what i’ve been watching recently #17

Hello, friends!

It’s been such a long time since I last shared a recently watched and that’s literally because the past few months have been SO busy and chaotic and I didn’t have time to finish a thing. But, at last, I’ve finished four shows and I’ll be sharing my thoughts on them today.

NORMAL PEOPLE

I was pretty certain I was going to hate Normal People, but I was still curious enough to watch it. And, indeed, as expected, I hated it, lol. What was still interesting was that I hated it for all the different reasons than I thought I would.

I really dislike the miscommunication trope and some of my least favorite romance stories are those with tons of backs and forths caused by the characters never talking to each other. And while that was certainly present in Normal People, what annoyed me the most was the lack of depth in the interactions and the unbalanced character development.

There is one scene when Connell says that Marianne is his best friend and my only reaction to that was: “is she?” They share practically no meaningful conversations and you never see them develop feelings for one another aside from having sex. It was also really weird how Connell was given a lot of development throughout the series, whereas Marianne’s family issues and submissive tendencies were never properly addressed.

It was a weird show and I definitely can not understand why so many people adore it. Even the Irish vibes were mediocre at best and the lack of soundtrack made pretty impossible for me to connect with the characters/setting.

SELLING SUNSET (S5)

I am a sucker for reality shows and this is a known fact at this point. Season 5 of Selling Sunset was very… weird, I think. Ever since the show started centering Christine as a villain and the source of all drama, I’ve found that it’s just been annoying to watch her being brought down every second. I miss the earlier seasons when drama was caused from left and right.

I think the reunion episode is a must-watch, especially when it comes to the Chrishell x Jason relationship. It was certainly surprising to learn that while they had broken up because Jason didn’t want to be a parent, Chrishell has moved on to a relationship with a 20-something year old called G-FLIP.

As far as a potential season six, I think they will have a hard time creating drama and making the show entertaining without Christine. I am hopeful to hear they will integrate more from the recently-opened O.C office, as a cast refreshment is desperately what the show needs at this point.

STRANGER THINGS (S4)

This season was highly anticipated by me and I had the best time watching it, honestly. Firstly, I need to mention that Jonathan had a lot more screen time than I thought he would have and as a Jonathan Byers stan first, human second, I was VERY happy.

Overall, this season was actually very entertaining. While I was skeptical because they had added so many new characters, I think they were still able to develop interesting dynamics between characters we already knew, such as Robin x Nancy and Will x El. Obviously, some plot lines were more interesting than others, but I liked them all at the end.

The acting, however, was definitely not as good as I remembered it and I think it might have to do with the cringey dialogues. The CGI was also not the best and I was frustrated at how they kept going with the plotline that involved a black man being tortured for literally NO REASON AT ALL!!!!! Just to make us sit through that?! Like, Jesus, be better, seriously.

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY (S1)

This show got so much hype and I really wanted to see how I’d feel about it, even though I remember reading the first book and really not enjoying it. To be fair, love triangles are not for me, and a love triangle involving two brothers just gives me a headache.

Still, I was surprised by how much I did like the overall experience of watching it. I think they nailed the vibes and atmosphere of this one, playing well with nostalgia around beach houses and summers as a kid. (Not that I ever had anything close to this experience, lmao, but still). However, the soundtrack was definitely overpowering at times – I love Taylor Swift, but it was too much.

I also really loved the dynamic between the moms and the end did made me tear up a bit. I don’t have any preferences when it comes to the main love triangle and honestly wish that the romance between Belly and Cam Cameron had been developed more. The one thing I disliked a lot, though, was Steven and all of his plotlines. Seriously, WHO ASKED FOR IT. I don’t careeeeee, I don’t care, I don’t care, take that boy out of my screen please and thank you.

What is the best show you’ve watched recently? And what were your thoughts in the newest Stranger Things season? Have you watched The Summer I Turned Pretty? If so, are you Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah? Let’s chat in the comments!