This weekend sounds like a sigh of relief. A long exhalation.
We’ve crossed the finish line into the Easter holidays, sixteen whole days where we are masters of our own routine.
There’s been a breadcrumb trail through these weekly posts, I realise. A mention of tiredness, another of plate-spinning and then came illness. A virus that appeared out of the blue last week and knocked me sideways, but has lingered on into this week because I failed to stop and let myself recover, carried on spinning the plates—just a few more days, just four more newsletters and a podcast, then I can rest.
“Radical idea. Why not just skip the deep dive this week?” A dear friend gave me the permission I hadn’t given myself to take that plate off its stick. Immediately a weight lifted. I have so many ideas, so many thoughts to write and share, but as another friend wisely suggested, I need to let my body catch up with my brain first.
I’m not sure what my writing here will look like over the next couple of weeks, but today I have the usual array of recommendations to share. Next stop, relaxation station.
Watching:
Stonehouse (ITVX)—This colourful three-parter has been on my to-watch list since Christmas. Dramatising the story of the bizarre disappearance of Labour MP John Stonehouse in 1974, this was much funnier than I was expecting. Matthew Macfadyen brings his Tom Wambsgans comedic side to his portrayal of the ridiculous buffoon of an MP and world’s most useless spy. Yet while Stonehouse is less overtly malevolent than Macfadyen’s Succession character, there is a depth of human complexity here. He is not totally unwitting in leaving a trail of hurt and chaos in his bumbling wake. A great story, well told. And wonderful to see Macfadyen acting opposite Keeley Hawes—first time since Spooks?
Succession (NOW/sky atlantic)—Featuring more Matthew Macfadyen brilliance, all hail the return of the awful clan Roy—Succession is back! I’ve mentioned before that I’m an inveterate binge-watcher. I planned and executed a very tactical restraint and rewatch strategy with Happy Valley to ensure that I hit the last episode after a full week immersed in the final series. But can I wait ten weeks to find out what’s happening in the fourth and final season of Succession? Not a chance. I rewatched the final episode of season three as a recap (so good), and then dived straight in on Monday night. So far, so Succession. Lots of the wittiest put-downs known (or previously unknown) to man, lots of angry swearing, lots of aggressive deal-doing, an outing for the PJ (‘private jet’, for those who don’t speak billionaire). Substack even got a mention! Who will come out on top? My guess at this stage is probably none of them. Just the viewers.
Honourable mention for a me and mini me Wes Anderson-fest. I finally got round to The Darjeeling Limited (Disney+) this week, perhaps not the best of his films, but brimming with his trademark uber-stylised kookiness and therefore utterly joyful (side note: Adrien Brody looks achingly cool in this film—just wow). And how brilliant is it to be able to share the magic of this amazing auteur with your 9-year-old daughter? For Fantastic Mr Fox (Disney+), I thank you fantastic Mr Anderson. Thumbs up times two. Very excited to discover this week that he has a new movie out in the summer, Asteroid City, starring the usual suspects plus bonus Tom Hanks. Trailer in the Extra credit section, below.
PSA: I very unhelpfully recommended the excellent Darkest Hour back in What This Week #4, when it had disappeared off Netflix before I’d even pressed publish that Sunday morning. Well, I’m very happy to report it’s turned up on BBC iPlayer.
Reading:
Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick was March’s book group book and it was an absolutely brilliant read. A non-fiction book on life in North Korea, which I realise how woefully little I knew about. It’s told through the stories and experiences of six very different people who manage to defect to South Korea. The individual stories are woven together to create a detailed picture of the saddeningly awful reality. Demick’s writing and journalism here are outstanding. Her compassionate story-sharing reminded me of Jessica Bruder’s excellent Nomadland.
I accidentally reread Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient this week. I picked it up to quickly research something—two days later I’d read the whole thing. This is probably one of the books I’ve owned the longest. Sat on many shelves, in many houses, ignored for many years. It is lightly tanned and has that smell. I remembered nothing particular about it, presumably bought it because I enjoyed the film—yes, I’ve always played the page/screen game. It is brilliant. Beautifully written. Completely transporting. I couldn’t wait to get back to it every time I put it down. I won’t leave it so long next time.
Over to you. What this week? My to-watch list is running worryingly low, so help out a woman on a mission to take it easy—what would you recommend?
Extra credit:
It certainly felt like a week of spectacularly high-quality reading, and prize committees would concur with that it seems. Barbara Demick’s Nothing to Envy, already the recipient of many awards, is currently being considered for the Baillie Gifford Winner of Winners: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/mar/09/baillie-gifford-prize-six-books-shortlisted-for-winner-of-winners-award
And The English Patient not only won the Booker Prize back in 1992, but in 2018 won the Golden Booker. In celebration of 50 years of the prestigious literary award, a winner representing each of the five decades was selected and then the public voted on their best of the best: https://www.waterstones.com/category/cultural-highlights/book-awards/the-golden-man-booker
The Substack mention in Succession—the Roy offspring trying to pitch a new media company to some investors as being like “Substack meets Masterclass meets The Economist meets The New Yorker”. Are you in? I think I’m in.
Trailer for Wes Anderson’s new movie, Asteroid City (been watching this on repeat):
(Includes affiliate links to Bookshop.org, an excellent bookselling website supporting indie bookshops)
So true. Life’s too short! I loved breaking bad, not seen sopranos and couldn’t get into Gilmore Girls. Not sure what it says about me 🤣
Hoping to watch The Magpie Murders once husband has finished watching the women’s rugby. I hear Lesley Manville is in it. One for you, Claire?