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TV Shows

Adolescence, Episode 2 – One Shot, Many Stories

After the tightly focused claustrophobia of Episode 1, Adolescence takes a breath, but not a break. Episode 2, keeps the signature single-take format, but expands its scope. This time, the camera doesn’t just follow one thread; it moves like a tide, drifting between perspectives, carrying us through multiple lives all caught in the same emotional undertow. And it works. Where Episode 1 felt like being locked in a room with a single family’s crisis, Episode 2 pans out to explore the ripple effects. It’s still shot in real time, still unbroken, but the atmosphere shifts. The tension isn’t just coming…

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TV Shows

Adolescence: Episode 1

A Breathless Beginning That Demands Your Full Attention Netflix’s Adolescence doesn’t ease you in. It drops you straight into the chaos with one continuous, high-wire shot that barely lets you blink. A little late to the game with this one, but for the next few posts, I’m going to take you through my experience of the show. Episode one is a tense, masterfully constructed hour of television that left me both impressed and unsettled, in all the right ways. Let’s talk about that one-take format first. It’s not a gimmick. Directed by Philip Barantini, the camera moves with the characters…

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Books

Babel: How Language and Violence Shape Imperialism

R. F. Kuang’s Babel is a powerhouse of a novel—dense, brilliant, and unapologetically critical of empire, language, and resistance. At its core, the book argues that language is never neutral; it is wielded by those in power to maintain control, and breaking free from that system often requires violence as uncompromising as the oppression itself. It is the kind of book that grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go. It’s not just a story—it’s a sharp, unflinching commentary on power, colonialism, and language as both a weapon and a battleground. Kuang makes this argument not just through…

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Books

The Isolation of Knowledge: “I Who Have Never Known Men”

When my book club picked I Who Have Never Known Men, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had heard it was unsettling, thought-provoking, and unlike anything else, exactly the kind of book that sparks great discussions. And wow, did it deliver. Jacqueline Harpman’s novel is one of those stories that lingers, making you question everything you take for granted about knowledge, culture, and what it means to be human. I realized just how much of our world is built on the stories and histories we inherit, and what happens when those are stripped away. Jacqueline Harpman’s I Who Have…

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Movies

“Woman of the Hour”: Gender Norms and Hidden Horrors

The gripping psychological drama Woman of the Hour delves into a chilling intersection of societal gender dynamics and true crime horror. Directed with acute precision, the film presents a nuanced narrative that goes beyond the surface-level terror of its central serial killer plot. The true horror lies not just in the heinous acts of violence but in the persistent undercurrent of systemic dismissal and mistreatment of women—particularly how their desires and autonomy are continuously undermined. The film follows Sheryl, a young woman navigating the turbulent 1970s backdrop of societal expectations and gender norms, as she becomes unwittingly entangled in the…

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Books

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

A Deep Dive into Fantasy, Introspection, and Storytelling Title: The Starless SeaAuthor: Erin MorgensternPublisher: VintageThemes: speculative fiction, Storytelling, Fate, Identity, Love, Memory, Mystery, Time, Choice, Discovery, Imagination. Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea is a masterful journey through narrative itself, blending the imaginative intensity of a modern fairy tale with the layered introspection of literary fiction. Set in a labyrinthine underground library filled with stories, symbols, and secrets, Morgenstern’s world-building is profoundly symbolic, with each level of the library acting as a metaphor for the deeper layers of human introspection. The further the protagonist, Zachary Ezra Rawlins, delves into the underground…

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