by Alice-Ginevra Micheli, Contributing Writer
We all have that feeling. You know the one: You finish watching a movie and something about it hits you in just the right spot.
Whether it was the theme, the story, or even the characters, there was a quality about it that almost makes you want to turn around and go back a second, third, or even fourth time!
Bar the reality of living in the movie theater for the rest of your days, you turn to the rest of pop culture and start to look for other avenues where you can find that same feeling.
Well I’m here to make this plight easier for all. Each month, I take a piece of pop culture that was prevalent in the social consciousness — whether it is a movie, TV show, or something else — and then recommend other forms of media for those who want to stay in that world a little bit longer.
Welcome to your One Stop Pop, internet!
Seldom is there a television series that sets the internet on fire as intensely as Bridgerton has the last couple of months. Quickly rising the charts to be one of the most successful series Netflix has ever produced, its popularity went from good to beyond expectations with the release of its most recent season.
Was it the slow burn romance at its center, the culmination of the Lady Whistledown storyline, or the undeniable chemistry between the two leads — both on and off the screen? It was probably a combination of all these elements and more, leading to television that sparked debate, passions, and lots of online chatter.
Of course, this has to be what I discuss when we consider June’s greatest triumph! So without further ado, let’s break down some other media you could now dive into if you’re still rabid for more content like the steamy period piece.
Book: You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane
As always, we need to begin with the most obvious of recommendations, and in this case, it’s the trope at the center of the story: friends to lovers. This trope is described as a romance that is considered to be slow burn, and results in one or both characters experiencing a gradual realization of their feelings.
This can certainly be seen as the main point for Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington’s story in the third season of Bridgerton, resulting in a triumphant feeling when that tension is finally released, and love happens.
This can also describe the recommended book of the month, You Had Me At Hello.The first in Mhairi McFarlane’s series of novels using a famous movie quote as its title, the story follows longtime friends Rachel and Ben. However, in this case it’s been a decade since they last spoke. No matter what happened in the past, one day on a rainy London morning, they bump into each other, and it’s like no time has past.
Once inseparable, the best of friends, life got in the way when Ben was married to someone else, and Rachel decided to look elsewhere for meaning. However, upon their reunion many years later, it seems that a broken heart might finally be mended, while the other might finally be open to more.
Described as hilarious, and heartbreaking, this is a book that will play with many emotions, and have you both rooting for, and frustrated by, the main couple. Oh, and I should mention, there’s plenty of feet kicking that’s bound to happen for the reader as well.
Movie: Austenland
Now, we’ve all wanted to live in the world of a book right? Right?! As world’s go, the society-driven setting of Bridgerton is not a bad one to end up in, especially since its decision to be racially blind from the jump, making it often more accepting than reality.
Well, this is something that can be shared by many readers as well — many Bridgerton book readers, I’m sure — and is in fact definitely a desire for the protagonist of our recommended movie of the month: Jane Hayes in Austenland.
This one is very much for the dreamers. Obsessed with Jane Austen, and particularly Pride & Prejudice, Hayes, played by Keri Russell, spends her life savings on a visit to an Austen-themed park in search of love and meaning.
Now, this movie is a little ridiculous, but in the best way. It’s a story about a woman who abandons everything to live her best Austen life, and manages to do so, but in the way of all the heroines from literature that we know and love — she goes through a lot of bad before finally getting to the good.
It’s a series of up and down tales, with side characters that are extreme versions of archetypes that we have all had to go up against in our lives. This is a story with one very specific function: to create heart eyes in its audience, and act as a modern version of your favorite period romance. It’s like a time travel story, but without the magic element, instead just the need for you and the characters to suspend their disbelief. Plus, we have a brooding, Darcy type at the center of it all, so that’s always a bonus.
Musical Group: Vitamin String Quartet
One of the defining traits of the Bridgerton television series is its romanticization of modern music — or should I remind you all of a certain Pitbull song that was used as a climactic stinger to one of the biggest scenes of the season? Turning pop songs into classical music is a trend that has become more and more present today, particularly for those of us that work a nine-to-five and want the vibes without the words. And none other does it better than the group Vitamin String Quartet.
A Los Angeles-based band, they are pioneers of the classical crossover genre. If you look into the Bridgerton playlists on Spotify, you’re bound to find many examples of their work across all seasons, including the infamous presentations of “Thank U, Next”and “Wildest Dreams.”
As mentioned, their music is great to put on whenever you might be working, reading, or taking part in an activity where your mind might need to be active enough to not want to listen to something like a podcast or music with lyrics, but need something to motivate you through the task, like writing emails or reading.
With covers of Taylor Swift, classic ‘80s songs, as well as iconic television, and movie themes, there is certain to be something for everyone to enjoy.
Besides Bridgerton, their covers have also been present on Westworld, Shameless, Modern Family,and Gossip Girl.
Audio experience: The Queen’s Guard – Quinn
Let me open your mind to the wonderful world of Quinn. Self-described as “the app for audio erotica. Made by women, for the world,” it’s a listening experience that simulates spicy stories for people to enjoy no matter their tastes. Essentially what it does is put the listener in the position of the main character, wherein the narrator of the experience is speaking to you, and only you.
Just as Bridgerton is a period romance with something a little extra, this app focuses almost exclusively on that little extra, and then dials it up to 11. However, it has been so successful that noted celebrities are now lending their voice to the Original stories, such as Kate Moennig, Jesse Williams, and Andrew Scott, which is the specific series I’d like to turn your mind to now.
Playing Robb, The Queen’s Guard follows a small but powerful kingdom, where Scott’s character is the personal guard to a cruel despotic Queen. As part of his mission, it’s his duty to not let the leader of a growing resistance, Mira (played by the listener), take down the current rule, no matter the cost.
As you can imagine, events transpire that lead to some quite interesting situations, which is told across three 30-to-40-minute episodes.
So this has been quite a steamy month if I say so myself. From deep-seated longing, to letting imaginations and passions run wild through story and song, to a little further down below, this month is hopefully enough to keep you sated until the next season of Bridgerton makes its way onto our screens.
Next month, we’ll turn the heat down a bit and look at whatever captures attention in July. So until then, thank you for visiting SiftPop’s One Stop Pop. We hope to see you again soon!
You can read more from Alice-Ginevra Micheli, and follow her on Instagram and Letterboxd