Whatever happened to just getting through the fucking day?
2020 was less of a "year" than it was a "long and arduous slog". It's hard to believe it's almost over. (It's hard to believe it's not still April, to be frank.) Despite being the equivalent of getting punched in the face repeatedly, though, it wasn't all bad. During the nine-month timeskip that comprised most of the year, I spent the time that would've otherwise been spent going outdoors sitting in my room and consuming media, like the little cog in the culture machine that I am. And there was some good stuff! So, here's my entry on the best stuff I saw this year.
(Note: this is my personal 'best of' list, and therefore contains things that I myself consumed and liked for the first time this year. Not everything came out in 2020. I highly recommend everything listed below, but for recommendations on what actually came out this year, check a real publication.)
TV SHOW: Santa Clarita Diet
I am not a murderer! Okay, technically I am. Not even technically. Literally. But I refuse to be defined by the one time I murdered somebody!
Joel Hammond, Santa Clarita Diet
I enjoyed a lot of TV this year, but none more than Netflix's Santa Clarita Diet. In this show, Joel and Sheila Hammond are just your average husband-and-wife realtor duo - until Sheila wakes up one day with the compulsion to eat people. Santa Clarita Diet perfectly marries the the mundanity of suburban life and the macabre nature of zombieism ("you eat people!"). The two things quickly become indistinguishable, with Sheila's unusual diet starting to seem commonplace after a while, and a neighborhood squabble over the state of the Hammonds' backyard taking a turn for the... well, murderous.
I watched Santa Clarita Diet despite knowing it got cancelled on a cliffhanger, and though it physically pains me to know we'll never see what happens to the Hammonds after that shocking Season 3 ending, it's become one of my favorite TV shows of all time. The writing is genius, the central plot is excellently done, and I seriously never get tired of Timothy Olyphant's high-strung, wife-loving Joel, reluctant murderer and expert body-burier. I'm sad that there won't be any more, but what we did get was so amazing. If you're a fan of comedy at all, give Santa Clarita Diet a try - just don't get too attached.
Honorable mentions: The Mandalorian, Derry Girls, Succession, What We Do In The Shadows, The Queen's Gambit, Ted Lasso
MOVIE: Knives Out
There's so much of me in that kid. Confident. Stupid. Playing life like a game without consequences. Until you can't tell the difference between a stage prop and a real knife.
Harlan Thrombey, Knives Out
Another thing that came out before 2020, but that I only got to this year! Knives Out is a stunner of a movie that I watched four times in a fortnight - one time with director commentary - because I just couldn't get enough of it. It's a murder mystery in reverse: the "solution" is revealed in the first act, and gradually unravels as the movie goes on. The storytelling is superb, the performances are hysterical, and it gives a big middle finger to rich people. It's a winning formula.
Murder mysteries scratch a weirdly specific itch for me. There's something very satisfying about watching a smart guy go through a slew of evidence and testimony to uncover the truth. But Knives Out turns that typical structure on its head, and somehow, it's just as satisfying. You know the truth as you watch Southern-accented Daniel Craig trawl his way through the investigation - and then, in the final act, you realize he was two steps ahead of you the whole time. It's a testament to how good the movie is that that doesn't feel like a betrayal, but rather, a relief.
Honorable mentions: Little Women, The Half of It, Birds of Prey, Portrait of a Lady on Fire
GAME: Hades
Learn to keep your emotions in check. You keep them bottled up a while, they'll be that much stronger when it's time to let them out.
Megaera, Hades
Supergiant Games' sublime Hades has claimed first place in many best-of rankings already, and now it can add "Bonnie's personal favorite game" to its long list of accolades. There's little I can say about it that hasn't already been said - except, perhaps, that when it comes to playing games, I have always been impatient. I'm constantly underlevelled in whichever game I play, out of a sheer refusal to do anything unrelated to the main story. But, against all odds, Hades has taught me to embrace the grind. Where other games use levelling and EXP as incentives, Hades' incentives are character-driven. I refuse to attend Claptrap's birthday party just to get a paltry 1305 EXP, but I will do 10 runs through the Underworld for a chance to give Megaera some Ambrosia.
I think the reason Hades is so popular is that there actually are no stakes. There's no punishment for failing. Dying is completely trivial in this game, with vanquished foes coming back to talk to you after each run, and Zagreus making little quips about his untimely demises whenever he emerges from the Pool of Styx. Hades is kind to you, no matter what your skill level is, and lets you take the game at your own pace. We need more games that care about the player as much as Hades does.
Honorable mentions: Apex Legends, What Remains of Edith Finch, A Summer's End, Spiritfarer
MUSICAL: Sunday in the Park with George
Work is what you do for others. Art is what you do for yourself.
'The Day Off', Sunday in the Park with George
Yes, look at me, listening to a musical from 1984 for the first time in 2020! Well, we all have our Sondheim awakening at some point, and mine just happened to arrive this year. Besides, with Broadway shut down for most of the year, it wasn't a great year for theater (see: Aaron Tveit winning a Tony Award by default), so it was as good a time as any to turn to the old stuff.
Sunday in the Park with George is gorgeous and funny and heartbreaking. I couldn't decide whether to give the top honor to Sunday or Company, because both make me Feel Things very deeply, but Sunday wins by a narrow margin, purely because it made me rethink the very nature of creation and being a creator. What is art, really? Is it defined by you, or the ones who came before you? I often get caught up in what I think my work should be, measured against the standard of what other people have already done. Now I try to remind myself of Dot's final words to George: "Anything you do, let it come from you. Then it will be new."
Honorable mentions: Company, Follies, just Sondheim in general really
SONG: Feel (feat. Lianne La Havas) - Jacob Collier
I never felt this way before
You make me feel like I'm new'Feel (feat. Lianne La Havas)' - Jacob Collier
You may not be able to tell, because I know absolutely nothing about music, but I quite like music. I never know how to put words to things, but I definitely have strong emotional reactions to hearing certain intricacies and techniques and what have you (can you tell I'm using intentionally vague language because I lack the technical know-how?). This usually manifests in my long and well-documented love for musical theater, but in 2020 I discovered Jacob Collier, and my music landscape was forever changed. If my Spotify Wrap-Up is to be believed, he defined the year for me.
The first song I heard from him was 'All I Need', which is an absurdly good song, but 'Feel', from last year's Djesse Vol. 2, is my pick for song of the year. It exemplifies what I like most about Jacob's music: it's layered, it's intricate, and it's utterly unpalatable. 'Feel' is far too slow and far too long, but it's emotive - which his music has often been criticized for lacking - and Lianne La Havas' stunning vocals elevate the song to transcendency. The unreal high that I get from the harmonies at 2:40 and 4:39 is truly unmatched. I would never make anyone listen to this song, but if you have six minutes (whew) to spare and an open mind, go ahead and press play. Maybe you'll find something to like about it, too.
Honorable mentions: All I Need, Garden Song, Green & Gold
ALBUM: Punisher - Phoebe Bridgers
I want to believe
Instead I look at the sky and I feel nothing'Chinese Satellite' - Phoebe Bridgers
On August 13th, I listened to 'Chinese Satellite' for the first time and then tweeted: "hold on… maybe this phoebe bridgers chick made a few points". I was right, because she did. I've never been much for sad girl music (I've always found it deeply boring), but Punisher is more than just a girl and her guitar. It's a brilliantly crafted album with an exquisite sound that feels like its own world, sprawling and intimate all at once. Truthfully, it took me a few listens to really warm up to it, but when it clicked, it clicked.
Punisher is also the perfect album for the present moment, when everything is completely fucked up and feels like it's going too fast, and we're all just struggling to keep our heads above water. Phoebe has a way of sounding like she's singing directly to you, but also like she's reaching into your soul, finding the sadness there, and giving it a voice. Punisher might be melancholy, but it also kind of makes you feel understood. And there's no better feeling than that.
Honorable mentions: Lianne La Havas, Djesse Vol. 3, SAWAYAMA
