FMG: Cancel your weekend plans + watch this show instead
plus, this newsletter involves math for the first time ever
Happy Friday! I do fear that if I don’t see consistent 60-degree days soon, I’ll simply wither away — but thankfully, I’m being kept warm by the absolute onslaught of great TV on right now.
TV, Part 1: I downloaded Adolescence to watch on my plane trip home from California a few weeks ago (right when it first came out, because I hate when people are talking about a show I haven’t seen yet), but I ended up sleeping and listening to Mayhem instead (time well spent!). Fast forward to this past weekend, when I binged it all in two sittings (which isn’t hard, as it only consists of four hour-ish-long episodes). If you’re not yet aware, Adolescence opens with the arrest of a 13-year-old boy in his home, arrested on suspicion of murdering his female classmate. I honestly don’t want to tell you more about it because I think it’s best to go in without preconceived notions (but you can watch the trailer!), but trust me when I say that it should be mandatory viewing. It’s obviously a timely, thought-provoking, and engaging topic, and the show’s made even more dynamic by the fact that each episode was shot in one long, continuous take. The performances are so insanely impressive and moving, and I literally cannot stop thinking about this show.
Note: Adolescence is about to be made available for viewing in schools in the U.K. (where it was made), and I think that’s such a cool and forward-thinking move in the fight against toxic masculinity and violence against women. Read more about that initiative and how it’ll be implemented here.
TV, Part 2: What a true gift it is to be on this earth at the same time as The White Lotus. As I have previously shared, I was (for reasons unknown) hesitant to hop on the WL bandwagon, but I’m so glad I finally did. I will be both sad and relieved after Sunday night’s finale, and I can’t wait to finally watch season two (which I never watched but that several people have told me is the best one!!).
TV, Part 3: This is obviously not a TV show in the traditional sense, but I myself look forward to watching the Women’s March Madness Final Four games this evening. Much like I will be relieved when I have to stop wondering what the Ratfliff brothers are going to do next, I will also be relieved when I can stop spending my free time hoping that the UConn Huskies get their national championship. I’m about to have a lottttt more free brain space! Perhaps I’ll launch a business or write a book!
A fun fact proving that everyone is indeed watching women’s sports: ESPN ad sales for women’s March Madness are up 132% year-over-year (!!). In 2023, a 30-second ad spot during the national championship game (which drew 9.9 million viewers) cost an average of $65,830. Last year, the championship game drew nearly twice as many viewers (18.9 million), and 30-second ads went for an average of $188,870. This year’s average price is said to be over $430,000, and you can bet all that money and then some that I’ll be one of the millions tuning in to watch this year’s championship game on Monday night. Alexa, play “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”
Books: My reading slump is officially over and I’m so happy! I’m almost done with How to End a Love Story, which is (admittedly) a unique concept that I wasn’t necessarily expecting. It’s a rom-com (technically?), but it’s also much darker than I thought and contains some very heavy themes. If you like your rom-coms to contain minimal fluff, this is a good one for you. P.S. It was written by the screenwriter who’s adapting Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation!
I know I said that I was going to read Sunrise on the Reaping (the new Hunger Games prequel) next, but I’m honestly just avoiding spending the $15. I will likely cave this weekend! Stay tuned!
And in final news, I have a birthday this week! I genuinely hesitate to share this because I honestly want to pretend it’s not happening this year (and truly please feel free to ignore it with me), but ultimately I want to take the opportunity to say that if even one of you is out there reading this and also feeling stressed about birthdays/getting older/running out of time, you’re not alone. The best gift you can give me is to remind yourself and the people around you that age is just a number, we’re all doing our best, and Harry Styles is even older than I am and he’s only getting hotter. Cheers!
XO,
G