Bingeworthy TV: Star Wars Rebels

The animated series Star Wars Rebels takes place 14 years after Revenge of the Sith and 5 years before A New Hope. Galactic forces are getting stronger and Imperial forces are hunting down the remaining Jedi Knights all the while a fledgling rebellion is forming. A crew of rebels unite aboard a ship called The Ghost and their activity takes place around the planet Lothal. Kanan Jarrus, a Jedi Knight, discovers 15-year old orphan Ezra Bridger on Lothal and realizes he has a strong connection to the Force. The rest of the crew includes pilot Hera Syndulla, a Twi'Lek*, Sabine Wren, a 16-year old Mandalorian, Zeb Orrellios, a Lasat honor guard, and Chopper, a C1-10P droid.

I've watched all the Star Wars movies, but I never watched the animated series The Clone Wars.  There are several references to characters from The Clone Wars and some of them even show up on Rebels. Versions of characters from the movies also appear in Rebels. Basically Rebels is the story of what is going on in the universe leading up to and during Rogue One. Fun Fact: A few of the Rebels characters show up in Rogue One. You have to have an eagle eye to see them, but if you want a heads up on when they appear, check out this interview with Lucas Film Story Group's Matt Martin on StarWars.com.   

Initially Ezra is a whinier version of Luke Skywalker. He grows both in character and power as the series progresses. Kanan is a surlier version of Obi Wan Kanobi. He is a reluctant teacher and has a lot of anger over the destruction of the Jedi Order. Hera, Zeb, Sabine, and Chopper round out the cast nicely, each with their own set of skills. As with all the Star Wars movies, I find the droids to be the stars of the show and Chopper is no exception. He/it is a droid with attitude! There are only 4 seasons of Rebels; the last episode aired on March 5, 2018.

If you are wondering how all the Star Wars stories fit chronologically check out this Digital Spy article. The list does contain spoilers.

*There are a lot of different species in the Star Wars universe. Wookipeedia is a great place to go for information. 

~Amy, Adult Services

Staff Review: Feel Free by Zadie Smith

In one of the pieces in novelist Zadie Smith's new essay collection, Feel Free, she writes that knowledgeable people -- educated people who not only pursue a craft or profession, but are also connoisseurs of Baroque music, say, or Renaissance art or French wine -- intimidate her, cause her to feel an almost-existential angst.

This seems odd because the overwhelming impression one has after reading Smith's new collection is "How can one person know so much?" Really. Smith writes (a lot), she travels, she teaches, she gives speeches, she's got a mate and a couple little kids. How does she do it?

What's even more remarkable is that she can write about so many different subjects, highbrow to low, without ever seeming pretentious, condescending, or dull. Rather, she seems down-to-earth, self-deprecating, just plain nice.

The topics of Feel Free's essays, many of which were originally written for New York Review of Book, New Yorker, and Harper's, run the gamut from Brexit to Jay-Z, British artist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye to Justin Bieber, portraitist Bathasar Denner to installation artist Sarah Sze. She writes about Key & Peele, Orson Welles, Billie Holiday, and Mark Zuckerberg. There are also book reviews and essays on joy, despair, optimism, climate change, writing, gentrification, and more.

Smith's a wonderful writer and her essays are engaging and personal because she's passionately engaged with life and acutely worried about the state of the world. If you're like me, reading her collection may make you feel like a bit of an underachiever, but you'll know a lot more when you finish than you did at the start and that's a small achievement in itself, right?

~Ann, Adult Services



 

Bingeworthy TV: New Girl

Are you a fan of the TV show Friends? New Girl reminds me of Friends. Except, New Girl is more awkward and a touch more racy. Both shows are, however, hilarious and both celebrate the depth and true meaning of friendship and how hard adulting can be sometimes. New Girl is about a group of mismatched oddballs who live together in a large loft apartment. Also similar to the Friends and their New York City apartment - the group in New Girl would scarcely be able to afford their big Los Angeles apartment.

Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel) is the lead. She is energetic, super-awkward, very earnest yet still endearing. She talks her way into living in an apartment full of men (hence the name "The New Girl," much to their chagrin). As a teacher, she is at heart an optimist. Opposite her is Nick Miller (Jake Johnson) - a bartender, opposite in so many ways and ever-dissatisfied with life. Together, their chemistry is perfection and their witty banter is lightning-fast.

Whoever did the casting is genius! Jess, Nick, Schmidt, CeCe, Coach, Winston - they are a group of great characters with unique personalities and the actors fit their parts perfectly. For all the underlying angst, this is a pretty lighthearted show. We get to laugh at their jokes and cringe at their relationships and complicated interactions with each other and the world at large. Somehow, they always end up in the midst of ridiculous and hilarious predicaments.

I think it is a great update to the Friends model.

The show is still being produced. Carnegie-Stout owns the first five seasons on DVD. Season 7, which is the final season, premieres this spring on television. The library will purchase the last two seasons when they are available.

~Angie, Adult Services