Linksy Bits: Under the Blood Moon, et al.
Girl packs of the week, plus it's Pi(e) Day!, are you a Banana Cream?
Pack #1 // The Gal Pals of the White Lotus on their Victory Lap
If you haven’t watched last week’s episode of White Lotus on HBO/MAX, I’m not giving too much away. But wow that episode did some world building around those gals. Yes, they are the comic relief for much of this season, and they are to be lampooned with the rest of the overprivileged, but the writers are nailing the uncomfortable place-lessness of midlife women.
They can’t relax into the intimacy of their friendships because they are threatened by each other’s wins and what it says about their own lives. There’s no safe harbor there. They don’t really fit with the yoga/health set, they don’t take that seriously. They don’t fit with the uppercrust Ratliffs, Victoria let that be known in a blisteringly cold manner. And when we get a dip into the Jaclyn conversation with her man’s voicemail, we understand that she may not even have a rooted place within her home.
Not shocking, they play the “zero fucks” game and force a party, Jaclyn a little too loudly as she scream-laugh rolls into a tuk tuk like it’s a rave or something. Calm down girl, its a tuk tuk. They first land at another poolside, believing that it will be the place for them (yes! this is great! I love it here! this is great!). Except it’s full of squishy imperfect olds who have even less fucks than they do, and they skeedaddle before they start to melt or the botox evaporates or something.
No, they’re not old, they’re young and cool and hip with bellies showing! They manage to get Valentin roped into an outing in the town to find a better club (“you’re like our butler” said no cool young hip chick ever). What’s waiting in town is Songkran, and the accompanying country-wide water gun fight. But instead of playing those zero fuck cards, the ladies scream and run from the childish fun. Because they don’t belong here either. Not old, not young. They are trapped, soggy, in a unflatteringly lit yellow convenience store.
So this utter lack of footing is leading them into this next episode as they playfully drink from straws and ask about snake tattoos on young and obviously toooootallly normal and safe Russian men. Oh, and it’s a full moon. Good luck pack!
Pack #2 // The Minnesota Ladies of Love is Blind
I have never watched this Netflix show, but decided to watch this season. Hometown homies and all. People date blindly in pods, only getting to see each other once they decide to get married. They spend time on a vacation, followed by time back in their lives getting to figure stuff out before a quickie wedding in, like, a total of 6 weeks.
This week we closed this season out with the women of Minnesota proving that they are not going to fall for your crap. Of the four couples that walked up to the altar, only one made it all the way through. The other three were nixed by the brides who said: no thank you.
Look, we all know the magic of tv editing doesn’t show us the full picture, they merely cut in conversations they need to build a compelling narrative, that’s show building baby. So I’m sure there were a lot more red flags than were shown, but it seems that two of the men were hiding their conservative beliefs from their intendeds, and one was out texting and (rumor around town has it) hooking up with other women even while on the way to the altar. Good call ladies, way to see past the empty promises and immature offerings.
But I also want to shout out the enduring Lauren and Molly alliance which sprouted when the guy they were both seeing in the pods, Dave, was clearly playing them both. I fully expected a girl-hate-girl scenario to come from that tension, but instead they talked and listened to each other and understood each other’s hearts in that situation. UNLIKE DAVE.
That Molly came out blazing on all the other women’s behalves after not being chosen makes her a queen.
Pack #3 // Megan Markle and Her Online Defenders
Critics do NOT seem to love With Love, Megan on Netflix. The Duchess of Sussex can’t seem to be “relatable” even with her Utah curls. “In With Love, Meghan, Meghan Markle Is Tireless in Her Pursuit of Joy, but to What End?” asks Vanity Fair, “With Love, Meghan’ Is a Montecito Ego Trip Not Worth Taking” says Variety. From the Cut: “The show can’t seem to decide whether Meghan is an expert teaching her friends new tricks or a student learning dutifully from professional chefs, and by the third time she’s arranging vibrant crudités, you have to wonder what the point is here.” As if, dear god, you can’t be both. Ahem. I won’t even bother with linking to the English press, girl please.
I confess I haven’t watched it, but I have heard it is visually stunning and a lovely escape from the horrors of the world from a few of my friends. And that seems to be, actually, what many women are saying? The critics may have their structured arguments, but you can’t ignore the strong feels coming off the ladies on socials:
Yes, after just a short time on the streamer, it has been renewed for a second season.
Pie Day! When food nerds and facts nerds fall in love.
I love a good slice of 3.1415. Even better I love a hand pie, because LFG. But most of all, I love a great heaping portion of pie writing in a pie book, which is this one.
Kate Lebo’s A Commonplace Book of Pie not only gives you pie recipes, pie lore, pie poetry, and pie tips, but she artfully assigns who you just might be by the pie you choose to love. Along with perfect water colors throughout.
I love this little book, and it is on backorder at bookshop.org, but I actually want this copy to fly free into the world, charming another pie lore lover.
If you are a paid subscriber, you can just smash the comment button and tell me which kind of pie you are or aspire to be and I’ll pick one of you by Sunday to get this little package in the mail. If you want in, upgrade for just $5/month!
Woo girls, the moon was talking to you last night.
Yes I was up at 2am and this knocked on my window.
PS:
Bravo for The Pitt and the birth scene they showed last night. Have we ever seen that on a screen????
PPS:
Here’s a dilly chicken salad sandwich for your picnic era.
My sisters pies are all fabulous but my fave is strawberry rhubarb 😋
I have my family favorite pie recipes and don’t really need another cookbook! But, I LOVE THE PITT!!! The birth scene was very real. I don’t want the episodes to end!