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Reviews
Sense8 (2015)
Unbelievably Good on So Many Levels! Infinitely Binge-Worthy!
I'm not easily impressed by television these days. Sense8 changed that.
I like to think I'm a good audience, willing to suspend disbelief in order to enjoy a story, but once I got beyond the initial "Huh?" sense that the story intentionally weaves in the first episodes, the story of these eight pivotal characters have you wishing that this were reality long before the amazingly satisfying finale of Season 2. A good story-teller can get the audience invested in one or two characters, but making your viewer care what happens to eight totally divers strangers who suddenly discover they are not able to be strangers any longer regardless of the space and turmoil that surrounds them is some of the most masterful work ever done for the small screen.
Admittedly, Sense8 won't be so well received by the narrow-minded for whom the topics of homosexuality or trans make them tune out, but I feel sorry for such viewers who miss the point that the entire series is a massive, intertwined love story of literally global proportions. Behind all the action and gunfire, chases and fight sequences (and they are incredibly well story-driven, not gratuitous just so the heroes can kick some ass and make the audience cheer) is a tale that at it's core all boils down to one thing: love conquers all. The love these characters have for one another propels them through horribly depressing scenarios where the normal person would simply give up, but the Wachowskis with J. Michael Strackzynski have created a world of hope, love and determination against a gorgeously filmed international backdrop that sucks the viewer in and doesn't let go to the final frame.
Thank you to those who made this show a reality and brought it to the public... a public who have had to face such terrible times recently because now more than ever, we need stories of hope. Thank you for this.
Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (2020)
Humanity Through the Lens of Great Food
As someone who watched years of celebrity chef shows on Food Network, Padma Lakshmi has brought food back to where it all begins, namely people. The approach to the show is incredibly gentle, heartfelt, and less about recipes than what people feel about the food. It looks at culture expressed through cuisine, but doesn't shy away from occasional "political" viewpoints (I'd personally call them "ethical" questions, but then it's difficult to separate nowadays), but it's never heavy-handed or judgmental, in spite of the underlying message of "We're all Americans, even if we weren't all born here, and we all contribute to what makes America great." In short: great food, great show.
The Young Turks (2005)
The Most Openly Honest Source of Context Handling the News Today
The Young Turks is unabashedly progressive, boldly claiming that they are the "Home of Progressives". They are also the most widely-viewed news program in the world (Yes... over 10 billion views since their inception! That puts Fox News to shame.) Both the main hosts, Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian, are on the "Most Influential" news figures lists according to different magazine publications (such as Forbes). That said, they are the most even-handed, full-disclosure source of background of stories in the news I've seen. They are unswayed by big money (corporations that spend millions on ads of TV are regularly raked over the coals when they're caught by TYT investigators). On the occasions they have reported something that later is shown to be inaccurate IN ANY DEGREE, they immediately give a correction and don't attempt to sweep it under the rug. No other news program is as consistently fair in their calling out improper behavior on either side. They demonstrate how Progressive is not unfair when they call out Democratic mistakes with as much if not more vehemence than Conservative issues. Their investigative reporting continually breaks stories that should be given national attention, yet larger, better funded news services miss these regularly. They're entertaining, unimpressed with themselves, and refreshingly genuine. Those who say it's "leftist propaganda" (almost always those who think the 45th President of the US is the next messiah) don't know what propaganda actually is.