Reviews By Alana McConnell (she/her) and Nam Woon Kim (he/him)
What to watch: Pen15 (2019-) A while back I stumbled across a trailer on YouTube for the show ridiculously titled Pen15. Curiously I watched, and I immediately knew it was going to be an incredible show. The comments underneath the trailer though were a mixture of confusion and questions, and then of course replies to those comments making fun of how clueless they were. The reason for all this is that Pen15 is a show about two thirteen year old girls in middle school, experiencing the highs and lows of being an awkward, moody, and hilarious teenager in 2000. But the two actresses who are playing best friends Maya and Anna, are 31 year olds Maya Erskine and Anna Kronkle. They are playing 13 year old versions of themselves, amidst actual 13 year old kids who are playing their classmates. The premise is undeniably unique, and it asks the viewers to suspend their disbelief and cynicism. It’s not hard to do, and I
found myself quite quickly forgetting that Anna and Maya were nearly old enough to be their characters' mothers. They play the roles convincingly, with their womanly shapes strapped down, with retainers and braces, with awful haircuts, and mannerisms so eerily similar to most of us when we were thirteen. It’s an amazing feat, and it clicks so soundly with what it was like to be that age, especially in the early 2000s. I wasn’t thirteen in 2000, but so much still resonates. Especially having a best friend at that age and doing everything together, feeling like they were the only one who really got you, and conquering means girls, popular boys, and clueless parents together. I only jumped momentarily out of the universe at times when for a split second I thought that they were actually going to kiss their crushes, who were underage. But the show never crossed any sexually unethical grey zones, keeping it 100% kosher but never sacrificing the quality. Pen15 may not be a bingeable show, because it does have extremely high levels of cringe comedy, where at points
I had to genuinely look away (think of those first couple episodes from Season 1 of The Office). But the two seasons of Pen15 are consistently hilarious, a homage to growing up in the 2000s, the awkwardness of puberty, Care Bear hoodies, and AOL messaging.
What to listen to: Big Red Machine How Long Do You Think It’s Going To Last? (2021) When Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner collaborate, you know it’s going to be good. Big Red Machine is a musical project by Bon Iver’s Vernon and The National’s Dessner, a masterful and dynamic combination of talent, vision, and storytelling. Their first self-titled album was released in 2018, feeling more like a product of their musical community and not simply an album. You could hear Bon Iver’s trademark vulnerable but ambiguous lyrics, along with Dessner’s polyrhythms and eccentric time-signatures. There is also of course the electronic experimentation Bon Iver has dabbled with in his last two albums 22, A Million, and i,i. I wouldn’t say Big Red Machine is instantly accessible to the listener, and that probably wasn’t the intention behind the collaboration. It’s a slow burner due to its complexity and multi-layered nature. The more you listen the more you appreciate the sound, and what they are trying to achieve. Perhaps Big Red Machine’s new album is more accessible to those who aren’t just diehard lovers of the artists' well known bands. Taylor Swift can probably be thanked for that, as she is responsible for helping the likes of The National and Bon
20
