What I've Been Watching *March 2019*

Hey everyone! I am back with another "What I've Been Watching" post since I've watched quite a few interesting shows in the last few months (some have been very hyped up, so I had to watch them).

*none of these images are my own, but taken from Google*

First, let's talk about the Netflix Spanish show, Elité.

I saw coming attractions to this show on Netflix often enough to be intrigued, but then I finally decided to look into Elité. Some accounts on Instagram were posting clips of how dramatic the show is, and it's a mix of the British show Skins, which I've rewatched a few times, and Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl. Google's description of it is, "When three working-class teens enroll in an exclusive private school in Spain, the clash between them and the wealthy students leads to murder." The description does not show justice because it's so well directed and written. The show is produced in Spain, hence it's all in Spanish, but I have been listening to it in its original audio since I can understand a bit of the language, but with English subtitles. I personally don't like dubbed tv shows, but there's also English, German, and Chinese dubbed versions of the show. I am a very big fan of the show, so I highly recommend it, definitely, don't let the language barrier discourage watching it. 

Around December, I watched Netflix's Italian show, Baby.

I have been watching shows in English too (I swear), but this show caught my interest because 1) I started taking an Italian class in college 2) it is the in the realm of teen drama that I can't seem to get away from. Google's description of this show is, "By day, Chiara is a promising student at one of Rome's most elite private high schools; by night, she leads a scandalous secret life." There is heavy criticism for this show since it's based on the baby squillo case in Italy, which involved minors and government officials in a scandal (it's definitely a case to look into). A lot of elements of the case have been removed such as in the real case, the girls are fourteen, and in the show, they are older. As an entertainment purpose, this show nails the drama.

Comparing it to Elité (since they are both European shows), I would say I like Elité slightly better than Baby because the characters are more relatable and likable. No matter how bad the characters of Elité are, I can find more hope in them because you see their whole home lives compared to Baby. Both shows do deal with super rich, privileged kids; but, it is interesting to watch. Both shows have been renewed by Netflix for a second season. Once again, I watch Baby with the Italian audio and subtitles in English. 

The next show I've watched recently was, You (which is also a Netflix original).

Okay, this show freaked me out and made me want to delete all social media. The description of the show from Google says, "What would you do for love? For a brilliant male bookstore manager who crosses paths with an aspiring female writer, this question is put to the test. A charming yet awkward crush becomes something even more sinister when the writer becomes the manager's obsession. Using social media and the internet, he uses every tool at his disposal to become close to her, even going so far as to remove any obstacle --including people -- that stands in his way of getting to her." Note the main character, Joe (played by Penn Badgley from Gossip Girl) uses social media to stalk and find out every aspect of Beck, the other lead's, life. 

This show was incredibly hyped up, and although it was suspenseful and generally a well-produced show, I can't say I completely liked the show. It's hard to say you like a show where you watch some stalk a girl and the steps he goes through. My main issue is how annoying the character Beck is. She's a writer, but that's her defining factor. She refers to herself as a mess and instead of getting herself on a track, she tends to make everything worse for herself. Beck constantly makes horrendous decisions and almost makes you not pity her. Almost is the keyword. This show also contains cameos from John Stamos and Shay Mitchell. Personally, I think Penn Badgley and Shay Mitchell saved the show for the most part because their characters, although cruel, were written very well and intense to watch. I don't know if I will be watching a second season (when they make it), but we'll have to see...

A show I watched earlier this semester was another Netflix show called, Sex Education. 

I loved this show. There is only one season out on Netflix, but I enjoyed every episode. The show has a very strange concept, but believe me when I say this show is really good. The description from Google is, "Socially awkward high school student Otis may not have much experience in the lovemaking department, but he gets good guidance on the topic in his personal sex ed course -- living with mom Jean, who is a sex therapist. Being surrounded by manuals, videos and tediously open conversations about sex, Otis has become a reluctant expert on the subject. When his classmates learn about his home life, Otis decides to use his insider knowledge to improve his status at school, so he teams with whip-smart bad girl Maeve to set up an underground sex therapy clinic to deal with their classmates' problems. But through his analysis of teenage sexuality, Otis realizes that he may need some therapy of his own." 

On first glance, I've heard people say that they thought this was show would raunchy and disturbing to watch, but it's another teen drama, but this time it talks about real taboo topics that many shows don't discuss. Characters on this show talk about events such as coming-out, dealing with sexual assault and health, but also just the ins and outs of being a young adult. The show's aesthetic is a little all over the place because the high school is very American-ized in order to be more appealing to United States viewers (i.e jocks, popular girls, referring to the school as a high school), but is set in Wales. The main character, played by Asa Butterfield (who has been in movies such as Hugo, the Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and The Space Between Us), is dressed in a very 80s outfits. To the sum that all up, the show has a weird vibe that absolutely works. The show is raw and comedic at times and deals with real issues without making the show just about them

Lastly, I'll talk about the Freeform show, Good Trouble.

The first season of this show has been airing each week, and I have been obsessed. For those of you who watched The Fosters, this show really does all the characters justice. The description of this show is, "Good Trouble" follows Callie and Mariana as they embark on the next adventure in their lives in Los Angeles. Mariana tackles the male-dominated world of tech, and Callie faces the harsh realities of the legal system as she clerks for a federal judge. After moving to The Coterie in downtown Los Angeles, Callie and Mariana realize that living on their own is not all it's cracked up to be. Although they have new neighbors, new romances, and new challenges, the sisters must rely on each other to navigate the City of Angels."

It is very refreshing to see two female characters who have more issues than just dealing with significant others on a show. Callie and Mariana are both powerful women in the show, one working in tech and the other training to be a lawyer and actively deal with issues that affect real people. Yes, there is a lot of romantic drama, but all the screentime doesn't go to that. The side characters are all very interesting and have backstories that are very developed. Topics such as the #BlackLivesMatter movement are regularly mentioned and its importance explained quite often. Characters from The Fosters have guest-starred in the show (Noah Centineo included!), and have brought new light to their old characters. I highly recommend this show if you have the chance.

Have you watched any of these shows? What are your thoughts? Did you like them? Were some of them overhyped? Comment below! 

(All you need is an email or Twitter to comment through Disqus). 

I hope you liked this post! I will see you on Thursday with another one :)

xx

Christina Madeleine

Book Review: Love & Gelato

Hey everyone! I can't believe it's been six months since my last book review! My GoodReads goal is to read 25 books this year, and I am only up to four so far this year. Since it's Summer now, I've decided to get back into reading. For my graduation, my friend Eleanor bought me Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch and I was able to read this book in about five days because I was so captivated by it.

Synopsis from GoodReads:

“I made the wrong choice.”

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more. 

My Thoughts:

To sum up the plot in a straightforward sense: Lina's mother dies in the first few pages of the book, but her mother had arranged for her to move to Italy to live with a father she had never met. The plot is more than that because she is given a journal that her mother wrote from when she spent a year in Italy when she was in her twenties. Lina meet Lorenzo (who goes by the name "Ren") who's mother is from Texas, but they live in Italy, and they become friends instantly. She also meets other teenagers from the International School who all have really interesting back stories, but none of them are fully Italian.

One of my problems with the book is that it all takes place within a week. Lina has a breakdown literally everyday about her mother, and she goes on this journey with Lorenzo after only knowing him for a day. Also her father, Howard, is super chill with the fact that the daughter he never met before literally three days before is going off with a boy he doesn't know on a motorcycle around Italy. Lina also causes so much drama for herself and the friend group that existed prior to arrival, and everyone just takes her side. I feel like the plot should've been over a long period of time because nothing too deep happens, and by the end of the book (literally six to seven days) after the beginning, she decides she loves Italy and wants to stay there. My other problem with the book is that the descriptions of the places in Florence seem like someone looked at a picture of Italy and has never went there before. An example is how she describes Florence, "The climb was totally worth it. The view of Florence was just as stunning as my mother had described it, a sea of red rooftops under an unblemished blue sky and soft green hills circling everything like a big happy hug" (pg.194). I don't know about you, but I didn't really get the feel of Florence from that passage or describing something as a hug. 

Lina did absolutely no research on Italy before moving there. An example (pg 166):

Lorenzo: "Hey do you want to get a gelato?"

Lina: "Whats' that?"

Lorenzo: "Gelato. Italian ice cream. The greatest thing that will ever happen to you."

If you're moving to a different country, wouldn't you do a little research on the food and culture. Don't even get me started about how she literally knows none of the sights of Florence, and asks Lorenzo everything.

Overall, I liked the book because it was a cute summer read and it made me want to go Italy (despite the subpar descriptions). I think it was a cute book and I got excited over the romances in the book, but I don't think it was a "literary masterpiece," but I do recommend if you want a light and cute read.

I usually do favorite quotes, but there weren't any that particularly stood out to me. 

xx

Christina Madeleine

Send me book recommendations!! Friend me on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/55538660-christina