At this point, it’s no secret that How I Met Your Mother’s Ted Mosby has a pretty delusional outlook on life – he’s the definition of a toxic Nice Guy and also not a great friend. But what is it, specifically, about his way of looking at the world (and the people in it) that was so wrong? And what can we learn from it, even if he didn’t? Let’s take a closer look at what Ted got wrong about life, love, and finding happiness.

Vacations, from the super expensive & extravagant to totally relatable, feature in so many of our favorite movies & shows. Sometimes it’s a lot of fun just to watch some of our favorite, everyday characters go on some amazing – or hilariously not so amazing – vacations around the world. Just like our TikTok and Instagram feeds getting flooded with images and videos of influencers flitting around the globe, sometimes these onscreen vacations can give us a pretty unrealistic expectation of what an average vacation should look like – not to mention some pretty intense FOMO. So let’s take a deeper look at some iconic on screen vacations to unpack how they influence our own ideas of what our vacays should be – and sometimes remind us how important it is to just enjoy the ride, wherever you are. Don't forget to check out https://www.cyclingfrog.com and use our code THETAKE20 to support The Take & get 20% off of your order!

Sex and the City’s Samantha Jones and Charlotte York were set up to be complete opposites: Samantha the free-loving, up for anything hottie and Charlotte the romantic, repressed Park Ave princess. But when we take a deeper look at their stories, we actually start to see that surprisingly… they’re a lot alike. While they don’t always see eye to eye on the ‘right’ way to live one’s life, they do share some important similarities in the ways they go about getting what they want (and in how they grow over the course of the show.) The pair actually provide some really interesting insight into how – regardless of the boxes that society might try to put us in – we’re not actually that different from people we think are nothing like us, and how having those people in our lives can actually help us form a more accepting, multifaceted view of ourselves. Get 50% off your first order of CookUnity meals — go to https://cookunity.com/thetake50 and use my code THETAKE50 at checkout to try them out for yourself! Thanks to CookUnity for sponsoring this video!

Go to http://zocdoc.com/THETAKE to download the Zocdoc app for free and book a top-rated doctor today! The Bikeriders, the new film starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, and Tom Hardy as members of a growing and splintering motorcycle club initially had a lot of buzz, but since it’s release has been getting some pretty mixed reviews because to some viewers, it feels like… nothing much really happens. The film is (very loosely) based on the real life story of a Chicago motorcycle club, and so many went in expecting a bit more action. And the movie has raised a lot of questions – how much of it, exactly, is true to life, what was made up, and… what’s up with those accents? Let’s unpack all of that, plus take a deeper look at what the film was actually trying to say. (No worries, no major spoilers for the film until the final chapter!)

Modern Family’s Gloria Pritchett was initially discounted by pretty much everyone else on the show. They were so blinded by her more obvious qualities and the fact that they assumed she was a gold digger, that they couldn’t even see the amazing person inside that beautiful package. But it quickly became clear that she was the one with the best outlook on life. And not only did she use her smarts to create a good life for herself and her son, she also helped the others on the show grow and become better, happier people themselves. So let’s take a deeper look at how, in the end, Gloria was right about pretty much everything.

House of the Dragon's Rhaenyra and Alicent’s opposite personalities are the sun-and-moon gravitational pull that makes their relationship the heart of the show’s central conflict. Starting as each other’s closest companions, Rhaenyra and Alicent must contend with their own position in a patriarchal society that view women as merely vessels for male dominion. Let’s take a look at how each woman is shaped by their experiences with abusive men, desire, duty, and motherhood, which ultimately pits them against each other in a fearsome battle for the Iron Throne.

Mean Girls’ Regina George is one of pop culture’s most iconic high school villains. Perhaps the worst thing about Regina is that what’s horrible about her is actually what’s… true. Regina was a menace because she understood some pretty dark fundamental truths about the world, and the fact that she was right about them underlines some major problems in society. So let’s take a deeper look at what Regina, unfortunately, got right in her outlook on life (and why it’s so important that society, like Regina, learns to change for the better.)

Millennials (aka people born between 1981 and 1996) seem to be aging at a slower rate than previous generations… but no one agrees on why. Some say it’s because they’re just immature, dodging responsibilities and spending too much time on nostalgia. Others blame the rise of cosmetic procedures and the increased focus on looks in our social media focused world combined with the lack of access to the old school markers of “adulthood.” So let’s take a deeper look at this perceived collective youthfulness of millennials, and how cultural shifts have changed our image of adulthood.

The myth of Yoko Ono destroying The Beatles has persisted for decades. Anytime something goes wrong with a group of male musicians, there always seems to be a woman that catches the blame. In the years since Yoko was accused of ruining the biggest band of all time, many other women – in real life and on screen – have gotten caught up in the same trope of the evil woman who slides in and breaks up the otherwise happy group. But, of course, there’s always more to the story. So let’s take a deeper look at the true story of Yoko and The Beatles, why the trope has continued to be so pervasive, and how we’re finally starting to leave it in the past.

Euphoria’s Maddy Perez is the ultra confident queen bee of Euphoria High, and for two seasons the universe seemingly continually tries to destroy her sense of self. But Maddy has no problem fighting back against anyone or anything that tries to shake her confidence. Her story is a rollercoaster of ups and downs, and we can learn a surprising amount about staying true to yourself and not letting the hard times derail you from her refusal to give up. So let’s take a look back at Maddy’s outlook on life, loyalty, and confidence, and how in the end she was so right about pretty much everything.

Go to http://factormeals.com/thetake50 and use code thetake50 to get 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next month! Hit Man seemed to have all of the makings of a hit summer movie: a rising star leading man, a magnetic lead actress, a beloved director, a successful festival run, and great reviews. Then it got bought by Netflix and… completely fell off the radar. It was released in a handful of theaters this past weekend and is set to begin streaming this upcoming weekend, but… had you even heard about it before clicking on this video? Why is it that this film, with all of its great elements and mix of romance and action and comedy – all the kinds of things people love seeing on screen seems to have completely had the wind taken out of its sails right when it’s meant to be taking off? The problem, it seems, isn’t with Hit Man at all, but rather is a much larger issue keeping good movies from actually being able to find their audience. So let’s take a deeper look at Hit Man itself (including how much of it is actually based on the real life events of the story) and how the budding mid-budget movie renaissance could save Hollywood if studios would stop blocking their own bag. (And don’t worry, no major spoilers for the film!)

Gilmore Girls’ Rory is a beloved Smart Girl icon, and was the kind of girl so many of the girls watching at home wanted to be when the show began airing. But, given that Gilmore Girls follows Rory as she evolves through young adulthood, it’s not surprising that she had to learn the hard way that some of her outlook on life was totally wrong along the way. That doesn’t make her a bad person – messing up is a big part of growing up – but it does give us an interesting opportunity to take a look back and analyze what specifically about her personality and choices caused those issues, and how they affected her story (for better and worse.) So, let’s take a deeper look at some of the things even super smart Rory got wrong about life, love, and becoming your own person – and how they ended up being important lessons for Rory and viewers.

Being in your 30s used to mean that your life, finances, and job felt stable -- but things are often quite different nowadays. Movies & TV love showing the more secure side of things, but in recent years we've begun to see more characters on screen working to survive their very unstable 30s. Sometimes the lives of characters on screen in their 30s on screen can feel hilariously out of reach, but thankfully in recent years we’ve also started to get many more films and shows that are willing to get honest about what it’s like to be in your 30s now (the good *and* the less than stellar…) So what do movies and tv get right and wrong about life and finances in your 30s today?

Go to http://zocdoc.com/THETAKE to download the Zocdoc app for free and book a top-rated doctor today. Amy Winehouse was a one-in-a-generation talent plagued by inner demons and tabloid-splashed controversy, but who through it all brought a spark of life and joy to the world and filled the airwaves with her incomparable voice and witty lyrics. The new biopic of the star, Back to Black, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and starring Marisa Abela was an opportunity to take a deeper examination of Amy’s inner life and her work, but instead seems mostly interested with a more surface level (and, in many cases, sanded down) look at the star’s life. So what did the film get right and wrong about Amy’s life and story? And why does it, in the end, totally fall flat as a biopic of such a larger than life, interesting person?

From always having to look picture perfect even during the literal apocalypse, to “smartphone face” – aka actors who just look too modern to fit into period settings, to the rise of plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures leading to so many people we see on screen starting to have nearly identical features, the effect of aesthetic trends has become more and more talked about in recent years. And while the expectation certainly isn’t that everything on screen has to be exactly true to real life all of the time – it is entertainment after all – it is interesting to take a deeper look at what drives these kinds of societal trends. The judgment is usually placed on the actresses themselves, but there is much more at play here. So let’s take a deeper look at the truth about these on screen trends, how they alter our viewing experiences, and can even affect how we see ourselves.

The O.C.’s Seth Cohen is an iconic heartthrob of the early 2000s. He was cute and awkward and always had a hilarious quip ready to go. But as the show celebrates the 20th anniversary of the end of its mega-hit first season, we can look back and realize that Seth was actually… wrong about a lot. His mindset hindered him in so many ways – but many of his faults were also what made him so relatable to many at the time. So let’s take a look back at Seth Cohen, what he got wrong about life, and why his growth was so important for him and us.

Go to http://factormeals.com/thetake50 and use code thetake50 to get 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next month! Friends' Rachel Green, Monica Geller, and Phoebe Buffay are all beautiful – but the show singled out only one as *the* "hot one". For a long time, there was a trend on screen where, within any group of female friends – regardless of what any of them looked like – one was always upheld as the hot friend (pretty much always because she was the main love object of the story.) But this trope split off from other ‘hot girl’ tropes for one key reason: her friendships. So where did the ‘hot one’ trope even come from, and how did Rachel (with the help of Monica and Phoebe) change it for the better? (And have we *finally* gotten rid of it altogether?) Let’s take a deeper look at the ‘hot one’ trope!

Go to http://zocdoc.com/THETAKE to download the Zocdoc app for free and book a top-rated doctor today. Seinfeld’s Elaine Benes is one of the most iconic and hilarious characters of the 90s – played by the comedy legend, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She stood out for being the only woman of the friend group, but also because she was (at least at first) also less cynical than her friends. Her confidence and unapologetic attitude were refreshing and radical, and her character opened the door for so many of our faves that followed after. So let’s turn back the clock and analyze what made Elaine so different, why she became such an iconic and beloved character, and how, even if she wasn’t always a great person, she still managed to be a new kind of role model.

Go to http://factormeals.com/thetake50 and use code thetake50 to get 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next box. Workaholism and hustle culture are certainly nothing new, but now it’s not just about being efficient at work, but reworking *every aspect* of your entire life to be “productive.” There’s a pervasive feeling that nothing in life is worthwhile if it doesn’t count as being productive – but productive pretty much always boils down to financially lucrative. In a world where making ends meet feels harder than ever, we’ve all been pushed into framing our lives around chasing capital and “maximizing our profits” like we’re over-the-top venture capitalists and not just… people trying to live our human lives. So let’s take a look at this modern streak of ‘toxic productivity’, the media and pop culture it evolved out of, and how we can best try to combat it and take back our hobbies and peace of mind.

Go to http://zocdoc.com/THETAKE to download the Zocdoc app for free and book a top-rated doctor today. Netflix’s new hit adaptation 3 Body Problem is filled with symbolism, but what does it all really mean? The book on which the show is based is famous for leaning hard into the science aspect of sci-fi, creating an engaging but incredibly dense work. The Netflix series streamlines some of the story’s more confusing aspects, but it still takes us on a wild ride and leaves us with more questions than answers. The show uses a lot of symbolism to help get across its major themes, and unpacking these can help us understand the story on a deeper level. So let’s break down some of the show’s most important symbols to get a better grasp of what the story is really trying to tell us. Click here to watch the video version of this episode!