#stuff i watched

[thewholelemon]

Thinking back on this bullshit year

Don’t call it a wrap up (because that’s too much pressure). I should do these every quarter; an entire year is too much to try to remember. But, I'm going to try to keep it simple: just some stuff that was meaningful to me this year.

Thank you for the tags on books and movies/shows, @run-for-chamo-miles!

Stuff I Watched: Sketch, which was a great exploration of why it's healthy to like horror and sadness; Heated Rivalry, because of course; and I honestly don't remember if I watched anything else but kids' movies. My mind is a sieve.

Stuff I Read: Natasha Pulley, with greatest honors going to The Mars House, the Watchmaker of Filigree Street and Pepperharrow (which gets a place of honor for making me go into the pantry to sob hysterically at the end), and the Kingdoms; Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell (I put off reading it but I loved it); Yield Under Great Persuasion by Alexandra Rowland.

Stuff I Wrote: When That Light Hits the Sky, which has one chapter to go but has been deeply meaningful for me to work on since it grapples with depression in a way that has been cathartic for me to write (even if it does mean it's difficult for me to write, too); Soap Operetta, which was so much fun to write and made me laugh so many times; Six of One, which was fun because I got to share with you and you guys got really into it; and my first/only(?) fandom hop with an explicit Mars House fic. I'm really proud of all of these things!

Stuff I Did: Went back to therapy (this has been really big); hung out with fandom friends; got back into journaling and filled up three notebooks in five months; beta'ed some really, really good stuff. I tried to work less, and only semi-succeeded. Got really depressed, got un-depressed. Got really anxious, got less anxious. Went to the beach, went to the woods, went camping. Saw some great shows: Brahms x Radiohead, Rilo Kiley, Hot Water Music. Went to some protests, donated some money.

What. A. Year. In many ways, it feels like we've been put through the wringer, but I've also had such incredible moments of connection and closeness that have meant the world to me. 2026, keep bringing us together in community and solidarity. Please do right by us.

And now I'm going to tag people, but if you see this, feel tagged to say goodbye to 2025 however you like:

@alexalexinii @aristocratic-otter @artsyunderstudy @bachusekart @best--dress

@blackberrysummers @bookish-bogwitch @bookishbroadwayandblind @brilla-brilla-estrellita @confusedbiqueer

@cutestkilla @dohrnaira @drowninginships @emeryhall @facewithoutheart

@fiend-for-culture @iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife @ivelovedhimthroughworse @j-trow-95

@hushed-chorus @katatsumuli @larkral @larkthorne @leithillustration

@letraspal @martsonmars @monbons @mooncello @nausikaaa 

@noblecorgi @onepintobean @orange-peony @pato-roldnart @palimpsessed 

@papierhaikuphoto @prettygoododds @raeny-day @rimeswithpurple  @probablily 

@shrekgogurt @skeedelvee @talentpiper11  @the-beard-of-edward-teach 

@theimpossibledemon @valeffelees @whatevertheweather @youarenevertooold @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

[linesonscreens]

Stuff I Watched - There’s No Place Like Home, Snoopy

What is it?

Snoopy’s doghouse gets sold at a yard sale and Charlie Brown has to go find it. 

That’s pretty much it. Sorry for spoiling the plot like that.

Things of note:

This is definitely more of a spinoff of “The Snoopy Show” than the other “Snoopy Presents” specials of the last few years. Which is kind of disappointing since I’m really not a fan of that show. 

Not much in the way of plot here, probably because this is designed for a fairly young audience. Though it does make up for this somewhat by having some fun references aimed at Peanuts nerds like me. 

I'm kind of annoyed that this is yet another Snoopy-centered special. I know he’s the big moneymaker for this whole operation, but we've had a lot of these over the decades and could be giving this screen time to less well-known but far more interesting characters (Give 5 his own special, damnit!).

I see we’re back to four year old voice actors very obviously reading their lines directly off of a script. I'd complain but this is by far the most authentically “Peanuts” creative decision the special makes.

Because this is essentially a long episode of "The Snoopy Show" the character animation gets a BIG downgrade from the previous specials. Gone are the soft gradients and organic line work that mimicked Schulz's style in favor of rigid vector art designed to be efficiently colored with only the paint bucket tool. That said, the background work is actually pretty nice in places so credit where it’s due.

I like that the Goose Eggs get to play a big role here. They’re a fun bunch and It’s nice that they’re getting a little time in the spotlight. It would be nice to see them play a bigger role in future projects.

+10 points for remembering Rerun exists but -5 points for not understanding that he’s actually kind of a little shithead. Let these characters be assholes, damnit!

How on earth do you have a flashback to baby Snoopy getting the doghouse but not draw him in the 1950s style. Shameful!

Final Verdict:

I don’t want to be mean to this special because it’s ultimately made for preschoolers by people who clearly have read and love the series, but god damn do I hate how safe this iteration of the strip plays things. I wouldn’t exactly call Peanuts an “edgy” franchise but there IS this sort of ruthless emotional honesty to it and you can really tell that it’s missing here. Everyone is just a bit too nice and every conflict gets wrapped up just a bit too cleanly. It all ends up feeling… off. Like an idealized version of the strip remembered through nostalgia goggles 30 years later. 

Now, to be fair, the "Snoopy Presents" specials have had this problem as well, but they at least tend to balance this out with good art, interesting characterization, and some surprisingly heavy emotional stakes from time to time. You still get weirdly sanitized versions of the cast, but those specials can at least make you care about what they’re doing (Franklin unpacking his suitcase because he finally felt a sense of stability and belonging made me ugly cry). 

But “There’s No Place Like Home, Snoopy” doesn’t really go for those sort of emotional moments, and what you're left with is just kind of underwhelming. There’s some cute moments, competent visuals in places, a few genuinely entertaining callbacks and references, but that’s kind of it. I didn’t hate watching this, but at the same time I don’t think I’ll ever go out of my way to watch it again. Which is too bad because you can get so much more out these characters than this.

Anyway, watch this if you have small children to watch with or if you're bored and looking for something cozy. You'll forget it existed five seconds after you finish but you probably won't be mad about it.

[theshakespeariandoctor]

I have watched episode 1 and 2 of Around the World in 80 Days. I’m quite hooked. I didn’t know that I could believe in and root for a character that’s such an unconventional hero, but I think witnessing his doubts and his kindness and how he summons courage pulls me in. I think the other characters are handled well as well. I know it’s not that kind of show but I was still worried for the little boy. A hot air balloon, a train, what next? I’m suddenly excited by the prospect of actually witnessing such a journey, it’s become more real to me. Like everyone around Fogg and like Fogg himself, I am persuaded that he can really make this journey.

I don’t know much yet about Fogg’s past, but I’m already sad. I wish that someone was there to see all the things he is seeing. Something really bothers him. I feel his doubts about himself.. I feel like he does see the dangers of the world and find it hard to face, and I find it relatable.

[phils-mum]

Stuff I Watched In March 2020

The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals (rewatched)

Black Friday (twice lol)

Shazam! (also twice lol)

IT (rewatched)

IT Chapter Two (alsoalsotwice lmao, i might have a problem)

Booksmart

Jojo Rabbit

The Thing About Harry (rewatched)

Thor: Ragnarok (rewatched)

National Treasure (rewatched)

Mean Girls (rewatched)

Love, Simon (rewatched)

The Greatest Showman (rewatched)

Glee (rewatched)

On My Block (season 3)

Elité (season 3)

I Am Not Okay With This (rewatched)

Haunting of Hill House (rewatched)

Everything Sucks (rewatched)

Parks & Recreation (rewatched)

[memorizethisday]

Stuff I watched in 2020: Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

[mrsgojosatoru]

October Spoopy Watchfest: Day One - Coco (2017) 

[linesonscreens]

Stuff I Watched - Knights Of Guinevere (Pilot) (No Spoilers)

What is it?

In a dystopian cyberpunk future Disneyland has become moderately more expensive than it is now and operates as a floating island above the clouds. The story follows two women from the surface who discover a discarded animatronic princess in the trash one day. Hijinks (Read: Sci-fi horrors beyond comprehension) ensue.

Things of Note

This was made by Glitch, who makes The Amazing Digital Circus. Which is also very good, btw

In case you can't tell from the promotional material, this one ain't for the kiddies. How did they get away with that being their thumbnail image, anyway?

People on the internet are going to be SO annoying about this one, and I intend to contribute to this problem.

Fantastic animation and character designs all around. The giant knight robot thing in particular looked amazing. You'd have no idea this was an indy project unless you were told.

The pilot does a good job giving you enough information to follow the story while withholding enough to keep the world mysterious.

Good voice acting as well. My one complaint is that the old man sounds eerily like Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force and it was very distracting (the actor's delivery was great though).

Haha, wow Glitch isn't being subtle with it's seething hatred of Disney AT ALL, are they? It rules.

Is the large girl insane? I'm starting to think the large girl might be insane.

Final Verdict

Obviously it all depends on whether the show itself can follow through on the premise, but so far we're off to about as strong of a start as could be expected. It looks good, it sounds good, and the premise is intriguing. It's great! No notes!

Plus, like all the best animation these days, it's available for free on YouTube for anybody who wants to see it:

It's a really good time for indy animation, isn't it? Just banger after banger all the way down.

[linesonscreens]

Stuff I Watched - The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball - Season 1 (No Spoilers)

What is it?

After 7 years of doing God knows how much behind the scenes wrangling, and despite Cartoon Network itself catching fire and imploding, Ben Bocquelet has somehow managed to get us another season of The Amazing World of Gumball. You know, that silly slice of life cartoon about the cat and fish siblings that spontaneously developed a plot in the final season and ended on a cliffhanger. Man am I excited to see what was up with The Void!

Things of note:

The show does not explain The Void. 

On the positive side, this means that new viewers don't need to watch the original show and will be exactly as baffled as the rest of us.

Finally, Americans have a show of their own that they can insist is really good but will then have to spend an uncomfortable amount of time trying to explain why that one episode had weird incest undertones. Eat my お兄ちゃん’s entire ass, Japan!

The show somehow manages to make even better use of the multimedia visuals than it's previous incarnation. There are so many fantastic ways that CG, live action, and alternative 2D animation styles are blended together and it all just works somehow.

In an odd turn, this season has multiple episodes that are VERY political. Has anybody else noticed how political messaging in cartoons has recently gone from "You should recycle!" to "The climate apocalypse is upon us and n one shall be spared!". It's, um, let's call it "a mood".

This show taught me what a mukbang is, and I am worse for it.

Speaking of Japan. I’m not joking when I say that this show has better sakuga and fight choreography than most anime. How did that even happen??

Special shout out to that one sequence in “The Entrance”. If you know, you know.

Final Verdict:

Despite a couple of weaker episodes and that one scene the writers should be in jail for (no, the other one) I’d say that this reboot is actually a step up from the original both in terms of writing and animation and was well worth the wait. I’m actually ~kind of~ mad at other animated sitcoms now for being so stale and bland by comparison.

It's legit baffling that Warner Brothers almost killed this show for no reason (along with literally the entire Cartoon Network lineup aside from Teen Titans Go and Total Dramarama for some reason). What the actual hell is wrong with David Zaslav? Why are executives like thi-OOOOH! Now I see why the first episode was about how we should literally eat the rich. I get it now.

Anyways this show is a treasure, go watch it.