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.
126
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, A Total ...
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of those movies that stays in your head - which is fitting for a film that comes out vehemently against the virtues of forgetting. So what exactly makes this film as memorable to viewers as Clem and Joel are to each other, compared to plenty of other stories that faded from consciousness?
24 min
127
Mean Girls, A Total Analysis | Total Take
Mean Girls has solidified its place as one of the most iconic teen comedies of all time – but what is it about this movie that makes it so enduring?
14 min
128
Trinity’s Motherly Dilemma: The Most Radical Pl...
Trinity, in order to leave the Matrix again, has to abandon her three children. So what does Trinity’s choice, and the fact that she was trapped with this choice to begin with, tell us about what it means to be a woman in society?
14 min
129
The Bridezilla Trope: Why Brides Get Labeled “D...
The Bridezilla is everywhere on screen, throwing tantrums and making threats – she’s posited as the exemplification of everything bad about brides to be. But if we look just a little bit closer, much of her rage starts to make a lot of sense.
11 min
130
The Boho Woman Trope: From Quirky Sidekick To B...
Boho Woman, Hippie Chick, Earth Mama, Granola Girl – this character type has been popping up in our favorite movies and shows for decades.
18 min
131
The Wire’s Bunny Colvin & His Quest to Disrupt ...
The Wire’s Howard “Bunny” Colvin represents the force for positive community change – like very few others in this ecosystem, he tries to “F with the program”. So what can we learn from Bunny and his dogged drive to make things better – is it even worth it, or possible?
13 min
132
Jimmy Fallon & The Downfall of Toxic Media Work...
Jimmy Fallon is the latest seemingly-nice media figure to be outed as a terrible boss. So what allegedly went down, and why does it seem like so many dream media jobs are actually nightmares?
14 min
133
Parks and Recreation’s Jerry: The Most Disrespe...
Parks and Recreation is celebrated as a relentlessly optimistic, kindness-centered show, but that’s not how it treats one of its main characters: poor Jerry Gergich. Here’s our take on why the persecution of Jerry is one thing that hasn’t aged so well about Parks and Recreation, and if it secretly revealed a flaw in the show’s attitude.
16 min
134
The Cult of Greta Gerwig: Barbie, Little Women ...
Don't miss our new on what makes a Greta Gerwig movie a Greta Gerwig movie, why many people connect so deeply with her characters, & fandom's surprising impact on her career.
12 min
135
How Barbie Found Power in Being “Ordinary” | FE...
Barbie has struck the hearts of movie goers, and women in particular, worldwide. But why? What do the film’s themes say about being a real, "ordinary" woman?
14 min
136
The Sopranos’ Adriana: Why Her Story is The Dar...
The Sopranos’ Adriana La Cerva was beautiful, smart and an early 2000s fashion icon - but above all else, she's remembered for her tragic story. So what is it about her that we love – and that in turn, makes her the perfect tragic character?
12 min
137
The Secret To Elemental's Major Comeback
When Pixar’s Elemental premiered, it was branded a total flop. But then, somehow, everything seemed to turn around... So what’s the truth about Elemental – is it a boring misfire or a heartwarming success? (& What even went wrong to begin with?!)
13 min
138
The Bear: Creating Chaos & Building Tension Thr...
The Bear delivers a masterful Season 2, and if you look (and listen) closer, a big part of what makes it work so well has to do with what we’re hearing. Here's our take on the skillful way the show uses this technique of overlapping dialogue (and noise in general) and how it serves the narrative.
18 min
139
Every Reason Friends’ Phoebe Would Have Made an...
Many of the qualities that made Phoebe Buffay the best Friend would have also made her a great mom - so maybe her shift to wanting to be a soccer mom in the later seasons wasn't really so surprising after all!
11 min
140
Selena Gomez & Mabel Mora: Their Secret Connect...
Mabel Mora is the glue that holds the OMITB podcast together, and Selena Gomez does the same for the show itself! Here’s our Take on Mabel, how Selena brought her to life, and the way they’re more alike than you might have realized.
10 min
141
The Real Princess Diana: Parts Of Her Story You...
Princess Diana was one of the most well known people of the 20th century, but there's still an air of mystery around her life. So today we're taking a deep dive into her story to get a better understand of the People's Princess!
16 min
142
And Just Like That: Season 2 Finale, Samantha’s...
Here’s our take on And Just Like That’s season two finale, what worked and what missed the mark, and that Samantha Jones cameo.
15 min
143
The Suits Resurgence: Analyzing Meghan Markle’s...
Suits has become the surprise hit of the summer, so we're taking a deep dive into one of the characters that make the show so bingeable: Rachel Zane!
12 min
144
The Blind Side v. Reality: How the Film Twisted...
Michael Oher's recent revelation that the family he thought had adopted him actually placed him under a conservatorship has ignited a number of important conversations. Here's our rundown of the case & how it fits into the larger conversations about guardianships.
14 min
145
And Just Like That's 'New Samantha' - Why It Do...
SATC reboot And Just Like That has been struggling to replicate Samantha Jones' special spark. So here are the characters that come the closest to filling her stilettos and the one that might actually have a chance at bringing the sparkle back to the show.
12 min
146
Rihanna’s Hybrid Working Mom Model: New Era, Ne...
Is Rihanna the ultimate example of the changing face of modern motherhood? She can surprisingly teach us a lot about what it means to create your own path as a working mom today.
10 min
147
Depp v Heard, Today: How Opinions Majorly Shift...
Despite recent wins for women in high-profile court cases, the new Netflix Depp v. Heard trial Netflix documentary makes it clear that society hasn’t totally moved on from treating the case as one-sided tabloid fodder. Here’s our take on the aftermath of the media circus, the myth of the “perfect” victim, and how more recent cases are paving a way forward for victims.
11 min
148
Mickey’s Zany History & Disney’s Crucial Copyri...
Today we're taking a look at cultural icon Mickey Mouse's weird & fascinating history, his lasting legacy, & the truth about his rumored entry into the public domain & retirement.
10 min
149
The Wizard of Oz’s Bizarre History & Crazy Adap...
The Wizard of Oz's Dorothy and her friends journeying to the Land of Oz has been adapted into countless sequels, spinoffs, stage musicals, animated specials, and tv series. So what is it about this story that continues to capture the public imagnation?
12 min
150
Dead Reckoning: Why Beating Sequel Fatigue Was ...
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning has made over $500 million at the box office... and yet is still considered a major *underperformer*. So what went wrong? And what does this film getting outpaced by Barbenheimer mean for Hollywood going forward?
10 min