The Thoroughfare

by Kevin Hiles

"Who do you trust? How do you know? By how they appear? What they say? What they do? We all have secrets. But sometimes, rarely, something can happen that leaves you no choice but to reveal it, to let the world see who you really are. A secret self. But mostly we tell lies. We hide our secrets from each other. From ourselves. So, when you think about it like that? It's a wonder we trust anyone at all."

These hauntingly true words serve as the prologue to each episode of the BBC political thriller, "The Honourable Woman" This dense yet beyond intriguing story is one of the greatest examples of how television can weave the human element right between the fibers of one of the most controversial and hotly debated political issues of our time. 

The title character, Nessa Stien, played beautifully by Maggie Gyllenhaal, is an Anglo-Israeli businesswoman who is the head of her family's multi-faceted company. Due to her late father's influence, and her family heritage, she, as the head of the Stein Group, and her brother Ephra Stein (Andrew Buchan) have a vested interest in and involvement with the Middle East peace process. When her new business partner dies in an apparent suicide, The Stein Group is forced to delay they third phase of a lengthy and ambitious project: connecting the West Bank with optical fibre cables. This telecommunications initiative was designed to help bring peace and equality to Palestine and Israel; however, it's delay and the events that follow bring unintended consequences for all involved, both on a professional level, and more consequential, a personal level. 

I don't want to spoil much of the story for you, other than to say it's incredibly deep and thoughtful while its twists and turns deserve every gasp and gut-wrenching reaction they warrant. This isn't a show that you can successfully multi-task. It is however beyond worth your undivided attention for several key reasons.

The Plot: While there are a handful of different story lines to juggle in each episode, watching them intertwine is like watching a well-choreographed dance unfold. A plethora of movements but one singular goal: to tell an amazing story. The Writing: Hugo Black, who also directs the show, is a masterful writer who not only communicates a fascinating and gripping story, but really shows off his talent through his character development. Yes. The story itself would do well enough on its own, but pair it with incredible writing and you get one of the best shows television has to offer.

The Performances: On top of everything, the most impressive thing about this show is the performances given by the actors/actresses. While each character brings Black's words to life wonderfully, the crowning jewel of the show is, "The Honourable Woman" herself, Maggie Gyllenhaal. Beyond her flawless accent and her ability to command the screen in every scene she's in, the raw emotion she displays in her portrayal of this complicated and convoluted leader is stunning. She is beyond deserving of the many nominations for awards she's received, including winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress-Miniseries or TV Film. 

All in all, "The Honourable Woman" has every aspect of what makes a program take the leap from "great" into the category of "transcendent". An intriguing and relevant story, impeccable writing, and fantastic performances all contribute something that I believe will stand the test of time. 

Many shows come and go, but few, very few have the impact that "The Honourable Woman" can proudly boast.

by Thoroughfare Staff

Michael Grogan - "Nationwide, for obvious reasons. It's a buzzkill when you bring accidental childhood deaths into the mix."

Mark Denhoed - "Ditto on nationwide being the worst."

Michael Paraskevas - "Budweiser spending $9million just to hate on craft beer..."

Sam Graves - "Worst was the first go daddy commercial because I'm still mad about the one with the puppy they didn't air."

AIRED

UNAIRED

Jordan Graves - "Least favorite was obviously the nationwide one. But also the Nissan one about the car racing dad. Even though I liked Nick Offerman making Nascar seem cool, I hate the idea of this father leaving his family over and over again to pursue an extremely dangerous passion. It just seemed really selfish to me. His poor wife."

Song of the Day: February 4th

by Will Sharp

The Oscar nominations were announced before I had seen Foxcatcher, but they really perplexed me. How does a film don two acting nominations, a writing nomination, and a directing nomination without having garnered a best picture nomination? Obviously, so much goes into making a good film, but if you have a talented director leading great actors through a quality script, how does that film not make the cut of the ten best of 2014? Foxcatcher delivered something unique and worthy of your time with a true story not known by many.

Foxcatcher is based on the story of Olympic champion brothers Mark and Dave Schultz and their relationship with billionaire John Du Pont. Du Pont funds the training of some members of the USA Wrestling team and with that comes unforeseen strings that lead Mark Schultz down a dark path with Du Pont pulling the leash. Steve Carell and Mark Ruffalo are the Oscar acting nominees from this movie, but Channing Tatum turns in a performance that also deserves discussion. Tatum is this film’s catalyst, navigating us through the emotions of Mark Schultz providing a great foil for the character of Du Pont. Mark Schultz has a confidence level not fit for someone of his physical prowess and Olympic success while John Du Pont carries himself as if he owns the world simply because his fortune has afforded him that illusion. When Ruffalo’s Dave Schultz gets added into the mix, it makes for a terrific display of three very different relationships and power struggles.

by Thoroughfare Staff

Mark Denhoed - "The Brady Bunch". Good idea, casting, and technical execution.

Michael Grogan - "Budweiser Pacman". Just awesome because they made a dream of mine come true.

Sam Graves - Best was the Doritos commercial with the guy on the plane.

Michael Paraskevas - Liam Neeson about to go HAM in Clash of Clans.

Jordan Graves - My favorite was the fiat commercial. It has everything I'm looking for in a commercial: beautiful views of Italy, old people, and not-so-subtle jokes about sex.

Landry Harlan - "Dodge Wisdom". We could all use some sage advice from Centenarians these days, and the last shot of the old dude driving was badass.

Song of the Day: February 3rd

Theme of the Week: "What does the color green sound like?"

and Why Katniss Everdeen is the Most Genuine Leader and Heroine/Hero WeCould Ever Hope For

by Katelyn McCarthy

 “My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am seventeen years old. My home is district 12. I was in the Hunger Games. I escaped.”

These opening lines from the lips of Katniss Everdeen in Mockingjay Part 1 are a far cry from the Katniss we met in the first installment of The Hunger Games series nearly three years ago. Throughout the course of these three films, we have watched the metamorphosis of Katniss, from determined, stubborn, lonesome and sure, to a young woman fraught with anxiety and uncertainty, despite holding a leadership role in a rebellion wishing to restore hope to the nation of Panem. Quite simply, we watched Katniss fall apart; fighting nightmares at sundown, hallucinating deceased tributes, and talking to herself in the deep recesses of district 13 in order to try to remind her of what is true. Ultimately, though, I believe that this slightly unhinged heroine is what makes this story so beautiful, and that it is actually what makes Katniss the most genuine heroine we could have ever dreamed of.

The truth is, while the majority of films and novels create a hero or heroine seemingly incapable of acquiring mental health disturbances, it strips those invincible characters of the humanity demonstrated in the unraveling of the psyche. Real life is a wonderfully chaotic adventure that will bring wondrous joy to the heart, sure, but it is also a journey dotted with mental shifts along the way that may leave individuals feeling broken, anxious, or depressed. In these films, the Hunger Games were certainly an obstacle for Katniss that threatened her sense of security and control, and it is only natural that these experiences would leave Katniss, as it would anyone else for that matter, in a post-traumatic and unbalanced state. For, if Suzanne Collins had written the story instead with Katniss pressing on ferociously after the games, without a single hint of mental trouble afterward, the subject matter would have simply become another story that tells society “strong people don’t ever fall apart” instead of the empowering message that it does provide: “falling apart does not mean that you are weak.”

And this shift in mentality is why I firmly believe that Katniss is the most authentic heroine in film today. No human being could have made it through the vicious Hunger Games, forced to kill in order to preserve your own life while being hunted for your own blood, without any effect on their mental state.  It would simply be unrealistic to expect anyone to walk away from that situation unscathed and without mental scars. Katniss not only displayed strength in her fight in the Hunger Games, but she displayed her humanity and vulnerability to life’s twists and turns as she found herself holding onto hope in the midst of inner turmoil. Katniss truly is, I believe, the most genuine, relatable, and encouraging heroine and leader in film; she shows us that simply because you may be among the hurting, it does not mean that you cannot also be among the strongest.

by Sam Graves

We mourned it. We thought it was dead. Maybe one, two moreseasons, and New Girl would be a thing of the past. We had enjoyed thethoroughly entertaining, if somewhat childish, first two seasons, DVR’ing with friends and making anevent out of every episode—but season three had ruined the good feeling. Coming in to season four, we had low hopes.

New Girl introduced us to a truly fresh cast of characters. Zooey Deschanel as the indomitable-spirited Jessica Day was the celebrity draw, but we quickly came to love Max Greenfield’s delightfully douche-baggy Schmidt and Jake Johnson’s failure-to-launch Nick Miller. A strong, fully realized cast of characters including Cece, Jess’s model best friend, Winston Bishop, the former Latvian-league basketball player, and Coach, the too-intense athlete, helped round the show out, but in reality, through the first two seasons, Schmidt and Nick are what keep the show afloat.

With such great moments in those early years as Nick’s drunken wedding congratulations (and subsequent decision to “live in a photobooth”):

to Schmidt’s brilliant list-style speech detailing exactly what is most important to him in life:

the series really showed some comedic freshness and writing prowess.

If not as consistently impressive as season one, season two continued New Girl’s success. Memorable moments include Jess and Nick on absinthe, Nick’s firm conviction that Jess’s student is a psychotic murderer, and the finale in which Nick, Schmidt, and Winston chase a badger around the ductwork of a hotel.

But we also saw the beginnings of some cracks forming. Nick and Jess start an ill-fated romantic relationship that continues into season three, and Schmidt inexplicably double-times the woman of his dreams.

This is where New Girl went wrong. Think of all the great television shows of the last twenty years. They’ve all had a strong, dependable anchor couple. Friends has Chandler and Monica, How I Met Your Mother has Lily and Marshall, and The Office has the legendary Jim and Pam; without an anchor couple the show loses focus. Schmidt and Cece could have been that couple, but instead the New Girl writers decided to take a shot at Nick and Jess.

It worked for a while. There are some shining moments in season three (i.e. Nick and Jess’s secret sharing).

But overall, the show lost much of what was so interesting about it, especially towards the end. As viewers, we started to enjoy that Nick seemed to be growing up a little without losing his charm. Winston seemed to be moving somewhere in life, and even Schmidt started to soften through his relationship with Cece.

But New Girl’s writers weren’t pleased to have their characters progress. And the show got ugly and boring. The last half of season three sees Nick and Jess’s relationship on the rocks and eventually crumbling. Schmidt’s cheating comes home to roost, and what was a really funny facet of the show in his relationship with Cece was completely ruined. New Girl undid most of what was great about it in the span of half a season, and we thought it was finished.

We gave season four a begrudging final chance. Lucky us.

Within the first few episodes, we get to see Cece, Nick, and Coach attending a police function in, *ahem*, an impaired state.

Nick finding his true calling as the apartment’s secretary:

and Jess fully convinced that she has absorbed meth through her breasts:

Season four removes some of the emotional depth that season three mistakenly sought, and goes back to the basics that made New Girl great: quirkiness, strong ancillary characters, and great monologues.

New Girl may never be the Great American Television show, but it was never meant to be that in the first place. It’s a fun, rofl’y 22 minutes meant to be binge-watched. If you’ve been burned by season three, give season four a chance. After 15 straight worthwhile episodes, it’s earned those 22 minutes per week back.

by Malia Castillo, Bethany Trueblood, Katelyn McCarthy, Michael Grogan, Landry Harlan, Christina Sagan, Robbie Bennett, Bea Baker, Charlie Spears, Brady Pierce

by Rachel Zeiss

I have a deep affection for Sylvia Plath (and along with it, a strong distaste for her poet-laureate husband Ted Hughes). I love The Bell Jar. It’s written in a devastatingly relatablemanner – it’s hard to tell when the narrator crosses over into mental illness. (On a related note, if you haven’t read The Bell Jar, you should.)

After I read The Bell Jar, I researched Plath’s other works, and found this collection of poems. Ariel was published by Ted Hughes two years after Plath's suicide. There was some controversy surrounding this publication – Plath had drafted the collection, but Hughes changed the content when he published it. The “restored edition,” published about ten years ago, is the collection as she intended it. In addition to the poems, it contains facsimiles of Plath’s working manuscripts and a foreword by her daughter. This is the edition you should read.

I can’t offer you a tidy summary of Ariel, because no such thing exists. There’s no plot for me to tell you about. These poems are a strange, melancholy collection. But the strangeness is precisely what makes them so fun to read. They stretch your brain and remind you of the evocative power of a particular arrangement of words. Don’t be daunted by the fact that they are poems – you won’t have trouble understanding them, once your novel-orientated brain gets used to the format.

Most of these poems are available to read online if you want to check them out before committing to an entire book. I’ll leave you with this excerpt from Plath’s “The Rival”:

         “If the moon smiled, she would resemble you.

         You leave the same impression

         Of something beautiful, but annihilating.”

We know, the blog's days off are the worst right? Need something to hold you over till Sunday Book Club tomorrow? Check out a few of this past week's new album releases from perennial favorites The Decemberists, Punch Brothers, and Belle & Sebastian. It just might be their best work yet. "What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World" by The Decemberists

"The Phosphorescent Blues" by Punch Brothers

by Michael Grogan

For those excited about the sequel of Hot Tub Time Machine (being released next month), there's another time traveling flick that may whet your appetite. It's called Project Almanac and features a group of teens who stumble upon evidence that they themselves are time travelers. Thus, as such characters often do, they must get to the bottom of it, find that time travel machine and rewrite the past and/or fulfill their destiny as they see fit. If you've seen the previews, you know this movie will follow the typical arc of the characters relishing their discovery and then realizing that they've gone too far, and the world around them falls into chaos. In general, time travel done to change something in the past is never a good idea.

by Max Burgess 

So, I’m a little biased because this is my favorite videogame of all time, but when someone asks me to recommend a game, I just have toget this one out of the way first.

Braid is a 2Dplatforming/puzzle game that, at first glance, appears to be Mario clone numberx. You’ll be playing the first level or so – jumping over gaps, jumping onenemies, and jumping until your jump button breaks. You even get a little guyat the end of a level that comes out of a castle to tell you the princess isn’t there.

But somewhere along the lines, the game quietly informs you that you can rewind time. By holding a button, the entire world runs in reverse. Suddenly that really easy jump you missed in front of your friends (and of course, your friends are making fun of you for it because they’re jerks) never happened at all.

The time shenanigans don’t stop there. Each world presents you with a new and unique mechanic based on time. In one particularly challenging section, time only moves forward if you do, and, consequently, moves backwards if you start moving to the left. Another word gives you a magic ring you can pick up and move around that slows time in an area around it. All of these mechanics are executed flawlessly, creating the most frustrating yet by far the most rewarding puzzle experience I have ever had. On top of that, Braid features beautiful hand-painted artwork, an incredible soundtrack that sounds just as good forward as it does backward (albeit with a completely different tone), and an expertly written narrative with a twist at the end that I promise you will never see coming.

The Pit, one of the levels in the game, is a perfect example. It’s used as the first level for multiple worlds as a demonstration of a new time-warping mechanic, but each one includes a slight variant. The decision to reuse this level was not born out of pure laziness. It was deliberate and intentional, meant as a commentary on the difference between repetition and restatement, and the line between them has blurred so much in both the games and music industry.

Like…WHAT?! Who puts that kind of thing in a video game? Jonathan Blow, that’s who. The man is a certifiable crazy person genius.

The only true downside to Braid is its length. As an indie game, it simply can’t provide the amount of content your average triple-A title can. On the bright side, it is only 10 bucks, and I doubt you’ll only play it once.

Just please go play it, so I can write about other things. Otherwise you’ll never hear the end of it from me.