[Best of 2017] Pop Culture Superlatives
- Matt Bickerton, Joshua Covell, Chris Harrison
- Dec 21, 2017
- 15 min read
Narrtivity contributors Matt Bickerton, Joshua Covell, Chris Harrison, Eddie Losoya, and Andrew Ryan commiserate to award their popular culture superlatives—both good and bad—for what has definitively been the worst year in the history of mankind.
Best Thing from Another Year I Discovered in 2017: The Great British Bake Off
I’m not ashamed of my undying love for cooking shows. I’ve entered my third decade of being a Food Network viewer, but I will fully admit that the network has dumbed down their programming to the point of near unwatchability. Their push toward cheap and lazy road shows (just spin off a Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives channel already) and away from well-produced instructional cooking and competition shows (remember how good the original Iron Chef was?!) has been heartbreaking for me. The cooking competition show is a particular favorite of mine, because it combines two of my favorite things: food and watching people fail. But Food Network is more interested in showing the country’s worst cooks boil water poorly or line cooks having to make an omelette with only a curling iron as a heat source than to take the time to design a contest featuring skilled chefs. Every so often, though, I come upon a show that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of competition. A few years ago, it was ABC’s The Taste, which brilliantly took the blind judging of The Voice and applied it to spoon-sized amuse bouche cook-offs. And most recently, it was The Great British Bake Off, a baking competition show from the UK that pits wildly talented amateur bakers against one another in a series of increasingly difficult challenges, all gorgeously filmed in a pop-up kitchen in a picturesque meadow. And despite the judges and hosts having larger than life personalities, the show doesn’t forget that it’s about the contestants and the food, something that lesser shows like MasterChef failed to understand. [Joshua Covell]
Best Theater Experience: Dunkirk
As a movie, Dunkirk is honestly just fine. It’s a pretty standard WWII epic with a few interesting narrative choices, but otherwise nothing too amazing. If you watch it in the comfort of your living room, you’d easily be forgiven for not getting the hype. But see it in theaters and that completely changes. The most notable change is in the sound design. Planes soaring overhead rattle the walls and explosions shake your seat, all backed up by a score that’s been designed specifically to put you on edge. Dunkirk also impresses with its overall visual scale, which actually feels real. Director Christopher Nolan is fairly well known for doing as much with practical effects as he can, and that practical work really comes across on the big screen, making you feel like a part of the action, as trite as that sounds. On its own, in a smaller setting, I can’t really recommend Dunkirk, but on the big screen, I can’t recommend it enough. [Matt Bickerton]
Most Dominant Performance: Black Thought’s freestyle on Hot 97
Black Thought is one of the greatest rappers of all time but never got the attention he deserved, partly as a result of being in a band and partly due to his long-time aversion to interviews with the press. He’s getting plenty of shine now, though. Diddy called his ten-minute marathon freestyle the best ever. In one verse, Thought compares himself to Einstein, Voltaire, Ali Baba, Nat Turner, and Clyde Drexler, and it somehow feels like he’s selling himself short. [Chris Harrison]
Best Adaptation of a Podcast: American Vandal
Surprisingly, we are actually beginning to see the influence of podcasts in visual mediums. American Vandal is a satire of the This American Life juggernaut, Serial, which chronicled a reporter’s obsession with a small town murder and all of the weird loose ends it presented. Vandal takes that idea and decides to make it both dumber and smarter than Serial itself. Vandal sets itself in a high school following one student’s possible framing for spray-painting a series of penis pictures on faculty cars. What follows is a very juvenile but complex look at justice, profiling, and manipulation of the audience. Every episode presents you with new “evidence” in a fake crime, but you sit there in awe and suspense, each new theory forcing you to recalibrate. If American Vandal is the detective mystery for the Millennial generation, I can’t wait to see what’s next. [Eddie Losoya]
Most Emotional Moment (Media): The Adventure Zone Podcast: Balance Arc Finale For a big old softy like me, there were a lot of emotional moments in media this year. From stepping out onto the Great Plateau for the first time in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, to the moment I realized we'd be seeing Luke Skywalker on screen for real for the first time in 35 years, this year was chock full of moments that tugged at my dorky heartstrings. But the cream of the crop has to be the finale of the Dungeons & Dragons podcast, The Adventure Zone: Balance Arc. After the conclusion of an epic battle against the forces of evil, our heroes, the Tres Horny Boys (nobody ever say that out loud!) are given a proper send off as Dungeon Master Griffin McElroy helps his brothers, Justin and Travis, and father, Clint, devise a unique final scenario for each of the characters we've spent the last 70 episodes getting to know. I admit I came late to The Adventure Zone, which was honestly to my benefit, as I was able to marathon the entire series right up to the end, so I can only imagine the effectiveness of the ending for fans who'd been listening for years. Suffice to say, it doesn't disappoint. Without spoiling anything, the most affecting vignette in an episode full of them has to be Travis's character Magnus Burnsides's emotional payoff to a backstory dating back to the first episode of the series. Let's just say I really wish I'd dusted my apartment before I listened to it, because something kept getting in my eyes. [Matt Bickerton]
Most Emotional Moment (Sports): Isaiah Thomas’s heroic playoff performance
Isaiah Thomas’s 2016-2017 season with the Boston Celtics was magical. The 5’9” guard was a fan favorite from the moment he was traded to the Celtics and quickly became a hero in the Boston community. He defied the odds, going from the last pick in the 2011 draft to an improbable MVP-candidate. And his play last season was something to behold. Despite his height, he dominated opposing defenses, leading the league in fourth quarter scoring, which became such a thing around the league that he earned the nickname “King of the Fourth.” He led the Celtics to a number one seed in the eastern conference, but the day before the team prepared for the first game of their opening playoff series against the Chicago Bulls, Thomas got word that his little sister, Chyna, had died in a car accident. Because he was the leader of the team and felt an obligation to his teammates, or perhaps because he needed the distraction, Thomas decided to suit up for the following night’s game. He was the kind of player who wore his emotions on his sleeve, which was part of the reason why his energy and passion resonated so intensely with fans. You could see his devastation in the glassy-eyed look on his face. During breaks in the action, he propped himself up with his hands on his knees, as if it was all he could do to stand. It was heartbreaking to watch. The Celtics lost the game, but the final score didn’t matter. It was a herculean effort for Thomas to not only play as well as he did (33 points, six assists, five rebounds), but simply to step on the floor.
A couple weeks later, in game two against the Washington Wizards in the second round, Thomas scored 53 points. It was his sister’s birthday.
It was sad to see how his time in Boston came to an end a few months later, but for that one night in April, every Boston fan was sending their love to a player who had given his all to the team. [Joshua Covell]
Best Concert/Festival: LCD Soundsystem, Agganis Arena, Boston
LCD Soundsystem’s “last” show famously occurred at Madison Square Garden in 2011. It was a well-documented send-off, resulting in a documentary film, a full release of the concert footage and a live album. Thankfully the band’s farewell was short-lived, and their retirement ended up not being that much longer than the break many artists take between releases. This was a blessing for all their fans who wanted to see them perform again, but it was especially sweet for fans like myself who never got to see them at all. I’m happy to say it was well worth the wait.
The difference between witnessing LCD Soundsystem in concert and listening to their live recordings is as different of an experience as their live recordings are to their studio albums. No matter how many times I’ve heard tracks like "Get Innocuous!" or "Movement" in the past, hearing them with live instruments played through stacks of speakers loud and deep enough to shake my bones and the building I was standing in was a whole new thing. And being right next to James Murphy as he performed "Someone Great" added to the weight of an already heavy song.
The band performed a solid if predictable set of deep cuts, old favorites, and tracks from their new album before closing on their biggest songs. Their light show added to the experience instead of distracting from it, with the exception of the moments they overdid it with the strobe lights, a concert pet peeve of mine. It was all in service of a certain energy and sound LCD Soundsystem is able to produce when the musicians are firing on all cylinders and the audience locks into the unique, dance-rock trance that Murphy and crew produce so well. It was the type of show that engages you and doesn’t let go for days after the last note is played. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another six years before they come back for another round. [Andrew Ryan]
Worst Episode of an Otherwise Great Series: "Chapter 7: The Lost Sister," Stranger Things 2 Stranger Things has been one of the consistently great binge-watches of the last two years, thanks in part to the Duffer Brothers' treatment of each season as more of a long-ass movie than a season of television. Each episode flows so well into the next, it's all you can do to stop yourself from watching the whole series in one go. So in that case, it's almost nice that the second season included an antepenultimate episode that's a slog to get through. "Chapter 7: The Lost Sister," while interesting in theory, grinds the overarching story to a halt for a training story seemingly ripped straight from The Empire Strikes Back's Dagobah sequence. It feels almost like a backdoor pilot for an X-Men-style series about kids with strange powers, which would be interesting to watch, sure, but not when it gets in the way of the completion of my Stranger Things 2 binge, goshdammit. Netflix's series tend to have a bit of a problem with episode creep (see: every damn Marvel show, each of which could stand to shave a solid five episodes off their runs), but if Eleven had returned from her sidequest different in any way, or if the characters it added had been at all interesting to watch, "Chapter 7" might have been justified. As it stands though, it just feels like a speed bump on the way to the otherwise satisfying finale. [Matt Bickerton]
Funniest Stand-Up Special: Jerrod Carmichael: 8
In 2017, we got Jerry Seinfeld’s return to stand-up, two (!!) specials from the elusive Dave Chappelle, new material from big stars like Amy Schumer, and a very strong performance from Michael Che. But one comedy special stood out among the crowd. In 8, Jerrod Carmichael walks us through his flaws and inhibitions, never afraid of making his audience a little uncomfortable while he takes his time setting up jokes. He’s got a unique, off-kilter delivery that makes it seem as if he’s just thinking out loud in front of the audience, making up material as he goes, but the set-ups and punchlines all hit the mark. His bit about grandparents is one of the funniest things I’ve seen all year. [Chris Harrison]
Most Disappointing: Baby Driver
I’m a passionate Edgar Wright fan, so I was hotly anticipating Baby Driver, especially since this was the first film he would write and direct following his departure (or removal) from Ant Man. Much of Baby Driver is good—the music cues set to the action, the driving sequences, the humor. But two things spoil the stew (one of which did so later on): Ansel Elgort and Kevin Spacey. Elgort is—how do I put this?—not a charismatic actor. He has the charm of a man named Ansel Elgort. His role in Baby Driver was actually the impetus for me coming up with our [Blockbuster Trade] series, because I thought so many actors could have made the film so special if they had taken his place: Taron Egerton (who would have been perfect), Tom Holland, and Andrew Garfield, among others. The problem was, I couldn’t find a role of theirs from this year that Elgort would have made better. He’s in this Miles Teller camp, for me, of inexplicably getting cast in good roles despite being aggressively mediocre. And still, despite my initial disappointment, the movie won’t age any better considering the public outing of Spacey’s sickening behavior. Going forward, when I look back at Wright’s filmography, I expect Baby Driver to be largely forgotten, and I think that’s really for the best. [Joshua Covell]
Franchise I Gave Up On: All Superhero TV Shows
Like many nerds, I watched a lot of superhero TV shows: Netflix Marvel series like Jessica Jones or CW DC shows like The Flash. As a kid growing up wishing for superheroes to be given serialized TV shows, I originally felt a weird burden to watch all these shows, like I owed it to my middle school self. I would keep up week to week or season to season, often despite them being bad or boring. It was this year when I realized that TV shows had actually become more like comic books than I realized—they had fully transitioned into something that I would consume every week but only out of obligation. Disposable, often poorly crafted, but with characters I love, these shows no longer felt worth the effort. I still love the characters and, like comics, large crossover events will bring me back for a few episodes at a time, but I no longer feel beholden to these shows. And it’s way more freeing than I realized. [Eddie Losoya]
Most Addictive Game: Stardew Valley (Nintendo Switch)
Although it first came to PCs early last year, this fall saw the release of Stardew Valley for the Nintendo Switch, and let me tell you, friends, that is a match to give peanut butter and chocolate a run for its money. It takes a little while to get going, but once the gameplay loop is properly established, it’s so hard to break free, especially on a portable system like the Switch. I found myself taking it with me wherever I went. On the bus to work? Play Stardew Valley. On lunch break? Time for an hour of Stardew Valley. Sitting at home on the couch? You’d better believe that’s six straight hours of Stardew Valley. I finally managed to break free around the time Super Mario Odyssey came out, but not before I’d sunk a good 50 hours of my life into this delightful farming simulator. I haven’t picked it back up yet, but that’s only because I’m worried that if I do, I may never put it down again. [Matt Bickerton]
Best Music Video: "HUMBLE." by Kendrick Lamar
With apologies to the legend Missy Elliott, whose video for “Better” featured some jaw-dropping choreography and lighting, “HUMBLE.” set the rap world (and a bunch of dudes’ heads) on fire. Everything, from Kendrick dressed like a swaggy pope to working on his golf swing on top of a cop car to opining about asses with stretch marks while inside a Brady Bunch-esque window, is absolutely dripping with style. At one point, Kendrick pulls up in a car, casually spreads Grey Poupon on some white bread, and passes it to a passenger in another car, who is also nodding his head to the beat. I mean, how can it not win this award? [Chris Harrison]
Best Pop Culture Crossover: Basketball (and Other Things)
Shea Serrano is a national treasure, and his latest book, Basketball (and Other Things), further solidifies his place in the pantheon of pop culture writers. His oddball sensibilities are on full display in the book (birthed from his ongoing e-newsletter of the same name), asking and answering questions that mix basketball together with popular entertainment, like “What’s the Order of the First Round of the Fictional Basketball Player Draft?” (a three-chapter analysis) and “Which NBA Player’s Group Are You Joining If the Purge Begins Tonight?” It’s as if someone took the peculiar conversations that a group of friends have about basketball, seriously researched them, added some beautiful and hilarious artwork (by super talented artist Arturo Torres), and then bound it all together. It’s a work of true genius. [Joshua Covell]
Best One-Man Show: Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King
Every year there’s a ton of great stand-up comedy, but lately I gravitate toward something a little different. Mike Birbiglia instilled in me a deep love of stand-up that mixed comedy and tender autobiographical stories. This year, The Daily Show’s Hasan Minhaj put out an hour of material that I put on on a whim and was glued the entire time. Minhaj chronicles his life as an Indian-American with immigrant parents, growing up during a time of deep Islamophobia. It’s touching, often hilarious, and expertly told. There are moments that I deeply connected with as a brown person, but lots of moments I didn’t—not because they were bad, but because they weren’t meant for me. Minhaj mixes Hindi into his special, speaking directly to his fellow Indian-Americans. Like the Spanish-speaking Mexican comics I grew up listening to, these stories are both for everyone and also for certain people. And that’s okay, because it’s kind of a blessing to experience those looks into others’ lives. Minhaj lets you in and shows you around, and that’s really cool. [Eddie Losoya]
Best Humorous Examination of Personal White Privilege: John Hodgman's Vacationland John Hodgman is a humorist best known for his trilogy of hilarious fake almanacs containing the entirety of world knowledge (and over 700 hobo names), but in 2017 he released his first non-fiction book, Vacationland. The book is a series of humorous essays in which Hodgman recounts memories of the two vacation homes he's owned, discusses his adolescence as a weird teenager, and ruminates on his success and the privileged life that has allowed him to pursue such an eclectic career. It's all very funny as well as strangely affecting, presented in the clinically absurdist, yet strangely warm tone Hodgman has perfected over his career. Hodgmanian eccentricities permeate the book, whether it's referring to his children via the pseudonyms Hodgmina and Hodgmanillo, or speculating about whether his new Maine neighbors are perhaps a secret vampiric cult. This absurdity is frequently balanced alongside the deeply personal self-interrogation of a man who wonders whether he's earned this success, or whether he's simply another beneficiary of a system designed to empower people like him. If you're a fan of his other works, The Areas of My Expertise, More Information than You Require, or That is All, I can't recommend Vacationland enough. And if you're not a fan, you should check those out, too. Vacationland is a delightful, funny read that does a great job of examining the author's privilege without coming across as preachy, and it's one of my favorite books this year. [Matt Bickerton]
Favorite Comfort Food: Psych: The Movie
We live in a literal hellscape (see below), so sometimes it feels like a blissful vacation to be able to forget, for a brief moment, the oppressive, dour tone of our tortured existence. Psych (the series) may have been off the air since 2014, but it returned with a televised two-hour special and I swear it felt like manna from heaven. The hijinks were as silly as ever, but the special wasn’t afraid to give long-time fans the heartfelt character moments that we craved, including a brief but touching appearance from cast member Timothy Omundson, who, days before the start of filming, suffered “a wee touch of the stroke,” forcing the writers to rewrite much of the script on the fly. And did it feel as good as I had hoped to have the gang back together for another caper? C’mon, son. [Joshua Covell]
Best Sequel/Prequel: John Wick: Chapter 2
John Wick was an instant classic when it was released in 2014. Keanu Reeves has always been a bankable action star, but John Wick turned the dial all the way up. Any sequel was going to have a hard time topping the original, but Reeves, director Christopher Stahelski, and writer Derek Kolstad found a way to at least come close: doubling down on the bizarre “mysterious society of assassins” mythology hinted at in the first movie. Wick’s stylish, globetrotting mission of death takes him from ancient catacombs in Rome, to the warehouse fortress of a homeless king in New York, to a crazy shootout in a modern art installation, all while he tries to get his revenge without breaking the arcane rules of the society of assassins. It’s absolute madness from beginning to end. [Matt Bickerton]
Guiltiest Pleasure: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
Danganronpa V3 is actually a pretty damn good game. The premise is the same as ever: 16 high school kids with “ultimate” talents are kidnapped and forced to kill one another without getting caught by their peers in order to be released. I still feel a sense of excitement and anticipation every time I hear the investigation music, and the class trials are a blast. It’s always been a series with some R-rated humor, but they really cranked that aspect up to 11 this time around. As much as I like the game, I’d really prefer if nobody walks near my room any time Miu says literally anything. [Chris Harrison]
Best Hellscape We're All Surviving Together, Somehow: Twitter If there's one thing everyone on Twitter can agree on, it's that I don't think we survived that plane crash… ("@NaziLover420 liked this tweet" Fuck!) That is to say Twitter is hell. We died and we're in hell. Whereas Twitter used to be a fun little social network where people cracked jokes and occasionally news broke, it has become a never-ending stream of political outrage and stream of consciousness racism. And that's just Donald Trump's feed! The President of Online has made Twitter a disgusting necessity in 2017, because without it, you're not getting the full story. Like the time he decided to ban trans folks from military service on a whim. Or the time he retweeted fake anti-Muslim propaganda. Or the roughly eight million times he's basically dared Kim Jong-Un to start a nuclear war. Or the time his diaper brain crapped out in the middle of 140 characters, and for the brief few moments we all thought maybe he'd stroked out on the toilet, "Covfefe" was actually kind of funny. Elsewhere, Mike Huckabee keeps dunking on himself by writing indecipherable "jokes" that have all the comic wit of a stack of wet paper towels, and Ted Cruz managed to continue his streak of fabulous dipshittery by liking a pornographic tweet on his work account, getting in a fight with Luke Skywalker, and generally just being as unpleasant to be around as you'd expect. And that's not to mention the uselessness of the Twitter team themselves, doing functionally nothing to combat the rise of far right fascism on their service and allowing alt-right trolls to abuse the report system to get people banned over nothing. All in all, Twitter is a writhing, unyielding hellscape. It's a horrifying car accident that only gets worse the longer you look at it, only you can't look away for even a minute, because, Christ, did you see what Trump just tweeted? [Matt Bickerton]
Comments