The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
6 — Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Thankful for Thanksgiving TV
Once the clock strikes 12 on the
first of November, I can practically
feel the urge to switch into “holiday
season mode.” Starbucks starts selling
those snickerdoodle hot chocolates
that I begrudgingly enjoy, Hallmark
pumps out one romantic Christmas
movie after another and Hobby Lobby
sells out of the holiday decor they’ve
had on the floor since July. I try not to
get swept up in the Christmas spirit
until December, but it can be tough,
what with all of the mass marketing
propaganda,
endless
Christmas
movies and Phoebe Bridgers’ annual
emotionally devastating Christmas
song cover. Now I promise I’m not
a curmudgeonly old grinch. I just
hate when everyone blatantly skips
over my favorite holiday of the year:
Thanksgiving!
In all fairness, other than “Planes,
Trains and Automobiles” and the
“Charlie Brown” specials, there
aren’t many beloved Thanksgiving
films. But when it comes to TV, no
other holiday has got it beat. Frankly,
it’s too early for Christmas fluff
specials, so here are five shows with
Thanksgiving-themed episodes that
belong in the television hall of fame.
“Friends”
I had to start with the classic.
Could there be a more iconic set
of Thanksgiving episodes? Season
after season, “Friends” delivered.
And I mean, really delivered. Even
in its earliest seasons, they set the
tone for every tradition to come,
from Chandler’s (Matthew Perry,
“17 Again”) hatred of the holiday to
Monica’s (Courtney Cox, “Scream”)
relentless efforts to put dinner
together, only for it to spiral into
disaster. Widely regarded as a fan
favorite, season five’s “The One with
All the Thanksgivings,” gives us the
infamous scene in which Chandler
tells Monica he loves her for the
first time … while she’s dancing
around with a turkey on her head.
My personal favorite is “The One
Where Ross Got High” for having that
lightning speed round of confessions,
Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston, “The
Morning Show”) beef dessert trifle
and Joey’s (Matt LeBlanc, “Joey”)
maternity pants. I’d also be remiss
not to mention my mom’s (and a lot of
people’s) favorite, “The One with the
Rumor,” mostly because it’s “The One
with Brad Pitt.”
“Friends” is about “that time
in your life when your friends are
your family,” so naturally, it’s sappy
and sort of sweet that out of all the
holidays, Thanksgiving is the one the
show is most known for. Besides, what
else is there to watch on cable TV on
Thanksgiving Day? Football?
“Friends” is currently available to
stream on HBO Max.
“Gossip Girl”
Mmm. Whatcha say.
If you have no idea what I’m
talking about, you probably haven’t
watched this scene, which is, no joke,
the greatest Thanksgiving dinner
scene in television history, featuring
each dramatic exit from the table
set to Jason Derulo singing in the
background, the abrupt cut-aways
to Lily (Kelly Rutherford, “Melrose
Place”) drinking in the kitchen and
Eric’s (Connor Paolo, “Revenge”)
deadpan delivery of “Your sweet
potatoes are bland.” With this
episode, “Gossip Girl” boldly asks the
question: How many backstabbing
betrayals can one pack into a single
three-minute scene? It’s truly a
commendable effort as it balances
multiple feuds and petty grievances
simultaneously; the camera barely
catches a break as it jumps from one
pair to the next, each line of dialogue
sparking a chain reaction of shocking
reveals and vexed responses.
“The Treasure of Serena Madre”
isn’t just a good Thanksgiving episode
but one of the series’ very best. Every
character sitting at that table is
silently fuming at the person to their
left, with Blair (Leighton Meester,
“Monte Carlo”) carelessly stirring the
pot about matters she’s uninvolved
in, Serena (Blake Lively, “A Simple
Favor”) flirting with Nate’s (Chace
Crawford, “The Boys”) cousin in
front of his wife and Rufus (Matthew
Settle, “Band of Brothers”) telling
dad jokes, which is a crime in and of
itself. As always, this show thrives
upon chaos and incestuous conflict,
and what other holiday quite so
perfectly presents itself as a backdrop
for long-held resentment and passive-
aggressive comments brewing under
the surface of a flawless dinner
spread? Although none of the show’s
other Thanksgiving episodes hold
a candle to season three for that
theatrical dinner exit sequence alone,
the award for most on-theme title
goes to “Blair Waldorf Must Pie!”
because, duh.
SERENA IRANI
Daily Arts Writer
‘Stranger at the Gate’ shows the power of compassion
‘She Said’: A hard-hitting
exposé on the story that
brought down Harvey
Weinstein
Content Warning: This article
contains mentions of sexual assault.
Based on the book of the same
name by Jodi Kantor and Megan
Twohey, “She Said” tackles the
true account of how these two
investigative journalists, played
by Carrie Mulligan (“Promising
Young Woman”) and Zoe Kazan
(“The
Big
Sick”)
uncovered
and wrote a story that would
dismantle the power of a serial
sex offender and set the #MeToo
movement in motion.
The film finds Twohey and
Kantor working at the New York
Times in 2016 as they investigate
Harvey Weinstein (“Shakespeare
in Love”) — formerly one of
Hollywood’s
most
powerful
and successful film producers
— and the allegations against
him of sexual misconduct in the
workplace.
In 2020, the New York justice
system convicted Weinstein of
two counts of rape and sexual
assault and sentenced him to 23
years in prison. Two years into his
sentence, Weinstein now stands
for a second criminal trial in Los
Angeles. He has pleaded not guilty
to all seven charges against him:
two counts of rape and five counts
of sexual assault. If convicted,
Weinstein faces a sentence of
up to 135 years in prison. “She
Said” — released on Nov. 18,
2022, just over a month after the
trial was officially underway —
brings attention to a story that
revolutionized the conversation
on sexual harassment in the
workplace.
The trial and the horrific
testimonies
that
accompany
it
represent
much
more
than
Weinstein.
“She
Said”
understands this — the most
Weinstein
himself
physically
contributes is his voice and the
back of his head. The correct
choice, without question. The true
story of how the king of Miramax
Films (and of Hollywood, for that
matter) abused his power for
decades without consequence is
symbolic of a system that protects
abusers and silences victims in
the workplace. “She Said” takes a
stand against all the Weinsteins
of the world and the institutions
that tend to shield them from
the consequences of their guilty
actions.
The film’s opening sequence
follows Twohey as she publishes
a
story
exposing
sexual
misconduct by former President
Donald Trump ahead of the
2016 presidential election with a
named source, which led to the
firing of political commentator
Bill O’Reilly at Fox News after
misconduct allegations against
him surfaced. This serves as
the prelude to the film’s central
story and begs the question,
asked by Times editor Rebecca
Corbett
(Patricia
Clarkson,
“Sharp Objects”), “Why is sexual
harassment so pervasive and so
hard to address?”
“She Said” dials in on the
grueling process of chasing leads,
approaching sources, minding the
law, toeing the line of ethics and
pulling thread after thread. By
following the nearly impossible
operation of breaking a story of
this magnitude, with no shortage
of intimidated and legally gagged
sources, we see just how easy it
would have been for Weinstein’s
behavior to never come to light.
The film is slow and methodical. It
shares its naturalistic, procedural
cinematic approach with Tom
McCarthy’s
2015
“Spotlight,”
which followed The Boston Globe’s
operation to expose the cover-up
of child sexual abuse within the
Roman Catholic Church. Both
films are sobering, as they keenly
observe the thrill and drama of
all-consuming
investigations
into corrupt systems of deceit
and intimidation. Mulligan and
Kazan honor Twohey and Kantor
with memorable performances,
their
emotional
vulnerability
expressing just how passionate
and personal reporting can get.
MAYA RUDER
Daily Arts Writer
Photo courtesy of Karl Schroder
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
SABRIYA IMAMI
Managing Arts Editor
Design by Francie Ahrens
“I think (there) are two really
major problems in our society right
now: We’re closed off from each
other,
and
we’re
unforgiving,”
director Joshua Seftel said in a virtual
interview with The Michigan Daily.
Seftel’s short documentary film
“Stranger at the Gate,” produced by
The New Yorker, tells the true story of
Mac McKinney, a man who planned
to attack a masjid and instead
turned to Islam. The film makes its
viewers aware of the importance
of addressing the problems Seftel
highlights and, more importantly,
impresses upon them the desire to
change the way we as people in a
society interact with each other.
McKinney, a veteran, was taught
during his time in the military to see
Muslims as enemies. He intended to
act on this belief when he returned
to Muncie, Indiana; he planned an
attack, gathered materials to make
a bomb and intended to blow up the
Islamic Center of Muncie.
He arrived at the masjid and was
met with pure, simple compassion.
Dr. Saber Bahrami, a member of
the Muncie Muslim community,
saw McKinney and hugged him,
the way he would any individual
there for prayer. Another person,
Jomo Williams, saw McKinney
looking troubled and asked how he
could help. Bibi Bahrami, a woman
who people liken to Mother Teresa
because of how she accepts people
into her home, invited McKinney as
a guest, even after learning what he
intended to do.
McKinney, a man who intended
to do harm to this community, was
treated with kindness, and that made
all the difference. He was moved by
their compassion and chose to learn
from them and, eventually, join them.
He turned to Islam in spite of his
initial beliefs regarding Muslims. He
is proudly Muslim to this day.
Documentaries
detailing
tragedies are particularly difficult to
watch. To know that these struggles
you’re watching as entertainment
are real experiences and feelings that
people have gone through is hard to
reconcile. When watching “Stranger
at the Gate,” I felt this to a degree I
had never experienced before. As a
Muslim, to hear about this man’s plan
to attack a masjid, a place of worship,
was terrifying.
puzzle by sudokusnydictation.com
By Hoang-Kim Vu & Christine Simpson
©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
11/30/22
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis
11/30/22
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Release Date: Wednesday, November 30, 2022
ACROSS
1 French “Thank
you”
6 Political alliance
10 Strongbox
14 Starters
15 New York school
named after a
Scottish isle
16 “Grand slam”
awards acronym
17 African herbivore
18 “Double
Indemnity” genre
19 Filmmaker
Ephron
20 Shoplifting?
23 Huffy mood
24 Pacific Northwest
st.
25 “Lady Bird”
Oscar nominee
Metcalf
29 Insider trading?
32 Male with horns
35 Road goo
36 Cushioned seat
37 La madre de su
prima
38 Family docs
41 Food with altered
DNA
43 Martin’s “The
West Wing” role
44 Lobby group for
seniors
46 Big primate
48 Erodes
50 Money
laundering?
54 Depress
55 Group of whales
56 Greeting Down
Under
60 “I did nothing
wrong!,” or an
apt title for this
puzzle?
63 Essential nutrient
for the immune
system
66 Pulled strings?
67 Bushy-tailed
canines
68 Field
69 Aware of
70 Singer Patsy
71 Dollop
72 Blast from the __
73 Snow vehicles
DOWN
1 Gas station
shops
2 “__ Frome”:
Edith Wharton
novel
3 Hands-on
healing practice
4 “Do my eyes
deceive me?”
5 “My time to
shine!”
6 Using only ones
and zeros
7 Least strict
8 “Put a lid __!”
9 Deterrent in a
parking garage
10 Parodies
11 Before now
12 Pro
13 “Wheels down”
stat, for short
21 Jupiter or Mars
22 Suede property
26 Spanish wine
region
27 Deduce
28 “Zounds!”
30 __ chart:
corporate
diagram
31 Move one’s tail
32 Males with
antlers
33 Jeweled
accessory
34 Like cornstalks?
39 Spot for fast cash
40 Mud wrap venue
42 Possess
45 Human-powered
taxi
47 Competitive
video gaming
49 Appetizer served
with duck sauce
51 Brooklyn NBA
player
52 Family-style
Asian dish
53 Journalist Tarbell
57 Carter of
“Designing
Women”
58 Modify
59 Agreements
61 Mama’s mama
62 Ozone-
destroying
chemicals: Abbr.
63 Zig counterpart
64 Not online, online
65 Prefix for
classical and
gothic
SUDOKU
WHISPER
“Go BLUE!”
“Ohio State
have nothing on
us”
WHISPER
By Chandi Deitmer
©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
11/16/22
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis
11/16/22
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Release Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2022
ACROSS
1 Like uncombed
hair
5 Muslim leader
9 Structure made
of snow or
blankets
13 “Gotcha”
14 Walking stick
15 Zones
17 *Netflix
documentary
series about a
controversial
zookeeper
19 Krispy __
20 Carton sealer
21 Tenant’s contract
23 Abolish
24 Home of the
NHL’s Blues
25 Floe makeup
27 Period
28 Surgery ctrs.
29 Langley org.
30 *Showtime
medical drama
starring Edie
Falco
33 Surrounded by
35 Razz
36 George Eliot’s
“Adam __”
37 Sinuous fish
38 Sitar music
42 “Not Gon’ Cry”
singer Mary J. __
45 Tolkien creature
corrupted by the
One Ring
47 *USA series
about corporate
crime
51 Caustic solution
52 Lady bird
53 Obtained
54 Iris locale
55 Duty
56 Husky hello
57 Vidalia __
59 SportsCenter
anchor Linda
61 Thunders
63 Annual Discovery
Channel
programming
event that could
feature the shows
in the answers to
the starred clues?
66 Fight with foils
67 Terrain map,
briefly
68 Ish
69 “On the double!”
70 Short itinerary?
71 Let the tears flow
DOWN
1 Quick thinking
2 “Starting now?”
3 Public
defender’s
offering
4 Like a basso
profundo voice
5 Sound of disgust
6 Large envelope
7 “Coming of Age
in Mississippi”
writer Moody
8 Many a contract
for a superstar
player, e.g.
9 Orange skin that
doesn’t peel?
10 Hockey legend
Bobby
11 Boston-based
sportswear giant
12 Salty Japanese
condiment
16 Word with
common or good
18 Rider’s controls
22 Korean rice liquor
24 Reminder of a
scrape
26 __ and paste
31 Girder material
32 Corner PC key
34 Amount owed
37 Big-headed sorts
39 Complete
40 Some northern
South Americans
41 Visa/MC
alternative
43 Key part of a
block party?
44 Tappable image
45 “Bad Feminist”
writer Roxane
46 Big name in
vacuums
47 Mooring spot
48 Medal
recipients
49 Swaddled one
50 Algonquian
language
58 “Now I get it”
60 “Stop! That
hurts!”
62 TV pioneer
64 Fishing pole
65 Keystone __
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Read more at MichiganDaily.com