Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Thirty-One: Parks and Recreation
So, I had a huge debate on what show I would finish off the month with since there’s still so many great shows I love that I haven’t talked about at all. But when push came to shove, I knew I had to talk about Parks and Recreation – because it is just so very special to me.
First airing in 2009 and lasting for seven seasons, Parks and Recreation follows the staff of the Parks Department in Pawnee, Indiana and the antics they get into as they try to take care of their beloved town. Lesie Knope, played by Amy Poehler, acts sort of as the lead in the first season but we see more and more of the other cast come into the limelight, excelling in every way. Rashinda Jones, Paul Schneider, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman (literally Ron is the best character hands down), Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O’Heir, Retta, and Billy Eichner are some of the stand-outs. Of course we can never forget Jean-Ralphio, played by Ben Schwartz either. DON’T BE SUSPICIOUS! And also there was Patto Oswalt’s filibuster which was fully what Disney went with in regards to Boba Fett’s return – don’t at me xD
This show was hilarious, hands down. The cast works so well together and creates such amazing stories. Heck, I also think they did the future timeskip excellently which can’t be said for all shows. I know people say it aged poorly, but honestly after rewatching it recently – I think it still does a pretty good job at holding up with the times – at least to me. I still love it tremendously. I love the Lil Sebastians, I love the Treat Yo’Self jokes, I love it all. Ron Swanson is everything.
Video from user José
Video from user Nerdstalgic
Video from user Entertain The Elk
Mr. Sherbert gives us a lot of Parks and Recreation out of context and I love it!
Yes, this is the extended cut of the filibuster and we salute it! Patton Oswalt is a gem and I love him!
Thanks so much for reading posts for this month! We’ll be planning to start the next challenge tomorrow so stay tuned for that 🙂 there’s still a lot of shows I didn’t get to touch on this month so expect me to revisit this in the future! Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Thirty: Critical Role
Is it Thursday yet? Yes, yes it is! I figured with the last Thursday of this month, it was a good time to talk about Critical Role, one of my favorite live play groups to watch. It’s a group of professional voice actors who sit down almost every week to play Dungeons and Dragons. Originally launched by Geek and Sundry in 2015 after the group translated their home game into DnD and aired with the their first campaign already active (they had intros to catch folks up with their characters to hopefully bridge some gaps), the liveplay became a hit and gained a huge following of Critters, the name of the fans dubbed by cast member Liam O’Brien.
Since it’s initial launch, cast members Matthew Mercer, Liam O’Brien, Sam Riegel, Ashley Johnson, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, and Marisha Ray (Orion Acabe left in the first season) were able to develop their own studio called Critical Role Productions, Critical Role and its intellectual properly fully living through their own sites from them on. Since then, the franchise has built through three main campaigns, several spin-offs and one shots, and even sees the animated Legend of Vox Machina on Amazon Prime (Mighty Nein coming soon), their own DnD books, merchanise galore, and their own comics and novels. They’ve built this brand into something truly special.
Now these campaigns can truly be a lot to take in because of how long they are. Episodes can span hours and each campaign goes well beyond 100 episodes each. Plus the first season saw a lot of growing pains and literally starts in the middle of their already existenting campaign. Yet when the cast reach their stride, they do excellent character work together, and are truly a family. And let me tell you, these characters are amazing. I am in love with the whole group – a special place in my heart there for Vex’alia, Trinket, and Percy from Season One; Jester, Caleb, Mollymauk, and Cadeues from Season Two; and Dorian and Ash from Season Three. And don’t even get me started on all the characters across the spin-offs and one shots – so many great performances from the main cast and the guests they bring on!
You can check out more information about Critical Role and everything they are working on at Critrole.com.
Video playlist from Jay Martin – Play Your Role. I love these videos and invite you to check out their content!
Video playlist from SupergeekMike that really deep dives into Critical Role from campaign one onward!
Thanks for reading today’s post! We’re almost to the end of the month all! I’m really excited to finish this one up and start on the next one! Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Twenty-Nine: Bridgerton
Fine, let’s talk about the sexy historical drama now. Bridgerton is inspired by the book series by Julia Quinn and created by Chris Van Dusen for Netflix (and produced by Shondaland). It is focused on an alternative London Regency era where we observe the highly competitive social season where young marriageable nobility and gentry are introduced into society. There are a few key characters throughout the series but we mainly focus on the Bridgerton family themselves – featuring their mother and the eight close-knit siblings as they try to navigate high society in search of love.
Each season of the show has a main focus on a specific Bridgerton child as well as supporting characters that best align with their focus (this isn’t to say that the other Bridgertons don’t get their limelight in those seasons – they just aren’t gonna be center stage so to speak lol). First season has a focus on Daphne as she steps into society, the second season focuses on the Viscount Anthony who’s on the hunt for his new Vicountess so that he can finally take his leading the house seriously, and then the third season leads Colin into the lead as he aims to assist his friend Penelope *wink*.
So why do I like the show? Well, I find the writing to be pretty clever…ok, you’re right, I know the concept and the show can be pretty dumb at times xD who am I kidding, we all know why we’re watching it right? We here for that romancing~ haha. I do like some of the characters more than others and I fully route for their romantic successes. Violet Bridgerton deserves the world and I hope she finds it in the show. I still need to catch up on the book series but I can tell you fully – the show and the books, VASTLY DIFFERENT! So don’t be surprised if you jump into the books or the show (vice versa) and find…different approaches to everything lol. At the end of the day though, there’s some high society smooching going on haha. I also do like that there’s diversity in the cast, where I’m noticing it grow more in the later seasons. So I’m excited to see the glow-ups that will come next. Of course none of them beat my love for Rege-Jean Page as the Duke of Hastings in Season One. I have become a fan of Lord Alfred Debling in Season Three – played by Sam Phillips. There’s a few others here and there I’m a fan of xD lots of cuties!
Lol I don’t really think too deep in the story if I’m honest. I do like the classical rendition of modern songs though that are heard throughout the series. It is a vibe and I’m all for it. It definitely captures that familiarty of songs we’re used to nowadays while staying true to the period.
Thanks for reading today’s post! Yeah – didn’t have a lot of time to grab some videos for you xD just search YouTube and see what you find haha. Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Twenty-Eight: Stranger Things
Inspired by science fiction and horror themes from popular culture in the 1980s and combining it with elements with horror and childlike sensibilities, the Duffer Brothers developed Stranger Things and were able to launch it on Netflix in July 2016, starting a phenomenon that took the world by storm.
Taking place in the fictional rural town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s, the story follows several different characters and explores how they play a part in the overarching story. The nearby Hawkins National Laboratory is at work performing research for the United States Department of Energy – which is secretly experimenting with the paranormal and supernatural with the help of human test subjects. When they open a portal to an alternate dimension known as the Upside Down, all hell begins to break loose. Chaos reigns upon Hawkins – and only a few can step forward to stop it all.
Lol that’s a pretty loose description but pretty much a lot of bad happens in Hawkins and a group of teens and some crazy adults are the only ones who can make it right. Casting for the show is excellent and the musical score and choices of songs is AMAZING! Seriously I love the synth vibe of the 80s genre and it’s definitely not in short supply with this show. We got ALL THE SYNTH!
Something else that’s pretty great about this series is the heavy inspirations from Dungeons and Dragons itself. One of the very first scenes in the show visits a DnD game and we see firsthand how that game of DnD correlates to the creatures the group experiences from the Upside Down. Mind Flayer, Demogorgon, Vecna – they all make an appearance in this show in some form.
We’ve had four seasons so far – with one more season coming soon. The seasons are all available on Netflix and there’s lots of theories circulating about what’s next for all of us in this show. Is Eddie alive? One can only hope lol. How will this story end? Only time will tell!
Video from user Hyper Droid
One of my favorite scenes from Season 3 – spoiler warning!
This scene absolutely SELLS Season Four for me. Holy crap the hype the world had when it launched on Netflix. Absolutely amazing! Spoiler warning!
The final fight in Season Four – so good! Spoiler Warning!
Thanks for reading today’s post! Sorry it’s so short but I’m not feeling too great right now so I’m gonna get some work done and get some rest ❤ lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Twenty-Seven: Cinema Therapy
So I guess for today’s post, we’ll be talking about a full channel on YouTube who do a variety of series under the banner Cinema Therapy! Jonathan Decker (Licensed Therapist) loves to watch movies. Filmmaker Alan Seawright needs therapy. Together, they break down the world’s favorite movies and more, searching the characters, themes, and plots to find things you can use to improve mental health, life, and more. Join them weekly as they explore different series, including film dives, psychology of characters, heroes vs. villains deep dives, relationship health, and more! Together they bring their love of the crafts and join them together in a fun and creative way. And there’s also tears, mainly from Alan, especially when Pixar is involved.
They’ve been able to expand and showcase weekly topics on a variety of subjects, from feature films, television shows, even some anime. There isn’t a shortage of what they will explore, targeting those hard hitting topics that are essential to the stories presented and how it relates to the therapeutic journey. Their dives get you thinking, helping others see some topics that may be something they’ve never thought of before or truly saw in action that can relate to their own lives. And each video is thoroughly detailed and enjoyable, even featuring guests across the YouTube-sphere and even some directors, actors, and more that you may recognize.
I’ll place a couple of my favorite episodes here but do encourage folks to check out the channel and browse through some of the topics and see what piques your interest. There’s something for everyone 😉
Cinema Therapy Explores The Iron Giant
Cinema Therapy Reacts to Kung-Fu Panda
Cinema Therapy Talks Adoption in the Kung-Fu Panda Franchise
Cinema Therapy Reacts to Encanto
Cinema Therapy TALKS ABOUT BRUNO!
Cinema Therapy Reacts to Moana
Cinema Therapy Reacts to Lilo and Stitch
Cinema Therapy Reacts to Onward
Cinema Therapy Reacts to Turning Red
Cinema Therapy Reacts to Up
Cinema Therapy Reacts to WALL-E
Cinema Therapy Reacts to The Incredibles
Cinema Therapy Reacts to Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Cinema Therapy Reacts to Meet The Robinsons
Cinema Therapy Reacts to Treasure Planet
Cinema Therapy Reacts to A Goofy Movie
Cinema Therapy Reacts to Wreck-It Ralph
Cinema Therapy Talks Megamind
Cinema Therapy Reacts to How to Train Your Dragon
Cinema Therapy Reacts to Little Miss Sunshine
Thanks so much for reading today’s post! They are a fun little channel and I totally recommend them – being able to dive into films and shows with this mindset has helped in my own growth in mental health and I truly think there’s something here for everyone ^^ lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Twenty-Six: Psych
Come on son! You know that’s right! I’ve been pretty excited to talk about this show – which is possibly one of my favorite TV shows to date. I happened to catch this show by chance when I was at a friend’s house one day. The return of Pierre Despereaux was on the screen and I was fascinated by the character acting and the writing. Hearing the premise of the show from my friend, i started diving into where I could watch the show, snatching the first season on DVD and eventually downloading all the seasons I could on iTunes. Today – I have every single season and all the movies that have been released. I’m forever hooked on this show.
So what is Psych? From the creative mind of Steve Franks, the show follows Shawn Spencer who in an effort to save himself in a bind with the Santa Barbara Police Department when his excellent observation skills helps him solve a bit too many cases from the comfort of his couch, he pretends to be a psychic which with success gets him a job as a consultant with them. He, alongside his best friend and reluctant partner Burton “Gus” Guster, start up their own detective agency, the two joining forces with the police or solving crimes on their own, with Shawn putting on quite a show for the audience and those around him when he makes those big reveals.
The casting in this show is amazing. The dynamic between James Roday and Dule Hill as Shawn and Gus is unmatched (well maybe matched by the other notable pair but we’ll get to them in a second). Shawn is more of the mischievous type, using humor in his day-to-day to get him through his problem solving. Gus, though he is reluctant to join up in many cases, is right there with his best friend at every turn. He’s also quite intelligent and uses his own talents to bring something to the cases as well – like his experience as a pharmaceutical salesman or his fascination with safe breaking. Don’t mistake Shawn as not also intelligent however; this man can deduce a crime just by entering a room. They play off each other so well, their support for one another being on full display on more than one occasion. It’s clear that if Gus wasn’t there, it was possibly Shawn wouldn’t be able to keep up his ruse or solve the cases he does. They need each other – through thick and thin.
Another great pair is Santa Barbara Police Department’s Head Detective Carlton “Lassie” Lassiter, played brilliantly by Timothy Omundson, and his Junior Detective partner Juliet “Jules” O’Hara, played also brilliantly by Maggie Lawson. These two together are an absolute delight and you can hear their amazing banter even now on their podcast The Psychologists Are In – which features Psych rewatch with commentary, exclusive hangouts with their friends, and more. Lassie is kind of a hard ball at times, he gets easily exasperated by Shawn and his antics and fully doesn’t believe in the psychic gift – yet he does come to respect Shawn’s crime-solving skills throughout the show. Jules balances him out with being more caring and accepting, kind even to Shawn and Gus. Despite that kindness, Jules can be a badass with a gun and will do what she needs to in order to catch the bad guy – even going deep undercover (sometimes a bit too deep). These two are a delight on screen together and are able to work off each other in order to solve their own crimes – though when you put these four together, they can really make magic on the detective scene, something we get to see on display more than a few times.
Other great characters include Chief Vick (Kirsten Nelson) who runs the department and is open to giving Shawn cases despite dropping hints that she doesn’t actually believe the psychic bit. There’s also Shawn’s father Henry Spencer (Corbin Bernsen) – a former cop himself who was the one who instilled these skills into Shawn. The two of them have a bit of a difficult relationship but despite everything, they truly care for each other and grow to be a family again throughout the show. I really like everyone’s dynamic and how they play off each other – I swear all the cast are like a big family who take care of each other and have so much fun together. It shows in the episodes and movies they create together.
Along with the excellent writing and allowance for some improv for the characters to shine best in the story, there’s also some great framing with the episodes. There’s almost always a flashback to Shawn’s past, learning a lesson from his father – that lesson relates to whatever is happening in the episode. Have a flashback where Shawn talks about superheroes? The episode relates to a convention where cosplayers run rampant. Have an episode where Shawn learns how to escape the trunk of a car? You bet we’re gonna be watching him put that lesson to the test in the episode.
There are many singular focused episodes but there’s also overarching stories that happen as well as hints of previous episodes seen again as easter eggs for later episodes as well. Like I mentioned before, Pierre is a character that pops up a few times. There’s also the Yang saga which truly put Shawn to the test as a detective. Heck there’s even an episode that they just completely redo because the original just wasn’t their best – so they redid it with some much needed improvements and it was hilarious seeing them reference the previous iteration as it went. Great times~
The show has been mentioned as being one of the best Sherlock Holmes adaptions of this generation and honestly – it kind of is, at least in my eyes. I’m not sure if it was ever confirmed to be an actual mirror to the detective extraordinaire himself but it really does better at playing off how Holmes and Watson are much more than actual Sherlock adaptions nowadays.
The fact that this show went on for eight seasons, a musical adventure, plus three different movies – AND MORE MOVIES ON THE WAY – is really cool. This franchise didn’t go away once the show wrapped production – they found ways to expand on it, even providing a love letter to their fans and the cast who make it what it is. For example, Timothy actually suffered a stroke and was barely in the first movie because of it, only able to be seen in a video call to make sure his presence was seen in some way. His absence was felt tremendously for the audience, because we could see the cast trying to find their way without their Lassie. So when the second movie was in production, it became a love letter to Timothy, the cast and the crew all showing their love and support for the man as he made his way back into the actor’s seat. It was FANTASTIC!
There’s some great deep dives on the show which I’m going to share below – highly recommend you check them out – but I did want to leave you with this. There’s a reason this fanbase for Psych is so passionate. The love and care that goes into this show, it’s seen in every second of every episode. We see the cast and crew giving it their all, showing how much of a family they are even off screen. They create magic together and it honestly is one of the better mystery shows I’ve seen in recent years because the audience gets to discover things alongside Shawn and Gus and the team. We get to solve the mystery together. And that just feels really special. So grab your pineapples and sit down and give Psych a chance. I think you’ll be glad you did 🙂
Video from user talistheintrovert
Video from user Kofie
Video from user 10K Productions
Video from user Nater Tot
Thanks for reading today’s post! Psych is truly so very special to me and I really hope more people are able to check it out and see these amazing performers in action. Big props to all of them for keeping the magic alive, especially with more movies on the way. Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Twenty-Five: Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends
So since that If movie came out with a similar premise from what I’ve read about, let’s talk about one of my favorite animation shows from Cartoon Network! Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends is set in a universe where imaginary friends…are real. They have physical forms and live with the children who imagine them up. However, this show begs the question – what happens to those friends once their children no longer need them?
Our leads, eight-year-old Mac and his imaginary friend Bloo, end up getting in trouble with Mac’s mother – and she pressures him that he is too old for his imaginary friend and it’s time to say goodbye. Not wanting to abandon his best friend, the two discover they can go to a place they’ve seen a television advertisement for – an orphanage for all imaginary friends who are no longer needed by a child, allowed to live there until they are adopted by a new child of their own.
There’s plenty of antics throughout the series (as well as a few film specials that tell some pretty solid stories about the imaginary friends and their human children). We meet a lot of great characters, like Madame Foster who founded the home; her imaginary friend, a large rabbit named Mr. Herriman; Frankie Foster who helps run the home; Wilt, my favorite imaginary friend who was dreamed up by a child who wished to play basketball; Eduardo, a purple fluffball imaginary friend who is actually quite the scaredy cat despite his appearance; and Coco, the strangest imaginary friend of them all – and she only says Coco lol.
The theme song is a bop – first of all – and that score keeps going throughout the entirety of the series. Also, the writing is pretty great throughout. There’s a lot of great episodes and well-crafted designs when it comes to the Imaginary Friends living in the home and how they came to be. And all in all, the show itself told a great story of a boy who wasn’t going to give up on his friend and found a way to make sure he didn’t have to. We seem them all grow up together, Mac refusing to leave no matter how much he was pushed to. He was always there for Bloo, and even at the end, the two were able to stay close, even when they were apart in different homes.
It’s a lot of fun and a great animation from Craig McCracken and his team. It quickly become my favorite show from Cartoon Network, one I don’t think any other show has been able to top since.
Video from user Ryan Pineda
Video from user Jordan Fringe
Video from user Jartoon
Thanks for reading today’s post! Another short and sweet one! I’m pretty a couple longer ones so I hope I can get those done before the end of this month’s challenge. I already have an idea for my next one should I continue into next month (or take a break to recharge – we’ll see). Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Twenty-Four: Gravity Falls
Gravity Falls was one of the biggest surprises to pop up on the Disney Channel in recent years. Gorgeous animation, excellent writing, fun characters and settings…and above all else, a mystery waiting to be solved. The internet was lured in by Alex Hirsch’s puzzles he hid in each episode. There was something hidden underneath the surface…waiting for you to break its cipher 😉
So what is Gravity Falls? Inspired by Hirsch’s own family experiences like living with his twin and spending time with his grandpa, this show follows our two main characters, Dipper and Mabel Pines, who are dropped off in the summer at Gravity Falls to spend time with their Great Uncle Stan, also known as Grunkle Stan. A good portion of the show we spend in The Mystery Shack, a tourist trap filled with oddities to lure in guests and get Grunkle Stan a bit of coin. But as we set our sights on this little town, there’s many mysteries afoot, so many things that can’t be explained – at least not in the normal sense. And Dipper’s curiosity starts to get the better of him – while Mabel is more focused on her boy craziness, her wacky hijinks, and her pet pig. With Wendy Corduroy, Mystery Shack cashier; Soos Ramirez, a friend of Dipper and Mabel and handyman to Grunkle Stan; plus an assortment of other characters, Dipper and Mabel always have an intriguing day to look forward to.
This show goes on for two seasons with a total of 40 episodes altogether. It features some amazing voice talents such as Hirsch himself, Jason Ritter, Kristen Schaal, Linda Cardellini, and J.K. Simmons to name a few – all of which do amazing in their roles. The twins are especially great characters that we get to watch grow and evolve as they need to throughout the course of the show as more of the mystery is revealed.
I won’t go into too much detail about what’s going on in the show because that’s a huge part of the fun – it’s meant to be explored on your own, diving into theories and scanning every edge of the screen for what hides in the shadows. There’s literal messages at the end of every episode that require deciphering, leading to more clues of what’s going on. It was a literal game that the world jumped at the chance to solve, each episode bringing a new piece to the puzzle. I was definitely one of those that joined in the craze (though I definitely wasn’t one of those top contenders – ya’ll went hard and we salute your valiant efforts to solve the mystery!).
Also listen to that theme song! It’s a bop! I have it as one of my ringtones for some of my friends who were big into the show alongside me. We dressed up as Gravity Falls characters back in the day for cons – I was a female Dipper though if I ever do it again, I’ll more than likely be Mabel since she is clearly my vibe haha.
Something that I truly liked about this show was that it ended – how Alex Hirsch wanted it to. It wasn’t cancelled as he declares – it was finalized for the story he thought up and he was glad to be able to bring it to life. He has openly said that he’s willing to expand on the stories more in the future – with hope for something new. For now, we get to rewatch and jam out to that dope theme. But hey, if you want to bring a little Gravity Falls magic in your life – you can always visit the real-life inspiration for the Mystery Shack known as Confusion Hill. There was also a hidden Bill Cipher statue in the world that a hunt went on to celebrate the conclusion of the series – which was originally found. Not sure if the statue is still out there but it was a big deal when the mystery went live.
Video from user Nerdstalgic
Video from user Seeker of the Lost
Video from user viedo gaems
Video from user Schaffrillas Productions
Video from user Cartoonshi シ
Thanks for reading today’s post 🙂 I really love Gravity Falls and I really need to revisit this and recapture the magic ❤ Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Twenty-Three: Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers
The other day during an icebreaker section in one of my trainings, a question was asked on what our favorite childhood shows were. I had to think on this one since a lot of the shows that first came to my mind were actually anime haha – and those won’t get talked about until a future challenge. But I couldn’t help but be reminded of the amazing shows on the Disney Afternoon! And one always topped the charts for me – Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers.
This rag-tag duo from the Disney classics start up a detective agency alongside their friends Gadget Hackwrench, Monterey Jack, and Zipper. They deal with crimes that are often “too small” for the police to handle, usually with animals like a little kitty. They also face off with some villians on the show, none more profound than the Mafia-style tabby cat Fat Cat and the mad scientist Norton Nimnul.
I was so in love with the lineup of Disney Afternoon but I absolutely loved this modernized look of the chipmucks and that theme song – PURE BOP! I was singing it daily. The show ran for three seasons and 65 episodes in total, and I have them all lol. They were so good and I definitely show them to the young ones in my family so they can also experience the magic of this show, Duck Tales, Tail Spin, Goof Troop, and more.
THIS THEME SONG IS A BOP!
Here’s the theme song cover from Jonathan Young – WE LOVE THIS BOP!
Thanks for reading today’s post and sorry it’s so short today! I’ll be real – this week hasn’t been the greatest for me so I just needed to crank out something quick that I could be ok with. Lots of love and stay safe out there! Let’s try for a more detailed post tomorrow!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Twenty-Two: Cobra Kai
So is this the moment…where I admit I’ve never seen The Karate Kid films, even to this day. I know – apart from the famous clips that circulate the internet, I’ve never watched these movies. So then – why did I start watching Cobra Kai? Welp, I was at my sister’s house one day, and she was watching it on Netflix. And from that day on – I went home and immediately began binging the first three seasons and became hooked.
So what is this series? Well, Thirty-four years after the plot of the first movie, Johnny Lawrence is in his 50s and struggling to get by. He’s got a lot of resentment in his life and he’s clearly suffering from alcoholism and depression. After a chance encounter puts him back into the sights of Daniel LaRusso, the rivalry sparks again to finally put himself back on the map and bring Cobra Kai back to life – where even though he experienced pretty much abuse in that dojo, it was some of the happiest years of his life – because it brought him karate. The series follows our leads as a rivalry begins between their two dojos, all the while we see new kids take the spot of themselves from the days of the movies. So far there’s been five seasons and a final sixth season is on its way with the first part releasing this summer.
I know – it’s super campy and there’s a lot of times I just want to shake the characters and tell them to stop being so stupid. But this is a lot of fun for a martial arts series – especially when you see how wel the characters play off each other and pull from the nostalgia of the movies. Didn’t see them (like me lol) NO WORRIES! They give lots of flashbacks and show how they pertain to the scene itself. So you still get that Mr. Miyagi magic! So even though I’m not fully committed to the lore of the Karate Kid – I had a lot of this show and can’t wait to see how it ends.
Video from user TurfNation
Video from user Rise with Purple Valkyrie
Thanks for reading today’s post! Maybe I’ll get around to watch this film series – I literally just realized that there are more than three films today xD lots of love and stay safe out there!
*~Mae's Corner~* 