A&E

Lily Bromley

Staff Writer

In 2008, Netflix started its streaming service and completely changed the way that we watch TV. It became easy to watch as much of a show as you wanted, without waiting for each episode to come out per week. There is one flaw with this model: in the age of binging, it is easy for shows to become irrelevant in between seasons. I can finish a season of 10-13 episodes in about a week, and I usually don’t even think about the show until the next season comes out.

“If I have school it will take me maybe three days to finish a season but if I have a whole day to myself it will only take me a day,” said Sophomore Nuala Cohen.

Sophomore Charnay Kirkland told me that she watches around 2 hours of Netflix a day, which adds up to about 14 hours a week. “If I had to guess I would say I watch like 2 hours of Netflix a day.” This number isn’t too far from the average, which is about 1 hour and 20 minutes a day. “I think I watched Big Mouth in a day” added Kirkland.

If it only takes viewers a few days to binge a season, I think it is safe to assume that the shows view count goes down drastically within the first few weeks of airing.

“I watch like 4 hours of Netflix a day,” Said Sophomore Eliana Alfaro-Allah. “On the weekends I can watch up to like 16 hours”

In this fast-paced industry, the question arises: How can shows stay relevant and continue to bring in viewers between seasons?

Netflix seems to have come up with a solution to this issue, bonus episodes. I first noticed these bonus episodes when only a few months after airing its first season The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina came out with a Winter Solstice episode, basically Netflix’s version of a Christmas Special. The episode set up even more excitement for the new season, leaving viewers with a cliffhanger ending. Another show that I watch, Big Mouth, just came out with a Valentines Day special entitled, “My Furry Valentine”. The episode fit in perfectly with the rest of the season, starting exactly where the finale had ended.

For me, both of these bonus episodes remind me of why I liked the show, got me excited for the next season, and in the case of Big Mouth, made me want to rewatch it, and I wasn’t the only one.

“After the Big Mouth special, I rewatched the whole show,” said Cohen. “I’ve seen so many people rewatching it now”

The specials seem to work as a tool to draw viewers back into the show, as well as create buzz for the new season.

“Watching the Valentine’s Day episode reminded me of how good the show was” Said Sophomore Charnay Kirkland.

These bonus episodes point out that there are actually upsides to normal cable shows. As a person who binges Netflix, but also watches some weekly shows, I have to say that there is something more exciting about waiting for an episode to come out. I also tend to get bored with cable shows less because I get a break in-between episodes. Overall, I think that how I like to watch shows depends on my mood, sometimes I want to binge a season, and other times I like having the week to get excited about the next episode.

With so many teens having extreme Netflix habits, I can actually see cable shows being beneficial, especially for children with increasingly low attention spans. These extra episodes make me wonder: is Netflix planning to go back to cable-like airing?

Sanaa Scott-Wheeler

Staff Writer

Aladdin, Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Lion King, Little Mermaid, Magic school bus, Mulan, Peter Pan, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Pinocchio

All your favorite childhood memories are back better than ever! Or are they?

Ever wondered what Pinocchio would look like as an actual person? Of course not he’s a cartoon. Disney has started a strong trend of remaking original movies, with the attempt to reinforce people’s love for that movie.

The remakes aren’t what people expected them to be. The actresses do not look like the original cartoons. People are frustrated. ¨I think they´re a good idea but they’re not being executed well. I think the writers, producers, and creators should take input from people that grew up watching these shows. ¨ said Grace Conley, movie fanatic and junior at Science Leadership Academy.

Disney’s directing team is already running into this problem, people that grew up watching these shows are not having it, it doesn’t match their vision.

¨I think that it’s good they want to keep the old movie titles current and they want this generation of children to experience their movies, but it seems like there are no original ideas.¨ Louisa Strohm a junior at SLA who is most excited to see the lion king said in an interview. This has been a common opinion from those who grew up with Disney.¨I liked them as cartoons I didn’t like them as people I had to see.¨ Said Lily Prendergast a freshman most excited to see Mulan.   

To say the least, many people doubt the success of the remakes.

“What if the Disney movies don’t deliver? ¨The Kim Possible one and Dora I’m just not impressed.¨ Said Juliana Long, a junior at SLA who is most excited to see the little mermaid. ¨I think it’s fine as long as they portray the story, it’s the same story just a different person¨” said Arely Rojas a freshman at SLA who is most excited to see the lion king. The lion king fan went on to say ¨The whole point of the movie industry is to keep making money, the quality doesn’t matter people are still gonna watch it.¨

An important message that came up in every interview presented the opportunity for audiences to live their Disney fantasy.¨ I think that in the cartoons most of them are white and we didn’t see a lot of Latina or black or Asian princesses There weren’t different races from white, I grew up seeing white princesses getting their happy endings, I think they’re trying to put people from different races into movies which is great.

Either way the movies turn out they will add to the legacy of Disney magic.

Lily Bromley

Staff Writer

Close your eyes and imagine the ordinary TV portrayal of high school. What do you see? For me, it’s an oversaturated mess, filled with bad acting and cliche plot lines. What’s worse is that there is no in-between for teen shows, they are either overly innocent or extremely raunchy, the actors either 12-year-olds or 30-somethings. I have always wished for a show that accurately described high school.

Sex Education isn’t exactly that show, but it’s close.

The new Netflix show follows Otis Milburn, a socially awkward nerd, and Maeve Wiley, a punky girl from the wrong side of the tracks. It seems like a pretty cliche high school show: naive boy meets manic pixie dream girl and his life is changed forever. But that’s not where the show goes.  Maeve and Otis are paired together on a science project and she observes him comforting a classmate about his sexual troubles. She then decides that she and Otis are going to start a “clinic”, where he gives advice to their sexually inexperienced peers, and while Maeve takes care of the money.

The soundtrack for Sex Education was chock full of throwback indie and punk music, with some of my favorite bands including, The Cure, Bikini Kill, Talking Heads, and The Psychedelic Furs. In fact, music played a big part in the characters. Maeve Wiley’s Riot Grrrl aesthetic is sealed when she is shown blasting “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill in her bathroom. Otis’ sad boy demeanor is showcased with his own music including “Boy’s Don’t Cry” by The Cure.

Sex Education is set in the present day, but if it wasn’t for the use of cell phones and laptops, I would have guessed it was set in the 80s or 90s. The costume design is also a definite throwback, and each group seems to have their own specific style. The popular girls are clad in denim jackets, zip up jumpsuits, colorful tops, and shoulder pads. Maeve wears dark denim, combat boots, and chunky jewelry, keeping up with her grungy character. Otis keeps to blue, red, and tan. I overall liked the 80s and 90s vibe of the show, but I thought it seemed a little out of place in a show that seems so current in all other aspects.

One of the most compelling parts of Sex Education is the obvious focus on female empowerment. I mentioned before that the female lead Maeve Wiley isn’t the average female character, though she easily could have been. With her pink hair and grunge style, she almost resembled Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim vs The World.  In the show, Maeve makes a point to say that she likes “complex female characters”, and I would definitely say that she is one. She has a complicated backstory and is given plotlines outside of Otis.

My favorite episode of the whole show is Episode 3, in which Maeve, after finding out she is pregnant, decides to get an abortion. The show did an amazing job of being respectful and realistic about the whole experience. The episode was very heartwarming, and I think it is the first time I had ever seen abortion being talked about in depth on a teen show. In Episode 5, an anonymous nude picture is sent to all the students at the high school. One of the popular girls, Ruby, confesses to Maeve and Otis that it is her picture. Maeve and Otis investigate who sent the picture to try and find out who sent the picture. The best part of the episode is the ending, in which all the girls in the school stand up during an assembly to declare “It’s my vagina” in support for Ruby. The scene was again, very heartwarming. The show’s portrayal and the inclusion of LGBT relationships, people of color and multiracial couples was authentic.

Sex Education isn’t the perfect show. Most of the actors are in their twenties, and their age, plus… some of the sexual references and plotlines (like the scene where a boy serenades his crush with “Love Really Hurts Without You” By Billy Ocean with the whole school watching) make the show somewhat unbelievable. But I think that overall, Netflix did really well. The show is diverse, funny, and definitely binge-worthy.

 

Juliana Long

Staff Writer

Ariana Grande: At the forefront of pop culture due to her controversy or her success?

Backed up by an extremely strong fanbase, she has been on consistent music release roll since the end of 2018. Grande’s fan base and its dedication to the singer is something that speculators have been fascinated by since she rose to popularity.

However, some less die-hard listeners have more conflicted feelings about her. Grande has a history of questionable expressions of art and has been accused of appropriating marginalized cultures in the past. Many fans on-the-fence don’t approve of some of her problematic decisions but sympathize with the hardships in her personal life that she’s been through recently.

In May of 2017, a suicide bomber committed an attack at Grande’s Manchester concert. After the incident, Grande expressed feelings of anxiety, sadness, and guilt. She even revealed that she had begun to experience symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

About a year later, Grande’s ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, was found dead after a suspected drug overdose. Grande faced severe backlash on various social media platforms blaming her for Miller’s death, mostly claiming that she shouldn’t have ended the relationship if she knew he was struggling with addiction.

Grande’s fan base was there with her every step of the way to provide support, and some even choose to support her solely because she has risen out of so much pain. An SLA parent and also an enthusiastic fan of hers, Maureen Long, claims that she is a fan of her because of the silver lining that she manages to embrace.

“She finds positivity in her life, even when things are hard,” she said. “She also has an incredible voice and inspiring lyrics.”

Alternatively, some people don’t like her as a person regardless of what she’s been through. The majority of the general dislike is due to Grande’s lack of respect towards certain cultures, specifically Japanese and Black cultures. After releasing her new single, 7 rings, on January 18th, not everyone was impressed.

“Her new sound has a lot of trap undertones and roots in black culture,” says Maren Lamb, junior at SLA.

This criticism, which claims that Grande uses aspects of black culture to her advantage yet falls short on speaking up about race issues in America, is pretty common throughout critiques of Grande’s musical choices.

Grande additionally later received significant backlash over the unveiling of her new tattoo on social media. The tattoo depicts a phrase written in Japanese that translates to “charcoal grill finger”. Offended speculators online perceived the tattoo as a symbol of ignorance.

There tends to be a theme within white culture where a white person gets a very random and meaningless phrase tattooed in some sort of Asian language simply because they think it looks cool as opposed to being educated about the language/culture, and Grande’s tattoo was perceived as an example of that.

Regardless of the public’s opinion on her, Grande continues to consistently release music reflective of her thoughts, feelings, and struggles. Listen to her newest album, Thank U, Next on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fYhqwDWXjbpjaIJPEfKFw?si=VwGaHUYqTQy-Sfvi5WQ8Aw

Eric Valenti

Staff Writer

On January 18, 2019, the sequel to M. Night Shyamalan’s 2000 film “Unbreakable” and 2016’s film “Split” hit theaters. We have all been reunited with our hero in a green poncho, The Overseer (Bruce Willis), the brilliant mind Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) and the new powerhouse the Beast (James McAvoy).

If you haven’t seen “Unbreakable” or “Split” I highly recommend you view those prequels first. However, if you just want a quick refresher on both films: “Unbreakable” follows the story of David Dunn, a man who can’t feel pain, so he can go through things like a train crash and come out without a scratch. Dunn soon faces a new type of enemy: Mr. Glass. He has brittle bone disease, where the slightest touch could break him.  However, he possesses a powerful intelligence that puts Dunn into a series of puzzles and has him running around Philadelphia in a frenzy. In “Split,” three girls are kidnapped by a man with dissociative identity disorder (more commonly known as multi-personality disorder) and he begins to reveal a new violent personality, referred to as the Beast.

First up: We all know that M. Night Shyamalan’s films are notorious for being filmed in every corner of Philadelphia. This time the film is centered around South Philly where I have lived all my life. It is always a thrill to see things being filmed in my area. Once while walking home I actually witnessed a shot from the movie right before it was filmed! While watching “Glass” I kept thinking “Woah, that’s the way I walk to school!” and “There’s the Melrose diner in the background there. I used to eat there all the time.” Each recognized place was a jolt of lightning running through my body.

What struck me most about “Glass” was its new and incredible depiction of mental health. This doesn’t mean that overall it’s a good thing. The personalities living within James McAvoy’s Beast persona is an attempt to prove that people with mental disorders exist and that they’re spectacular. Unfortunately, the Beast’s only way of doing this way is through violence, more specifically eating people and crushing them with his bare hands.

David Dunn, or the Overseer, wants to show the world his abilities too, but in a peaceful way. He disagrees with the Beast and Mr. Glass’ ideologies. Rounding out the cast is Sarah Paulson, who plays Ellie Staple, the doctor assigned to examine these fascinating minds. She begins to decipher these inconceivable beings and their powers.

The relationship between the three main characters is something like a comic book. Observing the Beast and the Overseer is similar to watching Batman and Superman. You support them both when you watch them fight, even though their beliefs about how to protect the world are completely different: one who wishes to remain a mystery and the other who wants to be shown in order to be understood and respected.

Mr. Glass is the mastermind or the guy in control of everything even though we don’t know it. Each of the three main characters has a different companion as well, to demonstrate a different relationship for their character. It’s a way for Shyamalan to show the heroes’ alter ego. David Dunn and his son, Mr. Glass and his mother, The Beast, and his best friend. It’s easy to connect to these relationships in particular because the actors did a great job of illustrating the language in a way that feels both natural and real.

Samuel L. Jackson especially stood out in this film because of the delivery of his lines. The scene where he speaks to one of the personalities within the Beast is enchanting. One of the personalities is a nine-year-old boy and Jackson is able to say his lines in a way that sounds like he’s talking to a little boy and telling him that he truly is a hero, even compared to the raw power of the beast.

I wasn’t familiar with McAvoy at all and never saw a film with him in it besides “Split.” His performance of all 24 personalities is too real. It truly feels as though there are 24 different people in one room, each with their own quirks and ways of dressing. This is also credited to Shaymalan’s directing and writing.

Shyamalan’s films are notorious for having twists and getting extremely low ratings because of it. But I believe the issues are rooted somewhere else. It’s the audience that he’s trying to reach. He’s trying to tell a story of mental health patients who believe they are superheroes. So he’s trying to reach the mental health community. A community that is represented in two ways in media. Unpredictable and violent. I believe Shyamalan is not trying to break this stereotype but trying to add a new perspective for people to look at those with mental health issues. I believe that a lot of his movies just try to add new perspectives to different issues rather than trying to add a solution.

Though it wasn’t a solution and even added to the stereotype that people with mental health are violent I believe that it empowered these neglected minds. Shyamalan takes ordinary Philadelphia, a place with huge neglect on the mental health community and tries to make Philadelphians and all that see this film understand that we should try to look at this community not as outcasts but as people with abilities we just struggle to understand. For a lack of a better word, they’re superheroes.