The Take

Thunderbolts has become a hit with audiences because it went back to what works and managed to meet the moment. In this episode, we're unpacking what it got right about one of the biggest battles of our time: mental health. Thunderbolts is a welcome change of pace from recent MCU fare. One of the biggest reasons it resonates so much is that it wasn’t afraid to actually be about something. While a...

Are dating apps and the internet (and now AI) really the reason why dating is often so miserable now? Many people have been wondering if the apps we use to help us in the arena of romance - like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge - might actually be ruining everything. There are some aspects of dating that are just miserable now, and many of those problems do seem to stem from how we use technology to conne...

Sinners, the new horror movie from director Ryan Coogler starring Michael B. Jordan, has completely blown expectations out of the water. While everyone knows that Coogler is an adept director who makes great movies, no one quite expected just how successful his R-rated vampire horror would turn out to be. And the film isn’t just great because of its well done horror, it also packs some really deep...

Go to http://zocdoc.com/thetake to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today! A Minecraft Movie, starring Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Danielle Brooks, has completely upended expectations – it not only didn’t flop, it’s become a huge success (pulling in over $700 million in just a couple of weeks!) While not everyone loves the movie (and it’s already caused its own share of issues,) the film...

Desperate Housewives' Edie Britt was shamed for her sexual confidence and freedom (by audiences and the other characters) back when the show premiered in 2004, but from a modern perspective, her story looks a lot different. And what’s more, Edie was… kind of a badass, if we’re being honest! So, let's take a look at why Edie got so much hate at the time, and why she might just be the secret hero of...

The Handmaid’s Tale is back for its sixth and final season after a long break. The story’s dystopia always felt unnervingly close to our modern era, and that continues to hold true as we’re dropped into the first three episodes of its final run. Over the show’s previous five seasons, some viewers felt that the show had lost its spark – so does it seem like it’s finally getting it back now for this...

Disney’s new live action remake of Snow White was hit with problems from the very beginning, and its problems have only grown since its release. In many ways it seemed set up to fail, and was never able to overcome the various hurdles in its way. Many fingers are being pointed at star Rachel Zegler, but the real problems with the film are much deeper. So, how does this film actually compare to the...

Most all of us like to be nice, but some people just feel like they were born to help others. They’ll take any chance to provide assistance, big or small – unasked for (and, often, unthanked…) While being helpful is a good thing, it can also evolve into a people-pleasing attitude that can have surprisingly negative effects on the helper themselves (and sometimes even the people being “helped”!) So...

How I Met Your Mother is a sitcom filled with all kinds of drama – miniscule to major – but one big fight that’s stayed a topic of conversation even all of these years later is the blowup between Lily Aldrin and Ted Mosby. It’s not necessarily the most dramatic or consequential fight of the show but it is surprisingly important. Taking a second look at their battle after some time allows us to see...

Go to http://zocdoc.com/thetake to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today! Do you ever find yourself finishing a rewatch of a favorite show and wishing you could find more to watch that had the same vibe? Us too! That’s why, in this new series, we’re going to be taking a look back at some of our favorite shows to break down the key elements that keep us coming back, and branching out to...

The Electric State, Netflix’s astoundingly expensive new movie starring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, managed to take a very interesting concept and… ruin it. Though it technically has all of the parts that should, at the very least, make for a watchable big budget flick – star power, good visual effects, etc. – nothing about this movie seems to work. And in that, it’s ended up becoming the...

Go to http://factormeals.com/factorpodcast and use code FACTORPODCAST to get 50% off your first box and free shipping. Of all of the characters on Community, Britta Perry had the weirdest – and in many people’s eyes worst – arcs on the show. Starting out as the tough as nails idealist, over the show’s run she turned into someone that at times felt almost unrecognizable… But if we take a closer loo...

Go to http://hellofresh.com/hellofreshpodcast to get up to 10 free meals and a free high protein item for life! While awards season always has its fair share of ups and downs, some have begun noticing that a very particular trend seems to be happening with recent Best Actress Oscar winners – namely Mikey Madison for Anora and Emma Stone for Poor Things. But… it’s actually not a new trend at all –...

Go to http://zocdoc.com/thetake to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today! Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is the brand new installment in the story of the beloved heroine. While everyone was initially excited to hear that there would be a fourth movie in the series, its release has seemingly not had the mega-romcom sparkle we might have imagined. So, what’s really going on with the fil...

Go to http://factormeals.com/thetake50off and use code thetake50off to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping! We’re so often told to be nice, to try to meet everyone with kindness even when they aren’t kind to us. But sometimes… being a hater is the right answer. Superstar Kendrick Lamar has been running a masterclass on the power of strategic hate, culminating in his showstopping performa...

Go to http://hellofresh.com/thetake10fm to get up to 10 free meals and a free high protein item for life! Awards darling Emilia Pérez has been getting a lot of attention since it made a splash at Cannes – but in addition to all of the accolades (including 13 Oscar nominations,) the film has been mired in controversy its entire run. Surprisingly, it hasn’t just been the type of backlash everyone mi...

Anora analysis and ending explained, unpacking the controversy around the film, & shining light on the truth about "Cinderella Stories" Anora, Sean Baker’s new film starring Mikey Madison, has been getting heaps of praise since it won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. It takes a new look at a very old profession via a careening few days in the life of a vibrant young woman, and attempts to confront some v...

Stop leaving yourself vulnerable to data breaches. Go to my sponsor https://aura.com/thetake to get a 14-day free trial and see if any of your data has been exposed My partner Aura just launched their new "Are you smarter than a scammer?" quiz. Take the quiz and see if you’re as savvy as you think: https://bit.ly/aurasts The looming possibility of a TikTok Ban in the US has been causing chaos onli...

Go to http://zocdoc.com/thetake to find and book a top-rated doctor today.💍 Unpacking First Wife Tropes, First Wife Syndrome, and the First Wives who are taking back their power The first wife trope on screen often sees married woman learning that her marriage was just her husband’s trial run, and now he’s moving on to someone else (who he often plans to treat a lot better.) Being the “first wife...

Being the ‘baby’ of the family is usually seen as a major win, scoring you all of the attention and none of the consequences. But it turns out that being the youngest sibling isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. For all of the many positives that can come with being the youngest, there are also some surprising downsides that don’t get talked about nearly as often. So let’s take a deeper look at You...

New Girl’s Jessica Day always quietly believed in herself, but over the course of the show we got to watch her find her own kind of strong, quirky confidence. It wasn’t always an easy road – while she never lost her positive demeanor for long, she definitely had to deal with her own fair share of ups and downs. But no matter how much the world tried to drag her down, she always found a way to come...

Make sure to check out cyclingfrog.com and use our code THETAKEHOLIDAYS to get 20% off of your order! The leadup to the new year is often filled with a range of emotions, from joy to dread, anticipation to full on anxiety. And there’s one New Year’s Eve tradition that can pull all of these emotions together at once – getting a kiss as the clock hits midnight. A superstition with a surprisingly lon...

Go to http://factormeals.com/50thetake and use code 50thetake to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping! From writers to singers to actors and beyond, there’s long been a trope that creatives are so filled with passion and emotion that they just can’t help but spread their love around... Sometimes this takes place in acknowledged, consensually open relationships, but often it seems to come...

Go to http://zocdoc.com/thetake to find and book a top-rated doctor today! ❄️Romantic comedies set around the holidays have been criticized for being formulaic, but their big problem isn't that they replay beloved tropes, it's something deeper (that they have been actually working to fix! Kind of...) Romantic comedies are a beloved genre any time of year, but they’ve got a particularly strong hold...

Go to http://ro.co/take to find out if you’re covered for free. || Nightbitch is a searing, painful portrait of motherhood – where the titular character just happens to lose herself so dramatically in parenthood that she winds up turning into a dog. It was a hit book in 2021 and has been adapted for the screen by Marielle Heller, with Amy Adams in the lead role. So, does the film live up to the gr...