An Honest Fangirl's Best of 2020

This year has been so long that I can barely remember what I watched at the beginning of it. So instead, enjoy this photo of Gordon Ramsay dressed up as Buddy the Elf.

Movies

I watched almost no movies this year, which is an incredibly odd feeling. Usually, I'm in the theatre at least once or twice a month. There is one movie, though, that I feel compelled to mention: Klaus. I had very low expectations when my family put it on for Christmas Eve, but it was very enjoyable. The animation was absolutely gorgeous. It also did a very untraditional take on the Santa Claus origin story. It actually felt like a new and original idea, even if it was about such a famous and popular character.

Old Favorites

Lucifer came back this year, and it was arguably their best season ever. It was definitely the best thing that I watched. I can't wait for the rest of the season to be released, especially given the family drama that is sure to occur. Ghost Adventures was also a very reliable standby for me in these trying times. The show is absolutely ridiculous, but it's fun to spend an hour a week indulging in my more fanatical side and seeing if they'll actually find evidence of the afterlife. Zak, Aaron, Jay, and Billy are hilarious and almost feel like old friends.

The Ultimate Binge

I have one, true love when it comes to television, and that is competition reality shows. Give me a group of people, whittle them down one by one, and have them produce some kind of creative output each week, and I'm hooked. It's the perfect mindless TV that I can have as background noise and become as invested or detached as I want. Ink Master is a hot train wreck of a show that is strangely compelling and addicting. Absolutely no one is ever likable and the judges are incredibly, cruelly critical, but that tattoos are (usually) very pretty.

I also rediscovered Survivor this year. I had initially watched it over ten years ago, but then my interest waned. I came back for "Winners at War" and then ended up watching some of the older seasons all over again. I also discovered the concept of the "winner's edit" and started trying to apply that to see if I could guess the winner beforehand. It made it into an almost interactive experience while also giving me beautiful beaches and jungles while I was stuck in my apartment.

The king, however, is Hell's Kitchen. I started watching Season 1 in the beginning of November and am now halfway through Season 14. There's just something incredibly comforting about watching other people screw up and get cursed out. It's also surprisingly touching at times. There are a lot of success stories, even if they don't ultimately end up winning.

Unfinished...

There are two shows that I began watching but never managed to finish. The Haunting of Bly Manor was one that I was incredibly excited to see. I absolutely adored the first entry and was looking forward to another season of spooky times and emotional trauma. Unfortunately, I hit a wall at the sixth episode and simply haven't been able to get past it. While telling a very beautiful love story, it didn't have nearly the amount of scares that I wanted.

But then I recently found Evil, and it has all of the scares that I could ever want. I'm only two episodes in, but I am incredibly impressed by this show. It has a wonderfully creepy performance by Michael Emerson, an intelligent and capable female protagonist that I instantly felt connected to, and walks the balance between the supernatural and mundane perfectly. It also feels incredibly adult and mature, especially for what was originally a primetime network show. At this point, I'm just waiting for enough mental capacity to be able to fully pay attention to and absorb this wonderful show.


I hope that all of you have a very healthy and safe New Year's. Here's to 2021! It can't get any worse, right? ... Why do I feel like I just spoke a curse into existence?
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An Honest Fangirl loves video games, horror movies, and superheroes, and occasionally manages to put words together in a coherent and pleasing manner.