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.
151
Netflix vs Carl Rinsch: The Mystery of the Miss...
How did some basically unknown director allegedly scam Netflix for over $50 million dollars? And why is Keanu Reeves involved?!
9 min
152
The Gilded Age: Yes It’s Boring, Yes We Love It...
HBO’s The Gilded Age initially got off to a pretty rocky start, but even with all of its faults, there was just something about the show that kept viewers coming back. So what is the show's true magic?
9 min
153
Saltburn, Explained: Does The Ending Ruin The F...
Saltburn, the new film from writer-director Emerald Fennell, was initially hailed as a shocking eat-the-rich psychological thriller, but upon its release, audiences have found that while it’s definitely a fun ride, it ends up lacking much of the promised bite.
16 min
154
How A24 Built Its Own Fandom & Saved Indie Film
A24 has become known for producing deep, introspective indie films that feel different from Hollywood’s usual fare. What's their secret?
13 min
155
The Crown on Diana's Final Weeks & Her Tragic E...
In the first four episodes of The Crown season 6, the show paints a touching, insightful picture of the weeks leading up to Diana's passing. So let's analyze this portrayal of her relationship with Dodi and the loss the world felt at large.
21 min
156
May December: Analyzing A Shocking True Story &...
How close are May December's portrayals to the real Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau? Let’s unpack the true story behind the film, and what the film's really trying to say.
12 min
157
Sex and The City, A Total Analysis | Total Take
Why exactly was Sex and The City so different from what came before, and why did it have the impact it did?
22 min
158
The Blue-Eyed Girl Trope: What Blue Eyes Really...
Whether she's a sweet innocent or an alluring vixen, let's take a deeper look at the blue-eyed girl, analyze her two main types, and explore what really drives the blue eye obsession.
9 min
159
Our Flag Means Death Season 2, Unpacked: Why It...
We’re unpacking the show’s deeper messages, taking a look at why the show works so well, and exploring where a possible season 3 could take our favorite pirates!
13 min
160
How Indie Films Are Fixing Hollywood’s Intimacy...
After seemingly falling out of fashion for a while, it looks like sex scenes are making a comeback in one arena: prestige indie films. So what’s really going on here, and what does it mean for films (and audiences?)
11 min
161
Justin Timberlake: What Britney Revealed + The ...
Why are people really mad at Justin Timberlake now post-Britney book release, and where do these changing attitudes fit into the larger societal shifts we’ve seen since the early 2000s?
14 min
162
Gen V Recap: Character Arcs, Story Breakdown & ...
Let’s break down how Gen V flips Gen Z tropes, unpack all of those shocking twists, take a deeper look at what everyone’s pain secretly represents, and explore what those surprise cameos could mean for The Boys Season 4!
12 min
163
The Actor-preneur: Why It’s The New Actor Caree...
From Margot Robbie starting a production company to Ryan Reynolds becoming incredibly wealthy by hawking… well, a little bit of everything ,let’s take a dive into the world of the “actor-preneur” and unpack what’s really driving this trend.
8 min
164
Matthew Perry: Friends, His Brutally Honest Mem...
Matthew Perry was most well known for his iconic turn as Chandler Bing on Friends, but his real life was of course much more complex, and unfortunately much darker, than the sitcom character he became synonymous with.
11 min
165
Female Horror Victim Tropes: The 5 Types We Can...
While horror films are rife with peril of all kinds, one dark thread is the brutality with which female victims are slain. The female victims usually fall into one of five categories, so let’s unpack each one and take a look at what they really represent.
13 min
166
The Momager & Almond Mom Evolved From This Dark...
What drives the stage mom to push her kid towards fame, even at their own expense? And why does she seem to keep evolving with the times, but never in a way that’s better for kids?
16 min
167
Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, Explaine...
While Killers of the Flower Moon might seem far from Scorsese’s usual fare, if we look closer, we see that his dark cinematic cannon actually prepared him to bring this story to the big screen in a number of surprising ways.
15 min
168
Frasier: Why The Sequel Is Dividing Viewers (Is...
Today, we’re taking a look at the new Frasier reboot so far, why it’s caused such a split in opinions, and unpacking if it really has a chance of holding a candle to the original.
14 min
169
Succession’s Logan Roy: Inside A Media Mogul’s ...
In the world of Succession, Logan Roy was a larger-than-life captain of industry that clawed his way to the top with no remorse and reveled in keeping an iron grip on that power until the very end. So how did Logan grow beyond this initial sprout of real world connection and develop into one of the most iconic antiheroes of the modern era?
15 min
170
The Difficult Woman Trope: How The Label Evolve...
When a man puts himself first, without worrying about what society thinks, he’s an aspirational character. But give those same attributes to a woman, and she becomes difficult.
13 min
171
The Full Time Child Trend: A Strange New Career...
The job market, like so many things nowadays, is total chaos. But some young people have found a surprising solution: getting paid to be… stay at home children.
10 min
172
Weird Girl Takeover: Why Everyone’s Embracing T...
The “weird girl” used to be the black sheep of society on screen and in real life, but in recent years she’s started taking center stage.
10 min
173
The Sopranos’ Carmela: How The Anti-Hero Wife H...
We’re fascinated with Carmela Soprano. So today, we’re peeling back her many layers to reveal the truth that lies underneath.
13 min
174
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
175
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