Let’s face it, for the most part — and I mean REALLY REALLY most part — 2020 sucks bags of dirt. Big bags of stinky, grimy, dirt. As Muhammad Ali once said: “The year floated in like a bull in a china shop and stung like not only a bee, but a wasp and a scorpion and a hill of fire ants and some manticore beast that’s not even real, but it’s 2020, so if it’s terrible, it’s coming to the party of pain.” (Even though he’s long since passed (RIP), pretty sure that’s a direct Ali quote.)
As the end of this year approaches, and as we continue to stay apart from each other at a time where traditionally we are furiously — almost stressfully-so — out-and-about, greeting folks, embracing them, celebrating our connections and our community, I’m saddened by how far apart we’ve grown, but I’m also thankful for how connected we can still be. Thanks in large part to our digital devices.
I definitely know I’ve spent way too much time on my phone this year. Way more than usual, and that’s saying A LOT! Are you, like me, also waiting in dread for your weekly usage report? Mine is reflecting a reality I truly don’t want to accept. You know that expression about watching too much tv will make your eyes square? Well, I’m surprised my eyes are not shaped in portrait mode.
One of the main reasons those usage reports are so high is that 2020 came with an abundance of stories. SO. MANY. STORIES…
The hard truths
We had stories that were right in our face, reflecting who we are and where we are at. Whether we liked it or not. Whether we were ready to listen or not. Those stories were all around us. Enveloping us, but not necessarily in comfort, but in hard truths and reality.
And with our regular lives on hold, maybe this was the first time many of us collectively took a seat at the same time and listened, reflected and understood that we don’t understand enough and that we should continue to listen to more diverse and divergent voices to broaden our horizons, shrink our biases and ultimately enrich all our lives.
Never has the News been so front-and-centre for me than it was in 2020. And never has it been harder to cipher through it all. (The amount of conspiracies alone!) And never has it made me reflect harder on what I thought I knew and what I never thought to question in the first place.
The lost tales
Then we had so many stories lost. I’m talking about the stories you tell your friends when you meet them for coffee or a bonfire. The stories that you’ve heard versions of for years at your family gatherings but they somehow get better…and more embellished, of course. Those stories that make you laugh til your belly aches or cry til your tear ducts dry out. The stories that are way above anything else because they come from the mouths of those we love.
I miss those stories the most. I miss all those personal moments. A year of those possible connections just…poof…gone. All those stories/happenings out there not getting told. It’s not just the masks that muffled our voices in 2020.
I hope all our personal stories and connections begin to make a comeback in 2021. I hope they become our personal blockbusters, NYT Bestsellers, Emmy winning shows. But until then, we have…
The great escapes
The stories to escape in. If you’re looking for where 2020 thrived, look no further than TV, podcasts, books, music, movies and any other form of content you can consume from the comfort of your home.
We all needed our ‘escapes’ this year. And I’m telling you, thank God for all the streaming platforms and content that rolled out. And THANK YOU for all your recommendations on social media. Believe me, we pretty much consumed every one of your choices in our household. (I mean, we had the TIME!)
And after a year of consuming so many of your choices, here are a bunch of mine that kept us distracted while we wait to connect to the outside world again:
Top three
- The Mandalorian | Disney+
Boy do I love me the MANDO! (as Carl Weathers likes to shout it.) And of course his trusty, egg-eating, silver ball stealing, sidekick: Lil’ Baby Yoda. I enjoy that each episode is a tightly edited watch; some are 45 minutes, others clock in at 30. No bulk, just a lean, mean fighting machine of a show. Which also somehow made me cry a couple times this season. (Cue Tom Hanks: C’MON, THERE’S NO CRYING IN STAR WARS!) - I May Destroy You | HBO or Crave
A tough watch. The show has scenes that are so uncomfortable in their realness. The protagonist, the enigmatic Michaela Coel, is unreliable and complicated and brilliant and terrible and selfish and also deserves justice and our attention and our help and doesn’t that just scream where we are right now. - Ted Lasso | Apple TV+
On paper, this show seems trite. In reality, it was smart, uplifting, kind and encouraging. A show that pushed toxic masculinity where it belongs, out the door and into the trash bins. You know you are watching something special when they depict an anxiety attack accurately and thoughtfully… in a sitcom! A sitcom, people! The best thing Jason Sudeikis has done since the running man. And where have you seen the woman who plays Rebecca before? She’s the “Shame” lady from GOT!
Other goodies
- Soul | Disney+
This beautiful movie is quite moving in the animation (the lighting!), the music and the concept of your purpose vs your passions. And a good reminder that the beauty of living is in the small, sometimes taken for granted, details. I think Soul has a much more realized take on the meaning of life than Monty Python did. 😉 Actually, I think they might be the same. 🤔 - Broadchurch | Netflix
It’s like a detective show sponsored by a travel company. And it has David Tennant and his addicting Scottish accent and Olivia Colman and her always charming self. They are a match made in British detective show heaven. “MILLAH!” - The Wire | HBO or Crave
Our third rewatch was as good as the first, if not richer. The way the show depicts policing seems more relevant than ever. And the destructive domino effect of our broken systems and the trail of heartbreak it leaves in its wake never lightens up. - The Morning Show | Apple TV+
Jennifer Aniston is amazing in this. And so is Steve Carell. I truly felt like I was watching the Today Show drama with Matt Lauer play out. Great cast! - Succession | HBO
Technically, the second season finished in fall 2019, but it’s so good, it’s making my list. The second season performed a clinic on exceptional tv-making around the worst people in existence. Picture it as the Trump family running a media company and just being their elitist, entitled, shitty selves. Even Cousin Greg is complicit. - The Crown | Netflix
Didn’t love season 3, but season 4 with Princess Di hitting the scene? Yes, please! I think the whole cast was superb. The guy who plays Charles was something else. A perfect terrible simp. - Schitt’s Creek | CBC or Netflix
It’s the eyebrows for me. And Patrick. Once Patrick hit the scene, this show really became something special. ‘Simply the best.’
Honourable mentions
- The Queen’s Gambit | Netflix (chess goodness)
- Insecure | HBO (Issa Rae goodness)
- The Last Dance | Netflix (Michael Jordan goodness)
- Des | Sundance (David Tennant goodness, but as a serial killer 😳)
- The Amazing Race | CBS (we miss travel)
- 90 Day Fiancé | TLC (pure craziness and we miss travel)
- Emily in Paris | Netflix (i mean, we really miss travel, people)
- The Watchmen | HBO (Regina King is a Queen)
- Enola Holmes | Netflix (Millie Bobbie Brown is a Queen)
- Lovecraft Country | HBO or Crave (an adventure, wrapped in fiction, surrounded by history)
- The Haunting of Bly Manor | Netflix (not what it seems)
- Tiger King | Netflix (WTF was that?)
