This whole quarantine thing is tough. Obviously. We’re all stuck at home; our semesters were unceremoniously cut short, our profs are half-heartedly attempting to figure out Zoom, and the world feels especially scary.
But don’t fret–the Charlatan staff is here to help you through it. Some Charlatan superstars have graciously written about what’s been getting them through COVID-19. Without further ado, here are our picks for the most comforting quarantine media.
Sara Mizannojehdehi – Graphics Editor, Volume 49
Over the past few weeks, I’ve only been listening to songs from the early 2010s. The music I listened to a month ago is sentimental white-noise, and new songs don’t stick. The only exception to this rule seems to be Maggie Rogers’ Heard It In a Past Life.
Though it was an album I’d listened to last winter, I’ve been listening to it again and have found new comfort in her words. Songs have a shape-shifting ability; whatever you’re going through at a given moment in time, lyrics can meld themselves to fit that scenario.
Rogers’ words have transformed into a hope that everything will fall back into place again, though right now, nothing is steady.
Hope Berk – Copy Editor, Volume 49
You know, when I envisioned myself finishing my fourth and final year of my journalism degree, I never thought I’d find myself disclosing to the school paper that I’ve been playing a lot of The Sims 4 while quarantined during a global pandemic–but here I am.
I’ve always loved The Sims, since I grew up in the 2000s and have found it to be a great tool for procrastinating throughout my life, but it’s been a particular favourite while I’ve been self-isolating.
I think it might partly be because it’s a great way to put off completing my remaining course work, but I honestly think it’s because it places me in a virtual world which I have complete control over.
I can’t control anything that’s happening in the real world right now, besides doing my part in staying home, but I can click into a world where my sims are free to go out in their neighbourhoods–to bars, friends’ houses and school. That’s why until I can return to the normal world, I will be, embarrassingly, living vicariously through my virtual characters.
Isabel Harder – Arts and Culture Editor, Volume 50
The Good Fight is a spinoff of the popular CBS television drama, The Good Wife. It features a firm of minority lawyers in present-day Chicago. As the firm faces pressure from the current United States administration, the show serves as an excellent reminder that one is not alone in facing the chaos of today’s world, providing hope for the future.
KC Hoard – Arts and Culture Editor, Volume 49
Anyone who has even a cursory knowledge of me knows there are only two things genuinely near and dear to my heart: Carly Rae Jepsen and Big Brother. So when the most recent season of Big Brother Canada was forced to cease production over COVID-19, I was understandably disappointed. Fortunately, another legacy reality TV show has swooped in to fill the void: Survivor.
The current season, which is the show’s 40th (!), features 20 former winners going head to head for the title of Ultimate Sole Survivor (and $2 million–the largest cash prize in reality TV history).
I stopped watching Survivor a few years ago because the players seemed to consistently make sloppy and disappointing social maneuvers. There was always too much fat to trim before you could reach the meat of the season. But when you take 20 of the best players to ever play and stick them on an island together, incredibly dynamic social gameplay (and television magic) ensues. And while the survivors and I may both be trapped, at least I have access to a shower. I find comfort in that.
Marieta-Rita Osezua – Features Editor, Volume 49
What is getting me through quarantine, you ask? Well, a lot of things like music, YouTube videos and my siblings. But if I had to pick just one thing, it would be Abstract. It’s a documentary on Netflix about design in everyday life. It is very calming, inspiring, and a much-needed distraction from the current state of the world. I highly recommend it if you’re creative or you like watching creative people talk about their work, or you just really want a break from everything.
Tim Austen – Photo Editor, Volume 49
While stuck in quarantine, I’m missing my everyday life. Movies and shows provide relief–after all, they look so much like my everyday life. Though I’ve watched many the last few weeks, there is one film that I’ve been thinking of every day: the epic masterpiece Ran, from legendary director Akira Kurosawa.
Taking place in Sengoku-period Japan, Ran adapts Shakespeare’s King Lear in the form of a true-to-life historical Japanese warlord. When Hidetora Ichimonjo abdicates his throne to his three children, he sets in motion chaos beyond measure. His past comes back to haunt him and he must pay for his sins.
Unique in scope with the depth of great literature, Ran is among Kurosawa’s finest achievements. It is magnificently colourful and dazzlingly acted. Somehow, as it gets older, it feels more relevant and it captures complex modern anxieties so well. I think it reminds me of a world bigger than Coronavirus and gives me the strength to stay home.
Bailey Moreton – Features Editor, Volume 48 / Editor-in-Chief, Volume 49
I’ve been watching Parks and Recreation. Chris Pratt’s career-making buffoonery in his iconic portrayal of Andy Dwyer has brought levity to a languid life.
For anyone who’s ready for something more emotionally intense, check out Hunters on Amazon Prime–Al Pacino’s TV debut. It’s a sharp, witty, emotionally raw TV series which has made Prime my content distributor of choice this quarantine, and one worth the investment for anyone who hasn’t yet.
Pascale Malenfant – Production Assistant, Volume 49 / Op-ed Editor, Volume 50
If you’re looking for something to watch with constant fourth-wall breaks, consistently solid one-liners, and unapologetic ad placements before YouTube made it cool, then 30 Rock is what you’ve been looking for. Tina Fey’s genius self-deprecation has been one of the only things that’s been able to fully distract me during this quarantine, and it goes great with snacking on throwing wine and night cheese.
Jillian Piper – News Editor, Volume 49 / Features Editor, Volume 50
At a time when nothing makes sense, I find solace in binge-watching High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. By indulging in my guilty pleasure from happier days, I’m able to escape from our current dystopian climate and slink back to a sense of childhood comfort and sweet nostalgia.
With innocent romances, blossoming, quirky friendships clumsily forming, and show-stopping sing-along bangers all on-screen, the show creates the perfect escapist trifecta of emotional, laugh-worthy, and musically-hyped moments. So if you’re looking for a way to dissociate from reality, participate in a subversive stance on the elitism of the film industry, or just want to sing along to your favourite childhood bangers while some kids cheesily act out high school drama, turn on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
We’re all in this together.
Victor Ubaru – Multimedia and Web Editor, Volume 49
Close your eyes. Okay, never mind. You need them to read this. Close your metaphorical eyes and picture yourself in an open vista, lush and tropical. You hear in the distance a playful tune: dada dada dada dadada dada dada dada da. “Ice cream,” you shout.
You look over and catch a glimpse of a white truck and start running towards it. But wait. You run faster and faster but the distance between you and the sweet delight remains unchanged. In confusion, you look down and see a treadmill. You look back up and it all starts to fade away. The music, the truck, the vista, the treadmill. All that is left is emptiness.
You keep running faster and faster, panicked and frantic. Then all of a sudden, you stop. “What the fuck is going on?” you yell loudly. Then everything starts to fade back in: the tropical vista, the music, the truck, the treadmill.
You step off the treadmill and walk slowly towards the truck.
“Can I get a mint chip please?”
“Of course, no problem.”
You open your eyes. You are in your room. It’s been three weeks, four days, and two hours. You are still in your room.
Feature image from file.
