The Take

Sex and the City actually had the chance to make something really engaging and fresh with its reboot And Just Like That, but the show ended up being anything but... The lack of Samantha Jones was a big problem for fans from the jump, but her absence also highlights everything that the show was narratively and creatively lacking that kept it from recreating Sex and the City's magic. Now that it’s over, we can’t help but wonder… what would the show have been like if Samantha had been around? Could she have saved And Just Like That? Let's take a closer look at how having Samantha in AJLT would have made everything better for Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte York, Miranda Hobbes and *us*!

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We might one day soon have the option to live forever, but… is that even a good thing? And what would it really look like in practice? Let’s take a look at some examples from on screen, like Upload, Pantheon, The X-Files & more, and in real life to get a deeper understanding of the issue.

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She’s brash, emotional, inconsiderate, and a little intense – she just "too much." Or, at least, that’s what everyone else tells her. From Too Much's Jessica and Girls' Hannah to The Office's Kelly Kapoor and Weeds' Nancy and beyond, "too much" women can't seem to escape their problems. Their inability to look at the big picture causes a lot of problems for them (and everyone else around them...) But there's also something so relatable about them that keeps drawing us back in. So what’s really going on with the “too much” woman trope? And why can’t we stop watching her, even when she drives us a little crazy?

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And Just Like That... after 3 seasons, the Sex and the City reboot has come to an end. So now that it’s officially over, where did the show leave these beloved characters in what may be their final ever run on screen? Let’s unpack where Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes, Charlotte York, Samantha Jones and more ended up in the two part finale, and then we’ll dig into all of the reasons why the show’s ending was such a disappointment and ended up receiving so much backlash.

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Weapons, the surprise hit new horror movie from writer/director Zach Cregger starring Julia Garner, didn’t end up being what anyone thought it was going to be – and it turns out that’s exactly what everyone loves about it! The film manages to combine horror and comedy with an exploration of some really deep themes, while constantly keeping you guessing. So, what is Weapons really about? And what does the ending actually represent? Let’s unpack Weapon’s symbolism and themes to find out…

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Why is it so hard to make friends as an adult now? There’s been lots of talk in recent years about the difficulty of making new friends in our modern era once you’re out of college, and about the loneliness epidemic at large. There are, of course, many causes for this, but one major one is actually financial. While money (or lack of it) affects so much of our day to day lives, you might be surprised at just how much of our current financial issues (individually and societally) are contributing to our friendship woes. So, what’s really going on here? And… is there anything we can do about it?! Let’s take a closer look at four of the biggest money-related obstacles to building friendships in adulthood, and then we’ll dig into some ways people are finding solutions!

00:00 Intro

00:47 Crushed for time (& energy...)

04:39 Can't afford to do anything

07:14 The loss of third spaces

09:31 The good & bad of social media...

11:07 We can't afford *not* to have community

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The Big Bang Theory’s Penny and Friends’ Rachel Green actually had a lot in common, though one of their most surprising similarities is actually the way that their stories treated their growth – and, unfortunately, their endings. So let’s take a closer look at how both of these characters found their own ways out of the ‘sitcom ditzy hot blonde’ box, why their stories of growth were so important to their shows as a whole, why their shows decided to throw wrenches in their plans at the last second, and what it all means…

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The “Gen Z stare” has become a huge topic of conversation on TikTok and the internet at large, and the real problem is actually a lot deeper than you might expect! Gen Zers say it’s just a logical reaction to the illogical world they’re confronting, Millennials say there’s more to it than that. A large part of the issue stems from the fact that in many cases, people aren’t actually talking about the same thing. So what’s *really* behind this “Gen Z stare”? Is it really a problem? (And, if so, what’s the solution?)

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While so many of us might dream of building our lives around our creative passions, often the financial reality of being an artist can be a major hurdle. In film and television this isn’t always seen as a bad thing, however – often, struggling is in fact seen as proof of an artist’s true commitment to their craft. And indeed suffering has been so intertwined with the idea of creativity that it’s often seen as a necessary part of the journey. But why is the idea of suffering for your art such a major part of pop culture? And how does it affect our views of artists and their work in the real world? Let’s take a closer look…

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From Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover to Sydney Sweeney’s bathwater soap and beyond, a spate of recent controversies have some people questioning if pop culture is not only signaling but aiding in the backtracking of female empowerment. But while these recent issues might be new, this conversation certainly isn’t… So, why are people mad at Sydney and Sabrina? Where does it fit into the larger conversation? And is it all really a problem? Let’s take a closer look…

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