Pop culture digest
Traitors, The Pitt, Brooklyn Beckham, and more.
It’s been a while since we talked about everything going on.
My content plate is overflowing. The Traitors, Law and Order S.V.U., The Pitt, and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills all post their new episodes on Fridays, leaving me to either clock in after work or throughout the weekend, dodging spoilers on Twitter like it’s my job.
As I sat down to write this week’s letter on my day off of work, Brooklyn Beckham posted a 6-part Instagram Story spilling his side of the story we’ve all heard about for the last few months, but haven’t truly known. I thought it signaled the perfect time for me to share my views on some of the world’s most irrelevant current events and show episodes.
The Beckham-Peltzes vs. The Beckhams
In case you were doing something important on Monday afternoon and not endlessly browsing the internet like myself, you may have missed the 6-part Instagram Story that Brooklyn Beckham-Peltz posted, finally revealing the reason why he’s estranged from his superstar parents and siblings.
TLDR: Brooklyn is finally breaking away from his controlling, money hungry, attention seeking parents, and is sick of them planting stories in the press about how Nicola is ruining their family. He confirmed the rumors about Victoria cancelling Nicola’s wedding dress just weeks before their nuptials, Marc Anthony taking the spotlight away from his bride, and even Romeo dating his ex because his mom set them up.
I put some feelers out to see what side my friends and family were on. My sister said that the evidence is pretty damning, and my group chat called out that it seemed to be a well thought out and articulate recollection of a lot of different events, also granting it validity.
It’s interesting for sure. It reminds me a little bit of the Blake Lively Justin Baldoni saga in the sense that people who are widely beloved are being unveiled as potentially a little sinister. Everyone became obsessed with the Beckhams after David’s Netflix docuseries, Victoria’s to follow soon after, reigniting any lost interest that may have happened in their few inactive years and surging them back into the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist. Now, we’re hearing from their firstborn son about their plot to “destroy his life”.
There are two sides to every story. Sometimes even more. I’m sure we’ll be hearing from Posh and Becks soon enough. Never forget the wedding planner saga.
The Pitt Season 2
The Pitt is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. I watched season 1 around six months ago, and then rewatched it before the holiday break, the second watch even better than the first because of all of the things I had forgotten about and Easter eggs along the way.
Season 2 premiered in the first week of January, which I was waiting for with bated breath. It has been very excellent, and if you haven’t indulged, I suggest you do as soon as possible. It is particularly off to a grotesque start, but for me, that is what makes it so awesome. This is Dr. Robby’s house, and this new AI-obsessed diva is really killing my vibe. There will be a reason, and I’ll be tuning in each week to find out exactly what that is.
The Traitors Season 4
The Traitors—streaming exclusively on Peacock—is a genius competition show concept and I feel so blessed to be experiencing it on a weekly basis. When season 4 started and I saw there to be three episodes, I was very intimidated and overwhelmed. Once I saw Lisa Rinna, I felt at home. I knew I could do this. THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD AND IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE MOST RECENT EPISODES, SKIP TO THE NEXT PART—
Rob, Candice, and Rinna are being perfect Traitors, specifically Rob. No one is onto him, and his personality is perfect for this type of show. Nearly every interaction he has is more focused on his looks than his behavior or any indication that he may not be as he appears, and his laid-back nature makes him hard to read. Voting Michael Rapaport out was kind of a must, but I am not on Team Colton and am desperate to turn on my TV to a shield being claimed therefore a murder and furthermore Colton out of my sight. Everyone seems to have forgotten that he was a stalker now that he’s gay. It’s the Kevin Spacey excuse and I’m not sure why people think 1+1 = 3. This reunion will definitely be juicy.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 15
Speaking of reunions, I am back into Housewives in full swing after a brief hiatus. RHOSLC dampened my spirit due to their mean girl behavior and reiteration of the same pointless issues for years now, not to mention obvious substance abuse problems.
This weekend I saw people hating on the most recent season of RHOBH, which motivated me to speak out publicly in its favor. I think that Rachel Zoe is an incredible addition to the squad, and she was surely missed on all of our television screens. The divorce from Roge is disappointing, but her sons are so sweet and seem to really care a lot about her happiness at such a young age, which shows how great of a mom she is. I also just love Jennifer Tilly and the energy she’s bringing, proving she’s more than just a kooky lady but someone who’s earned their Hollywood flowers. Kyle Richards finally opening up about experimenting with her sexuality is boring, we all know and have known, now it seems like we’re grasping for plotline straws. I also love Erika apologetically—I know she’s a bad person and has done bad things, but I always have and always will. Above them all stands Dorit for me, my Housewives North Star and inspiration every day.
Amanda is obviously insufferable, and it never works when they add someone significantly younger into the mix, especially in Beverly Hills (Crystal, Teddi, et al). They have an arrogance that bothers people like Sutton and Dorit, Wives who make or break the show for me. I was actually rewatching Season 9 today, and it was sad to see Dorit and Kyle happily married, Erika rich, and Lisa Rinna in general. I miss those gals.
The breaking Bravo news that Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke from Summer House fame are separating just came across my desk. I don’t have the energy to get into that quite frankly, so all I have to say is that the Pope is also Catholic.
I bought my tickets to see “Wuthering Heights” and The Moment in the coming weeks. WH seems like one of the most important cinematic debuts of my personal livelihood. It has everything I love—19th century love, Margot Robbie, and a perverse soundtrack. Obviously, I reserved the two best tickets that opening night at the Alamo Drafthouse has to offer. That’s where I saw Saltburn, so it only felt right.
I’m watching the Dave Franco and Alison Brie horror movie Together as I write this. It’s not very good. I’ll probably check one more thing off of my Letterboxd watchlist tonight before it’s back to real life tomorrow. My pottery studio is having a showcase in a few weeks, so I’ll spend the evening there working on my pieces that I plan on displaying. Here’s some things I’ve made recently that I don’t plan to show:
I shall leave you with my art.
I love the Pitt - agree very graphic this season!