5-4-3-2-1: Depp-Heard, Stranger Things, and Kate Bush
#2 in my cultural-roundup-meets-personal-diary series
Hi, friends! Here’s your next installment of the 5-4-3-2-1, my cultural-roundup-meets-personal-diary from my last couple of weeks, formatted in lists with categories of my choosing. Hope you enjoy.
5 takes on the Amber Heard case that resonated:
Like many of you, I’ve tried to avoid the Depp-Heard case as much as possible, because a lot of the discourse has been fraught with misogyny and people who relish in bullying women into silence. When I feel most alienated from public discourse, however, I find it helpful to find commentaries that articulate those feelings of alienation. Below are 5 articles and Tweets I’ve vetted, but bear in mind that the articles aren’t perfect, just better than most of what I’ve been seeing. If you want to skip everything to do with Depp-Heard, I totally understand… scroll to #4 of the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown.
-Amber Heard and the Death of #MeToo by Michelle Goldberg, which you can read here on the NYT. This article was published before the verdict was made, but it’s still one of the best commentaries I’ve read on the case. I appreciate how Goldberg puts Depp’s violence front and center in her article, because people have gotten so lost in the ambiguities of the case that they seem to have forgotten what he’s done, which is actually quite black-and-white. (I’m sure this tactic was quite deliberate by Depp’s legal team.) I think Goldberg also captures the #MeToo backlash culture that this case has given momentum and legitimacy to, which has probably been the most troubling feature of this case.
-Speaking of the backlash, this essay by Jessica Valenti on the memeification of Amber Heard. Her essay is short but to the point. She writes, ‘How long do you think it will be before a high school girl who comes forward about being raped is made into a meme about being the next Amber Heard that is passed around her school? How many times do you think an abuse victim will keep quiet rather than suffer the humiliation of an online pile-on?’
-This article by Moira Donegan, published in The Guardian just after the verdict was announced, titled, ‘The Amber Heard-Johnny Depp trial was an orgy of misogyny.’ She writes, ‘The trial has turned into a public orgy of misogyny. While most of the vitriol is nominally directed at Heard, it is hard to shake the feeling that really, it is directed at all women – and in particular, at those of us who spoke out about gendered abuse and sexual violence during the height of the #MeToo movement.’
-This Tweet:
-And this Tweet, too:
4 series I started:
Despite being super busy the least few weeks, I still managed to start a few series.
-Prehistoric Planet on Apple TV, a recommendation from my parents. I did that thing where I subscribed to Apple TV for a trial (to watch a different docuseries), but forgot to cancel in time (fml), so then decided to make use of it (Apple loves me now). This show is a typical David Attenborough nature docu-series, except that it’s about dinosaurs. How did they get real live footage of dinosaurs, you ask? Okay, well, it’s animated (duh), but it genuinely looks real, and Attenborough’s commentary only adds to the effect.
-Hacks, which I watched with a VPN on HBO, only to realize it’s free on Amazon Prime UK, anyway. It’s a show about two women comedians (one in her twenties, one around retirement age) who team up to salvage their reputations and careers. I’ve only seen the first episode so far, but my mom says I need to keep going, and truthfully, my mom is always right when it comes to film/tv recs. I can already tell that Jean Smart, who plays Deborah Vance, is golden, and I love stories that focus on women and intergenerational relationships (there aren’t many of them!).
-Unreal: a Critical History of Reality TV, by Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale. This one is an audio docu-series made for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds; I’ve been listening to the series on Apple Podcasts during my daily afternoon walk. The episodes discuss shows like Laguna Beach, What Not to Wear, and Love Island, and they explore how reality TV not only reflects but also entrenches social norms and values. The episode I listened to this morning on Keeping Up with the Kardashians took a deep dive into fame, beauty standards, and capitalism. The Kar-Jenners, they argue, by setting unattainable beauty standards (achieved by dermatologists, cosmetic surgeons, glam squads, stylists, etc), can make us feel inadequate; but we’re in luck—the Kar-Jenners have just the thing to sell us, which will (supposedly, but not really) fix any inadequacy (Skims for cellulite, a Kylie lip kit for thin lips). The episode reminded of this essay by Jessica DeFino, ‘Eat Shit, Kim Kardashian.’ Also, I haven’t listened to the Love Island episode yet, but their criticism of the show’s fast fashion partnerships may have contributed to Love Island deciding to collaborate with eBay this year instead; contestants will now be encouraged to wear their own clothing or shop second-hand.
-Stranger Things: Season 4 on Netflix. Okay, I’m not new to the show, but I’ve only just started the new season, and I’m already about halfway through. The storyline isn’t my favorite so far, but the nostalgia, music, and high production value is enough to win me over. Give me some ’80s, monsters, sci-fi, and school throwbacks any day. Also, I miss spring break and summer vacation. Can we make that happen for grown-ups, please?
3 things I’ve come across on the topic of quitting:
You know when you think about something and then you keep seeing that same topic everywhere? That’s what happened to me after I published my first essay on Substack about why you should quit reading shitty books. If the theme of quitting/endings resonates, you might like these finds, too.
-The Real Question podcast, ‘Quitting,’ episode from 16 May. This podcast is hosted by Vanessa Zoltan and Casper ter Kuile, whom I first discovered through Harry Potter and the Sacred Text (one of my all-time fave podcasts, but that’s another story). On this episode of The Real Question, they speak to listener Marie-Helene, who debates quitting her job but feels like she can’t, because she made a pact with herself to commit and see things through. Compared to other episodes and conversations, I feel like they made less headway with Marie-Helene, but it was helpful for me to witness someone else’s thought process and how strong that internal critic (you’re a quitter!) can be.
-Best Friend Therapy podcast, ‘Endings,’ episode from 16 May (Season 1, Episode 8). This is a podcast with Elizabeth Day (you might know her from her other podcast, How to Fail) and Emma Reed Turrell, psychotherapist and Day’s bff. There were some bits in the beginning about Covid being in the past that didn’t resonate with me, but it’s gotten me thinking about grief—how it’s ‘individual and collective’ (Day’s words)—and how we can make meaning through symbols, material objects, rituals, etc. How can we represent and memorialise endings?
-Someone summarized my thoughts on quitting in one Tweet:
2 cats I made friends with this week:
Kitty 1 was going in for a ferocious head-butt here:
Mischievous Kitty 2 likes to climb roofs but just wanted a belly rub today:
1 song I’ve been listening to on repeat:
Running up that Hill. Apparently, the whole world is listening to Kate Bush after Max’s episode on Stranger Things, myself included. I won’t ruin it if you haven’t watched it yet, but this song will be my summer anthem (hopefully I won’t have demons chasing me, but I’ll have this playing on a loop just in case).
Blast off!
Thanks for reading, friends. Let me know if you’ve read/watched/listened to any of these things and what’s been on your mind as of late. Also, I just wanted to say how touched I am by those of you who read my essay on Covid/chronic illness and reached out to me. Thank you for your empathy and for making me feel safe enough to be vulnerable; I hope I can give back what you give to me. <3
x Rachel
P.S. There are both British & American spellings in this post. Let’s roll with it, because I’m a hodgepodge at this point.
I like the idea of an episodic-sort-of commentary. Reminds me a little of Herb Caen, the SF columnist back in the day who wrote was became known as the 3-dot column, items that were strung together by ellipses... Some items were just a sentence and more social, others were actual news items and explorations of real issues... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_Caen
Thanks for this fun post, Rachel. I have lots to say about Heard-Depp, but I think I won't ... it's just too upsetting. So I'll focus on the fun, like the kitties and the great shows and interesting podcasts. I appreciate all the insightful recommendations.