The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
4 — Wednesday, March 9, 2022

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I’M LEANING OVER MY 

friend’s shoulder in the middle of 
a party trying to help him guess 
the day’s “Wordle.” The music is 
loud and so are the people, but 
it’s been a long time since I’ve felt 
this locked into a task. Two of our 
friends are sitting next to us also 
trying to solve the puzzle, and 
it soon becomes a group effort 
until we land on the word. Do I 
remember what the word was? 
No. Do I remember all four of 
us exploding in cheers and clap-
ping, briefly drawing the atten-
tion of other partygoers? Yes. Do 
I recognize that it is strange to 
be so absorbed by a word puzzle 
game in the middle of a college 
party? Also yes. However, I don’t 
think many “Wordle” players 
would blame us. 

“Wordle,” the online word 

game that has captivated much 
of the world in recent months, 
was released in October 2021 by 

creator Josh Wardle, who origi-
nally made the game for himself 
and his partner to play during 
the pandemic. “Wordle”’s game-
play is fairly simple: Each day a 
new five-letter word is picked, 
and players have six tries to 
guess it. The puzzle is presented 
as a five-by-six-square grid; the 
game denotes wrong letters in 
gray, correct ones in the wrong 
place in yellow and correct ones 
in the right place in green. The 
game blew up around December 
2021, and became an internet 
phenomenon as people began 
sharing their results in easy-to-
share graphics online.

In November 2021, “Wordle” 

had 90 players and by January, 
that number jumped to over 2 
million. People have a tendency 
to love puzzle games — “Words 
With Friends,” “Candy Crush,” 
“Tetris” — but “Wordle” stands 
out and took off because you 
have six tries to guess the word, 
and whether or not one can guess 
it correctly, those six tries are all 

you have until the next word is 
released. It keeps players on the 
edge of their seats for the next 
puzzle, and since every player 
gets the same word, solving the 
game becomes something of a 
pride point for players online. It 
is good, wholesome fun in our 
pandemic landscape. Devoid of 
politics or opinions, “Wordle” is 
a perfect way for people to con-
nect over a shared love of a free, 

simple word puzzle game (hence 
college students playing during a 
party).

Then The New York Times 

bought “Wordle.” On Jan. 31, 
2022, The New York Times 
acquired the game for some-
where “in the low seven figures.” 
If you’re keeping up, that is at 
least one million dollars. The 
game will be part of The New 
York Times Games section, which 

is home to the publication’s daily 
crossword puzzle and the game 
“Spelling Bee.” The acquisition of 
“Wordle” is a part of The NYT’s 
quest toward “becoming the 
essential subscription for every 
English-speaking person seek-
ing to understand and engage 
with the world.” In a Twitter 
statement, Josh Wardle referred 
to “Wordle”’s popularity and its 
upkeep as “overwhelming” and 
went on to call the purchase 
“very natural.” His excitement 
about the move and handing 
control to a larger team was pal-
pable, so we should all be excited 
for him, right?

Well, let me tell you, the after-

noon of Jan. 31 on Twitter was 
insane. As I logged onto the app 
for probably the millionth time 
that day, I was met with “RIP 
Wordle” on the trending page. 
Most users worried that the 
game would be stuck behind 
The NYT’s notorious paywall. 
One Twitter user summed the 
predicament up pretty well: “ 
I 

have never seen twitter as imme-
diately mad as it is rn about the 
NYT wordle buyout. the NYT 
took one nice and simple thing 
that a lot of people really liked, a 
dumb bit of fun in our exhaust-
ingly dark times, and implied 
that they’ll stick it behind a pay-
wall. exhausting.” Others used 
the opportunity to poke fun at 
the nature of capitalism, “rip 
wordle, there is nothing sacred 
to capitalism apparently.” Some 
turned the acquisition politi-
cal: “NYT buying Wordle is the 
puzzle equivalent of an out-of-
touch politician instantly kill-
ing the appeal of a pop culture 
thing.” The cheekiest among us 
even brought back the classic 
millennial adage, “‘How mil-
lennials killed Wordle’ -NYT 
op-ed tomorrow.” However, the 
humor seemed to be only a thin 
veneer masking a very real sense 
of anger over the acquisition of 
“Wordle.”

‘Wordle’ has a New York Times problem

Design by Erin Ruark

 MADDIE AGNE
Daily Arts Writer

MRS. 
MAISEL 
(RACHEL 

Brosnahan, “I’m Your Woman”), 
affectionately known as Midge, 
is drunk, on the verge of a break-
down and all-out spiraling after a 
man has completely upended her 
life; her impeccably put-together 
ensemble is only looking ever so 
slightly worse for wear. This is the 
pilot premise of “The Marvelous 
Mrs. Maisel”: a character at abso-
lute rock bottom, who the audience 
inevitably falls in love with as her 
life falls apart. My question is: Why 
is this an equally accurate descrip-
tion of the show’s season four pre-

miere?

The first three seasons of the 

critically acclaimed show have pro-
gressed along steadily, the char-
acter-driven plot hardly having a 
chance to catch its breath against 
the breakneck speed of creator 
Amy Sherman-Palladino’s (“Gilm-
ore Girls”) witty and sharp dia-
logue. To call it fast-paced is akin to 
saying Usain Bolt would fare well 
in a speed-walking contest. Fans of 
the show have come to expect this 
signature trademark of Palladino’s 
writing, so why has Palladino cho-
sen this crucial moment in Midge’s 
trajectory to slow things down and 
go back to where it all started? 

From the downtown New York 

club circuit of season one, to Paris 

and the Catskills in season two, to 
a national tour in season three, the 
scope (and magnificent production 
design I might add) of the show 
has grown, each season building 
on the last, expanding in reach to 
give Midge the proper domain to 
flourish in her stage and familial 
presence. After closing out the last 
two seasons on career highs, Midge 
has been knocked down a rung on 
the ladder of success and finally 
faced some real consequences for 
the impulsivity and raw honesty 
of her act. We’ve regressed further 
than ever before, the parallels to 
the pilot washing over this season’s 
premiere: from familiar apartment 
sets to drunken impromptu stage 
takeovers and, of course, another 

arrest for her rap sheet.

A silver lining to the whole blast-

from-the-past act is the pure con-
tradiction of Midge herself. She 
radiates an air of self-assuredness 
and confidence in her own capa-
bilities so often reserved for male 
characters of incontestable genius 
that is so unbelievably refreshing 
to watch. At times, she can be infu-
riatingly shallow and full of herself 
but, unlike her male counterparts, 
she’s likable. Brosnahan firmly 
grounds her character, makes her 
egoism more endearing than irk-
some, her arrogance more attrac-
tive than aggravating. You can’t 
help but root for her as she runs 
against the grain of a white man’s 
world of comedy. 

Even though Midge isn’t always 

self-aware, the show itself cer-
tainly is. In a moment of laughable 
frustration, she vents to her tod-
dler Esther, “It’s a fucking man’s 
world,” and in response to being 
told to “be the bigger man,” she 
says, “Well, I’m a woman so, fuck 
that.” Midge is headstrong and 
uncompromising in her beliefs; 
a well-seasoned pro has no time 
to spare in doubting her talent or 
questioning her decisions. Apart 
from the initial breakdown, Midge 
bounces back quick as ever and is 
fairly level-headed about moving 
forward after the near-collapse of 
her career. 

A true highlight of this premiere 

is the Wonder Wheel scene at 

Coney Island. Midge’s parents have 
rescheduled Ethan’s (Matteo Pas-
cale, debut) birthday for their con-
venience, to which Midge shows 
up unannounced to tell everyone 
she’s been fired. As per usual, Pal-
ladino never fails to take advantage 
of an overlapping conversational 
scene between the entire family. A 
change of pace from the usual out-
bursts at dinner or the synagogue, 
everyone is shouting and cutting 
each other off as the camera swift-
ly hops from car to car to catch a 
glimpse of everyone’s reaction. It’s 
well-executed and a real testament 
to the show’s smart writing and 
innovative camera work.

 SERENA IRANI

Daily Arts Contributor

The titular protagonist of ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ hits rock bottom… again

‘Kimi’ is frustratingly 

average

IF YOU’VE EVER scrolled end-

lessly through streaming service 
after streaming service, randomly 
picked a movie you’ve never heard 
of starring an actor or actress you 
recognize, mildly enjoyed it and 
then fallen asleep, you probably 
have a good idea of what “Kimi” 
is 
like. 
Steven 
Soderbergh’s 

(“Ocean’s Eleven”) newest film 
“Kimi” isn’t going to blow you 
away or draw you in for a second 
watch, but it also won’t leave you 
upset after spending 90 minutes 
watching it.

“Kimi” is an HBO Max-exclu-

sive, filmed and set during the 
pandemic. It stars Zoë Kravitz 
(“High 
Fidelity”) 
as 
Angela 

Childs, a worker for the tech 
corporation Amygdala. The titu-
lar Kimi, Amygdala’s primary 
product, is an Alexa-esque smart 
speaker that uses human workers 
to correct the errors in its voice 
recognition 
software. 
Angela, 

who suffers from severe anxiety 
and an almost obsessive aversion 
to the outside world, discovers a 
recording of a woman’s murder. 
She is forced to go outside in order 
to bring the recording to the FBI, 
braving hitmen, streets full of pro-
testers and corporate cover-ups.

Kravitz carries much of the 

movie single-handedly. For most 
of the movie, Angela is the only 
character the audience gets to 
see directly, with everyone else 
obfuscated by video calls and 
glass windows. She makes Ange-
la’s anxiety feel realistic, which 
gives the movie’s basic premise 
a solid foundation. Without her 
convincing portrayals of Angela’s 
panic attacks at the idea of going 
outside, this whole movie would 
have felt ridiculous.

There is a noticeable shift in the 

camerawork once Angela leaves 
her apartment. The slow shots of 
her walking throughout her spa-
cious loft that the movie started 
with are gone. We are now treated 
to shaking footage at angles that 
put Angela in the corner, small 
and scared of the world around 
her. The film has a sped-up qual-
ity to it, zoomed out to make the 
camera appear to move faster 
than it actually is, as well as many 
quick cuts, making these scenes 

feel panicked and off-putting. 
These tricks work wonderfully 
the first couple of times they are 
used but become stale by the end 
of the movie. The movie ramps up 
tension for the first half, only to 
then plateau off toward the end.

There is a level of artificiality to 

the tension of the movie. It is rife 
with coincidences that were clear-
ly inserted to obtusely heighten 
the drama of early scenes. A pre-
cariously placed glass falls just as 
Angela first discovers the murder; 
Angela’s boss calls her the moment 
after she discovers the identity 
of the woman on the recording; 
her shut-in neighbor walks up the 
moment Angela is brought back to 
her apartment drugged and about 
to be murdered. All of these coin-
cidences might seem small, but as 
more and more start to build up, 
they become increasingly frus-
trating. The movie is a very tight 
90 minutes; the multitude of fluke 
occurrences feel out of place when 
compared to the well-planned 
chase scenes and anxiety-induc-
ing setup.

The movie is at its best when 

it leans on the paranoia Angela 
feels, especially after she leaves 
her apartment. Every step in her 
quest to uncover the murder she 
stumbled upon is met with doubt 
from the people she meets along 
the way. Her anxiety and discom-
fort are telegraphed for everyone 
in the audience to see very clearly. 
While not subtle, it is nonetheless 
relatable to see a corporate high-
er-up condescendingly talk down 
to Angela, pretending to listen 
when just trying to save their own 
skin. This aspect of the movie was 
the only one that really kept my 
attention and didn’t leave a nag-
ging voice wanting substantially 
more.

“Kimi” 
leaves 
you 
under-

whelmed with the knowledge that 
you could have been given more. 
The filmmakers demonstrate that 
they know what they are doing, 
but at very key points, seem to 
have chosen the easy route. The 
movie doesn’t try to go above 
and beyond; instead, it settles 
as another enjoyably forgettable 
action thriller.

Daily Arts Writer Zach Loveall 

can be reached at zloveall@umich.
edu.

 ZACH LOVEALL

Daily Arts Writer

puzzle by sudokusnydictation.com

By Stella Zawistowski
©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
03/09/22

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

03/09/22

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Release Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2022

ACROSS

1 Expand, as bread 

dough

5 Lift option

13 Responsibility
14 It borders It.
15 Crown-wearing 

literary elephant

16 Work out like a 

hairdresser?

19 Time worth 

naming

20 Late time, in ads
21 Bills worth a 

hundo

22 Enjoy a La-Z-Boy

interjections

25 A lot, to Auden
26 Mother of life, in 

Greek myth

27 Needing to be 

settled

30 Work out like a 

bartender?

35 Evidence of 

shortages, for 
short

36 Catch, as a flick
37 __ menu
38 Work out like a 

fine artist?

43 Good buddy
44 Little winged 

singer

45 Slice (off)
46 Crew implement
47 Top-flight
51 Training song in 


55 Protagonist of 

novels

56 Exec with the 

purse strings

57 Work out like a 

stockbroker?

60 Be worthy of

counterparts

62 Destine for failure
63 Partner of ends
64 Avonlea adoptee
65 Numero dopo le 

sette

DOWN

1 Rodeo performer
2 Accustom (to)
3 Component of 

the spice blend 

4 Medium ability
5 Take advantage 

of

6 Raised landform
7 Tennis immortal
8 U.S. __ 1, East 

Coast hwy.

9 Saintly symbol

10 Share a border 

with

11 Tinseled fabric
12 Half of seis
15 Literally, “tray 


17 Bring together
18 Parental control 

option

23 Much, casually
24 Relaxed
27 Gregorius of the 

Phillies

28 Either of two 

Monopoly 
properties that 
Abbr.

29 Ballpark figs.
30 Have trouble with 


31 Where much of 

“Children of the 

32 Coal, for one

33 Arena worker
34 Harvests
39 Like many 

a Broadway 
musical

40 Bingham of 


41 Conic section
42 Canapé base, 

often

47 Sing like Michael 

Bublé

48 Slide (over)

49 Otherwise
50 “Fun Fearless 


51 Company 

message

52 Cut
54 Centenarian 

fashion icon Apfel

55 Fork-tailed flier
58 Relaxing resort
59 Courtroom 

affirmation

SUDOKU

WHISPER

“Spring break 
is too short.”

“I need a full 
break.”

WHISPER

By Judy Hughes
©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
02/23/22

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

02/23/22

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Release Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2022

ACROSS







15 Slippery





























DOWN







 









 


29 Prep









 












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