The second series of Apple TV+ series Trying came to an end yesterday, bringing to a close an emotional but fantastic series that has already been renewed for a third. I don’t know why I didn’t write about this series after the first series, but now eight further episodes on, I think the second series has outclassed the first outing anyway, so now seems like a better time to give it a review.

If you’ve read any of my Film Watch posts for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you’ll have noticed a trend towards the end of the first three phases that goes something like: ‘I think this is a good film but I’ve totally lost the plot and don’t know what’s going on. I’ll have to go back and rewatch the movies and do some homework.’ Well, with the bonus of ever-extending lockdowns, I’ve actually managed to do it!

To celebrate their 100th anniversary (there’s a lot of great history there that’s probably for another time), Kotex have launched a global She Can Initiative to support and promote menstrual cycle hygiene and education - getting rid of that never-ending stigma about the cycle that half the population live with for a good portion of their lives. As part of the intiative, they’ve launched a series of videos with inventor Simone Giertz to help visualise various areas of the menstrual cycle by the art of machine.

I am completely in love with the show For All Mankind. The sheer audacity of the whole thing is wonderful. It’s out there but also somehow grounded in reality. If you’ve not seen it, or read my thoughts on Series 1, the premise is an alternative history where Russia landed on the moon before the US, and everything that follows from that. I read a review of the show that explained how anything that tries to exploit the butterfly effect - small things creating exponential changes - is bound to start slow but gradually pick up speed.

I can see why The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was scheduled to be the first of the new breed of Marvel TV shows to appear on Disney+. It’s a more standard superhero series than the innovative approach taken by WandaVision. However, I loved both of them equally in different ways. Falcon was a much calmer show, despite traditional action sequences, superhero fight scenes and plenty of drama. Although it had all that you might expect from a MCU movie, Falcon had a lot more.

“I need another pair of earphones,” I said. “What’s wrong with the five pairs you already have?” “I don’t have five!” Indignantly, I counted them. I didn’t have five. I had six. But they’re all for different purposes, you know? Original AirPods - revolutionary and brilliant but struggling for battery life. AirPods Pro - to replace the AirPods, which I never quite got round to throwing away. BeatsX - sporting headphones, but again struggling for battery life.

A medium level spring clean uncovered this little gem in a dusty box tucked away in a random corner. I got super excited when I first saw the edge of it, because I thought it was the original part one book by George Gipe. Sadly that one is still missing in action. And I never did have a copy of part three.

I’ve been loving the new Star content that was released on Disney+ in the UK recently, and one of the first things I checked out was Cougar Town. Featuring the lovely Courtney Cox and a lot of people that used to be in Scrubs, the show revolves around a really tight-knit group of family and friends as they navigate divorce, new relationships, new parenthood, empty nests, and lots of other things.

In my last post I mentioned that Inside the Factory inspired my purchase of a casserole dish. If you’re not aware, the show features Gregg Wallace and Cherry Healey visiting various factories around the country, sometimes world, to find out how our staples are made. It’s always interesting to see how a factory works, how the weird machines do what they do, and our hosts give us lots of fascinating facts and figures along the way.

Last week, a Le Creseut casserole dish was delivered to my house. You know the ones, top of the range pots and pans that come with the associated price tag. I could tell you the excuses and reasons behind this - spending more time in the kitchen, should have the best tools you can, not spending on a lot else at the moment - but actually there are only two things that led to this purchase: