No fairytale: How an online fantasy community sold out City Hall
They aren't alone. Fantasy fiction is exploding in popularity, and Jess is one of millions who have found comfort in series such as A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) by Sarah J. Maas.
The books have sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, connecting an entire generation of readers.
With Celestial Events, which boasts 10,000 online members, Jess could dress up and unapologetically embrace her interests, something she'd never experienced before.
And now, along with her husband – and assistant dog Charlie – Jess has attended her first fantasy-themed ball, Starfall at Customs House by the Brisbane River.
'The people that go to these events are so kind and open-minded and accepting of everybody,' she says.
Jess also walked the fashion runway at Queen Street Mall in her Starfall ball gown, a 'surreal' experience she says she would never have done before finding Celestial Events.
Celestial Events came into being when another Brisbane local picked up an ACOTAR novel on a holiday.
With a background in events, having run Brisbane Fashion Month, Carly Vidall-Wallace says she 'hadn't really read an enjoyable book since high school' and was enamoured.
'Trying to find people who are understanding and patient enough to want me involved in all aspects of events has been a big struggle.'
Jess Felschow, Celestial Events member
' A Court of Thorns and Roses just ignited something in me.'
She posted in a Sarah J. Maas Book Club Facebook group about interest in a ball modelled after the fantasy series, and Celestial Events was born.
Overwhelmed by the response, Carly went into event-planning mode and within two weeks tickets for the first Starfall ball were on sale.
'I thought I might be the only one but when I saw that response I thought I'm not alone, I'm not a super geek and this could be really fun.'
The first event sold 300 tickets in a minute. Carly scheduled a second ball the next evening to meet demand.
That was 18 months ago. Now Carly has sold out City Hall, with 1000 Celestials in attendance and no plans to slow down.
While this particular ball event is inspired by the acclaimed ACOTAR series, Carly has to be smart when it comes to copyright risk.
Her events incorporate elements from a range of fantasy tales, including The Hunger Games, The Lord of the Rings and Fourth Wing.
She has since been successful to obtain a trademark in Australia and New Zealand for Celestial Events Starfall Ball.
Carly has also recently made it to the third round of the Telstra Business Awards in the community sector for her work with Celestial Events.
With interstate and international interest, she has tapped into a huge market of fantasy-lovers who are seeking community, connection and friendship.
'Even though life is pretty hard, and the news is miserable at the moment, this is a space where that doesn't matter. You're going to be a fairy princess or you can be whoever you want to be. This is your night where you are the main character,' Carly said.
The community strives to be an inclusive space where all are welcome and embraced. This has meant that naturally, the group has attracted many neurodiverse members.
'Escapism in the fantasy world has an interest in the neurodiverse community.'
'Even if you're super anxious when you put on a character you can be less shy because you're in persona'.
Carly Vidall-Wallace, Celestial Events founder
Coming from the fashion industry, Carly knows too well the feelings of inadequacy and comparison that she experienced in these spaces.
'I guess I felt that [the fashion industry] was a little bit VIP, you're either in or you're not. What are you wearing? What are they wearing? It was sometimes not a very positive space,' she said.
For members of the neurodivergent community, finding a place of belonging isn't always an easy feat.
Melbourne-based psychologist Susan Rodriguez-Manning said having a safe space was important to people who historically struggle to find community.
'Cosplaying allows you to dress up as the main character, the villain, or the hero, and be unapologetically that loud, excited, and talkative person without criticism,' she said.
Cosplaying is the practice of dressing up as someone from a film, book or video game. It's a huge element of the fantasy book community.
There's an added element of creativity as fans will often add their own interpretations to the words on the page to imagine how they see their favourite characters.
'[Cosplaying] provides a safe way to explore the sides of yourself that you have felt the need to mask,' Susan said.
Although the community has naturally attracted a large neurodivergent audience, it isn't exclusive and is open to anyone who loves fantasy stories.
In a business sense, capitalising on the ever-growing 'BookTok' community was a smart move.
'Ironically, by dressing up as someone else, you get to fully be seen for your authentic self and celebrated for who you are'.
Susan Rodriguez-Manning, psychologist
With almost 60 million posts under #BookTok on TikTok and entire sections of book stores dedicated to stories highlighted online, it's quickly influencing the publishing world.
Book-chain QBD Books recently opened their 100th store with the rise of romantasy genre, where series like ACOTAR sit, partly responsible for the business success.
But like every online community, the BookTok world isn't immune to darker aspects.
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The Advertiser
12 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Calls for content rating as violence, misogyny found in young adult fiction
Parents of young readers may be shocked to learn that many popular novels marketed to preteen girls contain graphic sexual assault and domestic violence themes. A child safeguarding expert has called for content warnings on young adult (YA) fiction to protect vulnerable kids and teens, as well as an industry-wide book rating classification system. Novels such as the Icebreaker series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Once Upon a Broken Heart and Lore Olympus included violent or explicit storylines, new research has found. While some novels were not explicitly directed at preteens, they were popular with girls as young as 12 due to the influence of social media. Dr Emma Hussey, from the Australian Catholic University's (ACU) Institute of Child Protection Studies, said the books were often available in school and community libraries, and were easily accessible to children of all ages. "We looked at a range of fantasy, romance, paranormal, and general fiction novels that were being promoted to teenagers and compared the relationship dynamics to real-world warning signs of abuse," Dr Hussey said. "What we found was a pattern of emotional manipulation, jealousy and control being regularly framed as signs of love," the digital criminologist said. "That was really alarming because these are behaviours that we warn about in domestic violence education, but they're being normalised in fiction that young readers are picking up." ACU academics conducted a thematic analysis of 20 novels recommended by BookTok, a literature subcommunity on TikTok, which are popular among young readers. They found that each novel contained elements of domestic and family violence such as sexual assault, torture, grooming, power and control, including dominance and submission. They also found themes of sexual objectification and masculinity tropes, including powerful, dangerous, and handsome male love interests. "Extreme" sexually explicit content was found in 65 per cent of books analysed, and "moderate" sexual content was in a quarter of books. Graphic and extreme violence was also found in 65 per cent of books, according to the research. Dr Hussey described a scene in Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber where the protagonist is restrained by her love interest. The god-like male character's kiss is poisonous to the protagonist, who is in "constant threat" of death during their courtship, the child safeguarding expert said. The love interest denies the main character's autonomy and is able to speak through her body, Dr Hussey said. "If young readers consistently consume stories where love is tied to obsession, jealousy, possessiveness, or control, they may internalise these behaviours as normal - even desirable - in relationships," Dr Hussey said. "We are already facing a domestic violence epidemic. If girls grow up believing these themes are what they should be looking for in a relationship we run the risk of perpetuating this cycle," she said. Following the research by ACU, Dr Hussey is calling for content warnings to be included on book covers. She is also advocating for the adoption of an industry-wide classification system, similar to those seen in film and television, so parents are able to check if their child is reading developmentally inappropriate content. "A rating system is not about censorship. It is about transparency and ensuring books containing themes such as violence, explicit sexual content, and unhealthy relationship dynamics are classified appropriately," she said. READ MORE: Book ban overturned in rowdy council meeting Some publishers include an age rating in small print, others include content warnings, but some "prefer you to go in blind", the digital criminologist said. "The reality is that many parents have no idea what their children are reading," Dr Hussey said. "The time for action is now," she said. "Parents, schools, and policymakers must work together to implement structured guidance that protects young readers while still allowing them to explore and engage with stories in a way that is safe, educational, and developmentally appropriate." Penguin Books Australia and Bloomsbury Publishing were contacted for comment. Parents of young readers may be shocked to learn that many popular novels marketed to preteen girls contain graphic sexual assault and domestic violence themes. A child safeguarding expert has called for content warnings on young adult (YA) fiction to protect vulnerable kids and teens, as well as an industry-wide book rating classification system. Novels such as the Icebreaker series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Once Upon a Broken Heart and Lore Olympus included violent or explicit storylines, new research has found. While some novels were not explicitly directed at preteens, they were popular with girls as young as 12 due to the influence of social media. Dr Emma Hussey, from the Australian Catholic University's (ACU) Institute of Child Protection Studies, said the books were often available in school and community libraries, and were easily accessible to children of all ages. "We looked at a range of fantasy, romance, paranormal, and general fiction novels that were being promoted to teenagers and compared the relationship dynamics to real-world warning signs of abuse," Dr Hussey said. "What we found was a pattern of emotional manipulation, jealousy and control being regularly framed as signs of love," the digital criminologist said. "That was really alarming because these are behaviours that we warn about in domestic violence education, but they're being normalised in fiction that young readers are picking up." ACU academics conducted a thematic analysis of 20 novels recommended by BookTok, a literature subcommunity on TikTok, which are popular among young readers. They found that each novel contained elements of domestic and family violence such as sexual assault, torture, grooming, power and control, including dominance and submission. They also found themes of sexual objectification and masculinity tropes, including powerful, dangerous, and handsome male love interests. "Extreme" sexually explicit content was found in 65 per cent of books analysed, and "moderate" sexual content was in a quarter of books. Graphic and extreme violence was also found in 65 per cent of books, according to the research. Dr Hussey described a scene in Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber where the protagonist is restrained by her love interest. The god-like male character's kiss is poisonous to the protagonist, who is in "constant threat" of death during their courtship, the child safeguarding expert said. The love interest denies the main character's autonomy and is able to speak through her body, Dr Hussey said. "If young readers consistently consume stories where love is tied to obsession, jealousy, possessiveness, or control, they may internalise these behaviours as normal - even desirable - in relationships," Dr Hussey said. "We are already facing a domestic violence epidemic. If girls grow up believing these themes are what they should be looking for in a relationship we run the risk of perpetuating this cycle," she said. Following the research by ACU, Dr Hussey is calling for content warnings to be included on book covers. She is also advocating for the adoption of an industry-wide classification system, similar to those seen in film and television, so parents are able to check if their child is reading developmentally inappropriate content. "A rating system is not about censorship. It is about transparency and ensuring books containing themes such as violence, explicit sexual content, and unhealthy relationship dynamics are classified appropriately," she said. READ MORE: Book ban overturned in rowdy council meeting Some publishers include an age rating in small print, others include content warnings, but some "prefer you to go in blind", the digital criminologist said. "The reality is that many parents have no idea what their children are reading," Dr Hussey said. "The time for action is now," she said. "Parents, schools, and policymakers must work together to implement structured guidance that protects young readers while still allowing them to explore and engage with stories in a way that is safe, educational, and developmentally appropriate." Penguin Books Australia and Bloomsbury Publishing were contacted for comment. Parents of young readers may be shocked to learn that many popular novels marketed to preteen girls contain graphic sexual assault and domestic violence themes. A child safeguarding expert has called for content warnings on young adult (YA) fiction to protect vulnerable kids and teens, as well as an industry-wide book rating classification system. Novels such as the Icebreaker series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Once Upon a Broken Heart and Lore Olympus included violent or explicit storylines, new research has found. While some novels were not explicitly directed at preteens, they were popular with girls as young as 12 due to the influence of social media. Dr Emma Hussey, from the Australian Catholic University's (ACU) Institute of Child Protection Studies, said the books were often available in school and community libraries, and were easily accessible to children of all ages. "We looked at a range of fantasy, romance, paranormal, and general fiction novels that were being promoted to teenagers and compared the relationship dynamics to real-world warning signs of abuse," Dr Hussey said. "What we found was a pattern of emotional manipulation, jealousy and control being regularly framed as signs of love," the digital criminologist said. "That was really alarming because these are behaviours that we warn about in domestic violence education, but they're being normalised in fiction that young readers are picking up." ACU academics conducted a thematic analysis of 20 novels recommended by BookTok, a literature subcommunity on TikTok, which are popular among young readers. They found that each novel contained elements of domestic and family violence such as sexual assault, torture, grooming, power and control, including dominance and submission. They also found themes of sexual objectification and masculinity tropes, including powerful, dangerous, and handsome male love interests. "Extreme" sexually explicit content was found in 65 per cent of books analysed, and "moderate" sexual content was in a quarter of books. Graphic and extreme violence was also found in 65 per cent of books, according to the research. Dr Hussey described a scene in Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber where the protagonist is restrained by her love interest. The god-like male character's kiss is poisonous to the protagonist, who is in "constant threat" of death during their courtship, the child safeguarding expert said. The love interest denies the main character's autonomy and is able to speak through her body, Dr Hussey said. "If young readers consistently consume stories where love is tied to obsession, jealousy, possessiveness, or control, they may internalise these behaviours as normal - even desirable - in relationships," Dr Hussey said. "We are already facing a domestic violence epidemic. If girls grow up believing these themes are what they should be looking for in a relationship we run the risk of perpetuating this cycle," she said. Following the research by ACU, Dr Hussey is calling for content warnings to be included on book covers. She is also advocating for the adoption of an industry-wide classification system, similar to those seen in film and television, so parents are able to check if their child is reading developmentally inappropriate content. "A rating system is not about censorship. It is about transparency and ensuring books containing themes such as violence, explicit sexual content, and unhealthy relationship dynamics are classified appropriately," she said. READ MORE: Book ban overturned in rowdy council meeting Some publishers include an age rating in small print, others include content warnings, but some "prefer you to go in blind", the digital criminologist said. "The reality is that many parents have no idea what their children are reading," Dr Hussey said. "The time for action is now," she said. "Parents, schools, and policymakers must work together to implement structured guidance that protects young readers while still allowing them to explore and engage with stories in a way that is safe, educational, and developmentally appropriate." Penguin Books Australia and Bloomsbury Publishing were contacted for comment.
Sydney Morning Herald
10-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
What to stream this week: Lena Dunham's new comedy and five more picks
This week's picks include Lena Dunham's London rom-com, season three of a cerebral science-fiction epic, cute animals and sneaky three-season binge. Too Much ★★★★ (Netflix) 'Too much' is the criticism Lena Dunham has heard for much of her career. Too much information, too much nudity, too much self-obsession. An iconoclast in her twenties, when she created Girls, one of the definitive shows of the 2010s, Dunham is now on the cusp of 40, married, and living in London. Too Much, her return to television in the streaming era, is Dunham's unique voice measuring the thirty-something experience from the far side. Deceptively ambitious, it's a cascading, contradictory show. A comic scene-stealer on Hacks, Megan Stalter stars here as Jess Salmon, a New York line producer of television commercials first seen responding to a break-up with questionable judgment. Stalter is a comic force, inhabiting Jess's persona with John Wayne impressions, absurd non-sequiturs, and calamitous self-commentary – her bravura footprint is pitched as a mix of delusion and vulnerability. Seconded to London for work to start over, Jess encounters Felix Remen (Will Sharpe), a cheerfully opaque struggling musician whose chatty calm is reassuring and a barrier. Loading Dunham, who wrote or co-wrote each episode and directed all 10, wants to celebrate and subvert the romantic comedy. This is When Harry Went Mental with Sally. There are autobiographical currents aplenty, including an American making sense of London, but equally smartly interwoven threads on relationship expectations and emotional instincts. 'I cannot leave my own chaos,' laments Jess, but Dunham refuses to hold her protagonist to familiar contours. Jess has a vital monologue when she's casually called 'messy'. The supporting ensemble is overflowing, whether it's Dunham as Jess's depressed Stateside sister Norah or Richard E. Grant as her London boss, or Naomi Watts as his flighty wife. Dunham's ability as a social satirist is strongest now with the privileged, but she's recruiting talent from everywhere – Ripley ' s Andrew Scott features as a moody filmmaker in one episode, while comedian Leo Reich is a performative fireball of gay boy energy as Jess's colleague Boss. The Dunham address book remains immaculate. There's so much going on here – did I mention Stephen Fry as Felix's manipulative father? – that Too Much risks being, well, too much. The connection between Jess and Felix is genuine, but nonetheless fraught. Does it build so quickly because neither can allow for reflection? When you strip everything back, the show is about two people prone to self-sabotage instinctively falling in love and trying to make lasting sense of it. It can be eruptive and lacerating along the way, but there's also room for a rom-com reckoning. It's anything but generic: only Lena Dunham could have made this. Foundation (season 3) ★★★★ (Apple TV+) All credit to this cerebral science-fiction epic: it's not ducking the many challenges involved in adapting Isaac Asimov's series of ground-breaking novels. Entering its third season, this galactic epic continues to marry a vast and knotty plot to pithy characters, sturdy world building, and urgent resolutions. The additions to the source material are extensive, but in a show meant to cover 1000 years over eight seasons the compromises are, like the story's covert cadre of scientists, keeping the plan on track. Loading The plot has jumped forward another 150 years, but a variety of tactics – cloning, cryogenics, automation – keep versions of the original characters involved: the current edition of the galaxy's Emperor, Cleon (Lee Pace), is a druggy nihilist, while the scientist who foresaw civilisation's fall, Hari Seldon (Jared Harris), continues to course correct from the sidelines. Is Foundation too complex for a casual watch? Yes. Is it all the better for it? Absolutely. The new episodes do get a charge from the addition of a crucial Asimov character, a pirate warlord named The Mule (Pilou Asbaek), whose psychic ability to control minds sits outside the many calculations guiding the show's factions. His demonstrations add an element of horror to Foundation, which also has a sly sense of humour sneaking through. Of the many fantastical elements manifesting here, influencer satire was the least expected. Underdogs ★★½ (Disney+) A nature documentary narrated by Deadpool? Ryan Reynolds proves the unlikely successor to Sir David Attenborough in this five-part documentary series from National Geographic. With tongue firmly in cheek, Reynolds is the irreverent guide in this homage to underappreciated species who rarely get top billing. Episode titles such as Superheroes (shout out to the Velvet Worm), Terrible Parents, and Total Grossout give you a fair idea of the content, which comes with satirical flourishes and self-referential slips. It's rated M, but mostly plays as PG. Deep Cover ★★★ (Amazon Prime Video) In this daffy action-comedy, Bryce Dallas Howard plays an American actor in London running improv comedy classes who, along with students played by Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed, is asked by the Metropolitan Police to infiltrate a criminal syndicate. Somehow in this world of guns and poses, the trio make haphazard progress, opening up conspiracies and silliness alike. The supporting cast playing crooks and coppers adds a hard-nosed counterpoint: Sean Bean, Paddy Considine and Ian McShane all try to make sense of the amateurs, some of whom are very good at playing actors who aren't funny. Dear Ms: A Revolution in Print ★★½ (Max) First published in 1972, Ms was the American magazine that helped take second-wave feminism into the mainstream, becoming a newsstand sensation (it remains a quarterly publication today) and setting off misogynist tripwires. With a different director for each episode, this three-part documentary series looks at the birth of Ms, whose founding editors included Gloria Steinem, the way its readership was educated about issues related to feminism, and finally the culture clashes inside and outside the magazine on topics like sex, erotica, and sex work. It's complex but never clunky. The energy then is obvious now. Sneaky Pete ★★★ (Netflix) A three-season binge, on Netflix for the first time, this blackly comic 2015 crime drama, created by David Shore (House) and Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston, was part of Amazon Prime Video's initial wave of knotty anti-hero series. Giovanni Ribisi plays a con man just released from jail, who dodges those waiting to harm him by posing as his cellmate and taking up with his mark's estranged family. Given the clan's criminal connections, it's an out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire move, as the new Pete Murphy struggles to keep up. MVP cast member: Margon Martindale as a menacing matriarch.
The Age
10-07-2025
- The Age
What to stream this week: Lena Dunham's new comedy and five more picks
This week's picks include Lena Dunham's London rom-com, season three of a cerebral science-fiction epic, cute animals and sneaky three-season binge. Too Much ★★★★ (Netflix) 'Too much' is the criticism Lena Dunham has heard for much of her career. Too much information, too much nudity, too much self-obsession. An iconoclast in her twenties, when she created Girls, one of the definitive shows of the 2010s, Dunham is now on the cusp of 40, married, and living in London. Too Much, her return to television in the streaming era, is Dunham's unique voice measuring the thirty-something experience from the far side. Deceptively ambitious, it's a cascading, contradictory show. A comic scene-stealer on Hacks, Megan Stalter stars here as Jess Salmon, a New York line producer of television commercials first seen responding to a break-up with questionable judgment. Stalter is a comic force, inhabiting Jess's persona with John Wayne impressions, absurd non-sequiturs, and calamitous self-commentary – her bravura footprint is pitched as a mix of delusion and vulnerability. Seconded to London for work to start over, Jess encounters Felix Remen (Will Sharpe), a cheerfully opaque struggling musician whose chatty calm is reassuring and a barrier. Loading Dunham, who wrote or co-wrote each episode and directed all 10, wants to celebrate and subvert the romantic comedy. This is When Harry Went Mental with Sally. There are autobiographical currents aplenty, including an American making sense of London, but equally smartly interwoven threads on relationship expectations and emotional instincts. 'I cannot leave my own chaos,' laments Jess, but Dunham refuses to hold her protagonist to familiar contours. Jess has a vital monologue when she's casually called 'messy'. The supporting ensemble is overflowing, whether it's Dunham as Jess's depressed Stateside sister Norah or Richard E. Grant as her London boss, or Naomi Watts as his flighty wife. Dunham's ability as a social satirist is strongest now with the privileged, but she's recruiting talent from everywhere – Ripley ' s Andrew Scott features as a moody filmmaker in one episode, while comedian Leo Reich is a performative fireball of gay boy energy as Jess's colleague Boss. The Dunham address book remains immaculate. There's so much going on here – did I mention Stephen Fry as Felix's manipulative father? – that Too Much risks being, well, too much. The connection between Jess and Felix is genuine, but nonetheless fraught. Does it build so quickly because neither can allow for reflection? When you strip everything back, the show is about two people prone to self-sabotage instinctively falling in love and trying to make lasting sense of it. It can be eruptive and lacerating along the way, but there's also room for a rom-com reckoning. It's anything but generic: only Lena Dunham could have made this. Foundation (season 3) ★★★★ (Apple TV+) All credit to this cerebral science-fiction epic: it's not ducking the many challenges involved in adapting Isaac Asimov's series of ground-breaking novels. Entering its third season, this galactic epic continues to marry a vast and knotty plot to pithy characters, sturdy world building, and urgent resolutions. The additions to the source material are extensive, but in a show meant to cover 1000 years over eight seasons the compromises are, like the story's covert cadre of scientists, keeping the plan on track. Loading The plot has jumped forward another 150 years, but a variety of tactics – cloning, cryogenics, automation – keep versions of the original characters involved: the current edition of the galaxy's Emperor, Cleon (Lee Pace), is a druggy nihilist, while the scientist who foresaw civilisation's fall, Hari Seldon (Jared Harris), continues to course correct from the sidelines. Is Foundation too complex for a casual watch? Yes. Is it all the better for it? Absolutely. The new episodes do get a charge from the addition of a crucial Asimov character, a pirate warlord named The Mule (Pilou Asbaek), whose psychic ability to control minds sits outside the many calculations guiding the show's factions. His demonstrations add an element of horror to Foundation, which also has a sly sense of humour sneaking through. Of the many fantastical elements manifesting here, influencer satire was the least expected. Underdogs ★★½ (Disney+) A nature documentary narrated by Deadpool? Ryan Reynolds proves the unlikely successor to Sir David Attenborough in this five-part documentary series from National Geographic. With tongue firmly in cheek, Reynolds is the irreverent guide in this homage to underappreciated species who rarely get top billing. Episode titles such as Superheroes (shout out to the Velvet Worm), Terrible Parents, and Total Grossout give you a fair idea of the content, which comes with satirical flourishes and self-referential slips. It's rated M, but mostly plays as PG. Deep Cover ★★★ (Amazon Prime Video) In this daffy action-comedy, Bryce Dallas Howard plays an American actor in London running improv comedy classes who, along with students played by Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed, is asked by the Metropolitan Police to infiltrate a criminal syndicate. Somehow in this world of guns and poses, the trio make haphazard progress, opening up conspiracies and silliness alike. The supporting cast playing crooks and coppers adds a hard-nosed counterpoint: Sean Bean, Paddy Considine and Ian McShane all try to make sense of the amateurs, some of whom are very good at playing actors who aren't funny. Dear Ms: A Revolution in Print ★★½ (Max) First published in 1972, Ms was the American magazine that helped take second-wave feminism into the mainstream, becoming a newsstand sensation (it remains a quarterly publication today) and setting off misogynist tripwires. With a different director for each episode, this three-part documentary series looks at the birth of Ms, whose founding editors included Gloria Steinem, the way its readership was educated about issues related to feminism, and finally the culture clashes inside and outside the magazine on topics like sex, erotica, and sex work. It's complex but never clunky. The energy then is obvious now. Sneaky Pete ★★★ (Netflix) A three-season binge, on Netflix for the first time, this blackly comic 2015 crime drama, created by David Shore (House) and Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston, was part of Amazon Prime Video's initial wave of knotty anti-hero series. Giovanni Ribisi plays a con man just released from jail, who dodges those waiting to harm him by posing as his cellmate and taking up with his mark's estranged family. Given the clan's criminal connections, it's an out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire move, as the new Pete Murphy struggles to keep up. MVP cast member: Margon Martindale as a menacing matriarch.
