Ah yes, I come to you all with more reasons to lose all sense of logical prioritizing and further push back all of your legitimate responsibilities. The more stress piled onto our already existentially woeful shoulders, the more narrow our ability to focus becomes. Being in post-grad unemployment purgatory has at least gifted me the chance to catch up on some thoroughly enjoyable shows and movies I can bestow upon the rest of you. But please, do not come banging down my door if you find yourself tearing out chunks of hair to the root at 4am after a full season binge.

TV

KILLING EVE

Genre: Crime / Drama / Dark Comedy

Starring: Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer

Network: BBC America

Where to Watch: Hulu or respective cable providers' on demand

Adapted from Luke Jennings's Codename Villanelle book series by actress/writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, this award-winning British-American drama has become my greatest addiction since sheet masks. I crave this show when it isn't airing like I'm on a diet and it's caramel molten lava cake. The chemistry between Oh and Comer is of seismic proportions to which fans nearly go parading the streets when they're merely in the same room. For anyone unfamiliar with the show already having concluded its second season, Oh plays Eve, an MI5 officer who breaks all the rules as she tracks down the psychopathic Russian assassin, Villanelle. Their cat and mouse game only deepens the mutual obsession and curiosity they have for one another, which drives both them and fans further into madness.

WHEN THEY SEE US

Genre: Biographical / Crime / Drama

Starring: Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Ethan Herisse, Jharrel Jerome & Marquis Rodriguez

Network & Where to Watch: Netflix

From the outstanding Ava DuVernay, the events of the Central Park Five case of 1989 that forever changed the lives of four African-American men and one Latino are put in the spotlight for Netflix's 150M subscribers to digest. A woman is attacked and raped after a jog in the park and these five men were wrongfully convicted, tried twice, spent 6-13 years in jail each, and had their reputations obliterated. DuVernay's telling is one sure to give a jolt to all your empathic senses and have you crying out for justice and reformation for the sake of the black community especially.

DEAD TO ME

Genre: Dark Comedy / Drama / Crime

Starring: Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini

Network & Where to Watch: Netflix

Something about dynamic female duos reels me in. Jen (Applegate) is a recent widow and single mother after her husband is hit by a car in the middle of the night. Upon attending a grief support group she runs into Judy (Cardellini) who almost forcefully initiates their friendship despite Jen's prickly, cold demeanor. The show takes us on an oddly humorous but emotional journey to explore the many stages of loss, grieving, and the desire for closure. 

DIFFERENT DREAMS

Genre: Period Drama / Crime / Political 

Starring: Yoo Ji Tae and Lee Yo Won

Network: MBC

Where to Watch: Viki

During Japanese colonial rule over Korea, Lee Young Jin (Lee) and Kim Won Bong (Yoo) are spies from different teams who come together for the greater good. Young Jin was adopted by a Japanese officer after wiping out her entire village, raising her to become a surgeon and essentially his pity project. She becomes an intelligence agent for the Korean government behind his back, determined to help win back the country's independence. Won Bong is the head of a secret rebellion with the same goal in mind, but with a more hands-on approach. The acting, cinematography, costuming, and score make for a great weekly watch. 

COISA MAIS LINDA

Genre: Period Drama

Starring: Maria Casadevall, Pathy Dejesus, Fernanda Vasconcellos & Mel Lisboa

Network & Where to Watch: Netflix

For fans of Spain's Chicas del Cable, Brazil's "Most Beautiful Thing" totes a similar atmosphere with it being a feminist-centric period piece. While the former explores the inner workings of a telecommunications company, the latter gives us a taste of the bossa nova club scene in Rio de Janeiro. Malu's (Casadeval) transformation into a go-getting business owner and the rise in demand for equality from her and her friends is awe-inspiring and perfectly timed.

ARTHDAL CHRONICLES

Genre: Fantasy / Historical / Drama

Starring: Jang Dong Gun, Song Joong Ki, Kim Ji Won & Kim Ok Bin

Network: TvN

Where to Watch: Netflix

Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Tribes and Empires, Journey to the West... these well-known fantasy stories all share the elements that date back to ancient novels from Asia and Africa. Due to the very recent finale of one series in particular, people were quick to point fingers at Arthdal's premiere as if fantasy characteristics don't all circle back to the same origins. Despite some CGI and tribal costuming weaknesses, the actualization of the show can suck you in pretty quickly and make the lengthy episodes much easier to get through.

MOVIES

PERSONA

Genre: Anthology / Short Films / Drama / Dark Comedy

Starring: IU with appearances by Bae Doona and Park Hae Soo

Network and Where to Watch: Netflix

There is no greater bias (or love) than what comes with being IU's super-fan. Bias aside, I did watch these short films as objectively as possible and found myself enthralled in how far she's come as an actress. As anthologies go, all four "episodes" have a completely different storyline and stylization to pair with the concept of individual personas devised by each director. Without spoiling a single detail, I'll leave it at that with one quick side note that my favorite is part 4 and it made me cry like a baby.

ROCKETMAN

Genre: Biographical / Drama / Musical

Starring: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden & Bryce Dallas Howard

The Elton John biopic has his essence threaded in every bit of its production and it comes as no surprise knowing he was the executive producer of the film. After nearly two decades of trying and failing to bring his life's story to global cinemas, Taron Egerton appeared as the perfect vessel for the gay rock n' roll icon. Merging the fluid musical charm of Across the Universe with the Oscar-worthy performances and screenplay akin to Bohemian Rhapsody, it's no wonder the film is making a splash in box offices near and far. 

THE SHADOW PLAY

Genre: Crime / Drama

Starring: Jing Boran, Ma Sichun, Song Jia & Michelle Chen

A genre atypical of Chinese director Lou Ye to choose when looking back at his primarily dialogue-void art films made it all the more fascinating to watch. It's not often you get to watch a crime drama be so visually intriguing such as this one with its often barely visible characters in a literal play on shadowing to mask emotions and intentions. A young detective investigates the suicide/murder of a local demolition chief and finds himself being run out of town for digging too deep into the truth lurking in a corrupted family's affairs. 

DETECTIVE PIKACHU

Genre: Fantasy / Animated / Adventure

Starring: Ryan Reynolds and Justice Smith

A childhood highlight brought to life in an impossibly cute and heartwarming feature film. Whoever designed the Pokémon deserves their paycheck and a bonus (and should be sent to fix a certain hedgehog mess) they are so FREAKING CUTE. Some have expressed disappointment that Pikachu wasn't voiced by Danny Devito and as chaotic good as that sounds, Reynolds still did what he had to do. Since the wrongful cancellation of The Get Down, Justice Smith has been at the forefront of two huge blockbusters and it's super cool to see a young black actor taking leads like this.