The FTT guide to fall's fantastic TV shows

(plus, our small skunk visitor and a couple of rainy day activities)

Frog Troublers, we hope you’re all staying safe in this storm. Hurricane Ian, which will likely rank as one of the worst storms to ever strike Florida, is about to make landfall in South Carolina. Here in the Triangle of NC we’re noticing rain, some falling sticks and acorns, more rain—and a skunk. This little guy visited our front steps this morning, where he was sniffing and snuffling inside Harriet’s rain boots:

Even though you don’t want to get too close to a skunk (it could spray you, or could even be rabid), skunks have an important place in our ecosystem. Bea points out that skunks are good for our yards and gardens—they eat grubs, beetles, and other garden pests. “They’re also smart,” Bea said. “They’ll roll caterpillars in the dirt to remove their poisonous hairs before eating them.” I asked her how she knows this, and she just said, “I have a wide range of knowledge.”

Anyway, if you’re stuck inside and have done all your homework and chores (and if you still have power), today might be a good day to watch some shows or movies. Bea and Harriet and Richard and I all have our favorites, so we’re here to tell you about them:

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Netflix, Harriet and Bea): Bea says, “I give this animated show 5/5 stars. She-Ra is adventurous, exciting, and all about girl power. There are five seasons, so if you love the show as much as we do, you can keep watching.” Richard watched some of it and noted approvingly that it is “very gay.”

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Netflix, Harriet): From Harriet: “I give this show lots of stars. Twilight Sparkle is the princess, and Pinky is the surprise pony. This show is cute, adorable, funny, and beautiful. That’s why I like it.”

Alone (Netflix/History Channel, Belle and Bea): 4/5 stars. This is a reality show that drops expert survivalists into challenging wildernesses, to see who can stay the longest—the season we watched was set on the banks of Canada’s Chilko Lake, where there were grizzlies and also hardly any catchable fish. Our favorite part was watching people build different shelters and tools, but we didn’t love when it got so cold and food-scarce, later in the season. Still, we couldn’t stop watching and got some ideas for building our own woodland shelters.

Little Witch Academia (Netflix, Bea and Harriet): Bea gives this 5/5 stars and says, “this show reminds me of Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch, a book I love. It’s about a young witch named Akko who arrives at a school called Luna Nova Witchcraft Academy. She’s the only girl who’s not from a witch family, so this means she doesn’t quite fit in, but eventually she befriends two other witches. She goes on lots of adventures, and her spirit is never dampened.”

Bob’s Burgers (Fox/Hulu, watched by Bea, Belle, and Richard): 5/5 stars from Bea, who says, “this is a very funny show about a family who run a burger restaurant in a seaside town. It has lots of songs, endearing characters, and I’ve learned some new words by watching it.” Bea was planning to celebrate her 9th birthday with a Louise party (Louise, her favorite character, is nine), but she says not a lot of kids watch this show, probably because of all the new words, so it could be confusing.

Abbott Elementary (Bea, Belle, and Richard): 5/5 stars! This Emmy-award winning mockumentary sitcom about a majority-Black public school in Philly is back and just as funny and sweet as ever!

Los Espookys (HBO, Belle and Richard): 5/5 stars! Co-created by Julio Torres, Fred Armisen and Ana Fabrega, this Spanish-language absurdist comedy is about four friends who run a spooky business. Bea really wants to watch this show and I told her I’d think about it. I don’t think it’s inappropriate? Or at least, not any more inappropriate than Bob’s Burgers? Julio Torres also has a great (and completely appropriate but also bathroom-humored) kid’s picture book called I Want to Be a Vase (McIntyre’s has copies).

Reservation Dogs (FX/Hulu, Belle and Richard): This is a brilliantly-acted and -directed ensemble story about four Indigenous teens who live in rural Oklahoma but dream, after the death of a friend, of escaping to California. The characterization, settings, and plot structure of this warm, funny, deeply sad show (now finishing its second season) are just so good—Richard and I look forward to it all week.

And a couple of movies:

Mary and the Witch’s Flower (Hulu, Bea and Harriet): 5/5 stars. Bea says “it’s witchy, mysterious, very good, and it has tons of cats.”

My Neighbor Totoro (HBO, Harriet, Bea, Belle, and Richard): “all the stars. This movie is about two young girls being cared for by their dad in the Japanese countryside while their mom is in the hospital. They discover a Totoro and other magical beings, like the soot spiders and Catbus. We watch them in Japanese, with English subtitles.” Look for a future post on our favorite Studio Ghibli movies.

Has anyone seen Catherine Called Birdy, Lena Dunham’s new film based on Karen Cushman’s children’s novel? I want to take Bea to see this one when it’s in the theater here—hopefully it’ll play at the Chelsea.

What are your favorite new (or old) shows?

For a rainy day activity, why not make some fall-themed cards to send to your grandparents? Bea and Harriet made these with torn construction paper and paint dabbed on the paper with balled-up aluminum foil.

You could get started on your Halloween costume, or use foil and oil pastels to make yourself a blush compact out of an old notebook.

Stay dry—or put on a raincoat and check out the storm (if it’s safe). See you Sunday with a post about school board elections!