Quick Hits
Michaela Watkins and a Dutch master walk into a bar...
Just a couple items to share this week, so let’s get to it…
The Best…
…Series I Watched This Week
Casual (2015-18) — Created by Zander Lehmann
Streaming on Hulu
I realized this week that watching bittersweet comedy series about people my age is something I find comforting.
I came to this conclusion while watching Casual, a show that originally ran on Hulu from 2015-18. It has some of the same DNA as Tiny Beautiful Things, including Michaela Watkins, who plays lead character Valerie.
When the show begins, Valerie, having just broken up with her husband, moves in with her needy younger brother. Also in tow is Valerie’s misbehaving 16-year-old daughter. Wry humor and melancholy ensue.
The first season is entertaining, a study in how we’re all just chaotic, damaged messes, blindly bumping into each as we try to manage relationships and find meaning.
The second season is far deeper and affecting as the show gives the characters more complex challenges and opportunities for growth.
(I haven’t watched the third or fourth season yet.)
Part of what makes shows like Casual comfortable for me is how familiar the characters are. Representation does indeed matter, and I’m fortunate to have aspects of my world frequently represented on screen like this.
This wasn’t a conscious thought, but maybe watching recognizable characters trying to deal with their problems makes me feel less alone in my own issues. And if they can learn and grow, surely I can too.
…Filmed Art Exhibition I Saw This Week
Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition — Directed by David Bickerstaff
In Theaters
I tried something new on Sunday. I went to a movie theater to see a filmed tour of an art show — Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition.
This was one of those “one day only” special screenings that cinemas run, like the live Metropolitan Opera productions they sometimes show. The idea is to widen access to high culture beyond live, in-person audiences.
This particular exhibition is currently on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Considered to be the greatest assemblage of Vermeer paintings in history, it includes 28 of the Dutch master’s 37 (or so) works.
The exhibition has been a global sensation, with all 450,000 tickets selling out by the second day they were on sale. Short of flying to Amsterdam, scalping a ticket, and dealing with the crowds, this is the only way to see it.
The film offers loving and detailed photography of every painting, plus talking head commentary to help contextualize the imagery. It also takes viewers behind the scenes to show how technology has helped art historians understand Vermeer’s unusual, improvisatory process.
Just like watching a live concert on TV, it’s almost impossible to replicate the feeling of being in the same room as a masterpiece. But I still got emotional looking at The Milkmaid on the big screen, hinting at how powerful these paintings must be when seen in person.