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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