Whys and Wherefores: Season 1, Issue 8
"the screen turns in to a tidal wave"
I wanted to do my lists of both my favorites movies and television shows this year, but as I gave it more thought, I decided there are still too many movies I haven’t seen in order for me to feel fully comfortable with assembling that particular list. TV, on the other hand, pretty much wrapped up for the year today with the Mandalorian finale, so it’s time for a good old fashioned list.
For brevity’s sake, I only wrote about my top 5. My full list is included at the bottom for those curious. Otherwise, let’s get into it.
5. What We Do in the Shadows
The sophomore season of the film-to-television adaptation of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s 2014 mockumentary vampire comedy is easily the funniest show on TV. The characters of FX’s What We Do in the Shadows are fundamentally morons, and the fun of the show is putting them into equally as absurd situations and seeing what unfolds. Case in point: there’s an episode in Season 2 where the leading trio of vampires — Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), and Nandor (Kayvan Novak) — get sent a chain email and become overly concerned they’ll actually be cursed if they don’t commit to forwarding it along. Being the Luddites and nocturnal creatures that they are, they don’t have a ton of friends to send the email to, causing them each to spiral out of control. Half of comedy lies within the execution, and Shadows consistently (and smartly!) nails every single one of their setups. When the world of 2020 felt too wild, the stupid-smarts of Shadows provided a much-needed escape.
4. Dark
I wrote an extensive piece about Dark — Netflix’s science-fiction German-language epic — for Complex that I’ll point you to for a deeper dive on the series, but I found its final season to be both satisfying and moving. Even in its last episodes, Dark kept adding new dynamics, stacking more and more onto a foundation that seemed like it could falter at any second. That wasn’t the case. Even with all the time-traveling and multiverse shenanigans, Dark never lost sight of making sure its characters mattered most. Combine that with a perfected executed finale that crossed every T and dotted every I, and you’ve got one hell of a recipe. The ending has stuck with me all year long.
3. Top Chef / How To With John Wilson
Yes, I know I’m cheating here by putting two series, but it’s my list! I’ll do want I want! Don’t @ me! Or do. I don’t care.
Top Chef is one of the few reality shows I watch because it’s always fascinating to see talented people at their best. This season — comprised of previous contestants who came close to winning but didn’t — featured some of the most intensely competitive moments I’ve seen on the series. Plus, it served as a testament to the food industry’s importance when the sector was at its most vulnerable. Sure, it’s a bit formulaic in its now 17th season (!), but in the same way that Shadows helped me escape from COVID chaos, it was refreshing to know the structure of Top Chef would remain consistent on a week-to-week basis.
On the other hand, HBO’s How To with John Wilson left me with no idea what I’d be in for. The documentary series from the socially awkward filmmaker focuses on answering simple, day-to-day questions — How do you make small talk? Why does New York have scaffolding? How do you make the perfect risotto? — with hilarious and beautiful results. The episodes take delightful detours off the beaten path into areas you’d never anticipate. I won’t spoil some of the diversions (the one in the “How to Cover Your Furniture” episode is an all-timer) but know the 30-ish minutes are well worth your time. Humanizing and humorous in equal measure, How to With John Wilson was one of my biggest surprises of the year.
2. I May Destroy You
It’s reductive to call I May Destroy You — the Michaela Coel written, directed, and starring HBO series — a #MeToo-era project because the limited series has so much more on its mind than just that. The show is a vehicle for Coel to explore her own experience with sexual assault. But it’s just as interested in artistic creation, the value of friendship, a commentary on the predatory nature of any work-for-hire endeavor, and a deep exploration of West African life in London. It’s a truly transcendent show that serves as a totemic reminder that sometimes the most personal stories end up feeling the most universal.
1. Better Call Saul
On the other side of the fifth season, there’s now no doubt Better Call Saul is absolutely worthy of the legacy Breaking Bad left in its wake. We never should have doubted Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, as it’s clear they’ve managed to capture lightning in a bottle for a second time. The scrappy underdog has victoriously emerged as a full-grown beast. Underestimate it at your own peril.
I wrote this about Better Call Saul earlier this year, and it still remains true. I think the show’s fifth season has surpassed Breaking Bad, squarely placing Saul in the pantheon of all-time great shows. The journey of Jimmy McGill to Saul Goodman is more complex and nuanced than Walter White’s story — and it’s still evolving as we inch closer to the beginning of Bad. Despite knowing Saul’s ending, the show proves there’s still such a rich landscape to be explored in this world Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould created, which is certainly not something I ever anticipated at the start of this series. And the performances of both Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn (especially the latter) are among the finest on television, full of fascinating depth. Feel shows felt as consistently gripping and entertaining as Saul did this year. If you’re not watching, you’re missing out on unrivaled greatness.
Here’s my full list for those curious:
10) High Fidelity
9) The Queen's Gambit
8) Harley Quinn
7) The Crown
6) The Mandalorian
5) What We Do in the Shadows
4) Dark
3) How To with John Wilson/Top Chef
2) I May Destroy You
1) Better Call Saul
Honorable Mentions: Devs, Briarpatch, Bojack Horseman, Immigration Nation, Fargo, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Schitt’s Creek
A few things I want to plug here before I shut down the newsletter for the rest of the year. Firstly, I rounded up some of my favorite things that I wrote this year over on my Twitter feed. If you’re curious, you can hit the thread. I really felt my writing leveled up this year, and the pieces I selected are reflective of that.
I made another appearance on GQ this week to write about the best homages to Michael Mann’s Heat in honor of its 25-year-anniversary. This list was a blast to pull together and I think I included some unconventional choices.
Finally, for Complex, I wrote about the Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian. The piece is FULL OF SPOILERS so wait until you’ve watched, but I was really satisfied with the conclusion in spite of my preconceived notions about what the show should or shouldn’t be. Take that for what you will.
I hope everyone has a safe holiday season. You don’t need me to tell you how bizarre and odd this year has been, so I won’t. Instead, I’ll just say thanks for reading. See you all in 2021. Hold fast — the light at the end of the tunnel is finally starting to get brighter.
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