They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, a weekly column where we gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we bring you the second season of one of our favorite speculative shows, a trailer for a thrilling new horror remake, a hilarious/tragic k-drama about a goblin looking for love, and fanart so adorable, you may just squee. Read on for more.
J. L’s Favorite Thing is… Sense8: Season Two!
Sense8 is one of those stories that sometimes makes me want to stop writing, because nothing I will ever come up with will be that amazing. Season 2 of this Netflix series, which released all episodes on May 5, sucked me in just as much as the first season, and I binge-watched all the new episodes in less than a week.
While season 1 was an adventure in characterization and gorgeous travelogue shots, season 2 dove into the larger world that the characters inhabit. We now know that the sensates are not alone, and that the rest of the world’s clusters are already in the middle of a war. What season 2 lacks in sexy orgy scenes (yeah, this show isn’t necessarily for kids), it more than makes up for it with brain-bending action and continued fantastic world-building.
This show brings the term “ensemble cast” to a new level, so some characters (sensate and sapien alike) get short-shrift in the character development department. But overall, Sense8 continues to be an emotional punch in the gut that just has me coming back for more.
Kelly’s Favorite Thing is…the It trailer!
The new It trailer strikes a chord of nostalgia and terror that has got me psyched to see this movie. In 1990, I was nine and a little too young to be allowed to watch the mini-series. Somehow, I neglected to read the book when I became a huge fan of Stephen King a few years later at the age of twelve. I love the start of the trailer when the voice over says, “But when you’re alone as a kid, the monsters see you as weaker.” The kids playing in the culvert reminds me of my own middle school years, when the neighborhood kids spent summers roaming in the woods and trying to scare each other with stories about the house where no one ever seemed to be home. We convinced each other that the man who lived there had tried to murder his mother. I would have definitely been the kid complaining about germs in the dirty water. The childish innocence of balloons makes it all the more horrifying when the red balloon floats ominously towards the boys. This trailer packs an incredible amount of fear into a minute and a half. Between It and The Dark Tower, I have an entire summer’s worth of Stephen King movie adaptation reading to do.
Nu’s Favorite Thing is… Goblin: The Lonely and Great God!
My favorite thing this month is the South Korean television drama Goblin: The Lonely and Great God. If any of you have ever watched a k-drama, you know it’s filled with melodrama, tears, and romance. The show is about an immortal goblin named Kim Shin, who has been walking the earth for more than 900 years in search of his bride, the only person who can remove the sword that killed him from his chest and finally give him peace in the afterlife. Well, that bride turns out to be a bubbly, optimistic high school girl named Ji Eun-tak, who also has the ability to see ghosts. The other love story in the series focuses on an amnesiac grim reaper and Ji Eun-tak’s boss, Sunny. And let me just say it’s hilarious, but also tragic, to watch an immortal goblin and grim reaper navigate through love and dating. Over the course of its sixteen episodes, themes like fate, destiny, sacrifice and second chances come into play big time. The chemistry between all the main actors really shine and made me invested in their storylines.
Nicole’s Favorite Thing is… Lena D. Artistry!
Another year, another Planet Comicon. I considered picking that as My Favorite Thing, but everyone loves conventions. And as enjoyable as Planet Comicon was, why choose that when I can highlight another fantastic artist?
This year while strolling down Artist Alley, there was one booth that made me do a double-take. And then a stop-and-linger, and then of course a maybe-I-should-just-look-at-all-the-things. Lena DeGregory does amazing artwork using colored pencils on a beige paper background rather than the usual white. The work has a kind of softer feel to it, and they’re all either exceptional or exceptionally adorable. I bought the Stitch drawing for my sister as a birthday present. It’s nice and large on 11″ x 14″ paper with a slight border so you can frame it (which I did). I’m ridiculously excited to give it to her because she loves that movie. And look at him — he’s so cute!
I almost bought the floofy Hedwig, but managed to hold off since at the moment I have nowhere to put it. However, since I can always order from her, it’s something I can easily get in the future. You can also get vinyl stickers, one-of-a-kind mini sketches, and maybe even a commissioned piece if she’s taking them at that time. You can check her Facebook page to see some of the pieces she’s done in the past. Baby Moana is particularly delightful!
Thoughts on the selections above? Let us know in the comments.