Poetry, apocalypse & cute monsters
No, they don't have much in common.
Welcome to the first issue of On The Screen. Today’s picks aren’t super obscure but I haven’t heard nearly enough about them so maybe they haven’t hit your radar yet either.
Dickinson (2019-2021)
You’ve probably heard of the American poet, Emily Dickinson, who couldn’t stop for Death. In this show, you get to see her played by Hailee Steinfeld in a charismatic performance that’ll make you want to be her BFF, or at the very least, be in her social circle to hear all about her wacky adventures. Oh, and Death does kindly stop for her, multiple times, throughout the seasons. In the form of Wiz Khalifa (yes, you read that right) riding a chariot pulled by translucent ghostly horses, because why not.
Do you need more reasons to watch? Fine. It’s a period piece with modern sensibilities and a stacked cast of actors with great comedic timing. Don’t watch it if you’re a stickler for historical accuracy. But if you can suspend your disbelief, you’re in for a riot. A beautiful, brilliantly imaginative, hilarious, and lovely riot. Just take a look at this dance scene set to Carnage’s I Like Tuh.
It’s not an accurate biography, but it will get you interested in learning more about her beyond the few poems you may have studied in school, which I consider a success.
The third and final season of Dickinson is currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Y: The Last Man (2021)
I wasn’t a big fan of the name of this show or the poster. I know, I know. You shouldn’t judge various forms of media by their cover art. I wasn’t in the mood to watch a post-apocalypse show about a world where all males die except a man and his monkey of possibly a mysterious virus - can you blame me? But I did end up watching it and I’m glad I did.
This is a plot-centric show but the characters are what made it special. Ben Schnetzer plays the titular Y as Yorick Brown, an escape artist/part-time magic teacher. Good news: His mother (Diane Lane), who was a pre-apocalypse Senator and now the post-apocalypse President, soon discovers her son is alive, thanks to a badass super-secret service agent, 355 (Ashley Romans). Bad news: Survivors already think there’s a conspiracy and there’s no way they can reveal that the President’s son is possibly the only living man.
And so. Yorick with his very adorable pet monkey, Ampersand (which I just learned was CGI), goes on a road trip with Agent 355 as his bodyguard to find a geneticist to can figure out why he lived and maybe save the world. You get to see very different sides of the apocalypse since it follows the stories of a couple of women. Some get to stay protected inside the Pentagon. Some join a cult. Some just want to get by. Some manage to set up a whole city.
All, in all, it’s a pretty interesting what-if take on the post-apocalypse genre. You might not get all the answers in the show since it was cancelled just after one season due to a bunch of production and business issues. But since it is based on an award-winning fully-completed comic book series, you can find out the canonical ending, if you’re so inclined.
The entire first and only season of Y: The Last Man is streaming on Hulu for now. (unless it’s picked up by another network sometime)
Monsters at Work (2021- )
I’m sorry, when was someone going to tell me that one of my top 5 Pixar movies was getting a tv show? Nobody? Okay. I had to go scrolling through titles, past alllll the new Marvel and Star Wars content (which, yes, are great to have but are overshadowing everything else), to find this absolute gem. This is the Pixar that I love, that’s not just clearly meant for kids (looking at you, Forky).
Monsters at Work is set right after the events of Monsters Inc. and brings back Mike and Sulley as the co-CEOs. But they’re not the main characters. The monster we’re now focusing on is Tyler Tuskmon (voiced by Ben Feldman), a fresh University graduate who is excited for his first day at the company and looking forward to his new job as a scarer. Just as, oops, scarers are no longer a thing. Monsters Inc. is now shifting to ‘laugh power’ that runs on, you guessed it, making kids laugh instead of scream in terror. So, he joins a rag-tag group of M.I.F.T.ers who have their own little quirks that I’ll leave for you to discover. It’s not the job that he wanted, but it’s the job he has. Besides, there’s some upward mobility and he can get back to the floor as soon as he can learn to be funny and become a jokester.
If I had to sum it up in a line, I’d call Monsters at Work a family-friendly office sitcom. The episodes are fairly self-contained but I’d highly recommend watching them in order as there are arcs. With Mike’s Comedy Classes ending each episode except the first, you leave each of them on a high note. And the music and title card animations! Nostalgic, hummable, and still, fit perfectly within the Monsters Inc. universe. It’s just ten episodes but very rewatchable. Even if you somehow haven’t seen the two movies yet, you’ll like this. (If you have, you’ll love this.)
The entire first season of Monsters at Work is streaming on Disney+.
Until next time,
V