Yellowjackets, The Great, and that Jeremy Strong profile

Survival of the fittest (or the most ruthless), plus reading comprehension seems to be out of style

and

Dec 14, 2021

Hello!

On this week’s episode of Criticism Is Dead, we Yellowjackets and The Great, two shows about female savagery as a matter of survival, whether that's in the Canadian wilderness or the 18th-century Russian court.

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02:43 Yellowjackets, airing on Showtime, is compelling in its depiction of the violence and trauma that a high school girls’ soccer team inflict on each other.

Yellowjackets shares quite a bit in common with other teen survival shows like The Wilds (which we previously talked about). But Yellowjackets sets itself apart with its equal focus on the adult versions of these girls, who are all still scarred from whatever happened in the wilderness (death and starvation and cannibalism, we presume?)

We’re still a bit early in the show, but what’s been presented so far is an intriguing blend of grit, gruesomeness, and pulp. There’s darkness lurking in these (well-acted-out) characters’ pasts and presents, and we’re actually really excited to find out what that is.

20:08 The Great, in its second season on Hulu, is an ahistorical romp that relishes in wicked absurdity as well as some genuinely intimate moments.

The Great (which I previously picked as a favorite show in 2020) continues to fly off the rails. Season 2 is a balancing act: on one level, of Catherine’s desire for progress with the cost of achieving those aims; and on another level, the show’s balance of palace/political intrigue with its romantic, tender beating heart. Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning still make this series, which — despite occasional forays into narrative mess — remains a chaotic, visually sumptuous delight to watch.

31:38 Plus, culture notes about New Yorker writer Michael Schulman’s profile of Jeremy Strong — and all the weird reactions it has sparked in both readers and celebrities.

Ranging from:

Evening Standard @EveningStandard

"A female tortured artist is a sort of hysterical kook; a male one, a genius" | @phoebeluckhurst #Succession

standard.co.ukCould a woman get away with Jeremy Strong’s ego- preening on the set of Succession?So: Jeremy Strong, who hurt you? I refer to the New Yorker profile of the actor, AKA Kendall “All Bangers, All The Time” Roy, the lugubrious, thwarted Hamlet-lite of Succession. This 7,000-word feast by the writer Michael Schulman was doing the rounds yesterday afternoon, and no wonder, for it’s a t…

To:

Jessica Chastain @jes_chastain

Aaron Sorkin doesn’t have social media so asked me to post this letter on his behalf xx

Bonus links

There’s SO MUCH to say about the Succession finale. Here is just one: “The Remarkable Evolution of Tom Wambsgans”

One Perfect Shot @OnePerfectShot

SUCCESSION (2021) Cinematography by Patrick Capone Directed by Mark Mylod From the Episode "All the Bells Say"

Brittany Luse @bmluse

Shiv’s costuming is perfect for two reasons: 1) It communicates just how unsure she is of herself. She sees focusing on her appearance as frivolous (def a response to her mother!)… but she also probably doesn’t even know what she likes, so she always looks a little wrong.

An interview with GBBO’s Jürgen!

Lauren Michele Jackson, sharp as always, on the 1619 Project book.

Great, perfect, no notes:

Alex McMillan @UndeniablyAlex

Yankee Candle's Stages of Abstraction Level 1: The scent represents a physical object where the object's aroma is one of its distinct properties.

That’s it for now! See you next week.

— Jenny

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Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to criticismisdead@gmail.com.

Some credits:

Music: REEKAH
Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu

Criticism Is Dead