"As we near the finale, I’m curious if anyone is still watching [The Curse], and how you feel about the show so far."
As a data point, the people I watch TV with are all OBSESSED with The Curse. A lot of us independently reached the conclusion that it reminds us of Twin Peaks: The Return more than anything—a show that I remember you being appreciative of but not deeply in love with.
Among other things, both shows feel uncommonly like film in their approach to creating an experience. That's not a diss of the way that most TV shows create a bond with their audience, since that contract is what makes most TV great—The Sopranos and The Leftovers are both EXTREMELY TV-ass TV shows in the ways they handle being works of entertainment—but The Curse doesn't have the same impulse to function as An Entertainment first and foremost. The Safdies are extremely inspired by the artier 70s era of filmmaking, where things moved less deliberately and the emphasis was more on creating an absorbing space; The Curse makes me think of movies like The Long Goodbye, though it's obviously not as sunny and airy by any means.
But I can't remember the last time a show felt like this intricate, subtle, and inventive a study of certain kinds of people. It's amazing how much it's made me think about the relationships between Jewish men of a certain age, to pick what's probably only a tertiary element of the show: Dougie and Asher both feel like incredibly specific portrayals of Jewish men. And the show's handling of privilege, especially where class and race are concerned, is just kaleidoscopic—every moment holds double or triple meanings. My little TV-watching group has rewatched each episode multiple times, sometimes doing individual scene breakdowns as we discuss each beat, each inflection, between long pauses.
That's obviously a pretty rarefied and culty emotional response to a show, and I'm not at all surprised that it's not like that for everyone (or for you!), but for the people who are getting invested in the show, The Curse amply rewards that investment. It's gorgeous, its sound design is unbelievable, every scene feels compelling and surprising, and Emma Stone's Whitney is an absolute tour-de-force performance. (Though Fielder and Benny are doing fantastic work too!) I wish that there were one or two professional critics who were more on its wavelength, but obviously the TV-critic bubble has burst a little, and there's more TV to cover than ever, so instead I'll just look forward to whomever winds up writing obsessively about it five or ten years down the line.
It's definitely a bit of a rabbithole. For instance, there's been a thin narrative trickle—not even a subplot, just a trickle—about the local Sikh community. Whitney conspicuously meandered into an ashram a few episodes back, but in the seventh episode, she drives by a trailer on the Yogi Bhajan Memorial Highway covered in signs describing Bhajan's history of sexual assault. Which leads to the moment at the art collector's mansion in the latest episode, where a Sikh man tells Whit that there are a lot of things Sikhs do that'll surprise her, mutters "rape," then follows up with "grape" a moment later.
(On top of that, his presence at the military contractor's mansion seems to reflect that Española is home to Akal Security, a Sikh-owned firm that's received over a billion dollars in government contracts.)
To the best of my knowledge, those are the only three scenes revolving around the Sikh community, and two of the three barely quality as scenes. It would be a stretch to say that there's a narrative arc involving Whitney's brushes with Sikhs in Española (unless the final two episodes expound on that). But the show's depicting Bhajan's influence over the community in a weirdly multifaceted way, given how Bhajan's only named presence is his name flashing on-screen for all of two seconds at some point.
Agreed on Emma Stone who is just fantastic. This show is a hard watch (but really good!), I'm grateful that it's not a binge. I am very interested to see where it ends up.
I guess Margo is going to become the first person to REfect. Also, is she somehow only under guard at NASA, but not at her hotel? I was wondering how she was going to get around her Marine and KGB.
I don't blame Alex for being scared. If Joel Kinneman came at me in that makeup I'd be running for the hills, too.
I still find it hard to swallow that Richie undergoes his transformation in only one week (he has a ton to learn and a lot to let go of in 7 days) but Forks was my favorite episode of TV from the past year. I didn't like Richie much before that ep and the joy of watching a rudderless, destructive character finally find his calling was really incredible. My wife pointed out that part of the appeal for Richie (in addition to the pleasure of bringing others joy) was finally finding something in his life he could control. "Long Long Time" would be a close second to "Forks."
And thank you for calling out Dominique Fishback in "Swarm." A really odd TV series that was at times a little headspinning as it jumped between huge tonal variations but Fishback was really amazing. The finale to that mini-series was just jaw-dropping too.
Appreciate the recognition of Dark Winds and Zahn McClarnon. Hope the Leaphorn series gets another go. He was wonderful on Longmire as well back in the day. Also, Sarah Lankashire recognition for Julia. Not sure how well it hews to history, but this was my most surprising find of the year. Another true dayenu show- If it just starred Lankashire, that would be enough, but David Hyde Pierce and Bebe Neuwirth. Happy New Year!
Yes it took me a minute to realize “it was all a dream” on Fargo. I am wondering whether the real Linda will ever make an appearance.
I was very happy to see you name Primo a top new TV show. I had a great time watching that show and hope it comes back for more.
As for changes in newsletters, I have had some newsletters change to different vendors over the years. But they seem to just be an email. But whatever you decide I will continue to enjoy reading your thoughts in whatever form.
Maybe that’s how I should have phrased the question: how much do people actually care about there being this web/app version of the newsletter where you can comment, versus those who would be perfectly happy for this to be a one-way communication where you just read the newsletter each week without replying?
I am assuming most people don’t comment but admittedly I do enjoy a comment section because it’s smaller and less likely to be hijacked by trolls which did happen on Twitter during its height. But percentage wise I could represent 1% of your readership.
Top priority is definitely reading your weekly thoughts and links to your stories.
"hijacked by trolls which did happen on Twitter" Ha, yeah, Alan's twitter got hijacked by the troll running HBO, one of the weirdest developments in a year full of prominent individuals doing incredibly stupid things.
One more point: the Substack app and website are elegant and easy to use. That’s in the mix, too. So I wouldn’t argue comments at all costs. It just might not be feasible with a different vendor. Like it might be tacked on and not work well. I saw a vendor respond that they will work on adding comments but you wonder if it will be rushed etc.
Have you considered separating the two? Simply setting up a reddit thread or a discord or something that you can link to in the newsletter, for discussion? Doesn't seem that different from reading the email newsletter and then signing in to Substack to comment? And allows more flexibility for future pivots away from Nazis....
"However, I have to make note of the rapidly shifting winds here at Substack, where management’s attitude towards Nazi ideology being published on their platform has me looking for a new home. "
Are you personally responsible for every stupid thing that's ever been published in Rolling Stone? If not, why not?
Alan, would you mind sharing with this Jewish gal the substack issue? I haven't encountered but I do have a few subscriptions, and my own blog, and would really love to know what's this about so I can make an educated decision.
Thank you! Will follow you wherever even though, as you noted, you'll make us follow :D
I’m sticking with The Curse. It’s a very uncomfortable show and probably one I will never want to revisit once it ends, I agree with above comment comparing it to Twin Peaks: The Return. It’s viewer requires a lot of patience and I’m not surprised if some have already dropped it, it’s a tough watch. I was surprised when you chose to recap this over Fargo or For All Mankind, oddly enough I paused both since they felt quite middling compared to their amazing second seasons. I will most likely binge them once the remaining episodes air.
Also, wherever you go, I follow. The next year sounds crazy in terms of content, particularly the next two months.
I'm gonna miss those nutsacks. And nos matters hows manys times I have repeatedly mentioned Letterkennys to my friendses and families, it still seems that we belong to that secret, special little 5000 pop. town in Canada. And that's what I's appreciates about Letterkenny.
I only came into the show about a month ago (you might wanna let that marinate...) and proceeded to binge all 11 seasons knowing the last season was approaching. Before you know it, I was chirping with the best of them and taking down some wheel snipe cellys, boys! Dirty fkin dangles and all, boys!
It's been a weird, fun, real fun trip and am glad I hopped on board. Are we all hoping to see them again for a Reunion Tour?
Well, I think you know that's a Texas-sized 10-4, good buddy.
I subscribe to another Substack that is going through the same thought process/migration plan that you are (for the same reason) and he is leaning towards Buttondown. The comment section is more important to his reader base, so it’s more of a consideration for him. Buttondown plans to have comments up and running in January. No idea how it will look or how functional it will be, but if it meets requirements that service seems to check a lot of the necessary boxes.
To echo others feelings, I’ll follow you wherever. My running (and constantly growing) list of shows to watch is largely fed by your work.
In FAM, what is Dev's goal? He's has "billions" so it's not about the money. Is it to become literally the most powerful person in the universe (so every country would have to beg him for a piece of "Goldilocks")?
I think, per the episode's title, he wants a permanent Mars colony to be his legacy. Not just building a company, but making a new planet sustainable for human life. He doesn't even want to have countries on earth begging him for a piece of the asteroid. He wants it just to benefit Mars.
Although I have yet to watch this weeks episode, I am still watching the curse, although I don’t know why. I don’t think I like it? I’m really not sure why they want Dougie’s approval either though. He comes across like a total loser.
"As we near the finale, I’m curious if anyone is still watching [The Curse], and how you feel about the show so far."
As a data point, the people I watch TV with are all OBSESSED with The Curse. A lot of us independently reached the conclusion that it reminds us of Twin Peaks: The Return more than anything—a show that I remember you being appreciative of but not deeply in love with.
Among other things, both shows feel uncommonly like film in their approach to creating an experience. That's not a diss of the way that most TV shows create a bond with their audience, since that contract is what makes most TV great—The Sopranos and The Leftovers are both EXTREMELY TV-ass TV shows in the ways they handle being works of entertainment—but The Curse doesn't have the same impulse to function as An Entertainment first and foremost. The Safdies are extremely inspired by the artier 70s era of filmmaking, where things moved less deliberately and the emphasis was more on creating an absorbing space; The Curse makes me think of movies like The Long Goodbye, though it's obviously not as sunny and airy by any means.
But I can't remember the last time a show felt like this intricate, subtle, and inventive a study of certain kinds of people. It's amazing how much it's made me think about the relationships between Jewish men of a certain age, to pick what's probably only a tertiary element of the show: Dougie and Asher both feel like incredibly specific portrayals of Jewish men. And the show's handling of privilege, especially where class and race are concerned, is just kaleidoscopic—every moment holds double or triple meanings. My little TV-watching group has rewatched each episode multiple times, sometimes doing individual scene breakdowns as we discuss each beat, each inflection, between long pauses.
That's obviously a pretty rarefied and culty emotional response to a show, and I'm not at all surprised that it's not like that for everyone (or for you!), but for the people who are getting invested in the show, The Curse amply rewards that investment. It's gorgeous, its sound design is unbelievable, every scene feels compelling and surprising, and Emma Stone's Whitney is an absolute tour-de-force performance. (Though Fielder and Benny are doing fantastic work too!) I wish that there were one or two professional critics who were more on its wavelength, but obviously the TV-critic bubble has burst a little, and there's more TV to cover than ever, so instead I'll just look forward to whomever winds up writing obsessively about it five or ten years down the line.
I’m glad you’re getting so much out of it. I’m getting some of that, but not enough, clearly.
It's definitely a bit of a rabbithole. For instance, there's been a thin narrative trickle—not even a subplot, just a trickle—about the local Sikh community. Whitney conspicuously meandered into an ashram a few episodes back, but in the seventh episode, she drives by a trailer on the Yogi Bhajan Memorial Highway covered in signs describing Bhajan's history of sexual assault. Which leads to the moment at the art collector's mansion in the latest episode, where a Sikh man tells Whit that there are a lot of things Sikhs do that'll surprise her, mutters "rape," then follows up with "grape" a moment later.
(On top of that, his presence at the military contractor's mansion seems to reflect that Española is home to Akal Security, a Sikh-owned firm that's received over a billion dollars in government contracts.)
To the best of my knowledge, those are the only three scenes revolving around the Sikh community, and two of the three barely quality as scenes. It would be a stretch to say that there's a narrative arc involving Whitney's brushes with Sikhs in Española (unless the final two episodes expound on that). But the show's depicting Bhajan's influence over the community in a weirdly multifaceted way, given how Bhajan's only named presence is his name flashing on-screen for all of two seconds at some point.
Agreed on Emma Stone who is just fantastic. This show is a hard watch (but really good!), I'm grateful that it's not a binge. I am very interested to see where it ends up.
I’ll follow you wherever you go.
Ditto
I guess Margo is going to become the first person to REfect. Also, is she somehow only under guard at NASA, but not at her hotel? I was wondering how she was going to get around her Marine and KGB.
I don't blame Alex for being scared. If Joel Kinneman came at me in that makeup I'd be running for the hills, too.
I still find it hard to swallow that Richie undergoes his transformation in only one week (he has a ton to learn and a lot to let go of in 7 days) but Forks was my favorite episode of TV from the past year. I didn't like Richie much before that ep and the joy of watching a rudderless, destructive character finally find his calling was really incredible. My wife pointed out that part of the appeal for Richie (in addition to the pleasure of bringing others joy) was finally finding something in his life he could control. "Long Long Time" would be a close second to "Forks."
And thank you for calling out Dominique Fishback in "Swarm." A really odd TV series that was at times a little headspinning as it jumped between huge tonal variations but Fishback was really amazing. The finale to that mini-series was just jaw-dropping too.
Appreciate the recognition of Dark Winds and Zahn McClarnon. Hope the Leaphorn series gets another go. He was wonderful on Longmire as well back in the day. Also, Sarah Lankashire recognition for Julia. Not sure how well it hews to history, but this was my most surprising find of the year. Another true dayenu show- If it just starred Lankashire, that would be enough, but David Hyde Pierce and Bebe Neuwirth. Happy New Year!
AMC already renewed Dark Winds for a third season. At least, I think that happened? Been a long year.
It’s been renewed but wont return till ‘25.
Yes it took me a minute to realize “it was all a dream” on Fargo. I am wondering whether the real Linda will ever make an appearance.
I was very happy to see you name Primo a top new TV show. I had a great time watching that show and hope it comes back for more.
As for changes in newsletters, I have had some newsletters change to different vendors over the years. But they seem to just be an email. But whatever you decide I will continue to enjoy reading your thoughts in whatever form.
Maybe that’s how I should have phrased the question: how much do people actually care about there being this web/app version of the newsletter where you can comment, versus those who would be perfectly happy for this to be a one-way communication where you just read the newsletter each week without replying?
I am assuming most people don’t comment but admittedly I do enjoy a comment section because it’s smaller and less likely to be hijacked by trolls which did happen on Twitter during its height. But percentage wise I could represent 1% of your readership.
Top priority is definitely reading your weekly thoughts and links to your stories.
"hijacked by trolls which did happen on Twitter" Ha, yeah, Alan's twitter got hijacked by the troll running HBO, one of the weirdest developments in a year full of prominent individuals doing incredibly stupid things.
One more point: the Substack app and website are elegant and easy to use. That’s in the mix, too. So I wouldn’t argue comments at all costs. It just might not be feasible with a different vendor. Like it might be tacked on and not work well. I saw a vendor respond that they will work on adding comments but you wonder if it will be rushed etc.
I enjoy the comments section as it’s fun to hear your replies. Plus, it stays here rather than disappearing forever like it did on Twitter.
Have you considered separating the two? Simply setting up a reddit thread or a discord or something that you can link to in the newsletter, for discussion? Doesn't seem that different from reading the email newsletter and then signing in to Substack to comment? And allows more flexibility for future pivots away from Nazis....
"However, I have to make note of the rapidly shifting winds here at Substack, where management’s attitude towards Nazi ideology being published on their platform has me looking for a new home. "
Are you personally responsible for every stupid thing that's ever been published in Rolling Stone? If not, why not?
Did Rolling Stone announce that it was perfectly fine taking money from Nazis and featuring them on its platform?
Okay, don't answer my question.
The intro scene in FAM was so good. It is a synthesis of how great it can be sometimes. I don't know what other series currently uses music better.
Alan, would you mind sharing with this Jewish gal the substack issue? I haven't encountered but I do have a few subscriptions, and my own blog, and would really love to know what's this about so I can make an educated decision.
Thank you! Will follow you wherever even though, as you noted, you'll make us follow :D
https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/21/24011232/substack-nazi-moderation-demonetization-hamish-mckenzie
I’m sticking with The Curse. It’s a very uncomfortable show and probably one I will never want to revisit once it ends, I agree with above comment comparing it to Twin Peaks: The Return. It’s viewer requires a lot of patience and I’m not surprised if some have already dropped it, it’s a tough watch. I was surprised when you chose to recap this over Fargo or For All Mankind, oddly enough I paused both since they felt quite middling compared to their amazing second seasons. I will most likely binge them once the remaining episodes air.
Also, wherever you go, I follow. The next year sounds crazy in terms of content, particularly the next two months.
Wannanowhat?
I'm gonna miss those nutsacks. And nos matters hows manys times I have repeatedly mentioned Letterkennys to my friendses and families, it still seems that we belong to that secret, special little 5000 pop. town in Canada. And that's what I's appreciates about Letterkenny.
I only came into the show about a month ago (you might wanna let that marinate...) and proceeded to binge all 11 seasons knowing the last season was approaching. Before you know it, I was chirping with the best of them and taking down some wheel snipe cellys, boys! Dirty fkin dangles and all, boys!
It's been a weird, fun, real fun trip and am glad I hopped on board. Are we all hoping to see them again for a Reunion Tour?
Well, I think you know that's a Texas-sized 10-4, good buddy.
SKODEN!
*ninja dust*
❤️
I subscribe to another Substack that is going through the same thought process/migration plan that you are (for the same reason) and he is leaning towards Buttondown. The comment section is more important to his reader base, so it’s more of a consideration for him. Buttondown plans to have comments up and running in January. No idea how it will look or how functional it will be, but if it meets requirements that service seems to check a lot of the necessary boxes.
To echo others feelings, I’ll follow you wherever. My running (and constantly growing) list of shows to watch is largely fed by your work.
In FAM, what is Dev's goal? He's has "billions" so it's not about the money. Is it to become literally the most powerful person in the universe (so every country would have to beg him for a piece of "Goldilocks")?
I think, per the episode's title, he wants a permanent Mars colony to be his legacy. Not just building a company, but making a new planet sustainable for human life. He doesn't even want to have countries on earth begging him for a piece of the asteroid. He wants it just to benefit Mars.
Although I have yet to watch this weeks episode, I am still watching the curse, although I don’t know why. I don’t think I like it? I’m really not sure why they want Dougie’s approval either though. He comes across like a total loser.