What We're Thankful For In 2021
Happy Thanksgiving, Couch fans!
On this, the most delicious and controversial holiday there is (I like to call it Yummy Columbus Day), a few of us wanted to honor the spirit of gratefulness and talk about what we are thankful for from the world of sports and entertainment.
It's been yet another incredibly difficult year, nationally and globally. Though we obviously hope this isn't the case, chances are it may have been another incredibly difficult year for you personally as well. But the spirit of this holiday is to try to reflect with gratefulness.
It seems asinine to try to frame pop culture as somehow significant as an antidote to those issues, be they serious, social, personal, what have you, so we don't want to try to do that. But we do think what the last couple years has taught us is to indulge in the joy of simple pleasures, be that a sports result, a song, your old favorite movie, or your new favorite TV show. With all that in mind, here are some 2021 moments from the world of entertainment and sport that we specifically want to give thanks for:
Music
Kendrick Lamar Sighting
If a less-than-2-minute guest verse from a rapper is my music highlight of the entire year thus far, does that mean a. the music scene has been underwhelming, or b. I'm an unabashed fanboy of said rapper? If you answered all of the above, you would be correct.
There has been a lot of good music in 2021, but for my money, no great music. The last several years have seen at least one album, one body of work that has completely floored me, and though there is some time yet for that to change, 2021 has not yielded that. So yes, in the absence of a transcendent record, the most excitement I've felt about the music scene this year came a few months ago in late August when breakout artist Baby Keem dropped "Family Ties," featuring a decently-known rapper (who just happens to be his cousin), Kendrick Lamar. Arguably the greatest living rapper, Lamar has been out of the spotlight for a long time; it's been 4 and a half years since his last solo album, and over 3 years since the release of Black Panther, which was essentially the last time anyone has seen him. Midway through "Family Ties," however, the beat switches drastically, and out of nowhere comes the all-too-familiar voice of King Kenny. Lest you think he's just making a brief cameo in the sunlight to fulfill a family obligation for his cousin, Kendrick came out swinging (I am the Omega/You do not address me unless it's with four letters), justifying his hiatus (I've been duckin' the pandemic/I've been duckin' the overnight activists), and hyping his imminent return (New flows comin', be patient, brother/Show my ass and take y'all to class/I can multitask like Megan, brother). Welcome back, King. We missed you.
- Daniel Woodiwiss
Film
The Magic of Dune
At The Couch, it is safe to say that we are all thankful for Succession. Any of us could go on for pages about how incredible that show is. And normally I would. But this year, I am particularly thankful for Dune. On October 22, Dune was finally released after multiple delays. It was the culmination of a long wait, and that wait was certainly worth it. The film is visually stunning, and the Hans Zimmer score is an incredible companion. It stays true to the book in ways that so many book-to-movie adaptations constantly struggle with. But Dune especially nails the emotional core that is the Atreides family and the literal and emotional journey that Paul Atreides begins to embark on.
In a recent video with Vanity Fair director Denis Villeneuve said, “For the first time I think I did this for a single audience member, which is me.” He goes on to describe how he read the book as a teengager and how much he loved it and that despite all the hardcore fans, he wanted to make this for himself. You can feel that reverence for the story throughout Dune, while at the same time the true mastery that Villeneuve has over the story and its intricacies. It is this marriage of story and director that make Dune greater than the sum of its parts and a movie that I am incredibly thankful for this year.
- Daniel Baas
Television
A Strong Finish For Ted Lasso's Season 2
Daniel’s right that the most excited I (and probably any of us at The Couch) have been for TV programs this year was the return of Succession. That said, probably the most widespread anticipation of a new season belonged to Apple TV's smash hit Ted Lasso. The unexpected success of the lovable, heartfelt soccer dramedy was built off an inaugural season that was inch-perfect. Don't just take my word for it...look at how many people have watched the show, and how few have anything negative to say about it. Look at the critical consensus. Look at its record-setting Emmy performance, routing nomination records and taking home trophies for Best Series, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress in the Comedy fields.
But, where by now we've come to expect consistent brilliance from Succession, we didn't have that luxury yet with Ted Lasso. There was a lot of skepticism, including from yours truly, over whether the series could build on such a perfect season and wholly recapture its magic the second time around. Early on in Season 2, it seemed such skepticism might be justified. Plot points appeared underdeveloped. There appeared to be too much reliance on fan service and emotional catharsis. The standalone episodes, a Christmas special and a Coach Beard-centric episode, did nothing to advance or accentuate the show. All of which made the denouement to Season 2 that much more satisfying. The show hit its stride about midway through this season, and never looked back, unfurling a banger after banger of episodes, and ultimately concluding in satisfying, surprising, and brilliantly poised fashion. I'm so thankful for this show, and thankful that this writing staff does in fact know what they are doing.
- Daniel Woodiwiss
Sports
The Smashing Success Of Euro 2020
The more broad answer to this really would be that I'm thankful for falling back in love with international soccer. I've been a fútbolhead all my life, but for most of said life, it was all about the World Cup and continental tournaments for me. Yet, over the last 6-7 years, the combination of my increasingly ardent Liverpool fandom, U.S. (men's) national team disappointment, and disappointing developments with the 2018 and 2022 World Cups being bathed in corruption, the focus of my fandom had shifted to the club level.
That changed this year, as I have found myself fully entrenched in the international calendar once more, keeping tabs on all continental tournaments, Nations League finals, and World Cup qualifying. But by far the biggest impetus for my rediscovered love was the 2020 Euro Cup, played one year after originally scheduled, thanks to the pandemic's effects on Europe. The final product was well worth the wait, even with the logistical headaches (multiple host cities had to drop out of hosting duties due to their COVID situations), and general lack of full-capacity stadiums. We got to see multiple nations that would almost never play host or even co-host, such as Azerbaijan, Hungary, Romania, and Denmark flex their hosting muscles. We also got to see a remarkable story of resilience, as Danish and Finnish players and fans came together to grieve the horrifying on-field collapse of Christian Eriksen; this ultimately led to the happiest Danish fairytale, as remarkably, Eriksen survived cardiac arrest, and Denmark were able to eventually bounce back and piece together a thrilling a semifinal run. The quality of play across the board was the best it has been in any major tournament in some time, and we the fans were treated to absolute thrillers in every round of play.
When all the dust settled, we also were treated to a final between two 'teams of destiny': the resurgent Italians who entered the championship on a 33-match winning streak a mere 3 years after missing out on the World Cup entirely, and the uniquely unshakeable English, who rode a wave of rejuvenated optimism from their fans and intrasquad harmony to a final being played in the friendly confines of London, in front of the largest crowd at any European sporting event since spring 2020, nearly all bellowing "IT'S COMING HOME!" There was one more twist for us, too, but a familiar one: after an instant classic, hard-fought match....England were to lose in penalties. For the team, and their beleaguered fans, it was cruel. For yours truly, who grew up a passionate fan of the Azzurri, it was the cherry on top of a perfect tournament.
- Daniel Woodiwiss
Tell us what you’re thankful for! We’d love to discover new things that are special to you! And remember on this holiday weekend if you are able, don't be a spreader, don’t participate in Black Friday, and feel free to mourn for those who were murdered by the European settlers and maybe even donate to an Indigenous-Rights Organization.
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