My Best of 2021 Nominations

Greetings, reader!

I'm doing something a bit different for this week and the following one. I've always been a sucker for the Academy Awards and other such ceremonies, but I often find myself disagreeing with the nominees and winners that are chosen. Therefore, I'm left with no choice but to make my own annual awards! This week, I'm announcing my nominees for the best in cinema, television and music from the year 2021, and next year, I'll release the list of winners.

Movies

General rule: All feature films released between January 1st, 2021 and December 31st, 2021 are eligible - and I'm obviously only counting ones that I've seen. As big of a movie buff I am, I haven't unfortunately gotten around to watching every film from 2021, so there are bound to be some gaps. Each category has five nominees, one of which will be chosen as the winner by next Thursday.

Best Picture

Dune

Hytti Nro 6

The Many Saints of Newark

tick, tick...BOOM!

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Best Director

Dune (Denis Villeneuve)

Hytti Nro 6 (Juho Kuosmanen)

The Many Saints of Newark (Alan Taylor)

The Suicide Squad (James Gunn)

tick, tick...BOOM! (Lin-Manuel Miranda)

Best Screenplay

Don't Look Up (Adam McKay)

Dune (Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth)

Hytti Nro 6 (Andris Feldmanis, Juho Kuosmanen, Livia Ulman)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers)

The Many Saints of Newark (David Chase & Lawrence Konner)

Best Leading Actor

Don't Look Up (Leonardo DiCaprio as Dr. Randall Mindy)

Dune (Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides)

Hytti Nro 6 (Yuriy Borisov as Ljoha)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Tom Holland as Peter Parker)

tick, tick...BOOM! (Andrew Garfield as Jonathan Larson)

Best Leading Actress

Don't Look Up (Jennifer Lawrence as Kate Dibiasky)

Dune (Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica Atreides)

Hytti Nro 6 (Seidi Haarla as Laura)

The Harder They Fall (Zazie Beetz as Mary Fields)

The Many Saints of Newark (Vera Farmiga as Livia Soprano)

Best Supporting Actor

Don't Look Up (Mark Rylance as Peter Isherwell)

Dune (Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides)

No Time to Die (Rami Malek as Lyutsifer Safin)

The Harder They Fall (LaKeith Stanfield as Cherokee Bill)

The Many Saints of Newark (Leslie Odom Jr. as Harold McBrayer)

Best Supporting Actress

Don't Look Up (Meryl Streep as President Orlean)

Dune (Zendaya as Chani)

The Harder They Fall (Regina King as Trudy Smith)

The Many Saints of Newark (Michela De Rossi as Giuseppina Moltisanti)

tick, tick...BOOM! (Vanessa Hudgens as Karessa)

Best Score

Dune (Hans Zimmer)

Halloween Kills (Cody Carpenter, John Carpenter, Daniel A. Davies)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Michael Giacchino)

The Harder They Fall (Jeymes Samuel)

tick, tick...BOOM! (Jonathan Larson; Nancy Allen)

Best Cinematography

14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible (Chris Alstrin)

Dune (Greig Fraser)

Hytti Nro 6 (Jani-Petteri Passi)

The Many Saints of Newark (Kramer Morgenthau)

tick, tick...BOOM! (Alice Brooks)

Best Visual Effects

Dune

Godzilla vs. Kong

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Spider-Man: No Way Home

The Suicide Squad

Best Editing

Dune

The Many Saints of Newark

The Suicide Squad

tick, tick...BOOM!

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Best Sound

Dune

F9: The Fast Saga

Godzilla vs. Kong

tick, tick...BOOM!

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Best Production Design

Dune

No Time to Die

Spider-Man: No Way Home

The Harder They Fall

The Many Saints of Newark

Best Costumes and Makeup

Dune

The Harder They Fall

The Many Saints of Newark

The Suicide Squad

tick, tick...BOOM!

Total Nominations:

Dune - 14

The Many Saints of Newark - 10

tick, tick...BOOM! - 9

Hytti Nro 6 - 6

The Harder They Fall - 6

Don't Look Up - 5

Spider-Man: No Way Home - 5

The Suicide Squad - 4

Zack Snyder's Justice League - 3

Godzilla vs. Kong - 2

No Time to Die - 2

14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible - 1

F9: The Fast Saga - 1

Halloween Kills - 1

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - 1

Television

General rules: I originally planned separate categories for dramas and comedies, like they do in the Emmys, but I hadn't watched so many new shows that this would've been interesting (each comedy category would roughly have the same five comedy shows as nominees). Shows are only judged based on the episodes they released during the year 2021. Documentary shows are eligible, but only for the categories where they fit - for example, a documentary series obviously can't be nominated for Best Leading Actor, but they can be nominated for a vast majority of categories.

Best Television Series

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Sex Education

Squid Game

The Beatles: Get Back

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Best Directing

Hawkeye (Bert & Bertie, Echoes)

Squid Game (Hwang Dong-hyuk, Kkanbu)

The Beatles: Get Back (Peter Jackson & Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Part 3: Days 17-22)

The Walking Dead (Greg Nicotero, On The Inside)

WandaVision (Matt Shakman, Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience)

Best Writing

Arcane (Ash Brannon, The Base Violence Necessary for Change)

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Megan Ganz, The Gang Carries a Corpse Up a Mountain)

Saturday Night Live (Michael Che, Colin Jost, Kent Sublette & Anna Drezen, Jason Sudeikis / Brandi Carlile)

Sex Education (Laurie Nunn & Alice Seabright, Episode #3.3)

Squid Game (Hwang Dong-hyuk, Kkanbu)

Best Leading Actress

Hawkeye (Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop)

Loki (Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie)

Sex Education (Emma Mackey as Maeve Wiley)

Squid Game (Jung Hoyeon as Kang Sae-byeok)

WandaVision (Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff)

Best Leading Actor

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Charlie Day as Charlie Kelly)

Loki (Tom Hiddleston as Loki)

Sex Education (Asa Butterfield as Otis Milburn)

Squid Game (Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson)

Best Supporting Actress

Saturday Night Live (Kate McKinnon as Various Characters)

Sex Education (Gillian Anderson as Jean Milburn)

Squid Game (Kim Joo-Ryung as Han Mi-nyeo)

The Walking Dead (Cailey Fleming as Judith Grimes)

WandaVision (Kathryn Hahn as Agnes)

Best Supporting Actor

Arcane (Harry Lloyd as Viktor)

Loki (Owen Wilson as Mobius)

Sex Education (Ncuti Gatwa as Eric Effiong)

Squid Game (Oh Yeong-su as Oh Il-Nam)

The Walking Dead (Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan)

Best Episode

Arcane (The Base Violence Necessary for Change)

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (The Gang Carries a Corpse Up a Mountain)

Rick and Morty (Rickmurai Jack)

Squid Game (Kkanbu)

The Beatles: Get Back (Part 3: Days 17-22)

Best Score

Loki (Natalie Holt)

Squid Game (Jaeil Jung)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Henry Jackman)

The Walking Dead (Sam Ewing, Bear McCreary)

WandaVision (Christophe Beck, Alex Kovacs)

Best Cinematography

Hawkeye (James Whitaker)

Loki (Autumn Durald)

Squid Game (Lee Hyeong-Deok)

The Beatles: Get Back (Anthony B. Richmond)

WandaVision (Jess Hall)

Best Editing

Sex Education

Squid Game

The Beatles: Get Back

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

WandaVision

Best Visual Effects

Hawkeye

Loki

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

The Walking Dead

WandaVision

Best Animation

Arcane

Big Mouth

Rick and Morty

What If...?

Best Sound

Arcane

Hawkeye

Squid Game

The Beatles: Get Back

The Walking Dead

Best Set Design

Hawkeye

Loki

Squid Game

The Walking Dead

WandaVision

Best Costumes and Makeup

Saturday Night Live

Sex Education

Squid Game

The Walking Dead

WandaVision

Total Nominations:

Squid Game - 14

WandaVision - 9

Sex Education - 8

The Walking Dead - 8

Loki - 7

Hawkeye - 6

The Beatles: Get Back 6

Arcane - 5

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - 5

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - 4

Saturday Night Live - 3

Rick and Morty - 2

Big Mouth - 1

What If...? - 1

Music

General rules: Most of these categories judge specific albums released by artists - the only exceptions are Best Song, Best Music Video, Best Composition and Best Lyrics. Those four categories judge specific songs, so artists who have released songs but not a full album in 2021 are eligible for them.

Best Album

Adele - 30

Brandi Carlile - In These Silent Days

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu

Silk Sonic - An Evening with Silk Sonic

Ursus Factory - Onnellinen Sukupolvi

Best Song

ABBA - Don't Shut Me Down

Adele - Hold On

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu

Silk Sonic - Leave the Door Open

Ursus Factory - Portilla Pastoriopiston

Best Music Video

ABBA - I Still Have Faith in You

John Mayer - Wild Blue

Rise Against - The Numbers

Silk Sonic - Skate

Ursus Factory - Mimosa

Best Composition

ABBA - Don't Shut Me Down (Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus)

Brandi Carlile - Broken Horses (Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth)

Iron Maiden - The Time Machine (Janick Gers, Steve Harris)

Silk Sonic - Leave the Door Open (Bruno Mars, Brandon Anderson, Dernst Emile II, Christopher Brody Brown)

Ursus Factory - Portilla Pastoriopiston (Jussi Pelkonen & Aleksi Ripatti)

Best Lyrics

ABBA - Keep an Eye on Dan (Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus)

Adele - Hold On (Adele Adkins, Inflo)

Rise Against - Monarch (Tim McIlrath, Zach Blair, Joe Principe, Brandon Barnes)

Silk Sonic - Leave the Door Open (Bruno Mars, Brandon Anderson, Dernst Emile II, Christopher Brody Brown)

Ursus Factory - Miettusen Paku (Jussi Pelkonen & Aleksi Ripatti)

Best Mixing and Production

ABBA - Voyage (Bernard Löhr, Benny Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus, Björn Engelmann)

Adele - 30 (Shawn Everett, Ludwig Göransson, Inflo, Tobias Jesso Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, Shellback, Randy Merrill)

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu (Kevin Shirley, Ade Emsley)

Silk Sonic - An Evening with Silk Sonic (Serban Ghenea, Randy Merrill, Bruno Mars, D'Mile)

Ursus Factory - Onnellinen Sukupolvi (Väinö Karjalainen)

Best Vocal Performance

ABBA - Voyage (Agnetha Fältskog & Anni-Frid Lyngstad)

Adele - 30 (Adele Adkins)

Brandi Carlile - In These Silent Days (Brandi Carlile)

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu (Bruce Dickinson)

Silk Sonic - An Evening with Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak)

Best Guitar Performance

Brandi Carlile - In These Silent Days (Tim Hanseroth)

Dream Theater - A View from the Top of the World (John Petrucci)

Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight (Dave Grohl)

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu (Dave Murray)

John Mayer - Sob Rock (John Mayer)

Best Bass Performance

Dream Theater - A View from the Top of the World (John Myung)

Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight (Nate Mendel)

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu (Steve Harris)

Rise Against - Nowhere Generation (Joe Principe)

Silk Sonic - An Evening with Silk Sonic (D'Mile)

Best Piano/Keyboard Performance

ABBA - Voyage (Benny Andersson)

Adele - 30 (Erroll Garner)

Dream Theater - A View from the Top of the World (Jordan Rudess)

Silk Sonic - An Evening with Silk Sonic (D'Mile)

Ursus Factory - Onnellinen Sukupolvi (Antti Vuorenmaa)

Best Drum/Percussion Performance

Dream Theater - A View from the Top of the World (Mike Mangini)

Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight (Taylor Hawkins)

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu (Nicko McBrain)

Silk Sonic - An Evening with Silk Sonic (Anderson .Paak)

Ursus Factory - Onnellinen Sukupolvi (Aleksi Ripatti)

Best Performance, Other Instrument

ABBA - Voyage (Jan Bengtson, Baritone Saxophone)

Adele - 30 (David Campbell, Various Strings)

Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight (Jacob Braun, Cello)

Kanye West - Donda (Brandee Younger, Harp)

Rise Against - Nowhere Generation (TJ Wessel, Violin)

Best Opening Track

ABBA - Voyage (I Still Have Faith in You)

Adele - 30 (Strangers by Nature)

Brandi Carlile - In These Silent Days (Right on Time)

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu (Senjutsu)

Ursus Factory - Onnellinen Sukupolvi (Rakkauttasi Tarvitsen)

Best Closing Track

ABBA - Voyage (Ode to Freedom)

Adele - 30 (Love is a Game)

Rise Against - Nowhere Generation (Rules of Play)

Silk Sonic - An Evening with Silk Sonic (Blast Off)

Ursus Factory - Onnellinen Sukupolvi (Vielä Yksi Päivä)

Total Nominations:

Silk Sonic - 11

ABBA - 10

Ursus Factory - 10

Adele - 9

Iron Maiden - 9

Brandi Carlile - 5

Rise Against - 5

Dream Theater - 4

Foo Fighters - 4

John Mayer - 2

Kanye West - 1

Thank you for reading! Next week's post will reveal the winners in each category. See you then!

Top 10 Anticipated Movies of 2022

Greetings, reader!

Well, since it's mid-January, I shall once again share my list of the upcoming films I'm looking forward to the most this year.

Here are my honorable mentions: Creed III, Death on the Nile, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Scream, Thor: Love and Thunder.

10. Untitled Bee Gees biopic

Now, much isn't known about this end-of-the-year release yet. But I'm always one for good music biopics, and while I'm not the world's most passionate Bee Gees fan, I do enjoy their music and appreciate their influence in music history. Also, Kenneth Branagh is one hell of a director, so the fact that he's at the helm for this project is all the more reason to believe that it has the potential to be the next Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) or Rocketman (2019).

9. Halloween Ends

For whatever reason, I've watched all 12 Halloween films that have been made so far, so I'm invested. David Gordon Green did a surprisingly decent job breathing new life into a dead franchise with 2018's Halloween, and while the follow-up Halloween Kills (2021) was less impressive, I do like the fact that he's making a trilogy with the same main characters and story arch. I'm not banking on Halloween Ends being a critically acclaimed horror masterpiece, but as a fan of the franchise, it'll be great to hear John Carpenter's iconic theme and see Jamie Lee Curtis don the role of Laurie Strode one last time this October.

8. The Flash

Now, I'm skeptical of this film - DC Comics and messy production delays are usually a match made in hell. Still, I can't help but hold on to the hope that this upcoming superhero flick could be quite awesome. It has so much going on for it - Barry Allen a.k.a. The Flash is one of my favorite superheroes, Ezra Miller was fantastic in the role in Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), and director Andy Muschietti has a style perfect for this sort of film.

Also, due to the timeline-hopping alternate-universe nature of The Flash's adventures, the film will apparently feature both Ben Affleck's Batman from the current DC universe, and a return for Michael Keaton's Batman from Tim Burton's movies back in the day. That's quite something.

7. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

It's impossible to discuss my anticipation for Marvel's Black Panther (2018) sequel without a heavy dose of heartbreak in the mix. Before August 2020, it was known that a Black Panther sequel was in the works, and it was one of my most anticipated upcoming Marvel films in a conventional sense - T'Challa a.k.a. Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) was one of Marvel's most interesting heroes, and a return to the world of Wakanda was worth the hype.

Everything changed with Boseman's tragic death from colon cancer, at the age of 43 years. Rest in Power, King.

After many back-and-forth plans, Marvel decided to do a sequel anyways - the role of T'Challa will not be recast, but the film will simply focus on the other characters from the franchise. I'm sure they'll make for a decent group of main characters, as Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and many others were great supporting characters in the original Black Panther and deserve more screen time. One can't yet know quite what this film will be and how it will deal with the underlying tragedy, but I'm confident that writer&director Ryan Coogler knows what he's doing. The vibrant milieu of Wakanda and the abundance of interesting characters will likely make for a decent superhero flick even with the absence of Boseman, and I'm guessing the film will try its best to pay tribute to the man in a touching manner.

6. Babylon

Much isn't yet known about the content of Babylon, with its IMDB synopsis simply reading "Plot unknown. Rumored to be set in period Hollywood". Why am I so excited, then?

Well, for starters, it's written and directed by jazz nerd and acclaimed filmmaker Damien Chazelle, whose works Whiplash (2014) and La La Land (2016) have earned him a place in my heart. Secondly, the film's score will be composed by Chazelle's frequent collaborator, the magnificent Justin Hurwitz. And, finally, the cast includes some absolute gems of modern Hollywood, from Brad Pitt and Olivia Wilde to Tobey Maguire and Margot Robbie, not to mention class acts like Eric Roberts and Jean Smart, as well as unconventional choices like acclaimed director Spike Jonze and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. No, really. Flea is in this movie. There's no way this is not going to be amazing.

5. The Batman

Matt Reeves's The Batman has faced its share of pre-production nightmares, as witnessed by the fact that it was not in fact released in 2014 as was originally planned. This is usually not a good sign, but there are indicators that by now, the people involved actually know what they're doing. Writer and director Matt Reeves reportedly has a clear vision for how Bruce Wayne / Batman will be portrayed in this film, with a sharp contrast to other cinematic versions of the superhero, and apparently Robert Pattinson was exactly the actor he wanted to cast in the role, as he fits this vision exactly. Having witnessed Pattinson's absolutely unique acting chops in artistic endeavours like The Lighthouse (2019) and Tenet (2020), this alone makes me quite excited.

Also, the supporting cast is riddled with talent, from Zoë Kravitz and Andy Serkis to Colin Farrell and Jeffrey Wright. Many of the most interesting characters in Gotham City lore will be featured in the film, and by the looks of the teaser trailer and other promotional materials, there will be some bold and new takes on these characters (as well as Gotham in general). In the worst case scenario, the film flops but at least nerds such as myself get new Batman material to compare with previous iterations. In the best case scenario, we might have a unique and game-changing superhero flick on our hands.

4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

One thought kept racing through my mind, when I was sitting in the cinema having just seen Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and the post-credit scene (semi-spoiler alert!!!) was just a trailer for the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel. That thought was: Marvel has done this only once before. As a big MCU nerd with the memory of an even bigger MCU nerd, I could immediately recall that out of all the post-credit scenes they've done in their twenty-six movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe have only once before released the trailer for an upcoming film in the post-credit scene of a previous film. And that was in 2011, when Captain America: The First Avenger came out, and to everyone's surprise, we saw the first-ever trailer for The Avengers (2012) after the credits had rolled.

What does this mean? I think that it's no coincidence. I think that Marvel are very deliberately using the same marketing trick to hype up Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as they did with the first Avengers movie - namely sending the message to fans that this film is going to be something big. I mean, it looks and feels large in scope when watching the trailer, and in the end, it's all right there in the title - the idea of the multiverse has been teased and built in recent MCU instalments like Loki and No Way Home, and it sounds like this film will dive straight into the deep end of this intriguing concept.

3. Top Gun: Maverick

For the third year in a row, the upcoming Top Gun sequel is on my list of the year's most anticipated movies - let's hope that there are no more goddamn delays and we actually get to see Top Gun: Maverick this year.

The reasons for why I'm looking forward to this film remain the same as they were in my post of 2020's and 2021's most anticipated films back in the day - I'm a huge fan of the 1986 original, and based on the excellent trailer, this sequel seems to know what it's doing in terms of bringing the story into the modern day yet retaining the awesome atmosphere of the original. As I'm sure Maverick (Tom Cruise) would say at this point: I feel the need - the need for this movie to finally be released into theaters!

2. Nope

From setting and concept to plot details and trailer footage, hardly anything has been revealed about Jordan Peele's third feature film at this point. But, based on the fact that his two first films Get Out (2017) and Us (2019) were groundbreaking, expectation-smashing combinations of creepy horror, poignant comedy and razor-sharp social criticism, I don't need much more to go on than "Jordan Peele's third feature film" in order to be hellishly excited. I mean, the dude won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for a horror movie, which is a damn-near impossible feat. The fact that Daniel Kaluuya and Steven Yeun are starring in Nope helps as well, because we've all seen how much Peele can get out of talented actors.

1. The Northman

As I've discussed on this blog before, Robert Eggers is in many ways remarkably similar to Jordan Peele. They've both directed two feature films so far, with horror as their main genre. Both directors have gotten acclaimed for breaking new ground in the genre and "reinventing" horror cinema in their own ways. For both directors, the debut film was a stylistically obscure cult hit that grew into mainstream fame, while the second film was a more large-scale effort for a wider audience. Both directors have a fandom that fiercely debates which of their films is better, as everyone solidly likes the first one but the second one is much more opinion-splitting with some calling it a flop and others a masterpiece. And, needless to say, the world of horror fans has been dying to see what the third film of both directors will be.

With all these similarities, it was difficult to choose which director's third feature effort I'm more hyped up for - but in the end, I had to go with Eggers. His first film, The Vvitch (2015), was a delightfully different creepy horror movie, and his sophomore film The Lighthouse was a masterpiece that's sitting on the #26 spot on my list of all-time favorite movies. The director's upcoming third film, The Northman, is described as "An epic revenge thriller" as well as a Viking-era period piece. The cast ranges from Game of Thrones (2011-2019) alumni Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson and Ian Whyte to superstars Anya Taylor-Joy and Alexander Skarsgård, not to mention icons such as Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe. Also Björk. No, really - Björk is in the movie. This could be good.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for a slightly different post, as I reveal the nominees for my 'own personal Oscars' - basically, I've chosen five nominees for a bunch of award-show-like categories concerning the best movies, television and music of 2021. Two weeks from now, I'll reveal the winners in each category.

Top 10 TV Shows of 2021

Greetings, reader!

It is time to finally release my list of last year's greatest television shows. Any show that released new episodes in 2021 is eligible, and they are ranked purely based on how good their content in that year was, and not the quality of the series as a whole. There was a lot of great TV in 2021, and these are my favorite picks!

Here are my honorable mentions: Big Mouth (Season 5), Rick and Morty (Season 5), The Walking Dead (Seasons 10C and 11A), Tiger King (Season 2), What If...? (Season 1)

10. Hawkeye (Season 1)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe finally made a successful expansion into the world of TV in 2021, with five new shows premiering that take place in the universe and take the larger story arch as well as individual character stories further. I didn't expect too much from Hawkeye, as Clint Barton / Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) had never been one of the most interesting superheroes in the MCU, but upon checking the series out, I actually enjoyed it quite a lot.

At times, it feels like Hollywood has over-used the "reluctant mentor and over-eager protégé" trope one too many times - but who am I kidding, it still works. With no unnecessary side-plots or over-written villains, almost all of our time is spent with main characters Hawkeye (the reluctant mentor) and Kate Bishop (the over-eager protégé, played in a brilliant performance by Hailee Steinfeld). Their dynamic is entertaining, the action scenes (especially the car chase in the third episode, oh my God) are exciting, and the overarching Christmas setting is a nice backdrop.

9. Saturday Night Live (Seasons 46B and 47A)

Saturday Night Live has once again been a force of nature in the past year, bringing laughter, joy and perhaps even a bit of unity (y'know, by making fun of everyone on all sides) into an increasingly divided America. In 2021, Saturday Night Live had its share of hilarious moments, such as Pete Davidson and Rami Malek playing each other in the Celeb School Game Show skit, The Devil himself (Jason Sudeikis) trying to distance himself from QAnon, and Cecily Strong taking her Jeanine Pirro impression to a point of spilling wine all over Colin Jost while belting Sinatra's My Way. We also saw plenty of the hard-hitting political satire that the series has always prided itself in, from the genius skit Republican or Not? to Colin Jost and Michael Che continuing to prove themselves one of the sharpest and funniest duos in showbusiness on Weekend Update.

There were even some legitimately moving bits, such as host Dan Levy's iconic father Eugene crashing his monologue to tell his son how proud he is, and Jost&Che paying tribute to legendary former castmember Norm MacDonald after he passed away. I think the show's lasting effect of warmth and laughter to the American people is best described by Jason Sudeikis's monologue from October, where he simply walked around the stage at 30 Rockefeller Plaza and discussed how special that place really is to him and to so many others.

8. WandaVision (Season 1)

Back to Marvel! The first series of this new batch to be released was WandaVision, which was very hard to rank - the first few episodes had me hooked in an unforeseen manner, but I have to punish the series a bit for falling flat towards the end. The finale was more than a bit anti-climactic. Still, at its best, WandaVision was bold,-barrier-breaking television and I thoroughly enjoyed a majority of it.

The premise of WandaVision is pretty great, as we follow a sheltered community which, for sci-fi reasons explained towards the end of the series, lives its life as if it's a TV show. Life in Westview is completely modeled off television tropes, and the series is full of meta fiction and it feels like a love letter to television.

What I really loved about the series was that for the first several episodes, there was no explanation to this. They let the mystery simmer before they started explaining, which makes the first set of episodes into an ultimate "What the hell" experience - once the credits start to roll after the first episodes, you'll have no idea why this Marvel series appears to be a black-and-white 1950's sitcom. And that's quite something.

7. Arcane (Season 1)

I've never played League of Legends, but the animated television adaptation of the popular game first caught my eye when my roommate recommended it to me, and even more so when I checked it out on IMDB and came across the incredible critical reception it has received. From what I've gathered, the series is an absolute dream come true for fans of the game, as it apparently did its part to break the curse of video game adaptations on the silver screen and brought the world and characters to life brilliantly. I can't personally speak to that myself, but what I can say is that you can walk in without knowing a single thing about League of Legends, and become immersed in the show's world nonetheless.

The character archs are gripping and layered, especially the relationship between sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Powder (Mia Sinclair Jenness). The worldbuilding is absolutely fascinating, and as a longtime fan of fantasy and science fiction it was a real treat to once again get invested in a rich, complex and well-built fictional realm that combines the fabled beauty of Gallifrey with the complex politics of Westeros. Can't wait for season 2, especially after that gigantic cliffhanger!

6. Loki (Season 1)

Marvel's trippy, time-travelling, multiverse-hopping series didn't quite have me in its first half. Despite Tom Hiddleston's brilliance, Owen Wilson's surprisingly layered performance and the mind-bending score, I felt like the series was missing a little something - but then came those three last episodes.

And those episodes were some of the very best television of the year. Incredible twists, unforeseen turns and epic moments were witnessed in a chaotic chain of events that just kept on giving. I won't spoil details to Marvel fans who haven't seen Loki yet, but believe me, things go down in an expectation-shattering fashion and huge implications are left for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

5. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Season 1)

Yep, my favorite out of the swarm of Marvel shows to come out in 2021 is, after a lot of consideration, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I've gathered that this isn't a very typical opinion, but I'm sticking with it. The reception to the series seemed mixed at best, but I for one thoroughly enjoyed it, even more so than the generally more acclaimed WandaVision and Loki.

In its atmosphere, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is very much the spiritual successor to the Captain America movies, especially Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). The intense espionage-style feel is quite addictive, making for a more real-world entry into the MCU (this is especially evident when the show tackles issues such a structural racism and police misconduct - hey, I might've just realized a big part of why many people didn't like the show!).

From the very first episode, I was enthralled by the main setting - after being chosen as Captain America's successor, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) turns the honor down, believing that there shouldn't be another, only for the U.S. government go against his and Cap's wishes, choosing their own new Captain America who may not be the best man for the job. The conflicts between the different sides and the struggle over Captain America's legacy make for an intriguing, politically charged MCU series that also has its share of intense action sequences and neat connections to other Marvel stories.

4. Sex Education (Season 3)

Netflix's Sex Education outdid itself once again with its third season, proving even more than before that it is one of the best television shows currently out there. The show's ability to seamlessly incorporate important values and themes, sex-positive lessons, wholesome affirmations and diverse representations of all sorts of minorities into its well-written story without seeming preachy or forced, not to mention its delicate balance between drama and comedy, is nothing short of genius at this point. It works well enough as a mere "teen series" with realistic and well-written characters you care about, but it works even better when you consider how much the series has to say about the world and how much those lessons mean to many of the people watching.

For me, watching the third season was a bizarre experience, because it showed that at least on some obscure level, I have "grown up" a bit. You see, when season 1 and 2 came out, I identified with the young main characters, especially Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield). Between the second and third seasons there was a slightly longer break due to Covid, and during this break I experienced my first student teaching (as well as a summer job as a camp councillor), and lo and behold - when watching season three, I identified the most with side character and dorky teacher Mr. Hendricks (Jim Howick). You know that adulthood starts to get a hold on you when you watch a high school series and don't view it through the lens of the high schoolers any more.

3. Squid Game (Season 1)

2021 will undoubtedly go down in television history as the year Squid Game came out, and rightfully so - the record-smashing South Korean megahit was worth the hype. My expectations weren't all that high, but the very first episode proved me wrong - a premise like this one has been done many times, but never with such brutal realism in how the characters and their reaction to their new surroundings are written. The concept of a competition where grown women and men face off in a series of life-and-death versions of children's playground games may be outlandish, but the way this is executed makes for such stunning realism that you'll feel for the characters in an unforeseen way.

While I enjoyed the series as a whole from the shocking pilot episode to the opinion-splitting finale, I must single out the by-now infamous sixth episode Kkanbu as a highlight. I cried my eyes out, as I'm sure did many others, at this masterpiece that is definitely one of the most heartbreaking and powerful television episodes ever made.

2. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 15)

I remember watching CNN's coverage of the 2020 Presidential election with my family, when experts were analyzing the dramatic delay of vote counting in Pennsylvania. As they narrowed down on the situation in Philadelphia specifically, I thought about the upcoming season of the sitcom that always takes jabs at current events especially regarding their hometown, and said "I can't wait to see how this is tackled in It's Always Sunny". Sure enough, when the premiere of the show's record-breaking fifteenth season (it is now the longest-running live-action comedy series in American history!) rolled out, my expectations were met - the episode 2020: A Year in Review was like an anti-Forrest Gump, as we see the IASIP gang being accidentally responsible for all sorts of events in the year of chaos, from the voting count delay in Philly to the Capitol Insurrection. Dark comedy at its finest.

With episode titles like The Gang Replaces Dee With a Monkey, The Gang Goes to Ireland, The Gang's Still in Ireland and Dee Sinks in a Bog, there's just no way that the season was going to be anything else than absolutely hilarious. What other series would feature Danny DeVito setting up a shady hair salon, while The Rolling Stones's Gimme Shelter rocks the soundtrack, moments before Rudy Giuliani enters?

Furthermore, I love how Covid-19 factored into the series. Most shows that take place in 'the real world' and have released new seasons, have more or less ignored the coronavirus situation, or maybe made one heavy-handed special episode about it and then moved on. However, the new season of It's Always Sunny dealt with the pandemic in an intriguing way, as the situation was never on the forefront but still present throughout the season - whether through the occasional use of masks, the subplot where Dennis (Glenn Howerton) clearly has Covid but is in denial, or just general references in the dialogue. It's nice to see the shittiness of real life represented on television like this.

And last but definitely not least, Charlie Day. His performance as Charlie Kelly has always been the best part of IASIP, but that entered a whole new level this season - his acting in the season finale is some of the very best acting I've ever seen in a comedy series, deserving of everything from an Emmy to a Golden Globe.

1. The Beatles: Get Back

If I had to name my individual favorite thing to be released in 2021, across movies, television shows, books and albums, I wouldn't have to think twice. Denis Villeneuve's Dune was magnificent, as was Adele's 30, along with many other pieces of art from the past year, but for me personally, none will top Peter Jackson's Beatles documentary.

Watching the greatest rock band of all time go through one of their most intense and dramatic periods, with actual footage of many historical key moments edited into this 8-hour behemoth released in 3 parts, brought tears to my eyes. The viewer gets such an intimate picture of what the Fab Four were really like, how they interacted with one another, and how they wrote, arranged and recorded some of their greatest songs.

From the moment where Sir Paul McCartney comes up with the idea for Get Back and the others start jamming along, to the legendary studio take of Let it Be that made it onto the album; from George helping Ringo compose Octopus's Garden to the footage of the band's iconic rooftop concert in its entirety, this documentary series captures the essence of the 'Get Back sessions' in a way I didn't think to be possible. Even for non-fans of the band, this is worth watching simply as a fascinating and well-made documentary - for fans such as myself, it is nothing short of a larger-than-life experience.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my annual January post about the top 10 most anticipated films of the coming year.

January 6th: Top 10 pieces of media that defined that dreadful day

Greetings, reader!

Well, today is a somber day - January 6th, the one-year anniversary of the attempted insurrection where Donald Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. capitol in a violent attack on our democracy. Watching those scenes unfold was quite traumatizing for many Americans, myself very much included, although one can't call it too surprising, having followed the groundwork that was laid during the previous four years. This blog topic was suggested by my father David, as looking at different portrayals of the attempted coup in the media felt like the right way to process those events that definitely called for some processing. Going across news (both real and fake), talk shows and other media, these are the ten pieces of media that stood out the most from that period in time, defining the insurrection and its surrounding context.

10. Fox News changes history

"There's some confusion about who exactly was at the capitol on January 6th. Was it really a gang of white supremacists?"

(Yes, Tucker, it was).

Now, by the phrase "changes history", I don't mean to imply that Fox News's coverage changed history in the way that influential historical figures and events have altered the course of history. I mean it a more literal sense - their coverage took events from recent history, and fundamentally changed the narrative, twisting facts to make it seem like January 6th was all about heroic patriots doing the right thing. You know, like propaganda machines do. I've seen enough horrifying clips and blatant lies about January 6th from the likes of Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity in order for Fox News's cover-ups to qualify as one of the defining pieces of media concerning those events.

9. Seth Meyers's rant

"What we saw today was a violent insurgency in attempt to overthrow the legitimately elected government of the United States. And it was incited, directed, and encouraged by the president, Donald Trump"

Obviously, many late-night talk shows hosts reacted to the events of January 6th in quite a powerful manner. But few were as powerful as Seth Meyers's monologue, from the very same night. It speaks volumes of Meyers's charisma and confidence as a comedian (and, let's face it, social commentator), that despite the absolute shock of the day's events, he was able to keep his cool and deliver a clear, factual monologue on his thoughts. With no unnecessary dramatization and no visible shock, Meyers laid out the facts and came to his conclusion - calling for the immediate removal of President Trump from office. He claimed that anything less would be "tacit permission to continue to use his office, and his influence after he leaves office, to foment sedition and dismantle democracy".

Luckily, shortly thereafter, our brave women and men in Congress did exactly that.

Ha ha, I'm obviously kidding - those spineless shits let President McRacism walk away with blood on his hands, setting the precedent that no consequences will be faced for instigating violent coup attempts. Now, who's to say whether or not Seth Meyers was right about the long-lasting consequences of an event in which Trump isn't removed from office? I can't say for sure, but I think I got some hints from all the "TRUMP WON THE ELECTION" signs I saw in front of proudly gun-toting households in Colorado last October, almost a year after Trump's election loss.

8. Saluting the Heroes of the Insurrection

"President Trump won this election, so everyone who is listening: do not be quiet, we can not allow this to happen"

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah was especially poignant in their comedic-yet-profound reactions to January 6th - more than one clip from the show has made it into this Top 10. The video compilation titled "Saluting the Heroes of the Insurrection" may be comedic, but it also hits the absolute core of the problem - basically, to the backdrop of heroic music, we see multiple instances of Republican politicians and Fox News anchors in the moments leading up to January 6th, urging their followers to do, well, exactly what they did.

Videos like this are important, because the far-right media has being pushing a narrative that the insurrectionists were acting on their own, or perhaps being lead by planted Democrat operatives et cetera, but that they were under no circumstances following the orders of their Republican leaders. This video is a powerful reminder of just how false this narrative is, as we see the people Trump supporters get their news from telling them that "The election was rigged and we must fight back", literally encouraging them to use violence on more than one occasion. Not to mention multiple senators and congressmen giving the same instructions, while the President's personal lawyer demands "Trial by combat" and the President himself instructs the rioters to "March up to the Capitol and fight like hell". Yikes.

7. "We Love You"

"We love you. You're very special. You've seen what happens, you see the way others are treated, that are SO bad, and SO evil...I know how you feel"

One of the reactions that spoke the most to the nature of January 6th was the President's own reaction. After whipping his crowd into a violent frenzy, Trump had gone home and wasn't heard from for hours and hours while his supporters stormed the capitol, killed a police officer and erected a noose with the idea of hanging Vice President Pence. As the world looked for President Swastika to do the bare minimum and tell his supporters to stop doing what they were doing, he was nowhere to be heard from, reportedly watching the coverage on TV with giddiness and excitement - until finally, he spoke out.

And yes, he did finally tell his supporters to go home. Y'know, after the damage was done. And he somehow managed to make things worse even then, by repeating the "This election was stolen from us" shtick several times throughout his one-minute speech, thus making sure that his followers will stay bitter and vengeful. The words "I know how you feel" rang especially true, as the man saying them had been telling these people exactly how to feel for the past four years.

6. Stephen Colbert has had enough

"Hey - republicans who supported this President, especially the ones in the joint session of congress today - have you had enough?? After five years of coddling this President's fascist rhetoric, guess whose followers want to burn down the Reichstag!"

When discussing #9, I mentioned how impressive it was that Seth Meyers kept his cool when discussing the storming of the Capitol in its immediate aftermath. But, in a way, it's even more powerful to witness a talk show host who usually always keeps his cool, totally losing it. In his live show on January 6th, Stephen Colbert is a chaotic mess, and watching his monologue as it came out resonated with me quite a bit, because so was I at the moment.

It is clear that while delivering his monologue, Colbert cares about nothing else than simple outrage, and really, who can blame the guy? Watching this monologue again is a powerful reminder on how quite many of us felt on that day - betrayed, sickened, furious, yet not one bit surprised. The main point in his monologue is asking a simple question from the Republicans who stuck by President Whitepower - "Are we great again yet?". And on that particular day, that was one hell of a good question to ask.

5. Jordan Klepper in the figurative trenches

"You can tell these people really love America by the number of weapons they brought to hurt other Americans"

So, for those of you not familiar with his work, Jordan Klepper is a Daily Show correspondent (and national hero) who goes "undercover" in all manner of questionable events, interviewing people with a wonderful tongue-in-cheek satirical touch. Throughout the Trump era, he specialized in Trump rallies, and words can't describe the morbid curiosity I felt when, on the night of January 6th, the Daily Show posted a picture on their Instagram of Klepper standing in the midst of the pro-Trump crowd outside the Capitol, with the mere 👀 emoji as the picture's caption. "No, he fucking didn't, the absolute madman", was my thought process.

About one week later, the Daily Show released the full scale of interviews and findings that were shot on that fateful day, with Klepper interviewing a bunch of insurrectionists just moments before things got violent. All humor aside, I have to appreciate the man's insane bravery to enter a setting like that for his inside scoop, and I'm so glad he survived the ordeal unscathed. His coverage will always remain a unique look at the events of that infamous day.

4. Jake Tapper and the Goddamn Point

"Hello, I'm Jake Tapper in Washington, where the state of our union is just...utterly devastating. After one of the darkest days in our nation's history - a coup attempt, no longer bloodless, instigated by the President of the United States - the flags at the U.S. Capitol are at half-staff this morning, for the police officer Brian Sicknick, who was murdered this week. But they are not half-staff at the White House, perhaps because Officer Sicknick was the enemy of the terrorist mob - and the mob loves Trump. The mob, by trying to intimidate, threaten, or even kill the Vice President and members of Congress who were counting the electoral votes - that mob was, in turn, loved back by Trump.

According to Republican Senator Ben Sass, White House aides told him that the President was "delighted" watching the insurrection. In Trump's view, they were fighting for him. Trump put out a statement - "We love you", he said, after the attack. "You're very special". Now it might be difficult to hear these words - it's difficult to say them, as it's so ugly - but it's true. The flag isn't down at the White House, because the President is not mourning Officer Sicknick. He hasn't personally decried the terrorists in any way, because the President loves the terrorists. And he reportedly hasn't even spoken to his own Vice President, whose life was at risk, since Wednesday. The images of this attack were so shocking that many of Trump's enablers are finally, with just a few days left in his presidency, beginning to get the goddamn point"

Not much to add here. Give 'em hell, Jake.

3. The video footage and testimonies the hearings

"One woman in a pink MAGA shirt yelled: 'You hear that guys? This n***er voted for Joe Biden!' Then the crowd joined in, screaming: 'Boo, fucking n***er!'"

It goes without saying that in many ways the most damning piece of media from January 6th was everything that was uncovered in the so-called January 6th hearings. The narrative had been twisted so much by Fox News and others to look like it was just a bunch of well-intentioned patriots causing little harm, that it was quite powerful to see just how much video evidence there was to prove this narrative wrong.

I'm glad that the Republican congressmen who backed President Neonazi were forced to watch just how incredibly violent and dangerous and out-of-control the insurrection was, although it makes it extra heartbreaking when considering that the people behind it all still managed to get away without consequences.

2. The November 4th press conference that caused it all

"This is a fraud to the American public. This in an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this election - frankly, we did win this election"

Let me tell you a story of the most frustrating moment of my life.

2020 had been for me, like many others, a rough year. The whole Covid-lockdown period was tough, school stress had reached a previously unforeseen high, and just a few days before Election night, I had broken up with a long-time girlfriend and was naturally bummed about that. Come Election night, my brother and I followed our tradition of staying up the whole night to watch it all go down in real time, so around 08:00 A.M. Finnish time, I was very sleep-deprived. It was clear that it would take more time for the winner to be declared, so at that point in the morning, I decided to give up watching it from the TV and go to school. On my walk over, all of these stressful factors were playing around in my tired brain, when I checked something on my phone and saw from Instagram that President Trump had just started a live press conference.

Naturally, I was morbidly curious, so I opened a livestream and put my phone to my ear - thus hearing in real time the very moment where the President of the United States tried to declare himself dictator. In front of a room filled with people, good old President Klansman claimed, with no base of facts, that he had won the election. I was walking by a river at the moment, and let me tell you, my immediate impulse was to throw my phone into the river in an act of desperate frustration and was barely able to keep myself from doing just that. Part of me probably wanted to jump into that freezing river myself. I don't recall ever feeling as frustrated in everything, as completely hopeless about the state of the world, as I felt when walking by Tourujoki after zero hours of sleep when the President of my home country showed a gigantic middle finger to democracy.

Now, you might be asking, "That's a great story and all, but what does a press conference from two months earlier have to do with January 6th?". The answer, dear reader, is "Everything". It is due to this very press conference that the events of January 6th, while incredibly disturbing and even traumatizing to follow, were not one bit surprising. Because I, just like many others, had known for pretty much exactly two months that something like that was bound to happen - that it was only a matter of time. The very moment that Trump tried to declare himself dictator, it was so clear that things were going to get violent eventually. And the fact that his fascist speech was so crystal-clearly going to cause a violent uproar makes it extremely frustrating that he decided to give such a speech, most likely knowing exactly what it would lead to.

1. The mere image of the confederate flag being carried into the capitol

Here's a quick history lesson for you.

In colonial times, white Europeans had a strong worldview of Black people being inherently lesser than them - less intelligent, less human and simply worth less. African countries were significantly more poor than the colonial overlords of Europe, and therefore couldn't properly defend themselves when the Europeans started to raid areas of Africa, taking their people as slaves. When the 13 British colonies in North America gained independence, thus becoming the United States of America, slavery already was a staple of this area's culture, and it thus became a staple of this new country. Black people were seen as inherently lesser, and therefore it was deemed okay to deprive them of their human rights, using them as unpaid laborers. They were whipped, raped and lynched, and this was all deemed okay, due to the color their skin.

As years went by, the country became more and more divided intro a slaveholding South and a free North - the Southern states were more economically dependant on slavery, and therefore held on to it with a stubborn blindness to its inherent immorality, while human rights started to slowly but surely become a thing in the North. A nationwide abolitionist movement grew, calling for the end of slavery, because maybe, just maybe, it was wrong to enslave a whole culture and deprive them of all rights just because of their skin color. When Abraham Lincoln was elected President, with his platform including controversial ideas such as stopping the expansion of slavery, the Southern states decided to secede from the Union.

Thus, a new country was formed: the Confederate States of America. They had their own government, their own leaders, and their own flag. And this is an important bit that many people still don't understand 150 years later - this country was based on the very ideal of racism. It was no more complicated than that - the view that Black people are inherently lesser, that they don't deserve to be treated as humans, was so integral to the Confederate leaders, that when the idea of stopping the expansion of slavery was put to the forefront, they literally left the United States and formed their own country. And, as you know, a bloody Civil War was fought. These people went to war against their own American people, fighting a war that ended close to a million American lives, for the idea of preserving slavery. So that they could keep enslaving Black people, using them as inhumane unpaid labor, and freely whipping, raping and lynching them without consequence.

Well, the war was lost and slavery was abolished. Nowadays, many of us agree that slavery wasn't a good thing, that racism isn't a good thing, and that Black people aren't inherently lesser beings. Therefore, it's extremely peculiar that the Confederacy is very much romanticized to this day, with its flag being a central symbol among many groups of people, especially Trump supporters. Sure, you may have heard the bullshit about the flag being "about states' rights", "about the South in general", or any number of lies. But none of that is true - the Confederate Flag always was, and always will be, a symbol for hatred and oppression, akin to the Nazi swastika or the white hoods of the Ku Klux Klan. The only reason why the flag was normalized and deemed acceptable for such a long time was that racism itself was normalized and deemed acceptable for a long time. It was the flag of a country that was founded on the very principle of racism, on the idea that when the government called to end slavery, there were people who held slavery so dear that they fought a war for it.

Well, the Southern forces never reached the Capitol in Washington, D.C., before losing the war - there is some beautiful symbolism to the fact that even in such dire times, the Confederate flag never found its way into the nation's Capitol.

Except that over 150 years later, it finally did.

On January 6th, 2021, a mob of Donald Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol, many of them bearing the Confederate Flag. One image in particular, of an insurrectionist walking the halls of the Capitol with a large Confederate Flag in his hand, is the defining piece of media from that day to me. I remember seeing it on the news and almost throwing up on the spot. The fact that a flag that stands for the oppression of Black people found itself into the nation's capital, one and a half centuries after the Civil War, is such a strong testament to the endurance of racism.

It proves that despite the abolition of slavery and the Civil Rights movement, despite the Black Lives Matter protests and the Voting Rights act, racism has very much endured and happily lives on in the States. Despite all the progress we've made, a racist madman can be elected President, and he will have such a strong support that he can react to losing an election by ordering his supporters to overthrow our democracy, and they will do their very best to comply. And they will do it with Confederate Flags in hand. Because apparently that is still who we are as a nation, and it's about time that we address that fact.

Thank you for reading. Next week's post will be a tad less serious and depressing, as I will share my list of 2021's greatest television shows.

Monday Special: 10 Insights Into Part II of our 24-Marathon

Hello, readers!

I'm starting to write this at 1:25 A.M., over seventeen hours into this endeavour.

As some of you may recall, one and a half years ago I accomplished what every fan of 24 (2001-2010; 2014) has dreamt of at least once: my best friend and I watched a season of the series in its purest form. In real time, as a 24-hour marathon from midnight to midnight. Once this was done, I thought of something even crazier: what if we did the same with the rest of 24's seasons - while keeping in the real time frame for the entire time?

You see, while one season of the series always lasts exactly 24 hours in the show's timeline, the time jumps between seasons are quite vast. For example, season 2 takes place 18 months after season 1. Therefore, we're watching the second season now, 18 months after marathoning the first one. Here are some insights into our marathon, some about the experience and some about the series itself, written during many of our 4-minute breaks throughout the process!

10. 08:00 - 08:00 is easier than 00:00 - 00:00

Whereas the first season of 24 takes place from midnight to midnight, the time frame in season 2 is from 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M. - and while this wasn't without its challenges, it sure is an easier marathon to do than the season 1 midnight run. With 00:00 - 00:00, you've been up for an entire day when you start watching, after which you must stay up the entire night and still the following day. Man, we were inches from falling asleep during the several last episodes back then. With 8:00-8:00, you wake up early after a (hopefully) good night's sleep, after which you spend the day watching TV, and then stay up the night after which you can go to sleep in the morning when it's all over. So, timeline-wise, this ordeal wasn't as brutal as our first one.

9. Jimmi Simpson is a hellishly underrated actor

I didn't remember that Jimmi Simpson, possibly the most underrated actor in Hollywood, had appeared on 24 too, in addition to all the other eccentric supporting roles he's done in every television series ever made. Between bringing comedic undertones to serious shows as the weird hacker Gavin Orsay in House of Cards and oddball billionaire Logan Pierce in Person of Interest, and bringing his unique comedic chops into the world of sitcoms with his hilarious guest role as Pete Durkenson in How I Met Your Mother and his hysterical recurring role as Liam McPoyle in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (not to mention the time he actually got serious and dramatic on Westworld), the dude is absolutely amazing.

It was nice to remember that he's been on 24 as well - it might be the least memorable of the many roles I've seen him in, but he still played the part well and added to the greatness of the show's sophomore season.

8. We're getting better at this

As I seem to recall, my stomach was hurting like hell for the entire last 6 hours or so of the first 24 marathon, not to mention the headache for staying up so late whilst staring at a screen (that being said, no regrets). Anyways, I'd believe that the significantly less painful feel of the season 2 marathon can be attributed to more than just the fact that the 8:00 timetable is more user-friendly.

It also has to do with how we've experienced this ordeal once, and naturally the second time around is a bit easier. The first time, we had to take three longer breaks where we deviated from the schedule slightly and had to play catch-up; this time there was really only one of those. By the time we get to season 4 or 5, I think we'll have this system worked up to a point of perfection.

7. Sherry Palmer is the Antichrist

How can it be, that in a series full of actual terrorists, the most hateable individual character is a meddling politician? Sherry Palmer, played in an admittedly fantastic performance by Penny Johnson Jerald, is truly one of the most despicable fictional characters ever created, and the sheer scale of her incredibly upsetting shenanigans from season to season never ceases to amaze the viewer - even when watching the series for a second time. Jesus, what a colossal nuisance she is.

6. My mother was right about a few things (but so was I)

"My God, you're insane" is the most typical comment I've gotten when excitedly talking about this 24-adventure of ours. And no one has questioned the sanity of our project more than my dear health-expert mother. Ironically, it's things I've learned from her that have helped make both marathons much more bearable - the core values of nutrition, exercise and rest have been drilled so deep into my brain that there's no way I'd plan a marathon like this without making sure that there's plenty to eat in a fitting rhythm, there are breaks to catch some fresh air in between, and the marathon is preceded (and succeeded) by a bunch of sleeping.

So, I have to give my mother credit for making sure I'm caught up on these things - although I'd also like to point out to her that despite her loving warnings we have survived both marathons in good health and are showing no regrets! Anything's possible if you put your mind to it, I suppose.

5. Once again, a magical experience

As I'm writing this part, it's 4:25 A.M. - I checked the clock just a few minutes ago before the 'commercial break' started, and for a split second, my tired brain went "Whoa, it's so late, we should probably go to sleep and continue tomorrow'. Then I remembered the whole concept of what we were doing.

This tired thought aside, the experience of watching 24 in real time has once again lived up to my expectations. Being constantly in the same time of day as the characters, experiencing tiredness as they do when the season progresses, and experiencing the flow of events in the right pace (not to mention the extra-feel of realism when considering that the events of season 1 happened just as long ago for the show's characters as how long it's been for us from when we watched it), really makes the experience unique.

4. Has 24 aged well? Yes and no

This is a tough one - watching a series that deals with a variety of serious and sensitive topics, and was made some 20 years ago, a viewer like me is bound to analyze how well it holds up today. What I found was a two-sided coin - some parts of the series have stood the test of time remarkably well, while others haven't.

On one hand, many of the terrorists in this series about counter-terrorism are of the stereotype-enforcing Muslim variety that western media has seen unfortunately plenty of, not to mention the instances where the series romanticizes law enforcement using brutal force outside their confines in order to get results, sometimes to the point of seemingly condoning torture. On the other hand, for an American series from the early 2000's, there's a remarkable amount of stereotype-defying characters as well, from respectably involving Muslim characters who aren't fundamentalists into the story, to also having plenty of villains of the more domestic kind. And while the series does often get a bit excessive with fantasies of agents saving the day by going rogue and violently breaking a shit-ton of rules, it at least takes the difficult moral dilemmas into account instead of being black-and-white - if there's one lesson that 24 presses on hard, it's that there are some seriously difficult decisions and ethical dilemmas that go into this world.

Also, kudos to the writers for making season 2's endgame about stopping the U.S. government from going to war with Middle Eastern countries under false pretenses - remember, this came out in 2002. A move like that is bold as hell, and I'm delighted in imagining the feathers it must have ruffled in the Bush camp back in the day.

3. Committing to a bit truly is my religion

I've been thinking about this one a lot lately. Between hijinks like presenting my annual Christmas presents to my brother in an annually escalating spectacle-fashion (this year I sent him on a wild goose chase following clues all over our childhood neighborhood), reading the entire Bible for fun and making a ranking of its 66 books, and doing these marathons, various high-concept recreational activities are a big thing in my life. I wasn't really able to put it to words, until I saw the Community episode where Jeff (Joel McHale) discusses with Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) about how weird he finds their level of 'committing to a bit', but how much he has ended up respecting it.

I always saw myself in those two, and the idea of committing to a bit may be the key. For whatever reason, the act of putting huge amount of effort into leisurely activities that by no means require such effort but can make of epic memories when blown ridiculously out of proportion, gives me immense joy time and time again. I suppose that's why I keep planning elaborate pranks for my roommate, why I watched and ranked all of the Netflix Original Christmas Movies, why I once participated in our student organization's hide-and-seek night and won by meticulously disguising myself as a bystander and hiding in plain sight with a hired accomplice, and why I'm sitting here at 06:51 writing about what it's like to spend 24 hours watching 24 unfold in real time for the second time.

2. Grateful to have a friend like this

Yeah, doing something like this twenty-four-a-thon alone would just be sad. Doing it with a friend is awesome. People who happily go along with nerdy high-concept shenanigans such as this one don't exactly grow on trees, so I'm extremely grateful to have the company. As proved by the bromance between Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), it really pays to have good friends around.

1. The big picture

I'm starting to think we can really pull this off. By 'this', I mean keeping with the timeline and watching the entire 24 franchise - all eight seasons, plus TV movie 24: Redemption, reboot season 24: Live Another Day, spin-off season 24: Legacy, and the few canon clips in between, all in real time. It will definitely require some scheduling in the coming years, but the good news is that one of these only comes along every few years, and we only have to be exact to the month, not the date (because 24 itself doesn't give out specific amounts of days, but rather informs that a season takes place "18 months after" or "2 and a half years after" the previous one).

Next up is season 3, which takes place three years after season 2, so we'll watch it in January 2025. By the time we're finished with 24: Legacy, it'll be 2042. Our lives will be very different then, but I like to keep up hope that we'll come back to this tradition every few years when it's time - or at least try our very best. If we end up succeeding in the entire process, I'll have to find a way to notify the people who made 24 about it, as I'm pretty damn sure we're the first and only people who have watched the entire series like this and it might make for a cool news story some day.

For now, it's a three-year break, and then following our specific schedule one step at a time.

Thank you for reading! I'm gonna post this and go catch some sleep now.