Humor and representation shine in third season of ‘Sex Education’

Humor and representation shine in third season of ‘Sex Education’

Netflix’s newest season of “Sex Education” allows viewers to feel as if they are eavesdropping on the latest gossip during a high school passing period, while also providing catharsis for the trauma that accompanies being a teenager. The third season, released on Netflix on Sept. 17, brings audiences back to some of their favorite characters from the town of Moordale. “Sex Education” has its strong points when it comes to portraying teenagers on an emotional, cultural and sexual level, even if it exhausts certain storylines and disregards promising subplots.

Phoebe Bridgers takes to the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston

Phoebe Bridgers takes to the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston

Phoebe Bridgers has had a remarkable year. Following the release of her second studio album, “Punisher,” in mid-2020, the 27-year-old musician gained widespread fame and multiple Grammy nominations. Bridgers spent the latter part of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 playing virtual sets on late night shows before embarking on a largely sold-out, fully outdoors in-person tour in September 2021. On Sept. 26 and 27, Bridgers played for a sold-out Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, MA.

Children’s games become deadly in Netflix’s ‘Squid Games’

Children’s games become deadly in Netflix’s ‘Squid Games’

“Squid Game,” a South Korean horror Netflix Original series that dropped on Sept. 17, has quickly become the hottest television show streaming on the platform. It has a stellar 94 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, an 8.3/10 on IMDB and has taken the number one spot on Netflix in 90 countries. The show deserves the worldwide recognition and success it has received since its release. It possesses a suspenseful atmosphere, successfully drawing viewers in as the players navigate the games.

‘I feel rejuvenated, I feel excited’: Dance majors on returning to campus  

‘I feel rejuvenated, I feel excited’: Dance majors on returning to campus  

Sashaying and pirouetting within the confines of cramped off-campus rooms became the new normal for many Mount Holyoke dance majors in March 2020, when students were sent home because of COVID-19. While many classes functioned similarly enough to the on-campus experience, the dance department saw a significant shift in their classes. The studio space, which allows students and faculty to experience community and energy through movement, was now missing from dancers’ lives. During the pandemic, professors and students had to figure out how to recreate this sense of community in a virtual environment.

Julien Baker performs at Gateway City Arts

Julien Baker performs at Gateway City Arts


On Saturday, Sept. 18, Julien Baker performed to an excited and emotional crowd at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke, MA. Playing a mix of favorites from her debut album as well as most of the content from her newest release, “Little Oblivions,” Baker interacted with her audience like old friends. Baker was joined onstage by a small band, including Mariah Schneider on guitar and vocals, Noah Forbes on piano and Matthew Gilliam on drums. The four musicians created an intimate environment that allowed Baker’s striking vocals to shine. The size of the audience — all fully masked — showed that the Pioneer Valley is more than ready for the return of live music.

In ‘star-crossed,’ Kacey Musgraves shows she isn’t a typical country singer 

In ‘star-crossed,’ Kacey Musgraves shows she isn’t a typical country singer 

“Let me set the scene / Two lovers ripped right at the seams,” country music star Kacey Musgraves sings in the first lines of her recently released fourth studio album, “star-crossed.” In this opening track, Musgraves outlines her marriage falling apart — from the painful split from American singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly, to the divorce itself, to finally breaking free from the hurt.

‘Fabulation’ will kick-off the Rooke Theater’s 2021-2022 season

‘Fabulation’ will kick-off the Rooke Theater’s 2021-2022 season

The Mount Holyoke College department of film, media and theater will open Lynn Nottage’s 2004 play, “Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine,” on Thursday, Oct. 21. The show will run until Sunday, Oct. 24 and will be directed by visiting lecturer in film, media and theater Michael Ofori, who teaches acting, “as well as various other courses in interdisciplinary arts and African theater and performance,” according to his staff biography.

Second installment of ‘RACE and … Dance’ celebrates house dance 

Second installment of ‘RACE and … Dance’ celebrates house dance 

On Friday, Sept. 24, Five College Dance and Mount Holyoke Division of Student Life, Office of Community and Belonging and the campus Cultural Centers hosted the second session of “RACE and … Dance,” a three-part dance workshop hosted on Zoom. The event was designed to allow the general public to learn about and appreciate African diasporic cultures “whose contributions to contemporary dance are often underexplored,” according to the event’s Embark page.

Watch these five movies by Latine and Hispanic filmmakers

In honor of National Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month, Mount Holyoke News asked Bianka Ballina, Mount Holyoke Fellow and Visiting Lecturer in the department of film, media and theater, to recommend five movies by Latine and Hispanic directors.

‘He’s All That’ is a film worth skipping

‘He’s All That’ is a film worth skipping

Netflix’s recent remake of the classic romance film “She’s All That,” titled “He’s All That,” is a modern spin on the original coming-of-age movie. The motion picture, starring Tik Tok-er Addison Rae, falls short, banking less on its cast’s acting abilities and more on their internet fame. With a lackluster script and direction from Mark Waters, the Netflix original proves to be just an awkward spoof of the hit ‘90s film it is inspired by, and, ultimately, is unnecessary.

Lorde branches out with ‘Solar Power’ and releases its companion EP

Lorde branches out with ‘Solar Power’ and releases its companion EP


“Solar Power,” the third album from New Zealand singer-songwriter Ella Yelich-O’Connor, more widely known as Lorde, is a sharp sonic departure from her earlier work. So far, “Solar Power” has been met with mixed reception from both long-time fans and critics. Released on Aug. 20, 2021, the album’s stripped-back, acoustic sound — reminiscent of pop songs from the early 2000s — ushers in a new chapter in her artistry.

Sounds of MoHo: August


These are the songs that Mount Holyoke students had on loop all July. Did your favorite songs make the cut? Find out by visiting our Spotify playlist here. You can follow the Mount Holyoke News on Spotify to catch all of our latest staff playlists.

Find the August Sounds of MoHo playlist on our Spotify playlist here.

‘The White Lotus’ is a biting — but toothless — satire

‘The White Lotus’ is a biting — but toothless — satire

“The White Lotus,” one of the most talked-about television shows of summer 2021, is deceptive from the onset. The series begins with a mystery, but as it unfolds it becomes clear that hot-button issues such as class struggle and race are at the center of the narrative. Although I first became interested in the HBO six-episode limited series upon viewing the opening shots, which display a dead body being loaded onto a plane, I noticed the show ends up leaning more toward satire than a sincere whodunit.

Inaugural Mariposa Prize awarded to two Mount Holyoke College graduates

Inaugural Mariposa Prize awarded to two Mount Holyoke College graduates

This past spring, the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum and the department of Spanish, Latina/o and Latin American studies announced a new student award, the inaugural Mariposa Prize. The prize was funded by and based around the work of Hector Dionico Mendoza, a mixed-media artist who teaches in the visual and public art department at California State University, Monterey Bay.

With the release of ‘The Fool.,’ Ella Giordano ’22 focuses on doing what they don’t know how to do

With the release of ‘The Fool.,’ Ella Giordano ’22 focuses on doing what they don’t know how to do

In the spirit of a recent art seminar they took at Amherst College, titled “Doing What You Don’t Know How to Do,” Ella Giordano ’22 has been focusing on taking risks and developing new skills. This has led to the recent release of their debut folk-pop single, “The Fool.”

Britney Spears speaks to Los Angeles court about decade-long mistreatment

Britney Spears speaks to Los Angeles court about decade-long mistreatment

On June 23, the long-reigning “Princess of Pop,” Britney Spears, appeared remotely in front of a Los Angeles court and asked them to end her 13-year conservatorship.

According to the official website of the Judicial Branch of California, “A conservatorship is a court case where a judge appoints a responsible person or organization (called the ‘conservator’) to care for another adult (called the ‘conservatee’) who cannot care for himself or herself or manage his or her own finances.” In this case, the conservators are Spears’ father and her attorney.

‘Hacks” tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two female comics

‘Hacks” tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two female comics

In “Hacks,” the Emmy-nominated HBO Max comedy-drama released in early May, a stubborn 70-year-old veteran comedian meets her match in a self-obsessed, flannel-wearing 25-year-old humorist. The most promising part of the 10-episode series is the unlikely bond between Deborah Vance (portrayed by “Mare of Easttown” actress Jean Smart), a stand-up comic based in Las Vegas, and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), a comedy writer who has been canceled due to an off-color tweet about a gay senator.

Lorde returns with the song of the summer and announces new album

Lorde returns with the song of the summer and announces new album

After four long years, New Zealand singer-songwriter Ella Yelich-O’Connor, better known as “Lorde,” has released the first single and titular track from her upcoming third studio album, “Solar Power,” scheduled for release in late August.

Was ‘In the Heights’ a win for representation?

As fun as they are, flashy, showstopping musical numbers cannot save “In the Heights” from the criticism that emerged on social media following the musical-drama film’s release in early June. The motion picture, created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, writer and star of the Tony-winning Broadway musical of the same name, was difficult to watch. This was in part due to its failure to center Afro-Latino actors, despite taking place in the New York neighborhood of Washington Heights, known as the “Little Dominican Republic.”

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