5 Things Thursday #2
It's technically still Thursday as I write this
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It’s technically still Thursday as I write this, so here some recent things I’ve been watching, reading, and listening to.
1. Rizzoli and Isles series
I watched this series when it first aired and decided to do a rewatch from beginning to end. Some episodes are still fresh in my mind because Lifetime airs them fairly often—but out of order! I’m on the final season and it’s been a mostly good experience.
There are some problematic things about the show such as a mostly white cast except for Barry Frost, played by Lee Thompson Young (who tragically died by suicide), and Susie Chang, played by Tina Huang, whose character (spoiler) was murdered.
What still works for me is the family and found family dynamic. The title characters Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander) are best friends even though they’re polar opposites. It’s still rare to have a police procedural where there are two female leads who love each other platonically.
We need more on-screen female friendships like theirs.
2. Act Your Age
Speaking of great on-screen female friends, this show was a surprise hit for me. I’m not a fan of sitcoms, but I was reading on the couch next to my husband when he put this show on. The writing is smart and the cast has great chemistry.
Act Your Age (Netflix) is a sitcom about three, single Black women who are in mid-life. They decided to move in together but have different personalities. Kym White, Tisha Campbell, and Yvette Nicole Brown are masters of comedic timing. Without them, the show wouldn’t work as well as it does.
Also, I had a surprise Easter egg because Yvette Nicole Brown plays a super intense US Postal Inspection Service officer in the final season of Rizzoli & Isles. She was funny without being over the top.
3. A Psalm For the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
I read 5 books last month and have finished zero in February. I’ve DNF’d a couple of books this month, but I’m hoping that A Psalm for the Wild Built is the short, cozy read I need right now.
I’m only a few pages in, but I’ve enjoyed A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Chambers. So far, I’m very enamored with the main character who has left their monastery to being a new life as a tea monk.
I don’t know what a tea monk is exactly and I look forward to learning more.
4. Kpop Demon Hunters Deluxe Soundtrack (on repeat)
I adored the movie when it came out last year. As a theatre person, I love a musical with catchy songs and an great emotional character arc. I wasn’t a Kpop fan before this film and I probably won’t become one. The songs on this album, though, are fire.
The movie was surprise hit to Netflix and I love how popular it’s become. It’s racked up many awards and nominations. I’ll be rooting for their song Golden to win Best Original Song at the Oscars.
5. Watching & Listening: BẮC BLING (BẮC NINH)
Vietnamese Lunar New Year (Tết) was February 17. I’ve been feeling extra festive so I’ve watched the Bac Bling music video multiple times a day. It’s fun and celebrates Vietnamese culture— in the culture in Vietnam. As a diasporic Vietnamese American, I’m still educating myself on the history and popular culture of my parents’ homeland.
Give it a watch! There’s English captions and it’s got a great beat.
What have you been watching, reading, and listening to?