The Week In Recommendations 3.20.24
"Doppelganger" in the age of Kate Middleton conspiracies, the haunting A.I.-ness of "Irish Wish," a breezy blouse and a perfect belt. Plus, one great thing with B.D. McClay!
This is the free edition of Rich Text, a newsletter about cultural obsessions from your Internet BFFs Emma and Claire. If you like what you see and hear, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Our latest podcast was about the “Love Is Blind” reunion & “Traitors” finale! (And a Kate Middleton pod is coming later this week.) Rich Text is a completely reader-supported project — no ads or sponsors!
Claire has been reading… 📖
I’m still reading “Doppelganger” by Naomi Klein when I have pockets of free time – it’s even more interesting to dip into amid the rampant public speculation about Kate Middleton’s unusual retreat from the public eye, and the wild theorizing that grainy or Photoshopped pictures that have been released of her since her disappearance actually depict body doubles.
I also enjoyed
’s latest post about how she’s cutting back on shopping. It crystallized some of the thoughts I’ve started to have about my own spending problem (which has become more apparent now that I have two kids). Like Leslie, I have had a growing awareness that buying clothes feels like buying a future version of myself that will satisfy me, except that it never does, because there is always a new clothing item, a new future version. I’ve also noticed, as she points out, that I buy things because it’s hard to buy time for myself to do the activities that they symbolize; it’s no accident that my shopping took off during Covid AND becoming a new mom. I buy cute outfits because I miss going places that call for a cute outfit, and I buy books because I rarely have time to read them anymore. In the moment that I buy a new Teju Cole or Sheila Heti novel, I can almost taste that future moment when I’ll kick back on the couch to read them. Instead, there’s always a podcast to prep or tape or edit, an errand to run, a pile of laundry to fold, a kid to feed. (Hell, I’m still reading “Doppelganger,” and my TBR pile has quadrupled in size since I started it.)The flip side of this is that I do sometimes feel glad that I made certain purchases, which did bring me lasting pleasure and became a core part of my routine. I did become a version of myself who wears comfy leather huaraches all summer instead of ill-fitting plastic sandals, a version of myself who embraces her girly impulses and wears ruffly dresses to the playground without embarrassment, a version of myself who drinks out of a perfect coffee mug. It’s hard to know, except in retrospect, which purchases brought only evanescent satisfaction. But I’m buckling down and trying, and I do think Leslie’s post offers some helpful strategies.
Emma has been reading… 📖
In addition to Rachel Handler’s utterly hilarious review of “Irish Wish” in Vulture (discussed more below), I’ve been making my way through Cosmopolitan’s great package on “The Sharenting Reckoning” — a.k.a. reflecting on the fallout for kids who grew up/are growing up with their lives being documented, mined for content and monetized. I especially was gripped by Fortesa Latifi’s feature, “What’s the Price of a Childhood Turned Into Content?” in which she interviews a now-adult child of a 2010s parenting blogger. As legislative measures are only just starting to be put into place in some states to protect the rights of these kids and mandate that compensation be put aside for them later in life, it feels essential that to think about the work that some of these kids do as real labor. And if it’s real labor, then it must be regulated. My main takeaway was that the underage workers of the influencing industry should be protected, and we need clearer, updated labor laws to do that.
Claire has been watching… 📺
“Girls5Eva” is now on Netflix, and it comes with a brand new season three!!! Which is only six episodes, but that is six more episodes of “Girls5Eva” than previously existed. The reconstituted aughts girl group – Dawn (Sara Bareilles), Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry), Summer (Busy Philipps) and Gloria (Paula Pell) – have taken their renaissance on tour. Or, to be precise, to Forth Worth, where the gang is bringing down the house nightly with a hyperlocal anthem (“Tap Into Your Fort Worth”) and staying at the Marriott Divorced Dad Suitelets.
There’s something a little bittersweet about “Girls5Eva,” a Tina Fey-produced comedy from Meredith Scardino (“The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), in that it feels like a dying whisper of the “30 Rock” network sitcom glory days. It doesn’t have the budget or the expansive world of a “30 Rock” or even a “Kimmy Schmidt.” Dawn and Wickie are quintessential Fey types (Liz Lemon and Jenna Maroney, respectively), and Bareilles and Goldsberry are fantastic in the roles, but it’s a constant invitation to measure the show against its smash hit predecessor. And yet… so much of what makes a great sitcom is there. The sheer joke density, peppered with surprising pop cultural references and gleeful swings at Netflix (sorry, Streamberry), multi-level marketing schemes and pro-life politicians (John Early as a red state congressman who pops up to supervise Dawn’s on-the-road ultrasound is a standout). The fully committed, earnestly goofy performances. A guest appearance by Richard Kind. And, of course, many satirical pop songs, including one from a sensitive male pop star called “Inside My Sweater.” Please watch so they’ll make a fourth season!
Emma has been watching… 📺
“Irish Wish,” the devastatingly bad Lindsay Lohan Netflix rom-com. Handler’s Vulture review, declaring the film a “crypto-fascist, AI-generated harbinger of doom” did not deter me from watching this movie, as it probably should have. Instead it made me all the more eager to get out there and stream it! Am I masochist? Perhaps!
After viewing “Irish Wish,” I’ll say that I got crypto-fascism vibes less than AI-generation vibes — the latter of which was hauntingly present throughout the entirety of the movie. All of the dialogue in this movie lies in the uncanny valley of human behavior, there is less than zero sexual or romantic chemistry between ANY of the characters, and not even Lindsay’s charm — which she certainly still has in spades! — can save this absolute disaster. (I later saw, via some IG stalking, a caption that suggested that the screenwriter’s first-ever trip to New York City was for the premiere of “Irish Wish,” which at least explains why the movie seems to posit that New Yorkers love to hang out in Times Square.)
(Editor’s note: For B.D., we will allow TWO great things.) Finally getting into Norah Jones. I don't know if you remember the period of time in the aughts when you couldn't be within fifty feet of a coffee shop without hearing, if not Norah Jones herself, one of her many imitators. But I do, and it made it impossible for me to listen to Norah Jones for years without instantly reaching to switch her off. Now, however, the days of bottomless sun-dried tomato focaccia have passed, and it turns out Norah Jones is great. Who knew? Presumably all 27 million people who have bought “Come Away With Me” since its release. But now it's twenty seven million… and one. Furthermore, a great thing about getting into Norah Jones now is that she's stayed busy. She has so many albums! She has a new album that just came out, actually. And a podcast! There is literally so much Norah Jones you guys. I just wish I had some focaccia to eat while I listened.
is an essayist and critic who writes about books, movies and Taylor swift at, a culture Substack in which she tests out and explores ideas that don't fit easily into essay form.
Claire has been listening to… 🎧
More of the usual suspects this week! A few standout episodes: Celebrity Book Club’s booze-fueled discussion of Ariana Madix’s breakup cocktail book, “Single AF: Drinks for Bad B*tches”; 5-4’s episode on Trump v. Andersen, a Supreme Court ruling that held Colorado could not remove Donald Trump from the primary ballot; Citations Needed on The Atlantic’s coverage of war and austerity policies; and If Books Could Kill on Sheryl Sandberg’s much-maligned girlboss bible, “Lean In.”
Emma has been listening to… 🎧
The latest season of the investigative podcast Cover Up. Season 4 focuses on the 2001 anthrax attacks, the worst case of bioterrorism in U.S. history. I have distinct memories of these attacks, and the right-after-9/11 time — but from a ninth grader’s perspective. This means there’s a lot about the anthrax letters and their aftermath, as well as the years-long FBI investigation into the case, that I simply missed. The podcast includes some really great interviews and archival audio from the time, and paints a pretty bleak picture of how the anthrax attacks were used to further justify the country’s rising xenophobia and thirst for war.
Claire has been buying… 🛍️
In a desperate bid to get my baby to drink milk out of something other than me, I ordered these honey bear straw cups on Amazon. Apparently they are easy for babies to learn to use, because they can both suck on the straw and push the liquid up by squeezing the bear. Our guy is… still learning.
Something that has already worked for us: an organizer for our junk drawer, which I have emptied and organized a million times over the last 3 years, and which always ends up being one giant tangle ball of string, charging cords, batteries, scissors, and tape within a day or two. We emptied it out and actually only kept things we use, each of which got a spot in the organizer. Now I can actually open the drawer without it being jammed by a mystery object, like a screwdriver I forgot we had.
I did end up deciding to keep one of the things I bought last week: an entirely extravagant but perfect Dôen top in a vintage-looking floral. My black Dôen Frances blouse is one of the only shirts I didn’t quickly come to hate after purchasing it (I don’t know why, but I find it nearly impossible to like a top that isn’t a sweater or a t-shirt), so I’ve been hankering for another from the brand. Everything else is going back, including this gorgeous Reformation dress which I was dying to keep for an upcoming wedding. Ultimately I just couldn’t justify the expense for a dress that was too big for me in the bust.
Emma has been buying… 🛍️
My latest obsession: this Claudie Pierlot logo chain belt. One of my absolute favorite Parisian purchases, it literally goes with everything and elevates any outfit. I’ve never been a big belt person, but this one feels more like jewelry. A real testament to the power of a statement accessory! Normally I’d resist a logo-forward item, but because the brand doesn’t exist in the U.S. — its sister brands are Maje and Sandro — very few people I socialize will even recognize it as a logo.
Post-travels, I’m trying to really cut back on my purchases, and I, like Claire, found
’ post on the subject to be very illuminating. (Compulsive shopping has also been a recent subject of my therapy sessions, which also helps.) But I will say that I have absolutely zero regrets about this belt. And I think that is the balance I’m trying to strike — not buying just for the fleeting dopamine hit, but buying things thoughtfully and intentionally that will bring me genuine pleasure for years to come.
Claire has been making… 🧶
This week I’m reupping an old recommendation, for those who might have missed it, because my big accomplishment this week was finishing this blanket, in mustard yellow, for my adorable new nephew. His mom is a much more adept knitter than I am, so he is always kitted out in vibrantly colored handmade sweaters and hats. My specialty, however, is giant squares. I previously made this blanket in dark green for my younger son, and it’s the perfect combination of easy and striking. This time I also took the important step of actually washing and blocking the blanket, and I now feel like a dolt for not doing that with my sons’ blankets; it evens out the knit and makes it look much more “finished.” I don’t have a blocking board, so after I handwashed the blanket with cold water and Woolite, I shaped it on a large towel and gently rolled it up. Once that towel was soaked through, I unrolled it and repeated the process on a dry towel. Then I let it lie flat overnight until I was sure it was dry. This week I’m going to try a before and after of my baby’s blanket to show just how different the result is!
Emma has been making… 🧶
Space in my home, free from clutter! My partner has been bugging me to declutter the area around my desk — which also happens to be in our bedroom, because, New York apartments — forever, and we finally did it a couple days ago. (Was I being a big resistant baby, because the task seemed unpleasant? Yes!)
After doing the actual decluttering, I have to admit that he and Marie Kondo are really onto something, because I feel so much calmer when I sit at my desk now, and there’s not just a bunch of overflowing bins under the desk staring at me as I sleep. We then moved onto the linen closet, and today I began to tackle the many tote bags filled with errant items that are stashed around my bedroom closet and our front closet. (How do things just accumulate so quickly???) There’s still more to come, but it’s progress!
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Girls5Eva!!! The hard scrabble/ not in the picture etc riff was comedy genius. And Claire I love your top and dress!
The emotional roller coaster and self judgement when buying anything can be intense! One thing I've always tried to do with clothes is one in, one out. For each new item I purchase, I take something out of my wardrobe for donation. (I should probably do this with other areas of my material possessions 😆)