Saturday Morning Cartoons #138
The William Smell Overture
Good morning, fam!
Hope you all had a good week.
I know I’m “Mr. Hyperbole,” but mine was seriously life-changing.
After surgery on my deviated septum and a rough-ish week of recovery, I got my stents out and could breathe out of both nostrils for the first time in…ever?
We’re talking instant gratification. It hit me so hard that I almost started crying in front of Lisa (shoutout to the greatest NP ever!) and the person shadowing her. It felt like that video of the colorblind boy putting on special glasses and seeing color for the first time.1
Bonus: Over these past two mornings, I’ve woken up without headaches or grogginess, which means I guess I’m a morning person now! Sorry, not sorry.
While I go smell all the smells, check out this week’s recs.
Breathe in, breathe out, and let’s get into it.
Here’s what I have for you this morning:
LINKS
I introduced Abby to Severance Season 1, and we blew through it in just a few short nights. I hadn’t seen it in years, but it was somehow even better the second time because you pick up so many tiny details that were easy to miss. Abby enjoyed it so much that we watched the first two episodes of Season 2. But now, we have to wait for each new episode to drop on Fridays. I wish I could sever myself into “Week Billy” and “Weekend Billy…” (★★★★★)
While recovering, I finally jumped back into Shrinking Season 1 and finished it out, and man, I forgot how wholesome and feel-good this show is! It’s basically Ted Lasso meets therapy, which makes sense because it comes from the same producers. Jason Segel and Harrison Ford are great, but Jessica Williams is easily the best part of the entire show. Already jumping into Season 2. (★★★★•)
When I was coherent enough to hold a controller, I played through a few video games, and first up was Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which I only downloaded because it’s now free with a PlayStation Plus membership. Honestly? I think I enjoyed it more than most people did, considering it received a whopping 5/10 on IGN. Sure, the gameplay gets repetitive, and you end up sticking with one character out of the four that are playable, but the storyline is interesting enough to hold you to the end, which unfortunately left a lot to be desired. I would only play it if you aren’t paying full price. (★★★••)
Next up was Wolfenstein: The New Order, which I somehow hadn’t played until now. This game revamped the series back in 2014, and I was shocked at how much it held up even today. The premise? The Nazis won WWII, and you’re a U.S. special forces operative who's rebuilding the resistance. The game is basically a suped-up GoldenEye 007 first-person shooter with a Nazi-centric story that slaps. Definitely worth playing! (★★★★•)
After work yesterday, Abby and I had a spontaneous date night at No Ordinary Rabbit, a new spot that describes its food as “Mediterranean x Midwest.” We went small plates style by the bar and got the Mixed Olives, the Sardine Tin Fish, and their Roast Garlic Hummus and Braised Short Rib, which came with the most amazing naan for dipping.2 We topped things off with their Baklava “Cigars” and some decaf coffee. Oh, and their “Dry January” menu is so good that they’re apparently keeping it all year round.3 (★★★★•)
You made it to the end! As a bonus, I’ll leave you with this.
Cheers,
Billy
OK, maybe I’m being a teeny bit overdramatic.
Pro tip: Order more naan because you will definitely need it.
Their Giffard Elderflower Spritz was straight fire.