Our Stranger Things rewatch reminded me that one of the main character’s sexual orientation has been telegraphed since the very first episode, and in seasons 4 and 5 we learned that it is in fact crucial to the whole story. I have bones to pick with those two seasons, but having a main character who is gay is not one of them. Those Internet trolls who are giving the penultimate episode one-star reviews because of a very plot-appropriate if not very believable coming out scene are way out of line, so I dusted off my IMDB login to give the episode 10 stars, even though it is at most an 8.5.
Always fun. Unlike the last two I made the entries explicit and tried to include a link in each one, because this isn’t Instagram.
More end-of-year lists coming in the next few days, as ever.
📺 Pluribus (2025) was a perfectly paced masterpiece of cinematography and acting that raised questions which were at once urgent and eternal. Would it surprise anyone that so many people online identified with the hive mind and thought Rhea Seehorn’s character was the villain?
Season 2 coming 2027!
📸 Day 12: Home.
This year I learned that storks made their home in my hometown since I was last there. The creek that runs through it is a frog-ridden bog for most of the year, so they made the right choice.
Bret Terpstra’s Marked 3 Beta is out. As powerful as BBEdit is, I still have to deal with many .docx documents without any reliable way to convert heavily tracked and commented versions to markdown and back. After a quick test, Marked 3 seems to fit the bill. I will happily be a paying customer as soon as Terpstra gives me the opportunity, so here is to a successful launch!
📸 Day 11: Feast.
We have made countless food spreads for ourselves and the kids, but here is one that they made for us. And it was delicious!
