When in quarantine with ample free time, many Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) seniors have decided to reward themselves for making it to the end of the school year by kicking back and catching up on movies and TV shows. Here are some favorites.
Wyatt Belisle
Senior Wyatt Belisle is watching “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” a true-crime docu-series about the little-known world of big cat conservationists and collectors, and the enigmatic personalities of Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin.
Wyatt chuckled when describing the show. He said, “Tiger King is weird as hell, but I just can’t stop watching it.”
Another standout TV show that Wyatt enjoyed watching was the HBO series “Euphoria,” which is about a group of classmates who each struggle with issues from substance abuse to self-image. He attributed the show’s success to its “amazing cinematography” and for “showing the difficult topics teens face without any glorification.”
Caitlin McHugh
Following the trend of seeking out young adult life as the subject of TV shows, senior Caitlin McHugh liked the CW show “All-American,” a drama about the life of a football player from humble beginnings in South Los Angeles who gets recruited to play at Beverly Hills High School and eventually becomes a world-class athlete. Caitlin praised the issues the show raised. She said, “It gave great insight into race and class conflicts.”
Her dark horse pick for a favorite show is NBC’s “The Blacklist,” which features a naval-officer-turned-fugitive and a criminal profiler who team up to catch mobsters and international terrorists. Caitlin was especially fascinated by the ex-naval officer’s character. “The main character Reddington is so witty and mysterious that I just kept watching, and even though each episode doesn’t seem to make sense they all connect together at the end of the season,” she said.
Molly Carroll
Senior Molly Carroll took an unusual approach to binge-watching, by dedicating her time to a single film franchise. “I’ve been watching the Marvel movies in chronological order,” she said. “So far I’ve watched ‘Captain America,’ ‘Captain Marvel,’ and ‘Iron Man.’”
Out of all of them, Molly says that she covets “Captain America” most. “It’s my favorite because he’s the first Avenger. It’s the original movie and the start of everything that follows. I recommend it to anyone that likes action superheroes and the history of World War II.”
Caroline Hurley
Classic TV shows and movies from the 90s and early 2000s are the go-to for senior Caroline Hurley. Some of her favorites include “Beauty and the Beast,” “Gilmore Girls,” and “Sleepless in Seattle.” She especially loves “Mamma Mia!”, a musical about a soon-to-be bride trying to find her real father. “The movie ‘Mamma Mia’ has always been my favorite. I recommend it because it’s a light-hearted movie that puts people in a good spirit. I personally love dancing and singing along!”
For Caroline, television and movies are a stress reliever. “They take my mind away from reality during tough times like the current pandemic,” she said, “and from big decisions I have to make about college next year. All in all, I love to watch television just for entertainment and a good laugh.”