To My Heart's Content #5

An absolutely freezing (yet very merry) December welcome to my fifth round-up of much-loved content bits from last month or so.

And before you ask: Yes, I've eaten a mince pie for lunch every single day this week. Jingle all the way, mate. ??????

NUMBER ONE: All the stars for Succession, please

I may as well stop these round-ups because nothing will ever top the mastery of This Damn Show. Not only have I watched seasons one and two (a slightly obsessive) five times through from start to finish, but also double-headed throughout season three by rewatching the previous week's episode before the new one aired each Monday.

I loved this show right from its first episode in 2018, but even then I had no idea how invested it's possible to become when the depths of characterization, subtext, and plot are so, so, so, so, so, so painstakingly perfect in every single imaginable way.

Despite the season three finale flooring me with one of the best character arcs I have EVER SEEN IN A TELEVISION SHOW, I gotta throw it back to season two and give credit to the scene that proves why there should be a Golden Globe Award for Best Line in a TV Series: "You can't make a tomelette, without breaking some greggs." A pure masterclass in screenwriting.

Ps. Who wore it best?

NUMBER TWO: Jeremy Strong doesn't get the joke

Yes, I'm taking two Succession pops in this round-up because—god damn it—I'm still not over that season finale. And because I may well have found a contender for knocking my esteemed Angelina Jolie x Vanity Fair profile off the top spot.

Having lovingly watched anything and everything Jeremy Strong has ever been in, I found the (now viral) New Yorker dissection of his acting methods both wildly impressive and somewhat peculiar. Which, if you've seen as many Jeremy Strong characters as I have now, sums him up quite perfectly. It also serves a selection of savage one-liners, such as:

"Strong, who is now forty-two, has the hangdog face of someone who wasn't destined for stardom."

Brutal. Anyway, not only is the subject himself fascinating, but this profile (as with other high-quality profiles from Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and Vanity Fair) is journalism at its finest. If you ever see a job opening for reading and ranking celebrity profiles, please send it my way. I have a spreadsheet prepped and ready to go, guys.

NUMBER THREE: microcopy goals from the trainline app

Don't you just love it when a piece of copy makes you smile? And I really rated this beautiful piece of microcopy from the trainline app.

Why did I love this microinteraction so?

• They made light of the situation by highlighting its awkwardness
• They reminded me of exactly what they do...
• ...And how good they usually are at doing it

I totally forgave them. And tried again. No dramas. It may be small, but this is bloody mighty copy. And I managed to make it home in the end for those of you wondering (mum).

NUMBER FOUR: Specsavers keepin' it simple

The best ads are usually ones that are simple. No huge budgets, no marketing bullsh*t, no airy-fairy creative.

And this ad from Specsavers falls so perfectly into the Simple Yet Effective Ads category that it went straight in the round-up as soon as I saw it.

I found this ad funny for two reasons. One: I didn't have my glasses or contacts in at the time (so it was blurry AF, the irony). Two: I could literally picture the countless times I've been out for dinner with my parents, only to watch them squint aggressively at the menu and argue over who forgot to bring the glasses. A beautiful, uncomplicated, entirely relatable advert.

NUMBER FIVE: Call Her Daddy Podcast

Well, the round-up wouldn't be complete without another podcast recommendation from me, right!? I'll admit; I'm not usually an avid listener of this podcast, BUT the interviews with Holly Madison (of Playboy fame) and Amanda Knox (no description required) are f*cking brilliant. No question is off-limits and both episodes are insane in their analysis of how appalling history and the media has been to women in the last few decades.

I still cannot wrap my head around the way Hugh Hefner managed to build an entire empire around his own ideals, and the world just jumped on board and adopted them, too. The guy had a vision and by god he made it happen. It would be impressive if it wasn't so painfully reductive and sexist. But that's just me. ??♀?