Welcome back to The Character Couch, where we dust off our amateur psychology credentials and spend some quality time with fictional people who absolutely could have benefited from a real therapist at some point. Today's subject shuffled in a little late, made a joke about the waiting room being a trap, and spent the first … Continue reading The Character Couch – Eleanor Shellstrop
The Game of Emmys: Analyzing the Success of Game of Thrones
There is something bittersweet about looking back at Game of Thrones through the lens of the Emmy Awards. For most of its run, the show was a phenomenon unlike anything television had seen before. It was prestige drama dressed in dragon scales, a fantasy series that made everyone — even people who swore they would … Continue reading The Game of Emmys: Analyzing the Success of Game of Thrones
Rewatching Smallville – Episode 109
Welcome back to Rewatching Smallville, my weekly dive into the iconic series that explores Clark Kent’s journey before becoming Superman. Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to the show, you’re invited to join in each Tuesday as I revisit episodes and share my thoughts and observations. Be sure to share your own memories and … Continue reading Rewatching Smallville – Episode 109
The Worst 16 – Welcome to Mooseport
Welcome to Mooseport 2004 Directed by Donald Petrie Before we go any further, the standard disclaimer applies: everything you are about to read represents my own opinion, shaped by my own particular experience with this film, and none of it is intended as a criticism of anyone who genuinely loves Welcome to Mooseport. Maybe it … Continue reading The Worst 16 – Welcome to Mooseport
The Last Version of You
Margaret had been awake for thirty-one hours when they finally told her it was time. She sat in the waiting room of the Synapse Institute with a cup of terrible coffee going cold in her hands, watching the second hand on the wall clock make its slow, indifferent circuits. Around her, the room hummed with … Continue reading The Last Version of You
Could Back to the Future’s Time Travel Actually Work?
Everyone knows the rules by now, even people who haven't watched the trilogy in years. You need a flux capacitor. You need 1.21 gigawatts of power. And you need to hit exactly 88 miles per hour at the moment it all comes together. Say those numbers out loud to almost anyone and they'll nod, maybe … Continue reading Could Back to the Future’s Time Travel Actually Work?
Question of the Week #498
Welcome back to another Question of the Week here at The Confusing Middle! As always, the questions come from Gregory Stock's The Book of Questions. Last week we spent some time imagining a world without the necessity of work, which turned out to be a surprisingly complicated place to visit. This week, Stock brings us … Continue reading Question of the Week #498
Why Final Fantasy Still Matters (Even If You’ve Never Played It)
I was ten years old when I picked up the original Final Fantasy for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was 1990, North America had just gotten its hands on the game, and I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. I'd never played a Japanese role-playing game before. I didn't know what hit … Continue reading Why Final Fantasy Still Matters (Even If You’ve Never Played It)
More Than a Host: The Enduring Legacy of Alex Trebek
I've written before about my complicated relationship with Jeopardy! — how I dreaded it as a kid, how it became appointment television once I discovered I actually loved trivia, and how watching it with my dad became one of the great rituals of my adult life. But when I sit down and think honestly about … Continue reading More Than a Host: The Enduring Legacy of Alex Trebek
Jack Byrnes Broke Me: Why I’m Done with the Fockers
There are movies that you remember fondly precisely because you experienced them at the right time, in the right place, with the right mindset. Meet the Parents was that movie for me. When it hit theaters in October 2000, it felt like an instant classic — a comedy that was equally smart and broad, anchored … Continue reading Jack Byrnes Broke Me: Why I’m Done with the Fockers
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