January Field Notes

I present: Some stuff I was into this month

I spent most of the month of January with shingles—a devastating blow to my social life, but a huge boon for my downtime to engage with the books, movies, etc. that I’d been putting off over the holidays. Notes on a few of my favorites:

Somebody Somewhere (HBO Max)

I am embarrassed it took me so long to start this show. It centers on two best friends living in Manhattan, Kansas—Sam and Joel, both played brilliantly by Bridget Everett and Jeff Hiller, respectively. Sam is grieving the loss of her older sister and best friend when Joel, a former high school classmate she barely remembers, re-enters her life. I’ve spent the past few weeks talking to friends who also loved this show, and the word that comes up most to describe it is tender. It’s an emotional yet still extremely funny journey through grief and self-isolation that feels so real that you’ll find yourself briefly forgetting you’re watching something at all—Sam and Joel are in your living room with you.

Mary Catherine Garrison has a truly scene-stealing turn as Sam’s other sister, and Murray Hill is brilliant as my favorite character, trans agriculture professor/unofficial group emcee Fred Rococo. As a midwesterner, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also note that Somebody Somewhere absolutely nailed what it’s like to be queer in the rural midwest. I will be recommending this show to people for the rest of my life.

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson

I will admit that I’ve been fascinated by Rosemary Kennedy for a long time. I was a weird kid, and while a lot of weird girls my age were morbidly obsessing over the Titanic, my creepy hyperfixation was lobotomies. And there is perhaps no more famous lobotomy story in American history than the story of Rosemary Kennedy.

We all know the stories of her brothers—Jack, Bobby, Ted. But due to malpractice during her birth, Rosemary was never as quick or savvy as her demanding father expected of his kids, for whom he had aspirations as big as the White House. That inability to keep up (and keep up appearances) ultimately led her father, Joe Kennedy, to sign off on an experimental surgery being used to keep women “docile.”

Kate Clifford Larson did great justice to Rosemary’s story, weaving in her impact on vital milestones in disability history. While so many Kennedy biographers sweep Rosemary’s story under the rug, Larson emphasizes the massive impact the eldest Kennedy sister had on the rest of the family’s legacy. As her sister, Eunice Shriver, said in a 2007 speech:

“Remarkably, I think I can say that not one author among the thousands who have written about [President John F. Kennedy] has understood what it was really like to be a brother of a person with an intellectual disability. And tonight, I want to say what I have never said before: More than any one single individual, Rosemary made the difference.”

Love Island All Stars (Peacock)

I was the last person in my group chat to get on the Love Island band wagon, and I did it more out of FOMO than any real desire to watch the show. I was skeptical—the show airs EVERY DAY except Wednesday, which means each season consists of roughly *40* hours. Who has time for that?

Turns out, I do. And not only do I have time for it, I am sad on Wednesdays when there is no new episode to watch. Times are dark right now (literally open any news website) and in dark times, I like to balance out my very intense day job with my hour a day of pure fluff. Love Island understands the assignment.

This season is Love Island All Stars, a villa full of hot Brits who have been on the show in a previous season and are back for another go. It is silly and delightful and low stakes. It features a Turkish soap opera star and games with names like “The Kissing Challenge.” I feel like an anthropologist watching the men share emotional moments with each other and follow it up with a back clap and a “you’re a legend, bruv.” I’ve started saying “that’s muggy” when someone does something shitty. I have given these people my brain and I do not in fact want it back.

SOS Deluxe: Lana, Sza

15 new songs from SZA will always be a gift, but she is really doing some of her finest work on Lana. She made history last week for being the first artist to have both a #1 album (Lana) and a number one movie (One of Them Days) at the same time. (I’ve yet to see the movie because of the aforementioned shingles, but it has a 95% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and Keke Palmer, so suffice it to say I am sat.)

Sza’s sound is vibey as ever, but what consistently sets her apart for me is how honest she’s willing to be in her lyrics. She’s vengeful and reminiscent of Kill Bill on My Turn, vulnerable on No More Hiding (“I wanna be in love for real though / Don’t care what it costs me), and a certified bop on BMF and Scorsese Baby Daddy. She pulls zero punches. Calling her stuff “confessional” seems too understated. May she top the charts forever.