The Take
This is the Take. It's where you come to understand more about your favorite movies, shows and culture. Our video essays make the story worlds you enter richer and deeper. Think: Endings Explained, Character Studies, Hidden Messages and Symbols Revealed, Actor and Director Profiles, and more.
We want to share our love of visual culture with the world. So here's our Take.
226
Better Call Saul's Kim Wexler: Always Good, Eve...
Kim Wexler quickly became a fan favorite on Better Call Saul. So, who is Kim, and what makes her so intriguing?
12 min
227
The Feminism of Hyper Femininity - More Than a ...
Modern hyperfemininity isn't just a fad, it's a movement. It aims to be a more nuanced & intentional brand of Girl Power that celebrates traditionally feminine characteristics as strengths, while being more inclusive and forward thinking.
10 min
228
How Hollywood Got Less Sexy and More Violent
American movie culture and rating systems are pretty squeamish about sex onscreen – so why do we readily accept graphic violence? Don't miss our take on the sex and violence paradox, and what it says about our culture that we hold one to a higher account than the other.
10 min
229
The Idol: Why HBO's Scandalous Show was Shockin...
The Idol was initially hyped up as a scandalous, dark, and erotic new must-see from director Sam Levinson and musician The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) but it turned out to mostly just be… a boring mess. So what went wrong? (And did anything go right?)
17 min
230
The Ingenue Trope: Innocent, Naive and On Her W...
With her youthful charm and naivete, the ingénue is a long-time Hollywood staple… but in recent years, she seems to be disappearing. So is this trope really on the way out because it no longer works in the modern day, or is it just changing with the times?
13 min
231
The Rise of Content House Cults: YouTube's Dang...
Are viral content houses a new type of cult? Today we're looking at the dark truths behind the internet’s most viral content houses.
8 min
232
The Older Woman-Younger Man Pairing: An Accepta...
It's becoming less taboo and more normalized, but there are still a lot of obstacles to the older woman-younger man pairing... Here’s our take on the rise of the older woman younger man relationship, what it offers, and what it tells us about romance in the 21st century.
11 min
233
Black Mirror Season 6, Explained: What Worked, ...
Here’s our take on the ups and downs of Black Mirror’s sixth season, and what its notable shift in storytelling says about the future of the series as we know it.
14 min
234
And Just Like That’s Fashion-Forward Season 2 -...
Here’s our take on how the fashion of the first episodes of Season two of And Just Like That reflects the characters’ emotional journeys, including Carrie getting her groove back, through fashion.
9 min
235
How Sitcom Wives Shook Up Family Dynamics In Ev...
The sitcom wife has been portrayed as many stereotypes, from a nagging nay-sayer to a stern and strict wet blanket to a trophy wife. But with societal norms shifting over the years, it’s led to more creative freedom in the depiction of a wife on television.
16 min
236
Inside Rita Hayworth’s Tumultuous Rise to Fame:...
Rita Hayworth is one of Old Hollywood’s greatest stars, but while her roles have remained iconic, many important facts about her life have been forgotten. Join us in a deep dive on Rita's often less-than-glamorous real life story.
11 min
237
Sex and the City: If Samantha Was the Star…
Samantha Jones was one of the best parts of Sex and the City, and we all can’t help but wonder... what if Samantha had been the star of the original show?
14 min
238
Essential Reality TV Tropes: Analyzing How TV B...
In the past 30 years, reality tv has become its own genre, filled with its own cliches & character types. The best reality TV is made from the same ingredients, from the lies to the villains to the drama. Today we're breaking down the most essential tropes & characters in reality TV.
15 min
239
How Modern Family’s Phil Made The “Uncool Dad” ...
Modern Family's Phil Dunphy may not be cool, but he is a cool dad. Here are Phil's seven lessons on how to ace parenting.
11 min
240
Black Mirror, Joan Is Awful Explained - Did Net...
Black Mirror's “Joan Is Awful” suggests Netflix’s style of content is making people today… kind of miserable. So, how, exactly?
11 min
241
Goodbye "Friend Zone," Hello Platonic BFFS
It seems like we’re finally moving out of the “friend zone” tropes of the past and seeing more positive platonic relationships between men and women on screen.
16 min
242
The Most Unrealistic Things About Portrayals of...
What are the worst and weirdest movie and TV tropes about careers? Here are the most commonly misrepresented professions in TV and movies – and why they’re so off-base.
14 min
243
Succession’s Real Inspirations: What’s the Same...
Succession has a knack for finding Shakespearean drama & dark hilarity in an honest reflection of today’s billionaires & media ecosystems. But how much of it is directly inspired by specific facts?
14 min
244
Euphoria’s Jules: More Than a Manic Pixie Dream...
Jules Vaughn is just one of the many magnetic characters in HBO’s Euphoria – so why does everyone seem to be obsessed with her?
9 min
245
Ted Lasso’s Disappointing Downfall: How The Ser...
Did Ted Lasso lose its way? And is the problem that it changed... or we did?
17 min
246
Barry, Ending Explained: The Misguided Quest fo...
Barry’s harrowing final season was a bleak genre-defying story that was ultimately about how the stories we tell ourselves matter.
20 min
247
The Wide-Eyed Girl Trope: How Baby Faces Lure U...
You may have noticed a look being celebrated among many female characters and actors in movies and TV––the “wide-eyed girl” look. And it’s not just you; people have been doting on the look for ages. I
9 min
248
The Wire’s Marlo: An Iconic Villain with a Terr...
Looking back on The Wire now, we can see how Marlo Stanfield’s ability to make a very bad state of affairs even worse conveys an important, timeless message: just because things feel like they can’t get worse, doesn’t mean that’s true.
14 min
249
Anna Nicole Smith’s True Story & Why The Netfli...
Anna Nicole Smith is getting the Marilyn and Pamela treatment – the once-vilified voluptuous blonde is now getting reframed to embody the 'glamorous yet tragic' arc. But, why do we keep repeating this tragic revolution, and is there any lesson in Anna Nicole's story about how to stop the deja vu?
11 min
250
Queen Charlotte: What's Fiction & What's Surpri...
Netflix’s Bridgerton and spin-off Queen Charlotte blend of fact and fiction to tell an engaging story about then and now... So what’s the real history behind the fascinating Queen Charlotte and how does it line up with the series?
10 min