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b-side
Thursday, January 16, 2020 — 5B
B-SIDE: TV NOTEBOOK
The best TV shows of 2019
DAILY TV WRITERS
Daily Arts Writers
B-SIDE: MUSIC NOTEBOOK
From Eilish to Lil Nas X:
the ten best songs of 2019
DAILY MUSIC WRITERS
Daily Arts Writers
If there’s one thing we can be sure of in a year of
uncertainty, it’s good television. The day-to-day
chaos that overwhelmed our lives made 2019 feel
slow and exhausting, yet it somehow managed
to fly right by. As some of our favorite television
shows retire with the decade, we open the door to
new possibilities and spaces for original content.
I can only imagine how much more challenging
it’ll be in the future to make a list like this
considering the new limbo we’ve entered between
cable television and streaming services, but it fills
me with hope to see how far television has come
in the past decade. This year, we saw talk shows
get political, witnessed John Mulaney make
a children’s comedy special and realized that
looking directly at the camera isn’t only for Jim
Halpert. I have high hopes for what the television
gods will cook up for us in the coming years. In
making this list, the TV beat admittedly struggled
for a bit to look past the horrendous television we
consumed for the purposes of journalism, but
we finally narrowed it down to ten of the most
groundbreaking, entertaining and compelling TV
shows of the year. So without further ado, here
are the best television shows we watched in 2019
(in no particular order).
— Sophia Yoon, Daily TV Editor
“You”
A wise prophet once said, “you know you’re
that bitch when you cause all this conversation.”
It doesn’t take an English degree to catch that
Mrs. Knowles is making a daring, yet direct
reference to the man at the center of the cultural
phenomenon “You” — the plaid shirt-clad serial
killer himself, Joe Goldberg.
Day-one fans will be quick to point out
that “You” was originally released in 2018 on
Lifetime, the edgy, hip network where women
just on the cusp of menopause really let their
hair down, but I will contend that because the
Netflix masses did not get their hands on “You”
until early 2019, that 2019 should be considered
its cohort year instead.
It is no secret that “You,” obnoxiously
pretentious in all the right ways, lacks
plausibility in almost every storyline, as well
as dimension for its female characters. But
what “You” lacks in substance it makes up in
character names so ridiculous that “Riverdale”
seems tame in comparison: There’s Guinevere
Beck, Peach, Forty, someone operating under
the alias Amy Adam and who could forget the
central love interest, aptly dubbed Love.
“You” is an interesting television show — not
just because of Penn Badgley’s chest hair making
consistent appearances — but rather because
it exemplifies the rarity of a piece earning
the status of cult classic in real time. While
normally it takes 10 to 15 years for someone to
build the courage to make a revisionist reading
of a critically panned piece, it took viewers
under a year to determine that yes, “You” is
bananas, but that isn’t going to get in the way
of us figuring out just how Joe cleaned up the
blood the Roomba smeared.
— Ally Owens, TV Senior Arts Editor
“Shrill”
Hulu’s comedy series “Shrill,” based on the
novel of the same name and starring SNL cast
member Aidy Bryant, reflects the social moment
of 2019 in all of its tragedy and absurdity. Main
character Annie struggles with her status as a
plus-sized woman in a culture that expects her
to stay timid and ashamed. Unable to assert
herself at work or in her relationships, Annie
feels utterly powerless in her life. In the first
episode of the season, however, the balance of
power is shifted when she makes the choice to
get an abortion and place her own needs before
others for the first time in her life. This initial
action pushes Annie to take control of her life
and believe in her own talents and abilities.
Throughout the season, she learns what it
means to stand up for herself and take up space
in all the places she’s been shut out of.
The show’s depiction of her journey to
embrace self-love and confidence mirrors the
current push towards body positivity that is
popular on social media. Much of the series
is devoted to depicting demographics often
shamed by popular culture and presenting
diversity in a more realistic way. In portraying
characters of different body types, races,
sexualities and lifestyles as equally human and
equally flawed, the weight of stigma is lifted and
the opportunities for lightness and humor are
allowed in. With the talent of star Aidy Bryant
and a solid and inspiring storyline, “Shrill” sets
itself apart from TV’s less nuanced comedies.
— Anya Soller, Daily Arts Writer
“Dead to Me”
Grief and loss. Only Christina Applegate (“Up
All Night”) and Linda Cardellini (“Green Book”)
could make a comedy out of that. “Dead to Me”
is the definition of a tragicomedy. Applegate
plays Jen, a mother of two whose husband was
recently killed in a hit-and-run. Cardellini plays
Judy, who also has recently experienced a close
loss. After meeting in grief counseling, the dark
place that Jen is in, coupled with the positivity
of Judy, leads to an unexpected friendship. Judy
then moves into Jen’s guest house. However,
Judy lives with the guilt of knowing she was
involved in the death of Jen’s husband. Over
the course of the season, the audience learns
along with the characters themselves how
imperfect the lives of both Jen and Judy are
and why their friendship is perfect for one
another. Jen scavenges the neighborhood,
looking for cars with human-sized dents as
she pressures the police into finding the killer
of her husband, unbeknownst that she is living
with them. The mystery that surrounds the
first season is whether or not Judy is crazy for
living with Jen and the family of the man she
accidentally killed. The secondary mystery is
how a character as loveable as Judy could run
from the crime scene. All these questions are
answered by the finale, but not before more are
presented.
— Justin Pollack, Daily Arts Writer
“Watchmen”
How do masked police officers, squids that
rain from the sky and the KKK fit together in one
coherent show and make sense? “Watchmen” is
the answer — a show crafted from a confusing,
destabilizing series of puzzles, each more
complex than the last. The series’s first episode,
which featured the forgotten Tulsa Race Riot,
blew apart expectations. Each episode after
was a gut punch. As a masked detective of the
Tulsa Police, Angela Abar — or Sister Night —
weaves her way through secrets and lies toward
discoveries about both herself and the world,
making the truth seem more ridiculous than
what she originally thought. Under the watchful
eye of FBI Agent Laurie Blake, Abar gets real
with evil geniuses, white supremacists and
literal gods. “Watchmen” was bold, breathless
and brilliant. With knockout performances
from Regina King (“If Beale Street Could
Talk”), Tim Blake Nelson (“The Ballad of Buster
Scruggs”), Jeremy Irons (“The Borgias”) and
Hong Chau (“Downsizing”), “Watchmen” was
both intense and wacky. Not a minute of the
show’s nine episodes was wasted. Each offering
was a narrative suckerpunch that disturbed
and enthralled as HBO made bold visual and
narrative choices that left viewers consistently
uncertain about where the show was heading.
In the end, what was produced was one of the
best television shows not just of 2019, but of the
decade.
— Maxwell Schwarz, Daily Arts Writer
“Undone”
A show’s first season, more often than not,
is an attempt to find target audiences and to
find footing in a chaotic world of different
television genres. But the shows that enter
the arena without shame or hesitation either
revolutionize audience perceptions of TV and
genre or run the risk of completely bombing.
“Undone” passes easily as the former and finds
footing in being undefined.
After a severe car accident and a visit from her
dead dad, Alma discovers she can manipulate
time. Throughout the season, she works with
her dad to learn how to use her newfound power
to her advantage and figure out who murdered
her father. The show uses rotoscope animation
so that the characters can take shape in the
form of their respective actors, making the
transition between fantasy and reality nearly
undetectable.
Despite the fantasy aspects of the show, its plot
remains grounded and realistic, particularly in
the way it handles the effects of trauma and
interpersonal relationships. What initially drew
me in was the unique art style, which certainly
held its own against the complex layers of the
plot and three-dimensional characters. But I
gradually realized throughout the season that
the animation style wasn’t the most unique part
of the season. “Undone” is a show that fluctuates
in between genre and style, and while I’m often
nervous that the quality of good television
decreases after its renewal, I maintain full faith
that the series will hold its own in a future “best
of” list.
— Sophia Yoon, Daily Film Beat Editor
WARNER BROS. TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION
1. Tyler The Creator, “EARFQUAKE”
For real this time.
Imagine being told four years ago that Tyler,
the Creator would release the best track of 2019
and that it would be a bittersweet soul song
featuring Playboi Carti. It’s remarkable how
much Tyler has grown in the last few years, and
“EARFQUAKE” is a powerful exhibition of his
newfound songwriting strength.
“EARFQUAKE” is the thesis statement of
Tyler’s latest album IGOR. It establishes a few
key themes right out of the gate: an insecurity as
to whether his partner reciprocates his feelings,
a fear of abandonment and intense internal
turmoil that can’t be entirely expressed. Most
remarkable is how he manages to communicate
these essential and resonant themes through
such few words, a testament to the power of
brevity. “Don’t leave / it’s my fault”: A desperate
plea, almost choked out, simple and earnest, this
expression of weakness is paradoxically linked to
the pounding drums that accompany its delivery.
Harmonically speaking, the song is composed
entirely of major and minor seventh chords, ones
which do not clearly resolve in any direction,
creating a sort of rootless feeling. The rhetorical
effect of this compositional choice is a sense of
liminality and impending change. The desperate
frustration of the lyrics combined with the
unclear harmonic backdrop creates dramatic
tension: How will his partner respond to his
plea?
“EARFQUAKE”
is
a
deft
piece
of
craftsmanship, particularly in its ability to
evoke and intensify the tension of the situation
Tyler finds himself in through the symbiotic
relationship between harmony and lyrics. It’s
catchy, emotionally saturated and profoundly
human. It’s lightning in a bottle.
— Jonah Mendelson, Senior Arts Editor
2. Charli XCX and Christine and the
Queens, “Gone”
“Gone” is muscular. Its fireworks of grandeur,
pop-futurism and expert execution make it
a driving, catchy force that reflects Charli
XCX’s gradual ascent into her truest form.
“Gone” glows neon in my mind; it’s the song I
consistently place on repeat to start my morning
routine. It’s this fierceness of pushing forward
and a reflection of the generational lifestyle
both her and her audience are experiencing, as
she states in her NOWNESS interview: “I’m not
super sentimental about much of my stuff. I just
like to kind of go, and as long as I have friends
with me — that’s my main thing.” There’s an
unmatched authenticity that Charli brings to
the future of pop — she completely backs up her
persona with her actions, during a time when
following through with the image you create is
more important than ever.
“Gone” is a wonderful contradiction in its
reflection of both the hustle and strength of being
on the move (surrounded by friends, partying,
going going gone) while still questioning why
we’re always so quick to move along. Charli XCX
writes anthems for the uncontrollable emotions
of this generation. She’s speeding 100 miles
per hour down a highway of confidence, sex,
and body positivity. “Gone” is the apex of that
mentality.
— Samantha Cantie, Daily Music Editor
3. Lil Nas X, “Old Town Road”
You couldn’t go through 2019 without hearing
“Old Town Road.” Gen Z’s #YeehawChallenge
was every boomer’s go-to barbecuing anthem.
And Lil Nas X produced it with 30 bucks and a
steady online personality. The song transcends
our expectations for genres and popular music: a
confident, effortless and blithe blend of trap and
country that samples Nine Inch Nails. Lyrically
about riding a horse, the track became Lil Nas
X’s breakthrough rags-to-riches story when he
lived on his sister’s couch. And he took its rise
to ubiquity all in stride. When Billboard deemed
it not country enough to place on the country
charts, the infamous Billy Ray Cyrus remix was
released to really play up the country energies
Lil Nas X was certain of. This only furthered his
song’s starhood, it eventually making history for
topping the Hot 100 for 19 consecutive weeks.
This eventually spun the track off to various
other remixes that pervaded popular culture and
furthered its reach — but that’s not the point. “Old
Town Road” defines 2019 in its effortless ability
to adapt to and navigate our social spheres in a
digital age that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
— Diana Yassin, Daily Arts Writer
4. Lana Del Ray, “The Greatest”
“The culture is lit and if this is it, I had a ball,”
croons Lana Del Rey in her song “The Greatest”
from her album Norman Fucking Rockwell!.
While a tad pessimistic, the line is fitting for the
end of one decade and the start of a new one. As
2020 slowly gets rolling, “The Greatest” becomes
increasingly
––
worryingly
––
prophetic,
“Hawaii just missed that fireball / L.A. is in
flames, it’s getting hot,” and as the climate crisis
drives the flames hotter, “The Greatest” feels
like the conclusion of something equally terrible
and great. Del Rey’s somber, melancholy track
is on our list for how well it encapsulates the
rapidly changing times.
There is a tangible sense of frustration,
distress and loss that rang through 2019 –– but
there is also a sense of undeniable optimism for
the coming year. Del Rey sings that “I want shit
to feel just like it used to,” and while certainly
it can be difficult not to long for days gone by,
rose-tinted through our iPhone screens, change
is unique in its ability to be positive or negative.
2019 may not have ended on the foot we wanted,
but time is on our side to change direction to a
grander future. “Don’t leave, I just need a wake-
up call.” Think instead that the greatest is yet to
come.
— Maddie Gannon, Daily Arts Writer
5. 100 Gecs, “money machine”
The first time I played “money machine” for
my dad, he said, “If you told me this was a comedy
sketch parodying modern pop music, I would
believe you.” Except “money machine” is no
joke and 100 gecs has thousands of fans playing
their post-ironic pop masterpiece. This song is
shaking up the game with hilariously goofy yet
absurdly catchy lyrics. When 100 gecs was asked
about their songwriting process in a Reddit
AMA, Laura Les explained how her iconic intro
to “money machine” came about: “I just came up
with it on the spot.” It’s unconventionally noisey
and over — processed brilliance. And if you think
this song is some sort of blasphemous taint on all
that Good Music™ stands for, then all I have to
say to you is: “Hey you lil’ piss baby, you think
you’re so fucking cool?”
— Dylan Yono, Daily Arts Writer
6. FKA Twigs, “Cellophane”
FKA Twigs’s Mary Magdalene era is marked
by the release of “Cellophane” following a
four-year hiatus from music. This break was
characterized by devastating news for Twigs,
from her breakup with former vampire Robert
Pattinson (and its highly publicized nature) to
her suffering from fibroid tumors. The result is a
shattered interiority that falls apart just as much
as it shines across MAGDALENE. Her emotional
afflictions are as potent as the physical ones, and
this sentiment peaks with “Cellophane.” Twigs
aches over a sparse, glitchy beat that synchopates
and chugs ever so delicately as she exposes the
fragile nature of a failing relationship under
the public gaze. She is vulnerable and bare, her
voice and emotions palpable and resonant. It
feels almost an intrusive listen, as though the
listener is reading through someone’s personal
diary as she croons, “They’re waiting, they’re
watching / They’re watching us, they’re hating
/ They’re hoping / I’m not enough.” The result
is a devastatingly beautiful song that gathers all
the turmoil and reflection following the end of
a relationship where it felt like the other party
wasn’t trying hard enough.
— Diana Yassin, Daily Arts Writer
7. BROCKHAMPTON, “SUGAR”
Although BROCKHAMPTON’s 2019 release,
GINGER, wasn’t exactly a fan-favorite, one song
in particular stood out. “SUGAR,” the second song
off the album and hands-down the most popular,
really struck a chord with the group’s audience.
Arguably the most BROCKHAMPTON-esque
song of the whole release, “SUGAR” was already
the most played song off the album once the whole
project was released. It’s true skyrocket to fame
was its popularity on Tik Tok (unfortunately),
and now it is possibly the group’s most popular
song to date.
The song is like a lot of what made
BROCKHAMPTON famous back in the days of
the SATURATION trilogy. The hook has sweet
vocals by Ryan Beatty and ends on the signature
mumblings of bearface. The soft rap sound is
reminiscent of songs like “BLEACH,” one of
BROCKHAMPTON’s
most
enduring
songs.
Perhaps BROCKHAMPTON’s best release of the
year, “SUGAR” was a monumental release.
— Gigi Ciulla, Daily Arts Writer
HBO
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