2020 Television Log Part 1

I present my Television Log for this year. For August – December, click here!

January

You (Season 1) – Greg Berlanti & Sera Gamble (Lifetime)*
Wow! Can’t imagine another Lifetime series will make it on here. Never say never, I suppose. I watched the first season after watching Season 2 with Gioia. I don’t know how much more I can say. I’m a bit befuddled by the show’s power over me. It’s so addictive. I honestly miss having it in my life. It operates perhaps in the way that Stephen King’s books do. It centers itself almost entirely on plot and is so, so compelling. I don’t say that to knock it. I love Stephen King! I think the ability to turn out plot is a skillset. And in both cases, your mileage is entirely dependent on the author. By any objective, the story in You is pretty stupid. But! You could say the same about It or Pet Semetary. And you know what, they all work. I will say I liked Season 2 a bit more than Season 1. I think Season 2 leans in further to how trashy the show really is. I also think that the characters in Season 2 are more engaging. The main issue (which may be intentional) with me for Season 1 is that I don’t understand why Joe is so hung up on Beck. I find her to be pretty unlikeable. OBVIOUSLY, some of that is meant to reflect how problematic it is to root for Joe, a serial killer. Still, I’m not exactly watching this show for commentary on the culture.
*Aired 2018

Ramy – Ramy Youssef, Ari Katcher, Ryan Welch (Hulu)*
An incredibly thoughtful, well-made show. I was trepidatious after the first couple of episodes. Not that there was anything bad about it. Almost the opposite, in fact. It just felt like one of the dozens of well-made shows centering on one person’s view of the world. Pilots are really hard. Especially if they’re only 20 minutes. This one had to do so much groundwork in laying itself out, it was hard for anything to really stand out. Well, besides one thing. The production of this show is magnificent. I don’t know if it’s specifically A24’s resources or just the people involved, but the look of the series is really exceptional. Luckily, the writing and content of the show itself really lived up to that standard for the rest of the season. It turned out to be an extremely thoughtful, and ultimately pretty sad show. In most series, I find the episodes where they explore secondary characters to be kind of gimmicky. Here, they were the best episodes. The trio of episodes: about the younger family during September 2001, about his sister, and about his mom were the three best episodes. I think it contained some really brilliant writing. The show fizzled slightly at the end. I was amazed and delighted the series actually took us to Egypt. It was so cool to see. Unfortunately, I thought the cousin plot line was a bit underwhelming, especially to close out the season. But, whatever, I am still on board for Season 2.
*Aired 2019

Escape at Dannemora -Brett Johnson, Michael Tolkin (Showtime)*
Stiller’s direction of this series is incredible. I just have to say that first. I think it’s understood that he’s a good director (Reality Bites, Tropic Thunder), but this show relies so heavily on its direction and Stiller just murders it every episode. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a show as methodical and slow-moving as this (and I watched Season 5 of The Americans). Stiller is so fascinated with this world. I think he really tries to portray the feeling of being in prison. So many episodes feel trapped, slow, and claustrophobic. I thought the job he does in the last episode is remarkable. I have never been as infuriated at a character as I was with Benicio del Toro’s. This series is so unflattering and unflinching. I am still in shock over Patricia Arquette’s performance as Tilly. It is a complete transformation. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a character appear so unflattering. Just Arquette’s voice acting alone should have won her the Emmy. Obviously, I have just heaped a metric ton of praise on this show. Did I like it? Yes. But I also appreciate how well it’s made much more than I enjoyed it. I found this world, characters, and story to be so punishing. It just holds me back from loving it.
*Aired 2018

March

American Vandal (Season 2) -Dan Perrault & Tony Yacenda (Netflix)*
I LOVED the first season of this show. I thought it was so much funnier than it had any right to be. I should honestly rewatch it. I’ve forgotten so many of the details about exactly why I responded so strongly to it. Anyways, I finally got around to Season 2. I don’t really know why I put it off. Probably because I thought the magic of the first season would be impossible to recapture. And ti is. The second season is certainly not as good as the first. It’s not nearly as funny. But those are tough metrics to grade it against. The show is still really well done. I still just love it so much. I find it to be absurdly delightful. It’s something I watch and really, really wish that I had made. I’m almost jealous of it. What I think was cool about this season was some of the messaging at the end. They tried to tackle some big themes and I think they mostly hit them. That’s a pretty big accomplishment for a season that starts with an entire school shitting their pants.
*Aired 2018

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 10) – Larry David (HBO)
What a treat. This may have been Curb’s second-best season. It’s almost definitely in the top three. Considering the show premiered 20 years ago, that’s mind-blowing. I don’t have a whole lot I can really say. Larry David’s writing has profoundly influenced the way I look at stories. Just on its own, it’s amazing how David plants every element and storyline to come together and pay off at the end. It’s fundamentally good writing. The fact that each of these payoffs was still surprising and brutally funny is on a whole other level. It’s genius-level stuff. It’d be like a pitcher telling you the three pitches he’s going to throw and still striking you out. To even out my praise, I will say that I found the finale a bit lackluster. Still, that was truly the only non-exceptional moment of the entire season. Incredible stuff.

Schitt’s Creek ( Seasons 1-5) – Eugene Levy & Dan Levy (POP)*
I really couldn’t tell you what it is about this show. It’s not the funniest sitcom by any means. It’s not the most clever or most adventurous. It’s pretty old-school in a lot of ways. There’s not much of a narrative. The show really only focuses on the same 7-8 characters, in the same places, with the same problems over its entire duration. I remember Mike Schur having a quote that there’s as much humor in positivity as there is in negativity. Which I appreciate, but I don’t think my sense of humor gravitates that way. And for the most part, every other show does do the opposite. Something like Parks and Recreation was so rare because it did focus mostly on the positives. But whether it’s Curb, Seinfeld, or The Office, I’ve always been drawn to the shows that make fun of their characters and worlds. Schitt’s Creek may be the first truly positive comedy that I’ve loved. To be clear, Schitt’s Creek is funny. I don’t mean to knock how good or tight of a show it is. The performances by the four leads are wonderful. The energy and the chemistry they have is as good as tv gets. But for the first few seasons, I could really take it or leave it. The show was pleasant enough. It’s really short. I think the episodes are all under 20 minutes. I enjoyed watching it but I thought I probably would fall off if something better came along. And then, the world went to shit. For the first time in a while, I didn’t want to watch movies. I didn’t even want to watch most tv. What I really wanted was comfort. And no show could have been better for that moment than Schitt’s Creek. I’m glad I had it.
*Aired 2015-2019

April

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, & Madness – Eric Goode, Rebecca Chaiklin (Netflix)
This is the craziest shit I’ve seen since Making a Murderer. It’s really fun. I would say the first half of the series is certainly better than the 2nd half. I think it probably should have been condensed into 5 episodes. Did I like it? Absolutely. It was almost impossible to stop watching. The way the documentary doled out information, especially at the beginning, was phenomenal. Is Tiger King good? Ehhhh. I think the filmmaking and general approach leave a lot to be desired. I’m not a documentary aficionado by any means, but even I felt some of the tricks this one employed were cheap. The way they subtitled some characters, the way they filmed or pretended to film others. Even if it wasn’t problematic, it often seemed to be done without a ton of consistency or forethought. I think the fact that the end is supposed to be a plea for animal rights and conservation was weak-sauce. Why pretend that’s what this documentary was ever about?

The Outsider – Richard Price (HBO)
Unfortunately, I think this is going to become a bit of a theme. I found The Outsider to be well-made, considered, and ultimately super underwhelming. I just never really cared. I can pretty confidently say that I only kept going to finish. And there’s a lot in this show that I should like. I like Richard Price, Stephen King, and Jason Bateman. I was really delighted by Ben Mendelsohn and especially Cynthia Erivo. But it never really got off the ground for me. It reminded me a bit of Pet Sematary. That novel is compelling because of King’s writing. Adapting it to the screen is challenging because resurrected pets are pretty stupid. The monster in The Outsider is better. But it’s so wholly mythological. The show has a really difficult time translating it. I think, in fact, that underlies the more important issue with the series. It has to spend so much time getting us up to speed on this monster, that it can’t spend any time on the stakes. I feel like the human element is so reduced to cliches. The Anderson’s dealing with their dead son. The way this community is devastated by this crime. It just doesn’t work.

Devs – Alex Garland (FX on Hulu)
I am not a sci-fi fan. I don’t hate it by any means but compared with other genres, it’s never been my favorite. And yet, I love Alex Garland. I find his approach to be fascinating. He approaches technology from a moral lens. Is it ethical? Is it human? In both Ex Machina and in Annihilation, he leaves these questions open (if someone can explain to me what happens in Annihilation, I’m here). And for some reason, I still love Garland’s work. I think it’s because he asks the right questions, even if he doesn’t answer them. I think it’s also because he’s just a way better filmmaker than his peers in the genre. His sense of sound, of dialogue, and especially of aesthetic is really in an elite class of directors.

All of these aspects carry over to Devs. It’s one of the most beautiful, visually stunning shows I’ve ever seen. Some of the images are jaw-dropping. And the premise, the plot, and the questions that Garland asks are as good as ever. The way the show winds down is really remarkable. I think it is more or less the first time he’s conclusively ended one of his stories. And it’s brilliant. The mystery is solved, there’s a twist, and it’s all answered satisfactorily. I really can’t say enough how impressed I am with the writing. And yet…

…I just never loved this show. I don’t really have a reason why not. All of the plot mechanics work. It’s beautiful. The cast is exceptional. I have two theories about why I was left a little cold on it. One, I think with any of Garland’s films I’m always happy to get out. I wouldn’t want Ex Machina to be any longer. It’s a great question, a chilling plot, and then I’m ready to be done with it. Maybe I just wish that Garland had made Devs a movie? The second reason is a chemistry issue. Not with the cast, but with the balance in Garland’s approach to the story. I think the reason I’m compelled by Garland’s previous work is how he grounds the technology and sci-fi aspects with a human approach. His films are usually viewed through the lens of someone trying to understand the technology. They’re like us. I think this show is so plot-heavy that there’s not any room for genuine human emotion, even if the show is staked in grief and loss. Those aspects feel more like a means to an end.

May

Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children – Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre and Joshua Bennett (HBO)
I was really excited about this documentary. I was interested in the true crime aspect of it, of course. I shamefully didn’t know about this case until Mindhunter. It was numbing to me that 30 people (mostly kids) could be killed and I didn’t know about it. I think the case is super compelling and I think it’s really likely that Wayne Williams killed most of these kids. But there’s a lot of evidence that some of the victims weren’t his. And in that case, what happened to them? What I was really hoping, is that this documentary would follow in the lineage of OJ: Made in America. A multi-part documentary that took a case that we very likely know what happened, and expanded it out to the surrounding factors. How would something like this happen? Why was the reaction so divisive? What are the reasons so many people could feel that Williams is innocent despite the overwhelming evidence?

This documentary does not do that. This documentary really doesn’t do much of anything new. I really don’t have that sophisticated a view of this case and I don’t think I learned anything new from this documentary. I think the most disappointing aspect of the documentary was its scope. This doc promised to explore the city of Atlanta and how it was made in an image and how these murders complicate or even contradict that image. And it really doesn’t do that at all. Instead, it spends its first three episodes outlining the murders, the police work, and the eventual capture of Wayne Williams. I think that should have been done in episode one. It then spent the next two episodes detailing every suspicion that perhaps Wayne wasn’t the guilty party. But it doesn’t even really explore the idea that Wayne could be guilty of some of the murders, but not all of them. It doesn’t even seem to explore any of the major reasons why Wayne is such a likely suspect. The fact that no murders took place after he was caught, the fact that Wayne was on the bridge the night something was dropped into the water, the fact that Wayne was meeting frequently with kids posed as a music producer, or even that the night after he was stopped by the police he burned a bunch of photographs in his backyard.

What’s more, is that this documentary presents itself as the re-openings of these cases. It begins with the current mayor of Atlanta doing just that. And yet, this current investigation is never touched on. We never hear from current experts or detectives on what might have been missed in the initial investigation. Instead, this documentary spends all five parts just going through all the people who were involved in the prior case. It’s impossible to learn anything new because of how this documentary is set up. We’re only meeting and learning from people with clear biases. What’s Wayne’s former defense attorney going to tell us? I really don’t understand why this documentary was released now. If it were going to tie in the re-openings of the cases, why not wait until there’s something new from these investigations? If it is just going to detail these crimes, why not do it with a comprehensive scope? Honestly, at times, this felt like bad propaganda for the city of Atlanta. Also, the theme song sucked.

Survivor – Charlie Parsons, Mark Burnett, Jeff Probst (CBS)
(Season 40: Winners at War)
Survivor is a reality show. And not to knock the value of that, or the enjoyment I got from watching it, but I’m not going to go in-depth trying to evaluate it. This season was super fun. It’s the first season I’ve watched in years and I found it compelling to the very end. There are things I would certainly change about the game (extinction island, fire tokens, some of how tribal works) but overall I think it’s about the best game show on television.

(Season 7: Pearl Islands)*
Well, I remember why I don’t watch reality TV. I literally couldn’t stop watching this show. It’s so addicting. And to be fair, Pearl Islands is considered to be one of the best seasons ever. But I really struggled to do anything else besides watch this show. One of the things I find most intriguing about it is how the perception of morality on this show, and reality tv in general, has shifted. The things that are scandalous in this show feel so benign by 2020 standards. The lying and cheating aren’t just less offensive today, it’s an expected part of the game. I also found it bizarre the way people were portrayed in this show. You had characters making fun of Rupert for being effeminate and wearing a skirt. The way the show portrays men and women as like two different species is fucking bizarre. There’s so much emphasis on which of the women are good looking. All of that feels so gross by today’s standard. Not that those things aren’t still present in 2020. But it was like this show was simultaneously thinking of itself as more pure in 2003, while inadvertently being way more offensive. On a lighter note, because I really did enjoy this season, I do think Survivor has to be the best game/reality show ever invented. Sandra is an all-time winner. Watching this, I honestly want to go on the show. Part of me thinks I could be really good. Perhaps one day we’ll see.
*Aired 2003

(Season 15: China)*
Another season of survivor. This was supposed to be one of the best. It wasn’t bad, but personally, it was not my favorite. Too many of the characters were just unlikable. This season seemed to prize contestants who were true outliers. Everybody had something that set them apart from a “typical person.” And that did lead to a lot of great moments. There was certainly a lot more conflict between characters in this season than in others. I guess I’m still figuring out exactly what makes a great season in my book. Honestly, I think I’m drawn to characters who I like which is a weird discovery to make in regards to a show like Survivor. Still, whatever I thought of this season (I did like it) I watched it just as fast as any other. I don’t know if I’ve ever found something so addicting.
*Aired 2007

(Season 18: Tocantins)*
It keeps going! This has been my favorite season so far. Every element of the show was at its best. The setting was the most beautiful they’ve had so far. The characters were not only great but were mostly likable too. JT, Stephen, Taj, and Tyson are some of the best “good guy” characters we’ve had. Maybe Tyson wasn’t even a “good guy” but I was rooting for him. What really set this season apart is that it featured the best villain so far, Coach. I have not ever enjoyed a survivor character so much. I was rooting for him solely because I didn’t want him out of the show. Just an absolutely incredible persona.
*Aired 2009

(Season 20: Heroes Vs. Villains)*
Maybe the best season we’ve watched! It’s becoming clear what makes a great season: compelling characters. This had the most interesting mix of contestants. It was almost impossible to be neutral on anybody. Every interaction, conversation, or move tended to pit players against one another. As a viewer, you can’t help but root for one outcome over another. It’s impossible not to be compelled.
*Aired 2010

(Season 37: David Vs. Goliath)*
I was actually quite wary at the start of this season. The show leaned so hard into this theme of David vs. Goliath. Built into this was a constant illustration of how the members of the David tribe are always up against the wall in life. They’re the type of people that have never gotten a fair shake. Yet, they haven’t just fought against this injustice, they’ve managed to overcome it. Sure, it’s inspirational, but it’s also kind of a bummer. As much as I appreciated it, I have to be honest, I don’t watch Survivor for life lessons. On top of this, the first few episodes featured two members of the David tribe having to leave for medical emergencies. It was really a downer. Luckily, this flipped once the game kicked in. This was by far the best game I’ve seen played on Survivor. Every idol, advantage, and strategy was executed almost perfectly. The tribal councils were thrilling. I think other seasons have had better characters. Nick and Christian were really the only two that stand out to me from this season. But, in terms of game play, this one was as good as it gets.
*Aired 2018

(Season 32: Kaôh Rōng)
I watched this season solely for Michele. She’s probably my favorite survivor ever. Unfortunately, the rest of the season is pretty lackluster. I will say that my three favorite contestants did make it to the end. Besides them though, I did not care for anyone. Moreover, this season has too many factors outside the game to make it really compelling (at least to me). I suppose others may like this season specifically for that reason. There are three medical evacuations. There are also three idols (with a twist that they can become a super idol). There is an advantage. Yet all of these were used to no effect. The only real twist of consequence was a final reward challenge in which someone could vote out a jury member. I found the twist to be pretty exciting. However, it does slightly undercut the essence of the game: that to win you have to be voted as the winner by the people you eliminate. What can I say? Michele is one of the best. This season is not.
*Aired 2015

(Season 31: Cambodia)
This may be my favorite final three ever. Honestly, the final five were more or less my five favorite players. Jeremy is easily one of my favorite winners. And the second half of the season was incredible in terms of gameplay. There were idols, incredible blindsides. It was a really good season. But there’s something holding this season back from being one of my favorites. I’m not exactly sure what it is. Part of me thinks it’s because outside of the final five, I really disliked almost everybody. I found the jury to be mostly insufferable. I don’t know? Maybe a season of Survivor can have all the elements of success and be missing that one “it-factor.” Which is not to say this season was bad. It’s easily one of the better ones. I’m just a little surprised. On paper, it seems like it would be the best. In reality, it’s just pretty good.
*Aired 2015

The Last Dance – Jason Hehir (ESPN / Netflix)
The Last Dance had already been built up as a major, major event. The previews were unbelievable. The footage is literally legendary. Even before any of the events of this year, it had been eagerly anticipated. Then, a pandemic hits. There are no sports. There are almost no new movies. Everyone is stuck at home. Aside from Survivor (see above), this was the best and almost only new content available. And its reception reflected this. I can’t remember something that was so unanimously watched. It felt like a Super Bowl or an NBA Finals. I’d argue it easily stretched beyond that. Someone like Gioia, who doesn’t even watch basketball, watched it. Several of my non-sports podcasts turned to cover it. It dominated social media. It honestly felt like we were back in a “monoculture.” It was kind of similar to how it felt watching the final seasons of Breaking Bad, Mad Men, or even Game of Thrones.

So what’s this documentary setting out to do? First and foremost, I suppose it is covering the basketball career of Michael Jordan. Implicit in that, is the argument that Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. Its approach is, of course, to cover the 97-98 Chicago Bulls, the “Last Dance” team. Which is why it spends episodes and time covering Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson, Jerry Krause, Steve Kerr, and Tony Kukoc. I think it totally works as an entry point and a premise. It’s the last Jordan Bulls team. It’s the closest they came to losing in their six championship seasons. And the NBA had a film crew following Jordan and the team for the season. They literally have the footage.

I found this documentary incredibly compelling. It contains some of the best sports footage I’ve ever seen. Some of the behind the scenes footage of Jordan is frankly incredible. I’m thinking of him hanging out in the locker room with his security team, him at his hotel celebrating the championship, him talking to Larry Bird, Kobe, Magic Johnson, and Karl Malone. One thing this documentary really conveyed is that you couldn’t replicate something like this with another athlete. It’s clear from watching that Michael Jordan is singular. I can’t even conceive of another sports team/person/topic that would warrant a ten-hour series. And it never felt gratuitous here.

I’ve seen two main complaints about The Last Dance. I feel pretty comfortable dismissing them both. I think they’re an unfortunate byproduct of the time that we’re living in. People have no choice but to cycle through every possible take you could have about this series. The first complaint has to do with the timeline approach of the documentary. Hehir chronicles the 97-98 season by linking each episode with another point and time of Jordan’s career. I understand the frustration of watching an entire episode, only for the last piece to cover “The Last Dance“ bulls. But the approach this documentary took was to cover Michael Jordan’s basketball career. I don’t know a better way they could have tied all of that history into this Bulls team. I suppose you could go chronologically and end with the last couple of episodes covering the 97-98 team. But that’s a long time to delay the subject of the doc. Moreover, it’d be a long time to delay showing all of the archival footage. I understand that in some places the shifting back and forth feels clunky or perhaps even forced. But I think in most places it works. It sets up stakes as the series moves along. We learn more and more about Jordan and about the team. By the time we get to the 98 Finals, we have all the information we need.

The other main complaint I’ve seen is that people feel like they haven’t learned enough new things from the series. And I can say that I was pretty surprised about how much I knew about this team. Or even just basketball in the 90s. But I never felt cheated because of it. I was so entertained and compelled by this documentary. I don’t know why I would lament that there weren’t enough twists or new secrets. In fact, I think the biggest revelation of this series is spending all of this time with Jordan. Hearing him discuss these games, topics, and events in his own words. Getting to learn about what a killer, competitive person he was. And whether or not you knew that already, it’s something else entirely to see it in action. As I said earlier, the goal of this documentary is to cover Michael Jordan’s basketball career and to argue for why he’s the greatest player of all time. I can’t imagine anyone watching this series and thinking it failed to do either of those things.

June

Betty – Crystal Moselle (HBO)
Betty is easily my favorite show of the year so far. Honestly, it’s hard to think of many shows that I’ve ever loved as much. We watched the entire season in one night! It’s only 6 25-minute episodes so maybe that’s not the most impressive feat in the world. But I honestly feel like I could have watched twice as much in the same sitting. And even though it was a perfect season, I really do wish there were more.

There are three things that really stand out to me when thinking about this show. First, is the filmmaking, which is apparent right away. The first images of the series are following Kirt as she skates down the middle of a Manhattan street. It’s fast, it’s exciting. Television has obviously come a long way in terms of filmmaking since even something like The Sopranos. Still, it’s pretty clear that Betty was made with filmmaking prominently in mind. Not just as an afterthought about how the series should or could look. There are a lot of moments that feel transcendent because of how they’re shot. The montage set to “F**kin’ Problems” is magnificent. And the sense of place Moselle is able to capture is infectious. I’ve never wanted to live anywhere as much as I want to live in this New York. I think the story and the performances in this show are so good, that I’d still have loved it even if the filmmaking was average. The fact that it’s this good really elevates every other part of the show.

The second major achievement is the performances. They’re straight-up incredible. And from what I understand, they’re all made by non-actors too. Which is a decision that really pays off. These characters feel so unique, so dynamic, and most importantly, real. One of the major feats of this show is its scope. In just a short time, the series tells a full story for each of its central characters. For Kirt, it’s organizing the all-girls skate. For Janay, it’s confronting her best friend who’s been accused of sexual abuse. For Honeybear, it’s finding the confidence to pursue Ash, her love-interest. For Camille, it’s navigating the attention of Bambi. And for Indigo, it’s establishing herself as a legitimate drug-dealer. Having storylines like this isn’t uncommon in television (though having six competing ones that are held at equal value probably is). What’s really remarkable is that not only do all six of these stories work, they are wildly successful. I can’t think of another show in which there’s not at least one weak character or storyline. Here, you care equally about all of them. I just can’t emphasize enough how impressed I am with it.

The final thing that stands out to me is really only a product of everything else the show does so well. I’m struggling with what to call it. For now, maybe I’ll just say it’s the show’s conscience. This show addresses so many societal and systemic issues in such a short time. To list a few, there’s feminism, accusations of sexual abuse and the #MeToo movement, racial discrimination, as well as gay, lesbian, and queer issues. One of the things that I think really adds to the show is that the characters are almost all non-white. The only white main character is Kirt, who is a lesbian. What’s more, the show even dedicates a portion of its limited time to address Kirt’s privilege as a white person within this group.

However, the reason I’m struggling with exactly how to write that is because while these factors all undoubtedly add to the show, they’re not the reason why the show works. The show works because it’s extraordinarily well-made, features incredible performances, and is simultaneously one of the funniest and most moving stories that I’ve ever seen. The fact that the show is so honest and willing to address complicated issues feels like an incredible bonus. And I don’t mean to say that any of these issues are beside the point. More than ever, they feel essential. But it just feels so rare to see a scripted television show tackle topics like this without ever feeling preachy. It’s a remarkable achievement. I think it’s something that only comes from allowing different voices the space to make stories that reflect their experiences and vision. Hopefully, the success of Betty can give more people that opportunity. For now, I feel incredibly lucky that we got this one.