’t done tastefully and I feel like because they set it up with that question “will they or won’t they?” It made a few couples second guess themselves. Yes, some of them had actual concerns that were brought up pretty much around the wedding days, like Kenny and Kelly. How long was she thinking about how she wasn’t like super attracted to him?? Lol. Cause that was a huge bomb dropped on us practically at the end and that’s when I knew she was going to say no.
But anyway, enough about LIB. I havent seen Gilmore Girls. At all lol. I’ll have to look into it.
I do want to watch All the Bright Places but now that I know there is a book, I want to read the book first lol. Seems highly unlikely I’ll get to so maybe I’ll watch the movie and be done with it finally lol
I’ve never heard of Jeremy Camp, but I’ll look into that movie as well.
Yeah, Jessica made a good point about being in your 20s, but it would’ve been a different scenario if the roles were reversed and Mark was the unsure one. I hope he finds the love he kept exhibiting to someone who deserves him. The show was quite the mind game, that’s for sure.
Gilmore Girls may be off putting at first, but it’s so entertaining and easy to get sucked into with the uniqueness of the characters! Chad Michael Murray is in the first season and it’s so funny because it’s before One Tree Hill existed but Lucas Scott is who sticks with me when I see him, haha.
Maybe you’ll have better luck finding a copy of All the Bright Places. I hope you them both when you read and watch it!