Time to Binge Some TV Over the Break

And that Blake Lively legal filing!! 😱

Don’t forget to submit your favorite holiday movie! Roundup coming Christmas Eve!

Buckle up, gals and galetes, it’s a looooong one today because I had to add an emergency section on the Blake Lively legal drama! [“Had to” like it’s my duty as a Citizen of Earth lol.]

We’re so stacked this week that I didn’t even have room to wax amazed about Ariana-Grande’s-Boyfriend’s-Ex-Wife’s personal essay in The Cut! What I love about the essay is that it could so easily be so salacious, but instead, she writes a beautiful reflection on life, grief, change, and what it’s like to be a working THERAPIST whose personal life explodes all over the tabloids. She lived my nightmare! [OK, actually, “Being a therapist whose husband leaves me for a pop star after I almost died bearing his child” is my second nightmare after “My friends are hanging out without me and lying about it.”]

Let’s jump right in because we’ve got:

• An explainer of Blake Lively’s legal complaint, which I read in its entirety

• Science Corner: Quantum chips and suggestions for how to use them

• 10 shows I’m bingeing right now, and you can, too!

I’d love to hear: What are YOU bingeing over the break?

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Emergency* Update: Blake Lively files a legal complaint

*Not a real emergency

If you didn’t follow the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni “feud” earlier this year, here are the basics: Baldoni and Lively were costars (and he was the director) of a movie called “It Ends With Us,” which is based on a romance novel that deals with domestic violence. During the press tour earlier this year, rumors of a rift between the two emerged, alongside criticism of Lively’s press-tour tone: She seemed flippant about the triggering content [“wear your florals!”] and used the opportunity to market her haircare line. Baldoni, meanwhile, was praised for his support for DV survivors. The rumor was that the rift was over creative control, nothing more.

Well, on Friday, Blake Lively dropped a BOMBSHELL into the public consciousness in the form of a legal complaint outlining:

1. Sexual harassment that she says she experienced from Baldoni during filming (!!)

2. How he allegedly spent hundreds of thousands on a secret online campaign to destroy her reputation (!!), to protect himself from bad publicity over his misconduct.

Y’all, I literally screamed when this dropped. Thanks to incredible reporting from Megan Twohey at The New York Times, we have a lot of detail. Have a read of the article or read the actual complaint, which gets explicit. Yes, I did spend yesterday afternoon reading the entire thing and am happy to answer specific questions in the comments or texts [if you are blessed to have my cell number].

A few key points [and a content warning before we dive in, my friends]:

• The complaint alleges unsafe working conditions on set, including sexual harassment, body-shaming, bullying and more. It’s honestly shocking and horrifying if true. It singles out Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath.

• The allegations include things like (content warning): Baldoni opening the set [meaning letting anybody walk in and watch] while she was mostly nude for a birth scene that she didn’t want to be nude for in the first place; pushing himself on her sexually in scenes without her consent, then denying it with the reasoning “I’m not even attracted to you”; crying in her trailer telling her he was stressed because people online said she looks “old and unattractive”; telling her to get her post-partum weight down and pressuring her to see a weight-loss specialist; walking in on her while she was undressing or breast-feeding her newborn; asking her incredibly invasive questions about her sex life; and more. The actual creepiest shit.

• She requested and was granted protections, like an intimacy coordinator, in order to complete filming. She brought her husband, Ryan Reynolds/Deadpool, to that meeting. Which is a reminder that if this can happen to BLAKE LIVELY, who is richer and more powerful and more famous than Justin Baldoni, what is happening to younger, more vulnerable women on these sets!?!

• Baldoni and Heath allegedly then hired a PR crisis firm to systematically tarnish Lively’s reputation online in order to protect themselves. One of the women at the firm texted: “You know we can bury anyone.”

• It’s the same firm Johnny Depp hired to ruin Amber Heard’s public image during his trial for abuse. The firm is also connected to Taylor Swift’s #1 nemesis, Scooter Braun, who is by all accounts a nasty, bad person.

• According to the filing, Lively’s bubbly, positive tone on the press tour was part of her contract. A marketing decision by the production company that included the instruction: “Avoid talking about this film [in a way] that makes it feel sad or heavy.”

• Lively has RECEIPTS !! Subpoenaed text messages and emails show the reputation takedown at work:

  • “Weve confused people So much mixed messaging It’s actually really funny if you think about it.”

  • “It’s actually sad because it just shows you have people really want to hate on women.”

  • “We are crushing it on Reddit.”

  • “The majority of socials are so pro Justin and I don’t even agree with half of them.”

• I should say: A lot of people online don’t believe the filing and are still defending Baldoni. Much more could still come out as he responds to the accusations and the law does its thing.

My takeaways that nobody asked for:

• We rarely know what’s actually going on in celebrity’s lives, so it’s not a bad idea to try to hold a lot of curiosity and empathy toward people.

• Whatever actually happened here, it’s a reminder of how much women in the industry put up with in order to succeed.

• It can’t be said enough: Question everything you read or see online. Not in a conspiracy way, in a “Hm, maybe it’s time to go touch grass and talk to a friend” way.

I think the exact words I said back during the Blake Lively pile-on were: “I feel like this kind of internet pile-on is usually toxic in itself, and we don’t know the whole story.” 👀

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Palate Cleanser: Science Corner

Sometimes, science breaks through to my pop culture algorithm, and I spin out.

You hear about the super-duper-computer chip!?!

Google made a “quantum chip,” which, without further information, sounds like the thing Loki steals from the Avengers and uses to f*** with the space-time continuum. This Tesseract “quantum chip” completed a computation that would take our fastest supercomputer 10 SEPTILLION years to complete. Ten Septillion!! And that’s our fastest supercomputer, not some box of screws from 1990. As a human being that evolved from frogs or whatever, my brain is unable to compute what a “septillion” is, but it is probably approaching the age of God.

They say we don’t really have any practical applications for it yet. Consider me GOBSMACKED. No “PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS”!!?!?! How about try plugging in “climate change” or “world peace” or “no more dental cleanings” and just see what happens!??

Sheesh.

P.S. I like that they named it Willow, presumably so we wouldn’t immediately kill it in terror. It’s like Hagrid naming that blood-thirsty three-headed murder hound “Fluffy.”

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10 Bingeworthy Shows for the Holiday Break

I hate to give Netflix a win, but six out of these ten are on Netflix!

No Good Deed on Netflix | Rating: A

What is it? A dark comedy-slash-thriller(?) by the creator of Dead to Me, following a wealthy LA couple trying to sell their home in which — spoiler alert for 20 minutes into the first episode — their son died. The comedy of trying to buy or sell a house is the delightful scaffolding for a much darker, deeper, more emotional story.

How much have I watched? Five episodes of eight.

Verdict: I fully expected to turn my nose up at this because what has Lisa Kudrow done lately, but I forced myself to watch because I will watch EVERYTHING Matt Rogers does. Suddenly I was three episodes in, having a fantastic time! Linda Cardellini playing a trashbag Selling-Sunset-esque housewife and pleading, “I’ll get rebaptized” after cheating on her husband, Luke Wilson!? Sent me! Something about it reminds me of the vastly underrecognized cult classic Pushing Daisies. Maybe the preoccupation with death and the slight kookyness? It’s clever, sharp, and has a comedy-royalty cast.

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Martha on Netflix | Rating: A-

What is it? The Martha Stewart documentary that everyone has been talking about speeds through Martha’s entire life at an alarming but marvelously engaging clip.

How much have I watched? The whole dang thing! It’s only two hours!

Verdict: Ben is head over heels in love with Martha Stewart now; would die for her. My only critique is that it should be a 10-episode season, not a two-hour film. I had a hundred million questions, gasping and screaming, “What do you MEAN Martha had a ‘non-affair’ while working at a hedge fund on Wall Street that suddenly folded?!?”

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Aaron Rodgers: Enigma on Netflix | Rating: B

I wrote about this for The Pulse! I really enjoyed it and, predictably, fell prey to a weird dude’s plea for [maybe undeserved] empathy. But also, that ayahuasca stuff was FUNNN.

You can read my review here!

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A Man on the Inside on Netflix | Rating: A

What is it? A show with Ted Danson! What more do you need to know? This show, starring Ted Danson and created by Michael Schur [Parks & Rec, The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine], follows a widower who gets hired by a private investigator to infiltrate a retirement community where someone had their jewels stolen. Delight!

How much have I watched? All of it.

Verdict: Put this up there with Thelma for most feel-good comedy that suddenly kicks you in the stomach with sadness and love for your grandparents.

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One Hundred Years of Solitude on Netflix | Rating: TBD?

What is it? An adaptation of the novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” which is recognized as one of the supreme achievements in literature. The author, Gabriel García Márquez, famously said it couldn’t be adapted, but his children gave their blessing to Netflix, and here we are: A stunning adaption, one of the more gorgeous things I’ve watched this year, and one that feels very true to the novel, which allegorizes Colombian history through the story of one family over many generations. The eight episodes on Netflix right now cover, I believe, only about a third of the book.

How much have I watched? Three of eight episodes.

Major caveat: I hope this doesn’t make me an artless prude, but I’ve never been able to get through this masterpiece of a novel because the way that it portrays women and sex really bums me TF out. There’s a lot — I mean A LOT — of sexualizing children and a lot of rape that the author seems to think is A-OK. Female characters sort into classic sexist tropes: mother or whore, virgin or vamp. It was too much for me, even if you could argue that the author is describing not prescribing, as pastors will tell you about all the sexual predation in the Bible.

Verdict: Netflix is really trying to do everything. They make “Hot Frosty,” then turn around and adapt an unadaptable literary masterpiece. This is gorgeous and intimate and sexy and astonishingly close to the book — for better or worse. They weave in the book’s magical realism in a way that is lush and enthralling rather than offputting. If you like a slow, literary show with excellent cinematography, setting, acting, authenticity, etc., this is worth a shot. But your mileage may vary on the thematic content.

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The Day of the Jackal on Peacock | Rating: B+

What is it? I previewed it at the beginning of November, but basically: “Eddie Redmayne is an assassin, and Lashana Lynch is an MI6 agent trying to catch him!”

How much have I watched? All but the finale!!!!

Verdict: First, I loved it. Then, three or so episodes in, I thought it was stupid and almost quit. Then my brother-in-law was like, “Keep going,” and I’m glad I did! It’s not prestige by any means, but a great acting job from Redmayne and Lynch and a capable/fun plot keep it moving. Great entertainment, even if you’re rolling your eyes sometimes.

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Black Doves on Netflix | Rating: C+

What is it? Keira Knightley is a spy who goes on a vengeance quest when her lover is killed. Two great British actors, Ben Whishaw and Sarah Lancashire, round out a small cast.

How much have I watched? Half of it?

Verdict: The premise is fun, but it’s kind of dragging. But if you’re looking for an easy, action-packed spy drama with a lot of Christmas thrown in, try it out!

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Dune: Prophecy on MAX | Rating: B

What is it? I wrote about this in my November preview. 10,000 years before Timothée Chalamet is born into the Dune universe, the early Bene Gesserit scheme for control of the empire.

How much have I watched? Three episodes.

Verdict: It’s nowhere near as good or mass-appeal as the Dune films, but it’s intriguing and, for the most part, very well-acted. It’s not the first thing I want to watch when I pick up my remote, but I’m slowly getting through it. Ben likes it, too. It’s an excellent sci-fi show if that’s your vibe.

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Silo Season 2 on Apple TV+ | Rating: A-

What is it? The sequel to one of my favorite shows last year! In a post-apocalyptic world where people have to live underground in siloes, a woman discovers that reality may not be all that it appears…

How much have I watched? Only two episodes of the new season.

Verdict: So far, so good. Season 2 picks up right where Season 1 left off and continues to build on the excellent world-building, political intrigue, and great character development.

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Shrinking Season 2 on Apple TV+ | Rating: B+

What is it? A Ted Lasso-esque show following a group of therapists and their friends and families centered around Harrison Ford and Jason Segel, who plays a widower recovering from his wife’s death.

How much have I watched? Five episodes of the new season.

Verdict: I LOVED Season 1. Season 2 amped up the cringe a bit, but it’s still better than, say, Ted Lasso Season 2. It’s fun to be with the characters — and I MUST say there are a few true gems that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. But I fear it’s gotten to that place where the characters are veering into caricatures.

Wellp, you made it to the end; congrats! That was a doozy! I hope you have a magical holiday and some time to rest and be with family or chosen family. Drop a heart or a comment to let me know your thoughts!