TV Was Weird This Week
On Bupkis, Succession's election night, and The Other Two
After two TV home runs (Beef and Jury Duty), instant TV karma has struck, and it feels like everything I’m watching is just kinda weird this week. Except for Vanderpump Rules, which I am not bingeing as fast anymore, but still love deeply; it’s my lunchtime treat, my port in a storm. I am super aware that the season 10 finale aired this week and next week kicks off a 3-part (!!!) reunion, and I do have PLANZ for that. More on that later.
I’m also wondering if I should be wrapping my tentacles around more reality TV, since the current writer strike is *still* going on, and while there’s little impact viewers are seeing yet1, I’m worried (read: using this as an excuse to maybe dip my toe into more reality, like The Golden Bachelor, aka the new dating show for olds that I’m actually very intrigued by).
Anyway, back to what I’m currently watching!
Succession
Anyone get PTSD from this episode or just me? How fun to relive the fear and trauma of election night in a fictional way! While the “America Decides” narrative does lay bare the division between Shiv and her brothers, what I really care about is Shiv finally telling Tom she’s pregs. (This fucked-up love story has been my favorite thing about this season.) But what I can’t believe is that there are only two episodes to go in this season—nay, SERIES—and we spent a whole episode on election-night shenanigans. Also, what year is it in Succession land? Was Trump not the Raisin? Are these people still so untouched by Trump, Covid, and a looming recession? Actually, I’m jealous of them.
The Other Two
I pined for season three of this show—one of my recent favorite comedies of the last few years—but so far, it’s not giving what I wanted. What I wanted was jokes! The first episode is actually an interesting catch-up: after the too-real season two finale joke that Cary’s movie would begin filming in March of 2020, we catch them in (sort of) real-time, post-pandemic.
And unlike Succession, the pandemic actually happened on this show. Cary’s movie came out, Chase is now 18, Pat is somehow an even bigger star than before, and, in my favorite development, Brooke and Lance have gotten back together, they’re engaged (!), and he’s a nurse. I love love! But the season premiere immediately brought my Mazel Tov-ing back to earth.
Where the first two seasons portrayed people so eager to start living their lives if only certain dreams came true, season three fulfills those dreams and then shows what happens when you get what you actually wanted. And that’s that Brooke, Cary, and Pat are still spinning out. Too real, The Other Two. Chase… I still don’t know Chase. Does Chase need to be on this show anymore? Lance, though, he’s my boy. He was hilarious and sweet as a deadbeat boyfriend who loved to dab and he’s hilarious and sweet as a caring nurse with his shot together who loves to dab. Big ups to Josh Segarra, who also showed up in She-Hulk (a delightful show, honestly) and Scream VI (still haven’t seen it, don’t @ me).
Bupkis
Bupkis seems like the perfect show for a pop-culture obsessive very up on their celebrity gossip (though to be fair, I think most boomers know who Pete Davidson is now). This is Pete Davidson’s Louie (RIP), a “comedy” with few laughs and a tone that puts you on edge—is this going to be a fun anecdote or a traumatic anecdote? It’s got all the DNA of an FX show (if you haven’t watched Better Things or Ramy, um, do), with bigger stars: Edie Falco plays Pete’s mom, Joe Pesci is his grandpa, and Bobby Cannavale is his uncle. There’s a reference to “butthole eyes” in the trailer that pretty much convinced me to watch, the implication being that Davidson wouldn’t be too precious about himself or his life.
OK but first, there’s a joke that’s so gross in the show’s first five minutes that I considered turning it off. Wow, I sound like such a prude. I wasn’t offended so much as I was worried that this was emblematic of the show and its humor. It’s irreverent, yes, but I’m glad I stuck with it; the premiere’s portrayal of Pete and Pesci on a boys night out is heartfelt and silly. Episode two flashes back and dives straight into young Pete’s grief after losing his father in 9/11 (using his uncle’s wedding a couple weeks after the date made for a strong narrative choice). It’s poignant, but again, not full of laughs, because, um, 9/11. I will say the third episode gave me a rare chuckle2. So far, I haven’t been rushing to binge it like my other recent shows, but it’s entertaining enough. Will keep watching.
BUM BA DUHHHHH
I know not everyone who reads this Substack wants to hear about Vanderpump Rules (dad, you can click away now), so I saved it until the end. This may be where I keep my future VPR updates. Maybe I won’t! I can’t commit. The point is! I am in season three—I did not catch up on all 10 seasons since March because that’s insane, BUT I feel like I have enough foundation to skip ahead and watch the finale, then the reunion. Because guys, that reunion is going to be catastrophically bananas (WAIT DO WE THINK SUR IS GOING TO HOST A VIEWING PARTY BECAUSE I WILL GO THERE). This whole idea of just skipping ahead is Becky’s—with whom I will likely start a podcast with for this reunion, because it’s that major. Or we just needed an event/excuse to do it. I don’t know! Wish us luck, I guess!
I guess late night shows and SNL, and the most mid award shows of the year.
Over Scatman!