The Monthly: November 2020 by The Daily Northwestern

November 2020

ORCS & DWARFS & THEATRE DORKS: p.5 FRIDAY NIGHT FLICKS: p.8 SULLIVAN SPEAKS: p.10 NEW SHOWS, SAME GUY: p.12

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CONTENTS Staff of The Monthly Issue 32

Wilson Chapman Monthly Editor Catherine Buchaniec Creative Director Jacob Fulton Emma Ruck Carly Schulman Designers Rebecca Aizin Gaby Carroll Haley Fuller Zoe Malin Jordan Mangi John Riker Yonjoo Seo Writers Cover illustration by Carly Schulman

Orcs & Dwarfs & Theatre Dorks

Friday Night Flicks

Sullivan Speaks

New Shows, Same Guy

From Flowers to Roses

TV Therapy

Liner Notes

Open Tab

Reel Thoughts

Editor:

When I first joined the Daily Northwestern in the fall of my freshman year, I didn’t really join because I liked journalism. I had done a bit of work for my high school newspaper, but it wasn’t what I invested most of my time in, and it wasn’t what I thought I wanted to have a career in. I joined for a pretty stupid, pathetic reason: writing was the only thing I’ve ever had something resembling natural talent in, and as a trainwreck freshman who desperately sought validation from my peers, I figured writing for the Daily was a decent way to get that. I spent my first two years or so at the Daily trying to figure out if I even wanted to be a journalist, and flailing from desk to desk looking for my niche at the publication. Eventually I found it in The Monthly, which I started writing for in the spring of my sophomore year. After my time reporting for the campus and city desks, I found that I was much more capable in the field of art and entertainment. The longer page spreads benefitted my notoriously long-winded writing style and inability to stick to the word count provided to me. I started getting genuinely excited by the stories I was writing, instead of thinking of them as bullet points on my checklist for the week. It’s common for Daily Northwestern staffers to say that they learned far more working for our student publication than they ever learned taking classes at Medill. I definitely agree with that sentiment; I learned a lot about writing and reporting from the mentors I’ve had at the Daily. But the most important thing I learned from the Daily, and the Monthly specifically, is that being a good journalist isn’t really the same thing as being a good writer. That can be a really important part of journalism, but it’s not what makes you a good journalist. What makes you a good journalist, and what makes what you write worth reading, is empathy. I learned the importance of empathy in reporting not from any of my teachers in Medill, but from the Daily. In the small world of student journalism, where you go to classes with your sources, it’s easier than ever to see how mistakes and carelessness can hurt the people you’re reporting on, but also how good, empathetic journalism can positively affect someone. I’ve grown to comprehend that along with the newsroom at large, as leaders at the paper have worked hard to improve how we interact with and serve our community. That’s part of why the paper’s reporting on the protest movements on campus like NU Community Not Cops has been so great and so vital, because the reporters understand more than ever how important empathetic reporting can be. It’s easy to think that this doesn’t really apply to arts and culture writing, that it only matters when you’re covering politics or activism, but trust me, empathy is more important than ever in the writing we do for The Monthly. When you’re profiling someone, be it a famous comedian or an up and coming student band, empathy for your subject is vital for making a profile pop and doing justice to the stories of people who trust you to tell them. You have to put heart and soul and love into a profile, or it’ll just end up flat and empty. The best writing from the many talented journalists I’ve had the pleasure of editing are filled with empathy, with appreciation for the talents and the lives of the artists that they cover. This letter isn’t necessarily my goodbye to the Daily; no matter how many times I think I’m leaving this publication, I always find some reason to come crawling back (cue “Brokeback Mountain” quote). But after producing five issues of the Monthly, it’s time to pass on this responsibility to the next great phase of editors. I couldn’t have achieved anything in this position without the help of the people who trusted me to do this job: our incredible editor in chief Marissa Martinez, probably the most talented journalist I’ve ever met; the managing editors who oversaw my work; and especially the design editors Catherine Buchaniec, Emma Ruck, and Carly Schulman, who laid the stories out on gorgeous spreads every month. This magazine has given me a lot, and I exit it with a lot still left for me to learn. But the Monthly taught me what it really means to be a journalist, and especially what it means to be a great one, and for that, I’ll always be grateful.

toic dwarves, magical that anyone can join through sites Roll20 and Shard, to bring Tey works with Sojourn Theatre, elves, trickster halflings: Tabletale’s Discord server to the table to players digitally. a company that focuses on All are characters you private campaigns written for For Tey, a great Gamemaster civically-engaged performanccan play as in Dunspecific groups, the company isn’t enough — campaigns need es. Tey is a member of their geons & Dragons, a tabletop has expanded its services quickly thoughtful, creative players too. ensemble and worked closely role-playing game featuring since launching. Tabletale has hosted a wide on a show called “How to End multi-sided dice and game Its second Gamemaster, after range of players, and they are Poverty in 90 Minutes (with sessions drawn out over several Tey, was Sean Foer (Communiworking on building a commu199 people you may or may not months. And although it was cation ’15). Tey and Foer met at nity of D&D lovers. know)” which is a participatory created in the ’70s to be played Northwestern doing “Wrestle“On the whole, the RPG theatre event that was conceived in-person around a table, North- pocalypse” — an annual staged community is so welcoming and at Northwestern when Tey was western alum Alejandro wrestling show — is so about ‘more people should a student. Tey (Communication but also worked do this!’ and ‘more people should Michael Rohd (Commu’13) is bringing the together after be playing!’” said Tey. “ We’re not nication ’89), a former North“In a lot of ways, college on iconic game into only curating adventures and western professor and founding 2020 with a it is simply a variTey’s RPG Gamemasters, we’re curating the artistic director of Sojourn virtual twist. perforcommunity.” Theatre, directed the devised ation of the oldest Tey, mance Tabletale’s community has process in 2013 at Northwestern game, which is: let’s and has since worked with a theater project grown exceptionally quickly. play pretend” More than 100 players Tey to bring it around artist whose “Isle of -Alejandro Tey have participated the country. Rohd work focuses on Sugar,” (Communication ‘13) said he sees audience interacwhich is in their “the villains, the helpful a lot of tion and engagebased on his Learn NPCs (non-player charconnecment, found himself grandparent’s to Plays. acter), the magical old out of work when the experiences Additiontions crones in the woods who pandemic began. He had been during the Cuban revolution. ally, they between have a boon to grant… participaplaying D&D as well as other Foer said the theatricality and have run Ultimately, it’s all storytory theatre role-playing games (RPGs) for performance inherent in runmore than telling.” a while, and fell in love with the ning a game drew him to RPGs. 250 game and RPGs, -Sean Foer (Communicacollective storytelling aspect that “One of the roles of the sessions, particularly tion ‘15) differentiates RPGs from regular dungeonmaster in D&D is to which averagtheir potential board games. In the spring, he make the world come alive,” es to more than one for bringing about ran a few virtual one-shots, or Foer explained. “And one of the per day since they started, social change. single-session adventures, for ways you do that is by taking on according to co-founder Zach “Alejandro’s work, just in friends. the roles of the characters in the Berinstein. the RPG world, is an example “I just threw it out there,” world — the villains, the helpful Tey said that while playof an artist being creative and ing RPGs virtually Tey said. “I was like, I’m gonna NPCs (non-player character), imaginative in an entrepreneurwas something he run some one-shots this week, if the magical old ial way, but also a great example was doing before y’all want to toss a coin to your crones in the of a particular technique that COVID-19, the Witcher please, by all means, woods who invites people to play together,” “ We’re not only this gentle theater kid will have a boon escapism of said Rohd. curating adventures appreciate it. And that kind of to grant… D&D lends And if you’re looking to get and Gamemasters, took off.” Ultimately, itself to into D&D but feel daunted by we’re curating the As the pandemic dragged it’s all the isothe rules and dice and fantastical on, a friend of Tey’s proposed storytelllation and creatures, Tey assures newcomers community.” making the virtual games more ing.” frustration it’s not as complicated as some -Alejandro Tey (Comformal and hiring theatrical The people around make it out to be. The Gamemunication ‘13) people, like Tey, as Gamemasters online format the world are master sets up the world, Tey exwho organize and moderate allows players experiencing plained, but it’s up to the players the sessions. In April, Tabletale from different right now. to resolve how things work. Games was launched. backgrounds and “You decide what “In a lot of ways, it is simply Tabletale offers Gamemaseven in different countries to role you’re gonna play, you get to a variation of the oldest game, ter services to a wide range of create a story together. The choose who you’re going to be. which is: let’s play pretend,” Tey D&D players. From Learn to Gamemasters use tools like Dis- And that’s huge,” Tey said. said. ◊ Play sessions to public games cord and virtual tabletop webIn addition to playing D&D,

Photos courtesy of Sara Sawicki

Friday Night Flicks by Zoe Malin

Evanston drive-in movies bring people together while six feet apart n Friday nights, the parking lot of Evanston’s Autobarn Service Center gets a unique addition: a giant inflatable movie screen. Tucked away behind a shopping center off of West Howard Street, most people don’t even know the screen – let alone a car dealership – is there. But at 7 p.m. sharp, it

lights up with scenes from a movie as attendees watch from their cars. Drivers turn their radios to station 89.9 to hear the film’s audio, and some open their trunks, cozying up with blankets in the backseat. It’s a full drive-in movie experience in the center of Evanston. Evanston resident Patrick Hughes, Jr., director of business development at Byline

Bank, never planned to organize a weekly drive-in movie, which as far as he knows is the first in the city’s history. But he’s grateful he did. The event has become a popular weekend destination for residents, and is raising hundreds of dollars for Rotary International, a foundation focused on

humanitarian issues such as fighting disease internationally, and is headquartered on Sherman Avenue. “People need something to do right now,” Hughes said. “Drive-in movies give people something to look forward to, and allow them to support a foundation that’s doing good for the world.” Hughes grew up in Evanston, but didn’t learn about Rotary and its mission until later in life. He wanted to support the foundation’s efforts, so he founded Evanston Loves Rotary, an organization that aims to spread awareness about Rotary in the city. Before the pandemic, Hughes’ organization worked on launching efforts to inform the local community about Rotary’s work. But in March, Evanston Loves Rotary had to quickly pivot their efforts due to the pandemic. Hughes spent time brainstorming ideas for informational campaigns and virtual events, but both were missing the element of togetherness he strived for. Eventually, he came up with the idea for drive-in movies. Ticket sales could raise money for Evanston’s local Rotary clubs, and people could be together while they maintained social distance in their cars. Hughes said he knew it was a large undertaking, but was excited and passionate about it. Before anything else, Hughes needed to find a place to host the drive-in movies. He found it in Autobarn’s parking lot, a large, open area that was easily accessible to cars, as well as within the city’s boundaries. Autobarn’s parking lot was perfect. Hughes called Richard Fisher, owner of Autobarn, and explained his idea. “I basically asked to borrow his parking lot,” Hughes said. “It’s a no man’s land over there, so when people came to the movies, they would

also learn where Autobarn is. It felt like a win-win situation.” Autobarn isn’t the only local business involved in the event. The screen and projector for the movies comes from Davis Theater in Chicago, and Hughes enlisted the help of Annie Coakley, executive director of Downtown Evanston. Coakley volunteered to coordinate ticket sales and advertising, and also lined up a handful of restaurants to sell their food at the movies. She developed a system where people could buy tickets online and simultaneously place orders for food. Then, when attendees check in to the movie the night of, their food is waiting for them in prepacked takeout containers.

emailed a survey to attendees and said he received only positive feedback. He and his team subsequently added more movie nights to the calendar, showing family-friendly films from “Beetlejuice” to “Home Alone.” Movie nights are currently scheduled through December, and some even have sponsors, like Northwestern University and Hagerty Consulting, Evanston’s mayor’s emergency management consultancy. Additional restaurants have also gotten involved, such as Ovo Frito Café. Zinnia Iglesias, owner of Ovo Frito, said being a part of the event made her feel more connected to Evanston’s community, and supported her restaurant during a time when many are suffering. “Our business has been hurt by this pandemic,” Iglesias said. “Selling 60 burritos at the movie night helps a lot, and it gets our name out there.” As families and friends drive into Autobarn’s parking lot on Friday nights to watch a movie on the big screen, Fisher said he sees how happy and joyful they are. They’re smiling and laughing, and for a moment, can forget about the chaos and uncertainty around them. Fisher is thankful that the drive-in movies have given Evanston residents an outlet to have fun over the past few months, and, in partnership with Hughes, plans to continue hosting the event in the future. “We’re going to keep doing this, even post-pandemic,” Fisher said. “These movie nights have been inspiring to us all.” ◊

“We’re going to keep doing this, even post-pandemic. These movie nights have been inspiring to us all.”

— Richard Fisher “Restaurants have struggled so much this year,” Coakley said. “This is such a great way for them to make a little bit of money.” After weeks of preparation, the first drive-in movie night was held in September. Dozens of people came to Autobarn’s parking lot to watch “The Goonies” and enjoy what Hughes has come to call a “COVIDsafe night out.” After the event, Hughes

SULLIVAN

SPEAKS Nicole Sullivan gives her voice to Supergirl, Shego and other animated characters By Yonjoo Seo

uring the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicole Sullivan (Communication ’91) had to find a way to safely record her part as Supergirl in “DC Super Hero Girls.” Most voiceover booths were sold out, so she and her husband built one in the storage area at the back of his office. She bought a high-quality microphone, audio interface and sound pop screen to record sound. “It’s a little hodge podge, but it’s really super effective,” Sullivan said. The actors in “DC Super Hero Girls” are working from their home studios. They communicate through Zoom, and record their parts both together and individually. Although the circumstances aren’t ideal, Sullivan said she’s happy to show up to voiceovers in

her pajamas. “DC Super Hero Girls,” a cartoon about teenage superheroes based off of iconic characters from DC Comics, has aired on Cartoon Network since March 2019. Sullivan had previously voiced the character of Supergirl in a series of shorts called “Super Best Friends Forever” in 2012. It’s one of many animated roles Sullivan has voiced – for younger fans, she’s probably most well known for her part as the villainous Shego in “Kim Possible.” In adult animation, she’s voiced various characters in “Family Guy” and “BoJack Horseman,” and played Joan of Arc in the cult MTV series “Clone High.” Her roles aren’t limited to just cartoons, though – she’s acted in various sitcoms, and currently plays Janine, the neighbor of the Johnsons in “Black-ish.” Sullivan said there are benefits to voice acting beyond showing up to work in pajamas; she enjoys having the freedom to play a wide variety of characters who don’t look like her, and in some cases are decades younger or older than her. “With acting in person… I can’t be a teenager because I kind of look like a Karen,” Sullivan said. “That’s why I can be a Karen on Black-ish.” While her voice acting gigs have continued mostly uninterrupted by the pandemic, Sullivan’s live-action roles require different safety precautions. She had to test eight times for the coronavirus in the 10 days she was on set for “Black-ish.” On set, the entire crew have masks and face shields on, although actors do not wear them while filming. “Now (the crew) says ‘cameras, roll sound, speed, remove PPE,’” Sullivan said. “And then someone comes and takes your PPE off and then they say ‘action.’” Sullivan’s first major role as an actress after she graduated from Northwestern was as one of the

original cast members on the Fox sketch comedy series “MADtv.” She performed in the show for six seasons, and described the experience as a “baptism by fire.” The roles she played, like racist country singer Darlene and the mean-spirited Vancome Lady, were often out there and required her to go so over-the-top that she got used to feeling comfortable performing anything. It ended up being great preparation for her voice acting career: she said when recording for an animated show, it’s normal to feel a little awkward in your skin. You have to make weird faces and alter your voice to exaggerate. “If you’re feeling a little embarrassed, then you’re doing it right,” she said. As a voice actress, Sullivan said she isn’t a chameleon like some of her other colleagues who create a variety of different voices for their characters. She doesn’t necessarily alter her voice that much from role to role, and distinguishes herself more through her turn-of-phrase, comedic interpretations of lines. She also said she enjoys improvising and going off script during readings for her various shows. The writers of “DC Super Hero Girls” initially wrote lines for Supergirl to be a “bad girl,” but tailored the role to complement Sullivan’s abilities. “I got hired, and then they were like, ‘hold on,’ and then started rewriting,” Sullivan said. “(Now the tone is more) sarcastic.” Because her voice sounds similar in the parts she plays, Sullivan said she focuses on staying true to the characters’ distinct personalities. When she plays Supergirl, Sullivan keeps in mind that the character is a sassy teenager who also wants approval and to stay out of trouble with her parents. When she played the contrasting character of Marlene in “The Penguins of Madagascar,” she had

Photos Courtesy of Disney and Nicole Sullivan

to remember to be positive and effervescent. “I always had to remember no matter what (Marlene) is the glass half full,” Sullivan said. “She knows that tomorrow is going to be a better day.” Although she’s worked primarily in comedy, Sullivan said growing up she wasn’t a class clown or known for being particularly funny. She developed her sense of humor while studying theatre at NU. It was her mother’s idea for her to apply to NU. She told her she knew of some great actors who went there. Sullivan responded: “What’s Northwestern? And where’s Illinois?” At Northwestern, Sullivan met Betsy Thomas (Communication ‘90) when she starred in a play based off of Franz Kafka’s “The Trial” which Thomas was assistant directing. Now a director and writer, Thomas has worked with Sullivan on a variety of projects, including the NBC comedy “Whitney,” and the show she created, “My Boys.” In “My Boys,” Sullivan guest starred as

the girlfriend of one of the main characters, Kenny. Thomas said the cast had a blast improvising with Sullivan, and some of those improvisations made the final cut of the episode. She also said that, although Sullivan mostly does comedies, she has a wide range of abilities as an actress. “A lot of people think of her as very funny, which she is, but she’s actually a really good actress,” Thomas said. “And I think she ends up doing a lot of comedy because that is what she’s known for, but the truth is she could absolutely do drama. She would be terrific.” Sullivan demonstrated some of her dramatic ability in her role as Jill Tracy, one of the recurring patients in “Scrubs.” She said the role was one of the most meaningful she’s played because Jill was a depressed woman who saw friendship in the doctors who were treating her. “She saw a friendship that she was craving in her life,” Sullivan said. “I think that’s what we all sort of suffer from.” ◊

New Shows, Same Guy by Haley Fuller & Rebecca Aizin

Jake Johnson talks favorite Evanston haunts, “New Girl” and pandemic projects

ake Johnson may have a career filled with iconic projects like “New Girl” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” but the actor has humble roots in the town many Northwestern students now call home. As a teenager, he lived on the corner of Forest and Hinman Avenue, attended Evanston Township High School and dined at Buffalo Joe’s. The Daily sat down with Johnson to talk about growing up in Evanston, a potential collaboration with his “New Girl” castmates and the projects he has been working on during the pandemic.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity. The Daily: What was it like growing up in Evanston? Johnson: I grew up in Winnetka but my mother and I moved to Evanston when I was 15. It had a great small city next to a big city feeling, and I loved being able to jump on the Howard Street (L stop) and go to great little bars and restaurants. My first comedy group, The Midwesterners, had a bunch of guys I grew up with and we used to meet on Main Street in Evanston, where we did the majority of our writing. We would go to the Hilton Orrington and sneak

into their meeting room as our rehearsal space. We thought it was so cool to be in a big high rise hotel and walk in and pretend we had a room there. The Daily: Where would you usually perform? Johnson: This was early on in our careers, so it was the end of high school and early college. We did a show in The Second City and performed in the Improv Olympic (now known as the iO Theater) in Chicago. Any and everywhere we could in that era. When I was in high school, I did any kind of comedy I could and once I got into college, I did everything I could

in and outside of the university. My advice to college students is always to try to enter the professional world while you’re still in school. You have Chicago right next to you. The Daily: How did going to high school in Evanston add to your career? Johnson: When I was coming up, Chicago was a real haven for comedic actors. And it felt like there was just a lot of great comedic talent that came out of Chicago — a lot of people I looked up to — from Tina Fey to Amy Poehler to Bill Murray to Tim Meadows. I always had a sense of confidence that I’d

come out of that area too and I was part of that lineage. If anything, it was more a chip on my shoulder and something about Chicago and Evanston — it felt like a big small town. When I moved to New York, I always tried to keep that with me, that you could live in a big city and still talk to people in your neighborhood. The Daily: What were your favorite places in Evanston, especially when you were in high school? Johnson: Do you know the Greek restaurant, CrossRhodes? Right across the street from that, my mother had a junk

Photo Courtesy Fox Broadcasting Company

shop and last I checked, they tore it down and built a bank or something but we used to have a shop right there. We used to go to CrossRhodes all the time, and right near there was a Salvation Army and that was the first place where I got cool hipster sweaters when I was 16, where I could walk into a place and for $20 get a whole bunch of cool shirts. There were also all these coffee shops, like Cafe Express, and back then we could smoke cigarettes inside and thought we were so cool doing it. We would wear beatnecks and sit with a journal and write poems and smoke cigarettes in a coffee shop. It was Buffalo Joe’s, Cafe Express, all the places. Dave’s Italian Kitchen used to have this really cool shop, the original place was so hip. The Daily: How do you think growing up in Evanston shaped your portrayal of Nick in “New Girl,” because I feel like he has a decently similar background to you? Johnson: The writer of the show, Liz Meriwether, was from Ann Arbor. She wanted Nick and Winston to be from Ann Arbor, but Lamorne Morris is from Chicago as well. So I asked her if we could set it in the Chicago area for these two characters, because if you’ve ever been in Ann Arbor, there’s a different vibe. On a show like “New Girl,” where we relied so heavily on our improv and instincts, I thought it would be a lot smoother to be from a place that

I deeply understood and I think Lamorne felt the same way. For me, whenever I can add anything, like an old Chicago flag, I always try to put it in the background. I’m not sure why, but it feels fun to try to connect things to my hometown. The Daily: Are there other things like that that you’ve done, in your movies? Just bringing other parts of yourself? Johnson: If you look at Nick’s room, there’s a gorilla drawing on the wall that my wife drew for me years ago that I made a print of and put on the set. The JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound band — the leader, Bill Bungeroth, was a guy I grew up with who was in that comedy group I was telling you about, so I got their band’s poster on my character’s wall. The band Pass Kontrol, was also on the wall, and one of the band members, Oliver Ralli, did The Midwesterners with me. I always try to connect my people into the universe of the shows and movies I’m in, it makes it feel a lot more connected. It’s kind of like insider trading. A lot of actors don’t care about the set decoration behind them, but for me, it all means a lot. If I’m going to be in a scene a lot, and there’s something behind me, I would much rather the artwork on the wall be from an artist that I know and that I care about. Because in the end, it is all advertisement, millions of people see this stuff. I don’t do a deep dive on what bands my character Nick

Miller would like because he’s a fictional character, so whatever I choose for Nick to like is what Nick’s gonna like. And I do that with all my characters, I don’t pretend that they’re real. So my opinion is their opinion. The Daily: You’re still close to the “New Girl” costars and you’re always promoting their new projects. Would you ever consider collaborating with them in the future if the opportunity presented itself? Johnson: Absolutely. I hope to collaborate with all of them. Zooey and I, we text at least every week and we have since the show, and we probably will forever. Max Greenfield and I were texting this morning, Lamorne and I were on the phone yesterday, Hannah Simone and I text each other quite a bit. When the show became popular, there was nobody in my life I could call and say like, “This is really crazy, New Girl’s a hit.” Nobody really knows what that feels like besides, Zooey, Max, Lamorne and Hannah. The first time I dealt with being recognized on the street as Nick Miller, I was at the Art Institute with my wife over Thanksgiving during the first season, and these three teenage girls were following me around. And I gotta tell you, I got spooked out. “What do these young girls want from me? What have I done? Am I being bullied by teenage girls?” And then one of them turned around and said, “Sorry, are you Nick Miller?” And I was like, I

forgot the show is a big hit. So I text Max and tell him and he’s like, “Yeah man, I’m on a trip and that happened to me.” And then we’ll talk about how we’re going to deal with it. We all have each other’s back in a very deep way. It’s a different bond than I think I’ve had with any other group. The Daily: What’s your favorite project you’ve done so far? Johnson: I like them all for different reasons. I just did a movie with Trent O’Donnell. O’Donnell was my favorite director at “New Girl.” He was our producer/director, he did probably 70 episodes. He was the glue behind it, the one person behind the scenes that didn’t get credit but really deserves it. He and I had been looking for a project to do together since “New Girl” and we wrote a movie together and we filmed that. We’re still in the process of finishing it, but I really love the project. I think it’s really special. Whatever project is the most recent feels the most exciting, and I really love this new one. The Daily: What has it been like to work on that project during the pandemic? Johnson: We created a pod, so we’ve all been doing testing, but we’ve got an unbelievable cast. J.K. Simmons is in it, Susan Sarandon is in it, D’arcy Carden’s in it. And everybody’s just really been so great. So we’re all taking precautions, we’re being as safe as we can, like everybody else in the world. ◊

From Flowers to Roses

BY Gabriela CARROLL 14

Q&A: Medill alum Garin Flowers talks about his experience on the latest season of the Bachelorette, diversity In the franchise Emmy-nominated, AP award-winning journalist Garin Flowers (MSJ ’11) is no stranger to interviews — but he’s not usually the subject of them. After joining Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette this summer, it’s Flowers’ turn to answer the Daily’s questions about his experience on the show. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. The Daily: Why did you decide to go on The Bachelorette? Garin Flowers: I never had any interest in going on the show, despite some friends telling me to go for it. I was in a serious relationship earlier this year, and it ended when I thought it was at its best point, which has never happened to me before, so I was very frustrated and upset. I remember I was watching an ABC show, and they were advertising contestants to come meet Clare Crawley. I thought she was beautiful and I was ready to move on from the person I was dating, so something just hit me and said do it, and I applied. The Daily: What was that first moment like getting out of the limo? Flowers: When I first saw Clare, what stands out was, I just did all of this stuff to get to this point. And there she is. It was unreal, I can’t even explain. I felt like my guts were falling out of my body. I didn’t know if I was gonna be able to stand up when I got out, it was that intense. The Daily: Much of the storyline on the season was about Clare and Dale Moss’s instant chemistry. Was the connection between Clare and Dale obvious to you at the time? Photo: Craig Sjodin with ABC

Flowers: Absolutely, hands down, I could see it. At the same time, I didn’t worry about him, I was only worried about myself, and that’s the way you have to be in that process, or else you’ll fail miserably. But I personally saw their connection because I was looking for her to go talk to her, and I saw that they just had this connection. I definitely could tell, but at the same time, it didn’t deter me from trying my best to get to know her. The Daily: Did you anticipate being eliminated from the show?

between all the guys in the house competitive? Flowers: We were so chill. This was not a competition for us. I felt a lot of pressure day one, because I did go in with that competitive mindset, but then when I met the guys I was like, I don’t need that at all. I don’t think that you have to be aggressive. You have to be smart. You have to know when to pull her to grab time with her and be creative, because every guy is kind of doing their own thing.

Seeing that there’s more of a push to make the show more diverse is even better and as a Black man, that makes me feel proud to be a part of Bachelor Nation. What was that night like? Flowers: You always feel like you might be eliminated. There was definitely an alarm in my head like, I’ve got to have a moment with Clare, because I don’t want to leave here and not have had a moment with her. In the dodgeball game, obviously I had a pretty big moment, being the first person to take everything off — and yes, everything was off — and she thought it was ballsy. I was like, I’ve had a moment with her, I gained that respect from her. We had a bit more of a chat after that. But then at the rose ceremony, Yosef (Aborady) went off on her and I just had this weird gut feeling that that impacted me somehow. The Daily: Was the environment

The Daily: The show recently appointed its first Black Bachelor, Matt James, and Tayshia Adams took over from Clare to be the second ever Black Bachelorette. As a Black man on the franchise, what do you make of the franchise taking these steps to diversify the leads?

Flowers: You’ve heard the saying that people want to see people that look like themselves. That’s going to be amazing. I think in past seasons there was actually decent diversity, not with the leads but with the contestants, so that made me feel better going into the process that there had been that diversity in the past. Seeing that there’s more of a push to make the show more diverse is even better and as a Black man, that makes me feel proud to be a part of Bachelor Nation. laborating on a video and developing the concept together, andally driven and I can’t imagine doing anything else.” ◊

TV THERAPY by Haley Fuller

Why I’ve been rewatching the same three shows since March While everyone else smiling as I pulled my ragged was watching “Tiger King” paperbacks off the bookshelf and coming up with Carole instead. Baskin conspiracy theories, Although I’ve always been I rewatched “Parks and Recsomeone who finds comfort reation” for what might have in the media I already know been the 20th time. and love, the pandemic has There exacerbated were at least my need to With COVID-19 cases retreat into 25 shows rising across the stories I and movies country and on my Netknow have flix list, happy our political several of system being endings. which have With more volatile been sitting COVID-19 than ever, I there for cases rising don’t have the over two across the emotional or years, just country and waiting for our politimental capacity me. Shows cal system to get to know that my being more new characters. friends volatile than have been ever, I don’t recommending for years, like have the emotional or mental “Glee,” which I’ve wanted to capacity to get to know new watch since it characters, follow an intricate premiered in 2009. But plot and deal with the stress instead of finally understandof not ing all the cursed Matthew knowing what happens at Morrison memes my friends the end. My Netflix time is send each other, I grabbed an escape from assignments another one-way ticket to and the endless news cycle, Pawnee to listen to all the helping me to cope with the jokes I’ve already memorized uncertainty outside of my and spend time with the home and the monotony characters I know better than within it. I know myself. I’m certainly not the only I shouldn’t be surprised person whose television and that I chose to rewatch shows film diet has mostly and movies since quarantine consisted of revisiting old began nearly nine months favorites these past few ago. During family months. As media psycholmovie nights, I always request ogist Pamela Rutledge told “Downton Abbey,” “The NPR in an August interview, Crown” or one of the other many of us want to watch shows we have all watched something that is “going to multiple times. When I was actually reinforce or relax or younger, shiny, untouched allow us to escape and give us hardcover books were a little bit of a vacation rather begging to be read, but I than tax our brains to figure ignored their pleas, out what’s going on in a very Illustrations by Jacob Fulton

complex plot.” characters interact in a I have given in to watchnewsroom while desperately ing new things a few times trying to be good journalsince March, usually at the ists was comforting. The pestering of my friends who familiarity of the setting and want to include me in the their struggles enabled me to memes and TikToks they watch something new after send in our group chat, or my months of “Parks and Rec,” family’s desperate attempts to “New Girl” and my favorite do something together. When childhood Disney shows on I gave in, I thought I just repeat. wanted to make them happy, Similarly, after months of and appease their demands my resistance, my friends sat that I watch anything other me down in late September than “Parks and Rec.” to make me watch “Avatar: After weeks of begging The Last Airbender.” I never from my mom, I finally watched it when we were kids sat down to watch Aaron and I couldn’t bring myself to Sorkin’s “The Newsroom.” enter a world of (imaginary) I could tell it meant a lot to conflict as I watched my her, and I was half-hoping family fight, politicians it would remind me of The debate and friends argue Daily’s newsroom on the mercilessly on Facebook. third floor of Norris. It did, However, on that night, I felt and the comfort of newsroom comfortable with where I was chaos and banter brought and who I was with. I trusted me a sense of normalcy that my friends — they wouldn’t proved soothing, even though let anything bad happen to the charme, so I acters were could take under perthe risk and The familiarity of the sonal and watch setting and their professional something struggles enabled stress covnew. Since ering some arriving in me to watch of the most Evanston, something new earth-shatI’ve only after months of tering been able to “Parks and Rec,” events of watch new the 2000s. shows with “New Girl” and my But them. favorite childhood I know If I Disney shows on how the ever do get 2010 BP sick of my repeat. Deepwater rotation of Horizon shows while Oil Spill ended and what the pandemic rages on, I know happened during the 2013 that I need good friends with Boston Marathon, so the me, a familiar setting and real-world events didn’t seem relatable characters. But until quite as scary. Instead, watch- that happens, I’ll be watching ing these clever “Gilmore Girls” in my bed. ◊

— by Wilson Chapman

The best albums of 2020 Fetch the Bolt Cutters, Fiona Apple “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” feels like a revelation no matter how many times you go back to it. Fiona Apple has always been one of our most talented living musicians, even if she takes her sweet time to drop her projects, but on her latest album, recorded almost entirely at her home in Venice Beach, she sounds more alive than she ever has. The album’s percussive, often DIY approach to production gives it a unique sound that’s all its own. And the raw anger of tracks like “Shameika” and “Under the Table” tap into a primal energy like few artists are capable of. The album is a lot of things – sad, funny, sweet – but what I keep coming back to is how stirring and oddly inspirational it is to see Apple so unrestrained, so defiant, and so free. græ, Moses Sumney Moses Sumney makes music that defies easy categorization, part soul and jazz and art-pop, and his songs are all about blurring boundaries and rejecting easy labels, of sex and race and gender and identity. On “græ,” an epic 20 song double album, he takes his search for selfactualization to meditative, thrilling places like the masochistic “Cut Me” or his rejection of stereotypical masculinity in “Virile.” Like the artist behind it, “græ” defies easy analysis and summing up, but that’s somewhat the point; the album’s message, as Sumney reflects on sour breakups and painful loneliness, is that only he can determine who he is, and all that he is.

Heaven to a Tortured Mind, Yves Tumor Experimental electronic musician Yves Tumor’s previous work has been, to put it mildly, dense: rewarding, but often requiring a few listens to really get a feel for. “Heaven to a Tortured Mind” is...not that. From the opener, the clanging “Gospel for a New Century,” it’s an immediately likeable album, as Yves takes on the role of rock star sex god in the vein of Prince of David Bowie with aplomb, and injects their experimental ambient music with horns, guitar solos, and banging drums. What results is one of the most purely enjoyable listening experiences of the year, filled with absolute bangers that lodge in your head and refuse to leave. Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, Perfume Genius Although he’s pushing 40, there’s a boyishness to Mike Hadreas that has seeped into his work as indie rocker Perfume Genius; all of his previous albums have felt like the work of someone much younger, still growing and figuring himself out. “Set My Heart On Fire Immediately” feels like the first album where Hadreas is fully an adult, and it’s a transformation that has done wonders for his already impressive skills as a musician. On this latest album, he explores the same material he’s always been fascinated by – queer love, longing, and the f ragility of the human body – but from the perspective

of someone a little older and wiser, looking back wistfully on one-sided crushes and failed hookups and looking forward as he ages. And he compliments his lyrics with an immaculate production that jumps between dance pop, grungy rock and delicate ballads with the ease and confidence of any master musician. songs and instrumentals, Adrianne Lenker This is somewhat cheating, as these are technically two seperate albums released simultaneously by the f rontman of the great folk rock act Big Thief. But they’re both the product of the same recording session, when Lenker retreated to a cabin in the woods following a bad breakup and hashed out the material over the course of April, and the two work beautifully together as a portrait of Lenker’s mental state and surroundings at that specific moment. “songs” is the more accessible of the pair, a collection of gorgeously constructed guitar ballads that feel like they’re being performed live in front of you. “instrumentals” is a bit of a tougher hang, two sprawling ambient tracks collecting choice moments from extended improv takes Lenker did during her recording sessions. But it’s an album that rewards patience, and listening to the rain pouring and the birds chirping outside of Lenker’s cabin on “music for indigo” is an immersive experience like nothing else. ◊

Spirit Elephant serves vegan fare even meat-eaters would love

D Young doesn’t want her vegan restaurant, Spirit Elephant, to just appeal to those on a plant-based diet. She wants hamburger lovers to want to eat there too. And I can say Young has achieved her goal. The restaurant ’s food is equal parts fresh and rich, its decor is inviting, and the overall dining – or takeout – experience is one to remember. “I always envisioned Spirit Elephant as a place people would want to travel to, like a destination restaurant,” said Young, who has been a vegan for eight years. “However they eat, I want people to be happy dining here.” Young has done extensive research around the impact of plant-based diets on the environment. Through Spirit Elephant, she wants to share how such diets can be delicious, good for the Earth, and create a more compassionate relationship between humans and animals. S pirit Elephant opened this Januar y in W innetka, and from day one, Young said it was packed. People may associate vegan

restaurants with boring salads or lackluster vegetable crudités. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth at Spirit Elephant, with menu options like pad thai, glazed brussels sprouts and burgers made from Impossible meat, a plant-based alternative. Every dish is colorful and appetizing, and, surprisingly to some, extremely filling. But be sure to save room for Spirit Elephant’s desserts. Leaving without a taste of the restaurant’s Carrot Cake or warm cookies would be a sin. With its plant-based menu, Spirit Elephant brings vegans and vegetarians alike a sense of freedom they don’t normally have while dining out. Northwestern senior Kendyl Counts, who follows a vegetarian diet, recently had lunch at the restaurant and said being able to choose from so many menu items was a luxury. “Usually I dine on meat-eaters’ turf, so it’s great to have a space that celebrates and even caters to my lifestyle,” Counts said. “For once, I didn’t have to ask for a chicken salad, hold the chicken.” Spirit Elephant pivoted to take-out and delivery service in March when the coronavirus pandemic began. It wasn’t what Young imagined her first year of business to look like, but has proven to be successful. The restaurant temporarily reopened for indoor and outdoor dining over the summer, but had to shut down this month as the

— by Zoe Malin state reached record-high COVID cases. Young said restaurants like hers are bracing themselves for the long, dark winter ahead. Many will be forced to close their doors permanently, and need community support now more than ever. She emphasized how customers need to continue purchasing food from their favorite local eateries if they want them to be around when the pandemic is over. “It helps our restaurant the most if people order take-out and delivery directly through our website,” Young said. “We want to serve you, and these little things help us ensure that we’ll continue to be able to.” From time to time, Young said she still hears stories about customers who were hesitant about dining at her vegan restaurant. The dish that changed the most minds? Spirit Elephant’s “cauli-wings,” served piping hot and doused in delectable buffalo sauce. “One bite, and t h e y ’re sold,” Young said. ◊

Photos courtesy of Spirit Elephant

Reel Thoughts

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— by J

Mandalorian Season Two sends Star Wars hurtling forward

ust over a year ago, “The Mandalorian” took off as the first “Star Wars” title in decades to actually surpass its expectations. The first live action Star Wars show was a smash hit, resonating with hardcore Star Wars nerds and mainstream audiences alike in its eight episode first season, a stark contrast to the responses to Disney’s sequals. In addition to the favorable fan reception, “The Mandalorian” enjoyed critical success with seven Emmy wins and a nomination for outstanding drama series, and emerged as the crown jewel in Disney’s lucrative launch of its Disney+ platform. And, of course, the cultural phenomenon known as Baby Yoda went viral, sparking countless memes and a reason for “Star Wars” to be relevant again. The success of “The Mandalorian”’s first season was sure to be a difficult act to follow, but three episodes into its second outing, the show has found its stride once more. With each episode, “The Mandalorian” is distancing “Star Wars” from the stigma of the sequel trilogy’s controversy and immersing audiences further into its corner of the vividly imagined universe. “The Mandalorian” picks up where it left off in the story of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), the rogue Mandalorian bounty hunter who becomes the protector of “The Child,” colloquially known as Baby Yoda. With the Empire right on his tail, “Mando” now seeks to bring The Child to a remaining member

ey+ Courtesy of Disn

of the Jedi Order. The season follows Mando’s overall objective, but similar to the first season, each episode presents its own detours, from fending off a village from the wrath of a krayt dragon to escaping a cave of ice spiders. Season Two takes the technical and storytelling elements that made “The Mandalorian” more than just a Star Wars show and makes them even better. After winning Emmy awards in diverse categories as wideranging as music composition, visual effects, cinematography and production design, the production value of the show has met the sky high bar it set for itself and even improved its CGI technology and editing techniques. Each of the three episodes has thrilling integrated action sequences that feel both scaled back from the excess and stakes of the sequels while keeping the suspense and wow factor at all-time highs, all without the crutch of lightsaber dueling. The aesthetics of the environments feel authentic and lived-in, serving as convincing backdrops for “The Mandalorian”’s intimate focus. The storytelling has the unenviable task of straddling the line in appealing to multiple audiences, but succeeds in deepening its story by incorporating familiar Star Wars characters and breaking new ground. Episode 9: “The Marshal” features Boba Fett’s iconic armor and later the infamous bounty hunter himself (played by original Jango Fett actor Temuera Morrison), but uses the reveal to illuminate Djarin’s relation

to the Mandalorian way rather than indulge in blatant fan service. Two familiar faces from the Clone Wars and Rebels animated TV shows, Mandalorian fighter Bo-Katan and former Jedi Ahsoka Tano, reemerge in the timeline of The Mandalorian as live action characters. At the same time, The Mandalorian develops its own creations, with Djarin and Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) still making the marquee as the show’s stars. Though the secret is out about Baby Yoda, the adorable infant has thankfully returned to the forefront. The Child steals the show once again, and showrunner Jon Favreau capitalizes on the duality of the vulnerability and Force ability of the youngling with each episode. Who knows how long the memes will ensue, but Baby Yoda’s awestruck eyes magnified through the glow of a tank of frog eggs is next level cinematography. By now, it’s clear that “Baby Yoda” isn’t a gimmick — The Child is the greatest driver of the show’s emotional investment and poses its most burning questions. The titular Mandalorian might be the one with the memorable “this is the way” line, but the show itself has established a path forward from the Star Wars franchise after the galaxy’s tumultuous return to the big screen. The first season of “The Mandalorian” shifted the direction of Disney’s partnership with the Star Wars franchise for the better, and Season Two has given fans more of the same. ◊