Can We Trust *Anyone* We Meet Online Anymore? From The High School Catfish to Fake Digital Identities & Beyond...

While Summer Roberts may have began The O.C. as a ditzy mean girl, she quickly became a beloved fan favorite (and even found the smart girl persona she had been forced to hide for so long!) In this video, we're unpacking how Summer went from a stereotypical side character to a multifaceted star! The O.C.’s Summer first appeared on the show as a stereotypical mean rich girl ditz – she wasn’t even a part of the main cast but instead just intended to be a glorified extra, a friend of Marissa Cooper’s with minimal impact to be essentially forgotten after the pilot. But even with the minimal screentime she got in the beginning, she quickly became a fan favorite and an integral part of the show. And over time, as her character was given room to grow, she broke free from those 'mean girl' confines and ended up getting one of the best arcs on the show. Summer is the perfect showcase of what can happen when a smart girl doesn’t have that side of herself fostered by her environment, but is instead pushed in the total opposite direction. She’s also a very underrated example of how we don’t have to be trapped in the boxes we’re put in as kids forever – and how learning to embrace our full selves can help us build a life even better than we could have ever dreamed of. So let’s take a closer look at how Summer evolved from a miserable mean girl into a successful smart girl! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12 Juni 14min

Modern Family’s Cameron Tucker was criticized for dramatic, over emotional, and generally over the top. But as melodramatic as he may have been, Cam provided a very important counter to the Pritchett family’s more uptight, closed off ways. He’s a dreamer that’s unafraid to go after what he wants, try new things, and think big. Cam’s mindset might cause him (...and others) some problems here and there, but it also allows him to build the life he wants (while also helping those he cares about achieve their dreams, too!) So, let’s take a deeper look at the really important lessons Cam teaches us about living your life your way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Juni 11min

Sinners has become the surprise smash hit of the year, breaking records and raking in over $300 million dollars so far at the box office. Starring Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell and more, and directed by Ryan Coogler, the film has managed to take things that are usually seen as harbingers of low audience turnout (like an R rating and the horror genre) and mold them into a film that’s wildly successful. And it could possibly even save Hollywood – if the studios are willing to take the right lessons from this triumph. So, what does Sinners tell us about how to make a winning film in our modern era? Let’s take a closer look! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 Juni 10min

The new Lilo & Stitch live action remake has been a huge box office hit, but reviews have been mixed... While it’s definitely a cute film with some bright spots that (at least attempts to) stay true to the original film, it falls flat in some important areas. While some of the changes to the film are minor, others seem to lose sight of the entire point of the story itself. One major change to the ending of the film has people particularly unhappy. So, let’s take a look at how this new film grapples with the story’s most important theme: family – and if the changes have really forgotten what 'ohana truly means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 Juni 11min

Click our link https://www.paired.com/thetake25 to get a 7 day free trial of the Paired app and 25% off paired premium! There’s one big fear hiding at the heart of many relationships: that you love your partner more than they love you... We all want our relationships to feel equal, but so often it seems that one person ends up more dedicated to the relationship. This can happen for a number of reasons – from fear of commitment to lack of care and beyond – and lead to strife and even tragedy. But there’s more to lopsided love than meets the eye. So, what’s really behind unequal love matches – and is there any hope for a happy outcome? Let’s take a closer look at the trope on screen, from How I Met Your Mother's Lily and Marshall, to Anora and Vanya, to Friends' Chandler and Janice and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

23 Maj 14min

Go to http://greenchef.com/50THETAKE and use code 50THETAKE to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping! There’s a problem that’s become more and more prevalent across social media, popping up in nearly every comment section and thread... it seems that personalized algorithms have caused people to forget that not everything they encounter online is made exclusively for them. From the Bean Soup controversy and beyond, people have noticed what feels like a drop in critical thinking skills dovetailing with an uptick in self-centeredness. And it seems that a lesser-known culprit might be at the root of the problem: covert narcissism. So, how is this different from the regular narcissism we’re used to, and why has it seemingly taken over online? (And… is there any hope of things changing for the better?) Let’s take a closer look! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

13 Maj 16min

Thunderbolts has become a hit with audiences because it went back to what works and managed to meet the moment. In this episode, we're unpacking what it got right about one of the biggest battles of our time: mental health. Thunderbolts is a welcome change of pace from recent MCU fare. One of the biggest reasons it resonates so much is that it wasn’t afraid to actually be about something. While a lot of superhero films and shows across the board have felt like they’ve lost their way and their connection to their human elements over recent years, Thunderbolts has found success by going in the opposite direction. It confronts the humanity of its characters and their situations head on – unafraid of exploring the dark while also remembering to find the light. So, let’s take a closer look at what Thunderbolts really has to say and why audiences have connected so much with it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Maj 12min

Are dating apps and the internet (and now AI) really the reason why dating is often so miserable now? Many people have been wondering if the apps we use to help us in the arena of romance - like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge - might actually be ruining everything. There are some aspects of dating that are just miserable now, and many of those problems do seem to stem from how we use technology to connect. But in reality, the problem is a lot more complex than it first appears. So, what’s actually gone wrong with dating? Are the internet and apps really to blame? Let’s take a closer look at the whole problem to figure out what’s really going on here – plus unpack some silver linings that actually give us some hope about the future! In this episode, we unpack how computers and the internet became such a big part of dating from Operation Match to Match.com and beyond, how that evolved into the apps we use today like Bumble, Tinder and Hinge, and how this form of dating has affected all of us - both bad *and* good. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Maj 14min