Main Stories
Police shut down Norfolk rave
EDP reports of police trying to halt a rave near Hilborough, 25.4 miles west-southwest of Norwich. Police operations are currently in motion in order ...
BREAKING NEWS
Main Stories
CCN cancels graduation
In an email to affected students on August 05 2020 the City College Norwich (CCN) stated that this year’s graduation ceremony for higher education stu...
News
Government outlines new guidance regarding facemasks
The government has outlined new guidelines on facemasks as new rules regarding the wearing of masks come into force on July 24. In England, people mus...
#BLM
Norwich School accused of an ‘extremely disappointing’ response from accusations of institutional racism by current and former students
A top private school in Norwich has faced criticism for its “extremely disappointing” handling of allegations of “rampant racism.” The allegations wer...
News
UEA released virtual graduation video online for class of 2019/20
On the 26 March, a campus-wide email announced that there would be no graduation ceremony taking place this summer as a result of the coronavirus pand...
News
Ten arrested after brawl in Norwich
Ten people have been arrested as a result of a ‘brawl’ that broke out on Magdalen Street. Police were called around 11pm on Thursday 23rd of July to t...
Main Stories
UEA among victims of cyberattack data breach
UEA is among the victims of the Blackbaud cyberattack data breach. The data stolen contained personal information and interaction history with the Uni...
#BLM
Black Lives Matter protest brings Norwich to standstill
The latest event hosted by the Black Lives Matter Norwich Movement saw a protest march attended by around 500 in Norwich City Centre on 7th June. The ...
News
UEA sets out new guidelines on incoming students for new 2020/21 academic year
The University of East Anglia have outlined new guidelines for incoming students for the 2020/21 academic year. The guidelines come as the UK governme...
TRENDING
Main Stories
Police shut down Norfolk rave
EDP reports of police trying to halt a rave near Hilborough, 25.4 miles west-southwest of Norwich. Police operations are currently in motion in order to shut down the rave taking in some woodlands by the A1065 south of the parish. According to locals the rave started late night Saturday 8th, participants had parked around a...
Main Stories
CCN cancels graduation
In an email to affected students on August 05 2020 the City College Norwich (CCN) stated that this year’s graduation ceremony for higher education students has been cancelled. The ceremonies were due to held on November 14 2020, in the email CCN stated that “due to the government restrictions currently in place for large gatherings,...
Global
Anti-government protests erupt in Lebanon
Anti-government protests have broken out in Lebanon following an explosion in Beirut port that killed at least 154 people with a further 5,000 injured. Although President Michel Aoun has stated: “the cause of the explosion has not yet been determined”, it is suspected 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had ignited after being unsafely stored in...
Books
The Cat and the City: intricate and charming debut from UEA Creative Writing MA graduate (review and interview)
The Cat and the City, the debut novel of UEA alumnus Nick Bradley, is a wonderfully crafted love letter to Tokyo and its ever-changing inhabitants. Centred around the movements of a wandering calico cat, we are taken on a seamless journey, meeting characters who are more intertwined than perhaps they (and we) initially think. It...
Global
Beirut sees explosions further worsening the Lebanon situation
On Tuesday evening, Beirut witnessed two horrifying explosions in its port area, which the Lebanese government has blamed on a warehouse containing almost 3000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. Videos of the second explosion went viral on social media. Footage showed columns of fire and smoke -the result from the first explosion- moments before the second,...
Creative Writing
A modern house built on grey clouds
Old hoping thing Go gently now On those dark nights, Where rats huddle in the garden’s compost heap To hide with empty thoughts. Billowing across the street, a black hand demanding answers clutching on to the houses. Trying to rip the windows out of their frames, To leave them choking in a watery mess on...
Global
Huge explosions rocks Beirut
A huge explosion has occurred in Beirut. The capital city of Lebanon was rocked at roughly 5PM by a huge blast in the port area. The explosion is believed by some to be at a warehouse in the port, with some local news channels reporting it was a nitrate storage facility. This may have contributed...
TV
Outer Banks: Mystery and Drama
Outer Banks is one of Netflix’s top series at this time. Designed as a blend of dozens of 80s movies and TV shows, it is set in the beach vacation destination of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The series follows an attractive teenage boy John B, who lives on his own. His dad has...
#BLM
Race in TV adaptations
Adapting a popular book or comic into a TV series is always a tricky task. People become attached to the characters as they envision them to be, so when a TV show alters a character, it’ll never please everybody. Film companies in recent years have made efforts to diversify their productions. One way in which...
SENIOR EDITORS
Sam Hewitson – Editor-In-Chief
Matt Branston – Co-Deputy Editor
William Warnes – Co-Deputy Editor
VENUE
Books
The Cat and the City: intricate and charming debut from UEA Creative Writing MA graduate (review and interview)
The Cat and the City, the debut novel of UEA alumnus Nick Bradley, is a wonderfully crafted love letter to Tokyo and its ever-changing inhabitants. Centred around the movements of a wandering calico cat, we are taken on a seamless journey, meeting characters who are more intertwined than perhaps they (and we) initially think. It...
Creative Writing
A modern house built on grey clouds
Old hoping thing Go gently now On those dark nights, Where rats huddle in the garden’s compost heap To hide with empty thoughts. Billowing across the street, a black hand demanding answers clutching on to the houses. Trying to rip the windows out of their frames, To leave them choking in a watery mess on...
TV
Outer Banks: Mystery and Drama
Outer Banks is one of Netflix’s top series at this time. Designed as a blend of dozens of 80s movies and TV shows, it is set in the beach vacation destination of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The series follows an attractive teenage boy John B, who lives on his own. His dad has...
#BLM
Race in TV adaptations
Adapting a popular book or comic into a TV series is always a tricky task. People become attached to the characters as they envision them to be, so when a TV show alters a character, it’ll never please everybody. Film companies in recent years have made efforts to diversify their productions. One way in which...
Film
10 Years of Inception
Christopher Nolan’s Inception was released in July 2010, and became a worldwide hit, inspiring parody, homage, and critical acclaim. Made in a very different landscape and context than the one in 2020, it would be easy to underappreciate it. Nolan has become a prominent figure in film in the intervening years and arguably one of...
Gaming
The Last of Us Part II Review
“Phew.” That was my feeling when I finished Naughty Dog’s successor to their acclaimed 2013 title. Not a “phew, I’m glad that’s over because it was awful”, more of a “phew, I’m glad that’s over because I’m not sure I could have managed much more of this tension”. It’s a hard game to review without...
EDITORIALS
EDITOR
New week, new writing, new website04/08/2020
DEPUTY EDITORS
Exceeding expectations04/08/2020
Taylor Swift, Alan Shearer, and me: learning ...04/08/2020
CONCRETE
GLOBAL
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Global
Anti-government protests erupt in Lebanon
Anti-government protests have broken out in Lebanon following an explosion in Beirut port that killed at least 154 people with a further 5,000 injured...
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Global
Beirut sees explosions further worsening the Lebanon situation
On Tuesday evening, Beirut witnessed two horrifying explosions in its port area, which the Lebanese government has blamed on a warehouse containing al...
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Global
Huge explosions rocks Beirut
A huge explosion has occurred in Beirut. The capital city of Lebanon was rocked at roughly 5PM by a huge blast in the port area. The explosion is beli...
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Global
China’s crimes against the Uighur population
Desperate cries haunt the international community as the Uighur population plea for aid against alleged human rights abuses in China. “We just need ho...
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Global
US Supreme Court ruling: Half of Oklahoma is Native American land
A ruling by the Supreme Court of the US has declared that half the state of Oklahoma is Native American land. The case was brought by Jimcy McGirt, wh...
FEATURES
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Features
New year, new norm
The only thing we have to fear is not being scared. No, this is not a typing error and I was not trying to quote Franklin D. Roosevelt. But it sums up...
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#BLM
Muriel Gilbertson: “I am Always Alert”
Muriel Gilbertson and I met through UEABC, UEA’s rowing club. She is the first and only Black female to have been on the team being one of two B...
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Features
Turning pages and taking pictures: my lockdown hobby
I have never considered myself to be a visual artist. As an English Literature graduate and lifelong lover of words, my strengths always lay with writ...
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Features
The beauty of listening
Last week was the five year anniversary of my dad’s death. While I was able to visit my mum’s family in Cambridge, this year was my first time living ...
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#BLM
Racism in China
My friend recently returned to China after isolating on her own in Norwich. On her last day, she bought a burger and picnicked in the park. Only a few...
COMMENT
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#BLM
Difficulties with decolonising the curriculum
Spray painted on the base of his Parliament Square statue in London, the new epitaph reads: “Churchill was a Racist.” The words were known to us but n...
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Comment
Bringing sustainable fashion into the spotlight of mainstream news
According to the Lord Ashcroft polls, climate change was the 4th biggest factor in how people decided to vote behind public services, Brexit, and the ...
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Comment
The worth of international students should not be defined by their economic appeal
The Trump Administration has recently come under fire for their immigration policy related to international students studying in the United States. IC...
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#BLM
Influential figures across all communities need to be held accountable for racism
When a friend told me Miss Swimsuit UK 2019 had been stripped of her title after a controversial ‘All Lives Matter’ Facebook post, my initial reaction...
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#BLM
The Revolution Will Not Be Sponsored
Black Lives Matter. It’s a movement, an organisation, a slogan – all centred around a clear, simple statement. From it stems all sorts of questions: d...
SCIENCE
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#BLM
The dangerous lack of diversity in science and medicine textbooks
When asked to think of a biologist, chances are that many of us would name one of the many white men we’ve been taught about from a young age. Charles...
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Science
Upcoming Mars missions used to predict dust storms
Dust storms on Mars have always been one of the most baffling mysteries about the Red Planet. Even after 50 years of rigorous research, scientists sti...
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#BLM
Racial inequalities highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic to be further investigated
A new report carried out by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) aims to explore how coronavirus has contributed to “the loss of lives an...
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#BLM
Tackling climate change and pollution means tackling racism and inequality too
What do Scott Morrison, Jair Bolsanaro and Donald Trump have in common? Well, they are all national leaders who have been accused of climate change de...
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#BLM
Innovations and contributions to science by Black scientists
George Washington Carver was born into an enslaved family during the American Civil War. Carver was separated from his mother and sister when they wer...
TRAVEL
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Travel
The first Black man to conquer Everest
Sibusiso Vilane was born in rural South Africa in 1970 and moved to Swaziland with his family when he was four years old. Vilane had to support himsel...
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Travel
Meet these influential Black travelers
As the months go by and we’re still in a limbo waiting for the world to be safe enough for us to resume our normal lives, let’s look at two of the mos...
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Travel
Experiencing a Freudian culture shock in Rome
One of the finest expressions of culture shock, its causes and its effects, was written by famed psychoanalyst and lover of tiny cigars Sigmund Freud ...
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#BLM
Destinations that celebrate Black lives
The Black Lives Matter movement has gained traction not just in America, but throughout the entire world. So, if you’re interested in places that cele...
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#BLM
Five African cuisines you should try
African cuisine is delicious but for some reason hasn’t quite received as much praise it deserves. You can wander around the streets of Norwich and fi...
SPORT
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Sport
A pandemic has come – and not yet gone – but short-termism in football remains
The COVID-19 pandemic has offered those in the world of football a chance to sit back and think about the wider, long-term implications of decisions m...
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Sport
The Canaries may be down, but they will soon be singing again
After a less than underwhelming season, Norwich City find themselves back in the Championship, finishing with a measly 21 points. There was early seas...
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Sport
Ensuring diversity behind the wheel: How can F1 do more?
When I watch F1, I love that I can see a mix of drivers from all over the world. But could the organisation do more to support the seeds of racial ine...
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Sport
The 2020 Ballon d'Or: A missed opportunity to recognise greatness
“No man is truly great who is great only in his lifetime. The test of greatness is the page of history”. This quote, made famous by literary critic Wi...
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Sport
The importance of being you: recognising race in society and sport
Shaunagh Brown has lived quite the life. From representing her country at the hammer throw in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, to being a firefighter and ...
VENUE
ARTS
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Arts
‘Missing live theatre’: The arts cry for help as coronavirus ravishes industry
On Tuesday 21 July, tape reading “missing live theatre” was draped across the entrance of Norwich Theatre Royal. The appearance of the tape highlights...
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Arts
Creativity in a crisis: art prevails in Yemen’s warzone
Since 2014, mainstream media reporting surrounding Yemen has centred largely around conflict. The situation in Yemen has been deemed “the world’s wors...
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Arts
‘The jewels in the crown’: Norwich’s independent venues in the coronavirus crisis
Following the roll out of government funding packages, I spoke to local Arts venues: the Norwich Arts Centre (NAC), the Maddermarket Theatre and the N...
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Arts
Mysterious artist, the Hat, dubbed ‘the new Banksy’
An elusive artist known as the Hat has been anonymously leaving artworks at locations across Suffolk with instructions to auction them off for charita...
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Arts
Tate takes greater strides towards racial equality
On June 1st, Tate released a statement across its social media platforms reading: “We have a platform, a voice, and a duty to our members, employees, ...
BOOKS
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Books
The Cat and the City: intricate and charming debut from UEA Creative Writing MA graduate (review and interview)
The Cat and the City, the debut novel of UEA alumnus Nick Bradley, is a wonderfully crafted love letter to Tokyo and its ever-changing inhabitants. Ce...
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Books
Favourite Black character: Brooke Bayoude in Ali Smith’s There but for the
If an adult walked up to their white, middle class neighbours and asked them, “Have you just not met any or very many black people before or are you j...
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Books
Angie Thomas: unapologetic and utterly brilliant
Angie Thomas, one of the most prominent authors of the last few years, has skyrocketed to fame and recognition in the literary world, following the pu...
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Books
Leaving a fictional character’s identity ambiguous: harmful or helpful?
Genuine representation in literature has been a debated topic for a while now. We all (hopefully) agree representation is important for the voices of ...
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Books
Do awards really matter?
Whether a book has won an award or not has never determined whether I’ll buy or read it, and many of the stories I love the most cannot boast an award...
CREATIVE WRITING
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Creative Writing
A modern house built on grey clouds
Old hoping thing Go gently now On those dark nights, Where rats huddle in the garden’s compost heap To hide with empty thoughts. Billowing across the ...
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Creative Writing
Hectic
Hectic. That’s the only word I have for today. Sure, it’s been in the works for months – I signed the agreement weeks ago – but nothing can prepare yo...
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Creative Writing
My Illness Has Teeth
Debby asked me to keep a tally for the number of cups of coffee I drink per day. I keep the tally in my mind. Three so far today, I think. If d...
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#BLM
Just Platonic?
There are relationships doomed to suffer, and relationships that make suffering. Like a cop who kisses his gun at night and lays it under his pillow. ...
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#BLM
#BlackLivesMatter
We see people in the streets: Eyes ablaze, voices loud, hearts angry; More aware of injustice than we’ve ever been. We will not be silenced. We ...
FASHION
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Fashion
The problem with Shein
Fashion retailer Shein has shot up in popularity over the last few years; I myself have shopped with them many times before and have always loved the ...
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Fashion
The racial bias of the ‘influencer’ world
The daily routine of almost every young person in the developed world revolves, in one way or another, around social media. Social media has a giganti...
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Fashion
The racism behind fast fashion
Following the tragic murder of George Floyd and the outrage it sparked, the world has erupted in Black Lives Matter protests. This has gone beyond iss...
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Fashion
Molly-Mae and the scrutiny of women’s bodies
Paparazzi shots have recently surfaced of former Love-Islander Molly-Mae in a bikini whilst on holiday in Ibiza. A Twitter user shared a tweet express...
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Fashion
A living history
According to Old English folklore, the tradition of ‘something borrowed’ being incorporated in some way or another in the wedding ensemble of a bride,...
FILM
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Film
10 Years of Inception
Christopher Nolan’s Inception was released in July 2010, and became a worldwide hit, inspiring parody, homage, and critical acclaim. Made in a very di...
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#BLM
Hamilton: Race, Disney Plus and the arts
Since its debut in 2015, Hamilton has become a Broadway sensation, and its release on Disney Plus means it’s now available for more than just th...
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Film
The horrifying story of New Mutants
For the past 20 years, live action X-men films have graced the silver screen. Some good, some bad, we have grown accustomed as to what to expect. But ...
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#BLM
Diversity in Disney animation
Research shows that children develop a racial bias from as young as five years old. Professor Jennifer Steele conducted a study of this behaviour and ...
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#BLM
Hollywood, the Academy, and race
Let’s start with a harrowing statistic. The first Academy Awards were hosted back in 1929, and since then over 3,000 awards have been handed out. Only...
GAMING
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Gaming
The Last of Us Part II Review
“Phew.” That was my feeling when I finished Naughty Dog’s successor to their acclaimed 2013 title. Not a “phew, I’m glad that’s over because it was aw...
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#BLM
Does the fantasy genre often focus solely around Western culture and ideals?
The fantasy genre is incredibly broad, fitting many RPGs. but also occasionally platformers, visual novels, and point and click adventure games. It is...
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Gaming
What have you been playing this week?
Uno I played Uno for the first time last week! Growing up, people had always played it around me on trains and planes but I had never actually given i...
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Gaming
What are you most looking forward to with the next-gen consoles?
Like so many other Xbox fans, I was hoping there’d be an attempt at VR with the upcoming Series X console, particularly after the relative success of ...
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Gaming
Is the Ubisoft open-world formula out-dated?
The Ubisoft open-world formula is often criticised for its tendency to bloat games with tedious and repetitive objectives, yet its influence has sprea...
MUSIC
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#BLM
A sign of the ages: Pieces of a Man
Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 timeless debut album, Pieces of a Man, is a staple of powerful genius, a commentary that still proves as relevant almost fifty ...
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#BLM
Iconic voices in music
A voice in music is not always vocal. For centuries, musicians with intimate understandings of their instruments have used it to express emotion like ...
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#BLM
The Bigger Picture: Lil Baby’s protest song is an early contender for song of the year
Atlanta rapper Lil Baby is one of the most prominent artists in popular trap music, receiving a Grammy nomination in 2019 for the hit single ‘Drip Too...
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#BLM
Out of my comfort zone: Waak Waak Djungi
Ever since I became interested in politics, Indigenous culture has captivated me. This is a privilege, as I can marvel at the strength and beauty of I...
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Music
Ennio Morricone: the iconic composer
Nobody has impacted the sound of film more than Ennio Morricone. The legendary composer, who has passed away at the age of 91, came to define the genr...
TV
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TV
Outer Banks: Mystery and Drama
Outer Banks is one of Netflix’s top series at this time. Designed as a blend of dozens of 80s movies and TV shows, it is set in the beach vacation des...
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#BLM
Race in TV adaptations
Adapting a popular book or comic into a TV series is always a tricky task. People become attached to the characters as they envision them to be, so wh...
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TV
The Secrets She Keeps: Predictable, but Emotional
Adapted from the novel by Australian writer Michael Robotham, The Secrets She Keeps is a psychodrama following the life of Agatha, a woman who steals ...
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#BLM
I May Destroy You: an eye-opening watch
Michaela Coel is such an amazing creative force. She’s completely unapologetic and tells it like it is. Her portrayal of sexual assault in I May Destr...
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#BLM
Pose FX: intersectionality in race
The first episode of Pose FX opens on a disco ball; we see a New York apartment filled with gorgeous guys and girls. While Pose is indeed a show fille...