Smita M
Smita M has a Masters in Cultural Studies. She has worked in print and digital newsrooms in India and Nepal, writing on culture, politics, social trends, health, and lifestyle.
Latest From Smita M
‘P-Valley’ Episode 7: Low down on explosive plot points so far as Uncle Clifford, girls square up to save Pynk
Here are the key relationships to keep in mind as we wait for the penultimate episode of this season
'P-Valley' Episode 7 'Last Call for Alcohol' not airing this week, fans upset about waiting after nail-biter
Fans who are all caught up with the show are having regrets and envying those who can binge-watch the already aired six episodes on the Starz app this week during the show's two-week hiatus
'Lovecraft Country' Episode 1 addresses quandary of racist literature, dearth of Black heroes through Atticus
Usually, pulp fiction, outside the purview of 'propah' literature, champions the underdogs, the outsiders, the outcasts -- and yet even in these peripheries of storytelling, there has been no space for Black folk
'P-Valley' Episode 6 'Legacy' is not only about wealth passed down but also about love, loyalty and debts
While legacies in Black families have songs and memories, there are also legacies of debt. Uncle Clifford reminds Ernestine of the debts she left her with when she bequeathed the Pynk to her
'P-Valley' Episode 6: Keyshawn becomes Lil' Murda's partner and his beard for fame but is she too ambitious?
Keyshawn is definitely elevating her Instagram game by teaming up with Lil' Murda
'P-Valley' Episode 6: Uncle Clifford picks Patrice as Pynk’s unlikely savior while Andre atones for land grab
Loretta Devine, playing Uncle Clifford's blind grandma, Miss Ernestine, tells the larger story of how the Black brothels in the area were pushed to the riverfront where the "floods took them"
'P-Valley' Episode 6 Preview: Keyshawn partners with Lil' Murda and Andre is reminded the race war isn't over
Loretta Devine makes her first appearance on the show as Miss Ernestine, the Granmuva of Uncle Clifford, who owned The Pynk when it was a juke joint
‘Teenage Bounty Hunters’ shows adolescent love, sex and betrayal in most realistic ways since ‘Sex Education’
Depicting relationships as messy and complicated with all its ups and downs and the doubts around having sex is one of the key USP's of this show, picking up where 'Sex Education' left off
'Teenage Bounty Hunters' Ending Explained: Truth bomb reveals why Debbie protected her arsonist twin sister
Dana, certain she is going to be locked up, throws the truth bomb -- Sterling is her daughter, not Debbie's. This means Blair and Sterling were never twins and this was why Dana was escaping with just Sterling to Mexico
'Teenage Bounty Hunters' Review: Complex issues on race, sex and religion in South dealt in lighthearted way
There is still a lot of fantastical fluff like most YA shows but it is in the service of revealing something real about growing up in a conservative, religious White "Richie-Rich" family in Atlanta
'Teenage Bounty Hunters': Meet Maddie Phillips, Anjelica Bette Fellini and rest of the cast of YA action-comedy
According to showrunner Kathleen Jordan, she wanted Sterling and Blair to be able to "live in a world where sexuality for teenage girls could be honest, fun, and full of pleasure"
'Outlander' star Caitriona Balfe teases ‘Scottish gin’ brand after Sam Heughan announces US launch of whiskey
Balfe timed her gin 'tease' to coincide with the anniversary of the first episode premiere of 'Outlander' six years ago
'Supernatural': All the news you need as long-running series prepares to resume shooting after pandemic hiatus
Ackles and Padalecki showed off their quarantine beards as they were about to reach the halfway mark on their 14-day full-quarantine in Vancouver, ahead of filming the final two episodes
'P-Valley' and Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion's ‘WAP’ aren't objectifying women as they front their own stories
Words like slut, wh**e, or the visuals of naked female bodies as background eye candy wallpaper for shows like 'The Sopranos' has been a part of pop culture forever -- aimed at demeaning women's bodies and sexuality. How are female-fronted projects different?
'P-Valley' Episode 5: Fans surprised Keyshawn's abusive boyfriend is White, root for Diamond to ‘whoop’ him
While Diamond can look threatening, he is actually gentle with Keyshawn, while Derek, who is seemingly non-threatening, is violent and possessive
'P-Valley' Episode 5: Patrice's hypocrisy now finds an echo in the mayor's betrayal of the Black community
Mayor Tydell is all too willing to sell the Black community in his town down the river like a pimp, just like Patrice would sell Mercedes if it served her interests
‘P-Valley’ Episode 5 features rare TV unicorn of happy queer love story between Uncle Clifford and Lil' Murda
From 'Boys Don't Cry' to 'Brokeback Mountain' to 'Euphoria', what we usually get is a queer character having their heart broken, being abused for seeking love, or facing death and so we need the fairytale of Uncle Clifford and Lil' Murda
'P-Valley' Episode 5 Review: Autumn and Mercedes team up as Lil' Murda woos Uncle Clifford
Despite walking out of the station like a boss, mirroring her proud strut to the stage, in the scene right after, Mercedes breaks down after just one kind pat from Autumn -- the night she has had has broken her down completely
Netflix appears to have found the sweet spot of creating content that is both woke and commercially successful
So what is their deal? Are they being faux woke? Netflix is looking for commercial viability first and foremost but wants the added shine of being politically correct -- traits that their millennial customers lap up
'P-Valley' Episode 5 Preview: Promo shows Mercedes in jail while Uncle Clifford wakes up with Lil' Murda
The synopsis for the episode reads: "Two foes find themselves trapped together for a weekend under unlikely circumstances. Keyshawn reaches new heights, and Lil’ Murda glows up big time"