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.
176
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
177
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
178
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
179
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
180
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
181
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
182
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
183
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
184
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
185
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
186
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
187
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
188
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
189
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
190
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
191
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
192
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
193
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
194
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
195
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
196
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
197
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
198
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
199
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
200
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