We watch a lot of TV and movies! And we listen to a lot of music, podcasts, audiobooks…so yeah, we’re fangirling over a lot of things! Each week we come together to highlight all the feels they give us throughout the week. On these Fangirlish Feels of the Week, there are five categories and many thoughts! Ready?
Here we go!
What You’re Fangirling Over This Week
Brittany: CSI: Vegas is back and I could not be happier. The show has grown into so much more than a CSI revival or even a TV procedural. That was on full display again with the Season 3 premiere, “The Reaper,” which finally told us whether or not Josh Folsom killed the man who murdered his mother.
While we got our answer, the episode was much more about the emotional damage inflicted on all the characters than any whodunit. I’m really curious to see where everyone, not just Folsom, goes after the show gave them so much to deal with in the premiere.
Ashley W.: Enver Gjokaj, who plays Joseph Rainier, was such a delight to watch in Resident Alien 3×02: “The Upper Hand” this week. His charm and comedic skills were on full display, and his chemistry as a villain to Alan Tudyk’s Harry is great.
The bickering fight scene between them was funny and just ridiculous enough without being too much or trying too hard. In the diner date scene, Enver also plays Joseph’s misled confidence really well and makes it work amidst the situation’s mixed tones of seriouness and humor.
Rachel: The season 2 finale of Quantum Leap was the fandom highlight of this week for me. The story was so emotional and well done, and the references to the original series made me happy because I remember watching it as a kid. Plus, the ending was excellent set up for another season. Ben and Addison leaping together, helping people? I’ll watch that for sure.
Ashley T.: My New Year’s resolution for 2024 is to learn bass guitar properly. Having played guitar for 25 years, I started with some knowledge of how bass should work, but it’s proven to be more challenging than I anticipated.
This week I had a breakthrough and finally can do more than “pedal,” in part to this very helpful bass tutorial from Este Haim on Fender’s facebook page. The first time I managed to successfully play along with “Gasoline,” I definitely made some of Este’s signature “Bass Face.” It felt that good. Now to keep practicing.
WTF Moment of the Week
Raquel: BBC announces a series that is a clear plagiarism of a Spanish show called “El Ministerio del Tiempo” (they didn’t even bother to change the name, they just translated it). That was like a simulation.
Ashley W.: Apparently, as he mentioned on The Howard Stern Show, John Cena was advised to not do a cameo appearance in Barbie, and it just sounds so ridiculous to me.
As someone whose love for the actor-turned-wrestler goes back nearly two decades to when he was known only as a WWE superstar, I know just how much of a funny goofball he can be. So to see him as Mermaid Ken in Barbie made so much sense to me and was amusing to watch.
Ashley T.: I saw Madame Web this week. It’s not an angry WTF, it’s more of a seriously befuddled WTF. Like…how did this even make it to the screen, especially with as high of a caliber cast as they had? Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say it must be seen to be believed. I’ll say this though. I can definitely think of many films I did not enjoy as much as Madame Web. I’ll probably see it again.
What We’re Listening to This Week
Ashley W.: Dermot Kennedy released his new song “Lucky” a week ago, so it has absolutely been playing on repeat since then. He’d been teasing the song for a while now, and I loved it from the moment I first heard a snippet of it. So I’m happy the full version is finally here and has been released. Plus, the song reminds me of my OTP, Dousy (Daisy Johnson and Daniel Sousa) from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which just makes it even better.
Ashley T.: I’m sure everyone’s tired of hearing me talk about it, but I can’t stop listening to HAIM’s Women in Music Pt. III. I literally listened to it three times in the car one day this week while doing errands. There are so many more musical nuances that I catch on each listen that it feels fresh every time.
Rachel: I’ve been enjoying Dua Lipa’s second album “Future Nostalgia” a lot lately. I’ve heard some songs from it before but recently used a Christmas gift card to buy the CD. (Yes, I’m behind everyone else when it comes to music, lol.) It is so much fun. At least one or two of these songs may make it into a fan video from me someday.
What We Rewatched This Week
Ashley W.: I haved watched The Rookie for two reasons. The first reason is Enver Gjokaj being a guest star in a couple of episodes. The second reason is Chenford, because that’s how great of a ship they are. I never even needed the full backstory of them to become invested in them.
I had enough familiarity from whatever I had seen and learned from whatever I’d happen to come across on social media. That said, ahead of The Rookie’s season 6 premiere, I felt inclined to watch key Chenford episodes, and episode 5×10: “The List” was a must given that’s when they finally go on a date!
Ashley T.: It’s a fresh rewatch, but I did watch this week’s episode, Abbott Elementary 3×04 “Smoking” a couple of times. This season has started strong, and “Smoking” definitely had me laughing.
I also appreciate the tension of figuring out how to teach kids about what they should do, while also teaching them to understand nuance. Kids are smarter than they are often given credit for, and as a former educator, I really love what they do with the writing in this series.
Rachel: I rewatched Dune this week because Dune Part 2 is coming soon, and I’m happy to report that it is still a good sci-fi action film. Director Denis Villeneuve just knows how to match aesthetics to story and it is incredible. I think he is one of the most visually assured directors working today. I am very much looking forward to Dune Part 2.
Badass Character of the Week
Brittany: Josh Folsom from CSI: Vegas is the hands-down choice for me here. You would think it’d be hard to be a badass when you spend most of the episode in jail on a first-degree murder charge. But Season 3, Episode 1, “The Reaper” still gave Matt Lauria some great scenes, like an actual reasonable explanation for why Folsom wasn’t vehemently declaring his innocence.
And it wasn’t just the big moments, either; his reaction when he found out the jail lost the photo of his now-dead mom was heartbreaking. I’ve been a Lauria fan going back to The Chicago Code, but he’s doing some of his best work on CSI, which isn’t normally something you can say with acting on a procedural.
Rachel: I think I have to say Jenn on Quantum Leap. She’s always been badass but this week, she literally sacrificed herself for the team. It was an impactful, heart-wrenching moment. Thank God the team succeeded and restored the timeline so we weren’t without her for long. Indeed, I could honestly extend this honor to the whole Quantum Leap family of characters. But let’s say Jenn for now.
Ashley T.: I’m giving it to Gregory Eddie this week on Abbott Elementary. He’s grown so much in the past season, and he is such a positive role model to his students, and really, for everyone watching. More characters like this, please! Positive masculinity, FTW!