Television Archives - Queen's Journal

“OK, see you!”: Kim’s Convenience comes to an abrupt end after five seasons

Written on March 19, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

The news that Kim’s Convenience will be ending early took many fans by surprise. Despite a previous announcement that the CBC show would be renewed for a fifth and sixth season, the show’s producers announced March 8 that the current season would be Kim’s last. “At the end of production on Season...

The magical optimism of children’s television

Written on March 12, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

There comes a time in our lives when we feel we’re supposed to leave children’s media behind. We’ve all heard of, and maybe even been, the preteen who refuses to watch the newest Disney musical or read a book they used to love. The reasoning is always the same: “That’s for babies!” But for some of...

The Bachelor’s racism doesn’t end with Chris Harrison

Written on March 2, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

After 19 years of hosting ABC’s The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise, Chris Harrison is stepping aside. It’s unknown when or if he will return. This announcement comes shortly after the former host made racist comments in an interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay. Lindsay...

Streaming should be the end of reality TV

Written on February 26, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

If video killed the radio star, then streaming should kill reality television. The appeal of reality TV is undeniable: humans are inherently nosy creatures. There’s a vicarious thrill in watching other people live their lives. While memorable personalities often keep viewers returning, reality TV...

Why I fall back into ‘comfort watching’

Written on February 26, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

“Are you still watching?” This is the prompt that appears when Netflix is concerned that you’re spending too much time in front of the screen. Most of us have been there—a rabbit hole of content that winds up an hours-long spiral of binge watching. Personally, this happens more often than I’d care...

Onscreen abortion representation is vital, but has its limits

Written on February 26, 2021. Posted in Editorials.

Abortion isn’t just a right; it’s a choice made by women every day. Mainstream media should represent the procedure as such—at the very least an option, if not a decision made—though we can’t rely on Hollywood to do the heavy lifting when it comes to improving access to abortion and contraceptives. Abortion...

‘Euphoria’s special episodes are beautifully unnecessary

Written on January 29, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

When Euphoria announced two unexpected special episodes last November, there wasn’t much indication of what those episodes would look like. The announcement said little more than that two episodes, one focusing on Rue and the other on Jules, were produced during the pandemic and would be released...

‘Fate: The Winx Saga’ does too much with too little

Written on January 29, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

With a mere six-episode season, Fate: The Winx Saga—a teen adaptation of Nickelodeon’s hit Winx Club series—already lacked the space to do much with the vast world it inherited from its predecessor. While it uses the rich Winx world to its advantage, Fate tries to do too much with the little it has. The...

‘The Crown’ brilliantly portrays the decline of the British monarchy

Written on January 26, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

I swore I would never be one of those people who watched The Crown. From the outside, it seemed like another series about the uptight British monarchy, layered with dry political humour and hidden history lessons in every episode. Then I saw the trailer for Season Four. I don’t know exactly what draws...

‘The Queen’s Gambit’ doesn’t properly depict addiction

Written on January 15, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

While stylish and bingeable, Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit fails to portray an authentic struggle with addiction. Based on Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel of the same name, the hit Netflix adaptation begins in the mid-1950s and transitions into the 1960s, following orphaned chess prodigy Beth Harmon (Anya...

Watching mature content with your kids: parental sin or learning opportunity?

Written on January 15, 2021. Posted in Editorials.

Allowing children to watch age-inappropriate content with adult supervision isn’t the parental no-no we think it is, but a chance for parents to educate their kids on important issues children’s shows often fail to address. Content ratings themselves are inaccurate and outdated, grading content by...

‘Fresh Prince’ reunion reveals the emotional journey behind the iconic sitcom

Written on January 15, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

’90s Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was one of my first real crushes: there was something about the way he lit up a room wearing baggy shorts and a ridiculous pattern that somehow looked good, and the way booming voice made everyone, including my parents, genuinely laugh. The show was iconic...

Travesty in the ‘Ton: ‘Bridgerton’ slips up

Written on January 15, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

This article contains discussions of sexual assault and may be triggering to some readers. Without holiday plans to look forward to and with the incoming frost chasing us all indoors for good, I entered a lull in November—then the Bridgerton trailer dropped. From the second Julie Andrews’ narration...

‘You’ and ‘Barry’ are quiet commentaries on white male privilege

Written on November 27, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Joe Goldberg, the protagonist of the television show You, and Barry Berkman, the titular character from HBO’s Barry, have a lot in common: they both want nothing more than to fit in and feel loved, they’re both striving to become better people, and they’re both self-centred killers. Part of what...

‘Supernatural’ shouldn’t have buried its only gay lead

Written on November 20, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

If you’re a fan of Supernatural, you might be feeling down for two reasons: last night’s series finale, and the show’s disappointing execution of its final bid for positive queer representation. Before it returned to air its final seven episodes, I wrote an article condemning the series’ pattern of...

Clare & Dale’s romance highlights the odd format of ‘The Bachelorette’

Written on November 13, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

As the almighty Chris Harrison has stated many, many times, this season of The Bachelorette is “unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.” The reality series’ latest season has not only contended with COVID-19, but with something practically unheard of in Bachelorette history: the lead falling in...

The history of Indigenous representation in film and television

Written on November 13, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle.

It’s not controversial to state that Hollywood has a representation problem. In over 100 years of productions, positive and well-rounded Indigenous characters have been notably missing from film and television. The history of Indigenous representation is a long and messy one, with the absence of Indigenous...

‘Emily in Paris’ tests negative for COVID-19

Written on October 22, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Netflix’s latest bingeworthy show, Emily in Paris, has been the perfect way for me to escape the harsh realities we’re facing today. From the bright, vivid colours to its amazing soundtrack, the show captures the magical essence of Paris. I was a little hesitant to watch the show, but gave it a chance...

Ranking Jane’s love interests on ‘Jane the Virgin’

Written on October 22, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Jane the Virgin centres around a young woman obsessed with writing, thinking about, and living out romance novels. As the title indicates, the series initially centres around Jane saving her virginity until marriage—a commitment which is complicated when she’s accidentally artificially inseminated. If...

‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ falls eerily flat

Written on October 20, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

You know those people who re-watch their favourite show or movie over and over again? I’m one of those people, and I was The Haunting of Hill House’s biggest fan. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for its sequel in Netflix’s popular horror anthology The Haunting of Bly Manor—just one viewing was...

Disney Channel never got worse, we just got old

Written on October 8, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Growing up, I had a bone to pick with 90s kids. Every time I opened Facebook or YouTube, I was hit with nostalgia-heavy posts about a time period I only vaguely recognized. It made me feel mocked and excluded. “Only 90s kids will understand” was plastered across the internet; “Things people...

‘Supernatural’ has a pattern of queerbaiting

Written on October 6, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

This week, the CW’s hit television show Supernatural returns to air its final seven episodes. On top of being the longest-running American live-action fantasy TV series to date, it’s also a contender for the most prominent example of ‘queerbaiting’ on television. Queerbaiting is a term used in film,...

It’s your last chance to get caught up with the Kardashians

Written on September 22, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Earlier this month, the Kardashians announced their hit reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, will finally be ending its 14-year run in early 2021. If you’re anything like me, you’re getting condolence messages from your friends and mourning the loss of quality entertainment. If you fall...

On ‘Indian Matchmaking,’ Sima Aunty knows best. Or does she?

Written on September 11, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Following its premiere on Netflix several weeks ago, Indian Matchmaking has remained a topic of conversation in and surrounding the South Asian community. The unscripted show follows Mumbai-based matchmaker, Sima Taparia, also known as Sima Aunty, as she helps her clients who are looking for love. I...

‘The Umbrella Academy’ is back with a better apocalypse

Written on September 11, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

The first season of The Umbrella Academy ended with the Hargreeves siblings hurling themselves through space and time in a desperate bid to save themselves—and the world—from a devastating apocalypse. Season two picks up just moments after the previous finale—and 56 years in the past. The family...

How COVID-19 has impacted entertainment

Written on September 3, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

From the onset of the spread of COVID-19 into North America to now, there’s been a stark change in the way the entertainment industry operates. From film sets being shuttered within a matter of days to movie releases being forced to rely on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime more heavily...

The complexities of race and motherhood scorch the screen in Little Fires Everywhere

Written on September 3, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

I binged all eight episodes of Little Fires Everywhere in two days and marveled at the intelligence and artistry of the show for weeks after. Starring Reese Witherspoon as Elena Richardson and Kerry Washington as Mia Warren, Little Fires Everywhere depicts the dangerous subtlety of racism through...

How police television shows contribute to 'copaganda'

Written on June 29, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Cop media wrongly idealizes the police, regardless of how diverse it gets. Though as a non-black POC I cannot speak directly to the experiences of Black individuals who are exposed to pro-cop media—known as ‘copaganda’—there’s no doubt its presence in mainstream media contributes to public perception...

Never Have I Ever is a hilarious, candid approach to life in high school

Written on June 1, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

As hard as it might be to admit, high school was an awkward time for most of us. Mindy Kaling’s latest TV creation, Never Have I Ever, embraces this awkwardness with open arms. The Netflix Original show follows Devi Vishwakumar, a fifteen-year-old teenager who’s struggling with the highs and lows...

Point/Counterpoint: Is Glee a clever satire?

Written on June 1, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Yes The first season of Glee is charming but infuriating—it’s the perfect example of how not to do satire. Quinn’s claim in season one that her teen pregnancy likens her experiences to those of racial minorities, for instance, is enough to make a person give up on the show all together. But, like...

Tag: Television

The Journal, Queen's University - Since 1873

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