American Horror Story: Cult (Season 7) A+
This season of “American Horror Story” (AHS) is more disturbing than any other so far. This is because, unlike all of the other AHS seasons, it does not revolve around any kind of supernatural or paranormal phenomena. It simply focuses on the development of a cult as a result of those empowered by the election of President Donald Trump. The directors do a fantastic job showing how easy it is to radicalize totally normal people. That, in itself, is scarier than any ghosts. And ghosts are scary.
Follow This A+
This Netflix original partners with BuzzFeed to give viewers an inside look into how BuzzFeed reporters craft their stories. Now, I know what your thinking: “Buzzfeed is the laughing stock of the journalistic community, why would I care about their editorial process?” But you’d be surprised at how in-depth some of their reporters go to get the scoop, and also what groundbreaking topics they’re covering. It gave me a newfound respect for the organization. Personally, my favorite episode in the first season is episode seven, titled “The Future of Fakes.”
Dark Tourist C-
This show follows it’s host, David Farrier, across the globe as he visits macabre tourist locations in various places. The premise for this show is actually pretty cool and he visits many truly fascinating sites. The downside is that the host has a British accent, and not like the hot-guy-british-accent kind of way, but like the nasally I-know-this-accent-makes-me-seem-smarter kind of way. Plus he fits the stereotype of every British national who tries to immerse themselves in another culture but instead they just complain about very first-world-problems while not having any appreciation for the people they encounter and the struggles they may face. The show basically takes all of the worst parts of Vice News, and packages them into a quirky travel show.
The Ranch D
This sitcom is supposed to be based in a small farming community on the Western Slope of Colorado. Its main characters are played by Danny Masterson and Ashton Kutcher. You will probably know Masterson as Hyde from “That ‘70s Show” and some of you may know Kutcher as Mila Kunis’ really hot husband. Despite having both of these talented actors in the cast, the show is complete garbage. They make a number of stereotypes about Coloradoans that are just plain wrong, and they commonly make geographical references that are just not accurate. For example, Telluride is not a farming community, and it’s definitely more than 3 hours away from Denver. They portray all Coloradoans as backwoods hillbillies with little interest in things other than crop rotation and dairy prices. Which is totally false. I’m a Colorado-native born and raised, and I care about how high the river is flowing in the summer, how much snow is falling in the winter and where I can get the best deal on a locally brewed beer all year long.
Adam Ruins Everything D-
This show has the potential to be hilarious and engaging, but it’s just a flop. It follows comedian Adam Conover as he “ruins” various facets of your day to day life by crushing your expectations with facts and reality. It covers subjects like cars, security, forensic science, restaurants and so much more. If the show was framed as more of a docu-series it would be infinitely more interesting. Instead it follows Adam around while he drones on his annoying voice using cliche gags to convey the information. The show was weirdly reminiscent of the infamous SpikedTv show “Manswers” with its crude humor and crappy special effects. While writing this I discovered Adam Ruins Everything is produced by SpikedTv’s weird little cousin network, TruTv, and suddenly everything made sense.
The Haunting of Hill House B+
Because of this show, my roommates now have multiple Snapchat memories of me in my onesie, screaming while tears are rolling down my face and cuddling my roommates dog, all while begging for the horror to stop while simultaneously wanting more because I NEED ANSWERS. Needless to say, this show is the definition of spoopy, and yes you read that right. Spoopy is defined in Urban Dictionary as many different things, but my personal favorite is “So spooky, it makes ya go poopy.” The only reason I have given this show a less than perfect rating is I STILL DON’T HAVE MY ANSWERS. This show is still better than any horror film I’ve seen in theaters since Paranormal Activity, which was like the OG spoopy movie for me. I have not included any plot details in this review because I’m still confused, so if you have any answers for the love of god and all that is holy please hit me up. I need closure in my life.
Big Mouth (Season 2) A+
I have already written a review where I explain the basic premise of the show, so you can go back and check that out if you haven’t seen season 1. Season 2 takes everything to the next level. The Hormone Monsters tackle so many struggles faced by teens these days, but in such a hilariously honest way. They address real issues like social media influencers, body positivity, and other various aspects of puberty. So I really thought my 13yo sister would relate to the pubescent characters and their coming of age struggles. But as it turns out, teenagers are mortified at any mention of the following words “puberty, menstruation, bodily fluids, erection, and sexual intercourse,” so instead of bonding with my sibling, I made her turn a shade of red I’ve never seen before. For that discomfort and entertainment alone, this show is worth an A+ rating.