ANONYMOUS - OUR VOICE

How oysters can stop a flood

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WptPaESTQdGjB19LY44P1gEmc_s=/0x38:1920x1043/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817866/VDC_XCL_010_oyster_reefs_cleanThumb.jpg" /></div>
In the last century, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/61/2/107/242615&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1630439169254000&usg=AOvVaw0e0Hs-8HW5pxEG-2jRvUk2">85 percent of the world’s oyster reefs</a> have vanished. And we’re only recently beginning to understand what that’s cost us: While they don’t look incredibly appealing from the shore, oysters are vital to bays and waterways around the world. A single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water every day. And over time, oysters form incredible reef structures that double as habitats for various species of fish, crabs, and other animals. In their absence, our coastlines have suffered.
Now, several <a href="https://stormrecovery.ny.gov/learn-more-about-living-breakwaters-project">projects</a> <a href="https://www.billionoysterproject.org/">from New York</a> to the <a href="https://www.naturebasedsolutionsinitiative.org/news/oyster-reefs-in-bangladesh-and-the-gulf-of-mexico/">Gulf of Mexico and Bangladesh</a> are aiming to <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/09/the-seas-are-rising-could-oysters-protect-us">bring the oysters back</a>. Because not only are oysters vital ecosystems; they can also protect us from the rising oceans by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakwater_(structure)#:~:text=Breakwaters%20are%20structures%20constructed%20near,both%20weather%20and%20longshore%20drift.">acting as breakwaters</a>, deflecting waves before they hit the shore. It won’t stop the seas from rising, but embracing <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4525">living shorelines</a> could help protect us from what’s to come.
You can find this video and all of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLXo7UDZvByw2ixzpQCufnA">Vox’s videos on YouTube</a>.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/videos/22650761/oyster-reef-restoration-flooding-climate-change">https://www.vox.com/videos/22650761/oyster-reef-restoration-flooding-climate-change</a>

vox How oysters can stop a flood

In the last century, 85 percent of the world’s oyster reefs have vanished. And we’re only recently beginning to understand what that’s cos...

An alarming new Supreme Court case could unravel Roe v. Wade as soon as tonight

In May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a state law that <a href="https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB8/2021">effectively bans abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy</a> — sooner than many people learn they are pregnant. This law violates the ruling in <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/505/833">Planned Parenthood v. Casey</a> (1992), which protects “the right of the woman to choose to have an abortion before viability and to obtain it without undue interference from the state.” But it will nonetheless take effect on Wednesday unless a court blocks it.
In one sense, the fight over Texas’s anti-abortion law, known as SB 8, is familiar. A Republican-led state enacted a restriction on abortion that violates existing Supreme Court precedents. Pregnant people in the state lose access to reproductive health care — in this case, many clinics have <a href="https://19thnews.org/2021/08/texas-planned-parenthoods-abortion-law-turning-away-patients/">drastically reduced abortions</a> even before SB 8 takes effect. Meanwhile they, and the rest of us, have to wait to see if an increasingly right-wing judiciary will enforce its past decisions or continue to chip away at that precedent.
The anti-abortion law, which is now before the Supreme Court in a case called <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/21A24/189841/20210830120232143_WWH%20v%20Jackson%20-%20emergency%20application%20with%20appendix.pdf">Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson</a>, presents a <a href="https://twitter.com/steve_vladeck/status/1432682606248747009">maze of procedural complexities</a> that are rarely seen in even the most complicated litigation. The law appears to have been drafted to intentionally frustrate lawsuits challenging its constitutionality. And Texas, with an assist from a right-wing appellate court, has thus far manipulated the litigation process to prevent any judge from considering whether SB 8 is lawful.
The stakes in this case are astronomical. Six weeks into a pregnancy is often very soon after a pregnant person misses their first menstrual period. So they <a href="https://www.vox.com/22444100/texas-bans-abortion-6-weeks-supreme-court">may not even be aware that they are pregnant</a> until it is too late. According to the abortion providers who are suing to block SB 8, at least <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/21A24/189841/20210830120232143_WWH%20v%20Jackson%20-%20emergency%20application%20with%20appendix.pdf">85 percent of abortions in Texas</a> take place after the sixth week of pregnancy. If the Supreme Court does not intervene before Wednesday, Texas’s law will take effect, and these abortions will become illegal.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1630455062_756_42025" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22817592,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gU_IJBhbmSni07BJ4mvYmQtSY6w=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/g2PjI8l3qtEfCjzJGhWfXiClNAs=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/obfGWDXQzZiCARbSbUZ1FGsHY4M=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TJU3wfcTuHiy5zs_mZwMCnPcnpU=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PN9gOy2B9ZpEg_nEcVBkNL7wZco=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ANkZDj3tP6K1LWVWLBSNDlBUeAc=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/J_RvUiS3p4jMRRr_DUvUyhriLMQ=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/398KtciW-iNy3pFH7w228pIzOtc=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/swyqO8CKlO-_VGAZlZIu6OgAUus=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3000" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VhD7YwF6zX_eBScRHvI5Mkw0Tdg=/0x0:3000x2000/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MqFj8ISrv0n2Y8Ui2lchUAgYBk8=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6VsqDi_a2s2oClbz52vf2lhAKYc=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZDbP8iuS5QLGwQndouN9eWDnags=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Y8Zhnjevegw-xLfbvNnpepz2uMg=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ttyQo9p_O4HQseakxMuHHQSeSfc=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4VvOhtXI6_L7TD8FPu8M5vVIkfs=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mt_HKZLA0rFApDrZdNHLbLpWAd8=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tHnUTawnZyAWbhri2Yeh8vm_9_0=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RoHVX6xqnwyPfdwWfQV8TC8w8Dw=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817592/GettyImages_1233172250.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Thousands of protesters demonstrated in response to SB 8, Texas’s anti-abortion law, on May 29.</figcaption>
<cite>Sergio Flores/Getty Images</cite></figure>
SB 8 imposes such draconian sanctions on abortion providers that all 11 of Texas’s Planned Parenthood clinics <a href="https://19thnews.org/2021/08/texas-planned-parenthoods-abortion-law-turning-away-patients/">stopped scheduling abortions after the sixth week</a> of pregnancy in mid-August, even though SB 8 is not yet in effect. Some other clinics in Texas plan to continue providing their ordinary slate of services until Wednesday, but they will almost certainly cease doing so once SB 8 takes effect.
And the stakes in Whole Woman’s Health stretch far beyond abortion. SB 8 is drafted to frustrate judicial review before the law takes effect. If the Supreme Court embraces this tactic, other states are likely to copy it, potentially allowing states to enact all kinds of unconstitutional practices that can’t be challenged until after an unconstitutional law takes effect.
Finally, it’s worth noting that this case arises on the Supreme Court’s “<a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/8/11/21356913/supreme-court-shadow-docket-jail-asylum-covid-immigrants-sonia-sotomayor-barnes-ahlman">shadow docket</a>,” a mix of emergency motions and other expedited cases that do not receive full briefing or oral argument. Historically, the Court was reluctant to hand down major, precedent-setting decisions on its shadow docket because of the risk that the justices will hand down an erroneous decision without fully understanding its consequences.
Because altering the Court’s approach to a contentious issue such as abortion in a shadow docket case would be an extraordinary departure from the Court’s normal procedures, it’s possible that a majority of the justices will decide to block SB 8 — at least temporarily. But this Court has a 6-3 conservative majority that is <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/5/17/22233440/supreme-court-abortion-roe-wade-dobbs-jackson-womens-health-amy-coney-barrett">very hostile to abortion rights</a>, so it is at least as likely that the Court will let the law take effect, and effectively overrule key prongs of Casey and Roe v. Wade.
The question in Whole Woman’s Health, in other words, isn’t just whether abortions will remain available in Texas. It is whether the ordinary procedural rules that are supposed to govern all litigation will still be honored by the nation’s highest court.
SB 8 is a truly bizarre law.
The way it’s written, a Texan who objects to SB 8 may have no one they can sue to stop it from taking effect.
For one, abortion rights plaintiffs can’t sue their state directly. The ordinary rule is that when someone sues a state in order to block a state law, they cannot sue the state directly. States benefit from a doctrine known as “sovereign immunity,” which typically prevents lawsuits against the state itself.
But they also can’t really follow the same path that most citizens who want to stop laws do. That path relies on <a href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/209/123.html">Ex parte Young</a> (1908), a decision in which the Supreme Court established that someone raising a constitutional challenge to a state law may sue the state officer charged with enforcing that law — and obtain a court order preventing that officer from enforcing it. So, for example, if Texas passed a law requiring the state medical board to strip all abortion providers of their medical licenses, a plaintiff could sue the medical board. If a state passed a law requiring state police to blockade abortion clinics, a plaintiff might sue the chief of the state’s police force.
Part of what makes SB 8 such a bizarre law is that it does not permit any state official to enforce it. Rather, the statute provides that it “shall be <a href="https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB8/2021">enforced exclusively through . . . private civil actions</a>.”
Under the law, “any person, other than an officer or employee of a state or local governmental entity in this state,” may bring a private lawsuit against anyone who performs an abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy, or against anyone who “knowingly engages in conduct that aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion.” Plaintiffs who prevail in such suits shall receive at least $10,000 from the defendant.
SB 8, in other words, attempts to make an end run around Young by preventing state officials from directly enforcing the law. Again, Young established that a plaintiff may sue a state official charged with enforcing a state law in order to block enforcement of that law. But if no state official is charged with enforcing the law, there’s no one to sue in order to block the law. Checkmate, libs.
It’s worth noting that this tactic cannot prevent anyone from ever challenging SB 8. If the law takes effect, abortion providers (plus anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion, a vague term that is not defined in the statute) will undoubtedly be bombarded with lawsuits seeking the $10,000 bounty authorized by the new state law. These defendants will then be able to argue in court that they should not be required to pay this bounty because it is unconstitutional.
But they will do so under the threat of having to pay such a bounty to anyone who brings a lawsuit against them. Even if abortion providers prevail in all of these suits, moreover, they will still have to pay for lawyers to defend themselves in court. And the suits seeking a bounty under SB 8 will likely be numerous and endless, because literally “any person” who is not a Texas state officer can file such a suit.
Once the law takes effect, in other words, it will be too late. Unless abortion providers can obtain a court order blocking SB 8 before it takes effect, those providers are likely to be crushed by a wave of lawsuits that they cannot afford to litigate.
A coalition of abortion providers, advocacy groups, and private individuals <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/21A24/189841/20210830120232143_WWH%20v%20Jackson%20-%20emergency%20application%20with%20appendix.pdf">did file a lawsuit challenging SB 8</a> and seeking to block it before it takes effect. The lawsuit names a hodgepodge of defendants, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who has some power to bring enforcement actions against abortion providers after a court determines that such a provider violated SB 8.
The lawsuit also names a Texas judge and a clerk of a Texas court, on the theory that private lawsuits filed under SB 8 will be heard by Texas courts, and thus court officials are the proper defendants under Young. Although lawsuits against judges are typically disfavored, the Supreme Court established in <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4856877825507349419&hl=en&as_sdt=6&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr">Supreme Court of Va. v. Consumers Union of United States</a> (1980) that judges may sometimes be sued if there is no other way to challenge a state law.
And yet, even though a federal district court determined that the Whole Woman’s Health plaintiffs <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/21A24/189841/20210830120232143_WWH%20v%20Jackson%20-%20emergency%20application%20with%20appendix.pdf">may sue Texas judges in order to block SB 8</a>, no court has actually reached the core question at the heart of this case: whether SB 8 is unconstitutional.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1630455062_7001_42026" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22817614,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/i483KTGe5CqyufvPu25gSdVXrlI=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eEqaAKzgWknhSABuCGCfzs9FS3Y=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F_Mqp_Ggi4aBM5Ow_D2EYkXA9ZU=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/v0t_4fJZds-28KAXrEE47oiRHyk=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TB82PnDOtFaQqhL-3BcS_yCBu6s=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hOX8MqWZr47YbgPuc7HVOTBV4Fc=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/k2bZn0MnB1jJMLR4kiW9gO8GbBs=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/m7YA3snsE-YOP_4WCQaxK9ri_00=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_NtXOfv6m6xIEhwhp3QJYh7i6Po=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3000" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9KEPHKGEn_xyJ-VUJbAzSP84NZs=/0x0:3000x2000/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/I-oIHPDW7QGehQD4CYYSrZOB9Go=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6apYh8Imr76CYdwi_qDf6sCXfcE=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gGyX58mu8qUoYuUkcSuWZ1_gpkk=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Z2314APMJJzHArBk2AIVORCKJYI=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/v-OM1UUVyWfNXexYGa19Nt76RH4=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AOP-AyQ-0Y_aBS4VgO7VYbdkd8k=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UKPHO3GVLbtr03Gl8hHGVNgf49k=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5k8NKECetaKUXclSJdZJZoEIqeM=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-dBmaI1CmLLSm67A2YDrFNgSO90=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22817614/GettyImages_1230704283.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Supreme Court justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Elena Kagan, and Brett Kavanaugh attend President Biden’s inauguration. All but Kagan were Trump appointees.</figcaption>
<cite>Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images</cite></figure>
The reason is dizzyingly complex, and difficult to summarize in a concise way. A somewhat oversimplified explanation is that, shortly after the district court ruled that the Whole Woman’s Health litigation could proceed against state judges, but before the district court decided whether to block SB 8, Texas filed an appeal in the right-wing United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The Fifth Circuit then ordered the district court not to decide this case.
The plaintiffs are now in the Supreme Court asking the justices to allow this case to actually be decided either by the original district court or by the Supreme Court itself. Perhaps the justices could decide themselves to block SB 8 — although that outcome is unlikely <a href="https://www.vox.com/22590262/supreme-court-anti-abortion-lawyers">given the Court’s anti-abortion majority</a>. Alternatively, the justices could lift the Fifth Circuit’s order and instruct the district court to rule on whether SB 8 is constitutional.
If you are confused by this morass of procedural aggression, countermeasures to procedural aggression, dueling appeals, and court orders forbidding other court orders, you should be. This is not how the judiciary is supposed to function.
Litigants who face an <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/504/555">imminent risk of harm</a> unless a state law is blocked should be given an opportunity to challenge that law before they violate it and risk legal consequences. Appeals courts should wait for lower courts to decide a case before they reach a different conclusion than the lower court might reach. Doctors who provide medical care that, at least for the time being, is still protected by decisions like Roe and Casey should not risk an unending wave of harassing lawsuits brought by people seeking to collect a bounty.
If a court does not intervene before tomorrow, SB 8 will take effect. That means that, if the justices do nothing in this case, they are effectively choosing to rewrite the nation’s abortion jurisprudence without receiving full briefing, hearing oral argument, or taking more than a couple of days to even consider the case.
Just as significantly, they will bless a tactic that could be used to undermine virtually any constitutional right. Imagine, for example, that New York passed an SB 8-style law allowing private individuals to bring lawsuits seeking a $10,000 bounty against anyone who owns a gun. Or, for that matter, imagine if Texas passed a law permitting similar suits against anyone who criticizes the governor of Texas.
Procedural rules <a href="https://www.vox.com/22454648/justice-stephen-breyer-supreme-court-retirement-book-harvard-court-packing-voting-democracy">exist for a reason</a>. They ensure that every litigant has an opportunity to have their case heard, even if the litigant ultimately does not prevail. They also ensure that courts do not hand down haphazardly decided cases that could impact millions of people.
As Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned in 2020, after her Court handed down a series of unusual <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/2/22/21148529/justice-sotomayor-supreme-court-wolf-cook-county-public-charge-thumb-on-scale">shadow docket orders benefiting the Donald Trump administration</a>, shadow docket cases “force the Court to consider important statutory and constitutional questions that have not been ventilated fully in the lower courts, on abbreviated timetables and without oral argument.” They also “upend the normal appellate process, putting a thumb on the scale in favor of” a particular party.
Perhaps most important, obedience to procedural norms is a sign of judicial humility. They are the way that judges show us that they are bound by rules, even if individual judges disagree with the outcome dictated by those rules.
There is a case, <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization/">Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization</a>, currently pending before the Court, that presents the conservative justices with an opportunity to overrule Roe v. Wade. That case will receive full briefing and an oral argument, and will likely be decided next June. If the justices want to make abortion illegal in Texas, they only have to wait a few months and they will get their chance to do so through the Court’s ordinary procedures.
If they choose to let SB 8 go into effect this week, by contrast, the justices will send a clear signal that they don’t think the ordinary rules should apply to litigants they dislike. If that happens, it is a terrifying sign about the future of the rule of law.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/8/31/22650303/supreme-court-abortion-texas-sb8-jackson-roe-wade-greg-abbott">https://www.vox.com/2021/8/31/22650303/supreme-court-abortion-texas-sb8-jackson-roe-wade-greg-abbott</a>

vox An alarming new Supreme Court case could unravel Roe v. Wade as soon as tonight

In May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a state law that effectively bans abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy — sooner than many ...

The Ted Lasso backlash was inevitable

The <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22290391/ted-lasso-explained-apple-tv-plus-jason-sudeikis">Ted Lasso d</a>iscourse has hit, and it is a torrential downpour of hot takes, over-the-top tweets, and impassioned arguments for and against the AppleTV+ comedy. The discussions aren’t just happening online, either — even my personal trainer recently filled me in on why he thinks season two has been a disappointment.
It is frankly baffling that Ted Lasso, of all shows, is prompting such heated discourse. Ted Lasso is a solid television program, but it is also an unassuming one. Its most salient qualities are its big heart and its sneaky charm, perhaps best reflected by Ted himself (Jason Sudeikis), a US football coach who is hired to run a UK soccer team ... into the ground.
Somewhere in the middle of a very, very difficult 2020, a lot of people discovered that Ted Lasso was a great comfort-food watch. The series became an unlikely sensation, and just last month it raked in 20 Emmy Award nominations. So as it returned for its second season in the middle of a very, very difficult 2021, a lot of fans were hoping that Ted would light the way forward, with kindness and a twinkle in his eye.
Instead, at least some of those fans have found themselves irritated by a season that feels like <a href="https://twitter.com/danielradosh/status/1429447309528604672?lang=en">low-conflict froth</a>, where nothing much happens and, as the <a href="https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/apple-tv-plus/ted-lasso-season-2-episodes-4-christmas-review/">Christmas episode suggests</a>, Santa Claus literally exists. Six episodes in, season two has yet to really establish an overarching story, where season one had a strong sports movie core. There are also ongoing conversations — <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/tv/2021/07/22/ted-lasso-season-2-review/">largely driven</a> by <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/16/ted-lasso-cant-save-us">women of color</a> and <a href="https://judedoyle.medium.com/im-getting-pretty-sick-of-the-one-good-man-5761c337854b">trans people</a> — about the limits of Ted Lasso’s good-guy nature, when his societal privilege as a nice-guy white guy means he isn’t really risking all that much being good. He’s an interesting TV character, sure. But a role model?
These complaints all have counterarguments. <a href="https://twitter.com/danielradosh/status/1429447309528604672/retweets/with_comments">Many fans</a> are furious that anyone could be furious with such a cute, unassuming TV show. Others (including myself) would argue that Ted Lasso’s second season isn’t actually very different, and that all of its current qualities — positive and negative — were already present in season one. The discourse around the show just didn’t make as much of them at the time. <a href="https://twitter.com/CarolBlymire/status/1429800952513581064">Also, this happened</a>.
As <a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/ted-lasso-christmas-episode-serialization-debate.html">Kathryn VanArendonk astutely notes at Vulture</a>, the reason this fight has grown so heated is that a lot of fans are essentially debating the value of goodness in art. VanArendonk also suggests, however, that what some fans are truly mad about is serialization and the way season two’s Christmas episode seemed to stop the season in its tracks.
I think VanArendonk is mostly right. The vast majority of people who watched Ted Lasso’s first season binge-watched it, and a binge-watch is necessarily a very different experience from a week-to-week watch. In a binge, episodic flaws recede to the background. Studies have even found that when you binge-watch a show, you’re <a href="https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/7729/6532">less likely to remember details about the story</a> than you would if you watched one episode per week.
Again, the flaws people are now finding in Ted Lasso were already present in season one. The show has always been defined by low levels of conflict and an overall veneer of happy-go-lucky optimism, to the degree that <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22290391/ted-lasso-explained-apple-tv-plus-jason-sudeikis">when I wrote about its rise</a> earlier this year and thought I was being mildly critical of it, many readers quoted my story as though I had written glowingly about how Ted Lasso serves as a bastion of kindness in a dark and weary world. That’s not how I would describe the show, but its fans and marketing campaign certainly won’t mind if you do.
Ted Lasso’s “aw shucks, we’re all good friends here” tone has definitely started to rub some people the wrong way, but it’s also not new. There’s a structural reason it suddenly feels more apparent, one that transcends sweet, folksy Ted Lasso: We’ve built a TV-viewing culture that is almost incapable of discussing a season two.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1630455128_8856_40776" data-cdata='{"asset_id":19244300,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TlNWVmkMnjhzC8kDrwWQ2F-8aKg=/0x0:3000x2146/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0hdRHdHZyVxry5VClbCrtNUZScE=/0x0:3000x2146/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-x7CBNKCOhK1ACpywEbGFD5B560=/0x0:3000x2146/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/svDHxGywXHAeTJrj3oCGESFLBvQ=/0x0:3000x2146/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8asFIPOyg9R0Yeoyt_eQ26X0RN0=/0x0:3000x2146/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dU2cbFe6dmPUIugsVO_m7k0fU_U=/0x0:3000x2146/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/B0iIKuog0IgwfbBqS9u12azXOPM=/0x0:3000x2146/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LDESyBq8zlSSmeSuzPLK-IQB6BI=/0x0:3000x2146/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Or2sTjSIUCxF_qf60hzdS6xGiwA=/0x0:3000x2146/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="Logan attends a benefit in his honor." data-upload-width="3000" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WNPb5D441WeDEGu0EKiCj9j9-pI=/0x0:3000x2146/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lVbQidcVBVCsUkhM_TfUyU_Mb3I=/0x0:3000x2146/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xj3TffHaCcEF72pokU6_GBzrSIY=/0x0:3000x2146/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kvTxuvx2zM36jiTMRwqknL_lEkQ=/0x0:3000x2146/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/i_CKgDpgBl3cXR9QatJ6Nqy0VNI=/0x0:3000x2146/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2LFoZ9gz-sVinxe3qVkq9-gkLLs=/0x0:3000x2146/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bVCOU4ZYUne0tjUr_hSszj3e8AU=/0x0:3000x2146/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jAVxcjPTDgONGxUizUtfoZMf6DU=/0x0:3000x2146/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1JNMvFVcfCTa4va-c2_8-CvO2Ak=/0x0:3000x2146/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2tdXaK2wPBZ0TP-d6QeTxSVT46E=/0x0:3000x2146/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2146):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19244300/4d5f2cf34a7c115b3b3e725389af53f2f916be741d3d710239b0f233973fabc9008bdb97de7b76c34a31b178bbc857d6.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Succession hit a new level in its second season.</figcaption>
<cite>HBO</cite></figure>
Throughout TV history, season two was traditionally the point at which a TV show became a TV show — especially in cases where season one was popular right out of the gate. A successful second season usually meant a successful run of several seasons. If season two ran out of steam, it would often spell a show’s doom.
Two of HBO’s biggest recent hits, <a href="http://www.vox.com/westworld">Westworld</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/9/29/20828679/succession-hbo-guide-season-two-episode-recaps-news">Succession</a>, reflect these make-or-break stakes. Westworld’s first season, which aired in 2016, garnered raves from all over the place, to say nothing of a ravenous fan base that decoded each and every Easter egg the sci-fi series could hide for them. Once the secrets of that first season were decoded, season two, which aired in 2018, largely fell short of expectations. It had some good episodes, but it became too obsessed with trying to recapture the puzzle box magic of season one.
In contrast, Succession’s first season, which aired in 2018, was met mostly with acclaim — but it also had just enough high-profile detractors to provoke debate over whether the central family of rich jerks was too loathsome to want to spend time with. Then Succession’s second season, which aired in 2019, deepened every single character, enriched every single conflict, and underscored the series’ core ideas of how wealth and abusive power dynamics are closely intertwined. It was one of the most critically acclaimed seasons of television in recent memory, and it won several Emmys.
The obvious explanation for the disparity in responses to these two TV seasons is, “Well, Westworld season two was a mess, and Succession season two was just about perfect.” But it’s worthwhile to think about why those two statements seem to be true. Westworld tried to repeat the trick of season one in season two, to diminishing returns. More mysteries begat more mysteries begat more mysteries, and the show couldn’t settle down and just tell a story. Westworld stretched itself too thin and ultimately snapped.
Succession introduced new characters and conflicts in season two, and every one of them served to more deeply explore elements of the show that already existed. Larger plots existed not just to drive the story but also to place core characters in new and interesting situations where viewers could learn more about how they’d respond to conflict; fans were pulled in deeper and deeper.
Though it’s certainly not easy to make a great first season of television — indeed, it’s very, very difficult — if season one finds an audience, it’s easier for that audience to overlook a show’s blind spots, largely because of novelty. Whether the story is about a robot theme park or a family of media tycoons vaguely reminiscent of the Murdochs or a Premier League soccer team, season one has enough new and shiny attributes to smooth over any rough patches.
In season two, that novelty tends to wear off, and the audience starts to realize that a show is just a show. Some of the best shows of all time — including The Sopranos, Mad Men, Lost, and The Wire — boasted second seasons that are warmly regarded now but were often written about as significant steps down from season one when they first aired. Comedy is less susceptible to this particular flavor of disappointment because it’s often less tied to plot twists and serialized stories, but it’s not like cautionary tales of second seasons gone wrong within the genre don’t exist. (See also: Glee.)
A relationship is always most exciting when it’s new, and the work of building something lasting is often annoying and stressful. The built-in tension of an audience folding its arms and saying, “Well, what have you done for me lately?” is inherent to every new season of a beloved TV show, and that tension will always be strongest at the start of season two. A lot of shows fail to navigate it, trying too hard to please viewers rather than buckling down and doing the work of deepening the world, the story, and the characters.
Which brings us back to Ted Lasso.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1630455128_8494_40777" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22815906,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lYuX8JlFVQqVBvkRGTsmDUjj8Ks=/0x0:3285x1848/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/neb_3lMZF3tNVnmw79-VY-KG3Wo=/0x0:3285x1848/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/B_vAbtu0Vb5JKxf5xIMAjK_xgzU=/0x0:3285x1848/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sGvLECCwmNTNZdgi4T2T5W15kgs=/0x0:3285x1848/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bKAXWUilj51Vmg9-S5o8RQkWb6M=/0x0:3285x1848/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/u8sLei0tPhGv7BBp74WYfv-fOWk=/0x0:3285x1848/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cbFxlcU6DWiNSdbbgoTBLU-Pmqo=/0x0:3285x1848/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Eu0JaOLcfdH5_rBMCp3jWxWbG4Y=/0x0:3285x1848/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BZmevHWEuaD7-nzncNqx6z-6FIU=/0x0:3285x1848/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="Ted Lasso stands holding his backpack straps on his shoulders in front of a sign that reads in part “Welcome Richmond.”" data-upload-width="3285" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xzYzyHgDUj31D3K10_ic_X1grec=/0x0:3285x1848/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/x1yvvD6WCzHLqO2px7l86tP_-MI=/0x0:3285x1848/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TmEE5R58gJzmGuKI2CzgEvX29zY=/0x0:3285x1848/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lNhX_rvD46T-FnNDYbG1EcNwxA0=/0x0:3285x1848/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/if3PuDrpUHmADwG_UwyC1loCzyw=/0x0:3285x1848/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/E_ii_OSgDMTKXXXPs7dRHFSB_-Q=/0x0:3285x1848/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JTqoqLJTIjrRBeIjY-oHt3vwhUg=/0x0:3285x1848/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XIjhs8xzJml-uC1bxWMq2zDSDT8=/0x0:3285x1848/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MUqtEOkflT4Nvxo1cFqCTJLexOo=/0x0:3285x1848/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qFvTbbrFJ6F7ZG3J6AtLVP5xZXs=/0x0:3285x1848/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3285x1848):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22815906/Ted_Lasso_Photo_020605.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>But how could you backlash that mustache??</figcaption>
<cite>Apple TV+</cite></figure>
I want to lay my TV critic cards out on the table and say that I’ve seen eight episodes of Ted Lasso season two, two more than have aired for viewers as of this writing. Yet even setting aside the episodes I’ve seen that you likely haven’t, I would say the show is doing everything a good second season must do to ensure a healthy run for a series.
The endlessly divisive Christmas episode was a bit too saccharine for my tastes (and I usually love Christmas episodes!), but I’m all-in on the push and pull between Ted’s aw-shucks demeanor and the growing sense that he doesn’t actually know how to coach a soccer team. (AFC Richmond’s record is awful.) The second season features five or six conflicts that are at a simmer, just waiting to boil over. It’s very well-crafted and, in general, I have found it to be a marked improvement on season one, which I liked but didn’t adore the way so many people did.
Essentially all of the things that are bugging people about Ted Lasso season two are choices the show has made to deepen its characters, further its conflicts, and explore its world. That’s definitely a departure from what a lot of people loved about season one — namely, the way it united its feel-good narrative with a compelling examination of a sports culture that hadn’t really been explored on American television. (My one complaint about season two so far is that soccer itself has mostly been pushed to the background.) It was an underdog story about a team of misfits and about the goofy guy who led them to ... well, not actual victory, but a moral victory, more or less.
The thing about an underdog story is that you can kind of only do it once. Rocky Balboa loses at the end of Rocky, but a lot of people remember him winning (which doesn’t happen until Rocky II), simply because that’s how we understand underdog stories. AFC Richmond continues to be a pretty mediocre soccer team, and Ted Lasso’s seeming disinterest in that status has created a disconnect between season one’s sports movie core and season two’s more traditional sitcom center.
In season one, Ted Lasso was about its main character’s core philosophy and an overarching vibe of gentle whimsy and kindness. None of those traits won soccer games; AFC Richmond still lost the big match in the season finale. As such, season two is doubling down on the idea that just being a good guy doesn’t mean you’re automatically without problems, and the longer the season goes on, the more it seems as though the show is really going to put the screws to Ted and the other characters to see what makes them tick.
Those choices make sense as great ways to move Ted Lasso’s story forward. But the show has lost its novelty, and there is so much television now (I don’t know if you’ve heard) that novelty is the best way to stand out from the crowd. Ted Lasso is mostly doing the same stuff it did in season one; it’s just that now that stuff isn’t new, and it’s easier to notice and get frustrated with what you don’t like. The excitement of the new relationship no longer blinds you to its faults.
I love TV shows that build themselves to run forever and ever and ever. I adore Succession because I feel like it might run for six or seven seasons, with most of them excellent and all of them at least good. I think TV can and should sprawl, and Ted Lasso, with its large ensemble cast, is using its second season to deepen many of its supporting characters to better support sprawling in the future.
Ironically, the main hurdle standing in the way of fans embracing Ted Lasso season two might just be how much everybody loved season one. A universally beloved first season so often leads to a more heavily criticized second season, whereas a more divisive season one (see also: Succession or The Leftovers) gives a series more room to evolve in season two and thus fulfill the “It’s gotten good” narrative we increasingly apply to TV shows. Meanwhile, if a show isn’t strong and doesn’t capture a passionate audience right out of the gate, it might never get to season two. It’s a weird Catch-22 built into our current TV discussion culture.
I am also willing to admit, however, that I’m somewhat out of step with the ways in which TV is currently evolving. The more TV there is, the more we want tight, compact, novel experiences. In my view, if a show’s first season is great, then it’s great, and I’m very happy to drop a show that’s no longer working for me and catch up with the finale on Wikipedia someday. A lot of people don’t want to risk that.
Shorter-run shows are easier to maintain quality throughout, and they’re easier to keep feeling fresh. They also frequently lack the depth found in shows that truly go the distance. So as our attention spans and TV discussion culture shift ever more toward short-run shows that feel novel and wrap up after six to eight episodes, I’m going to sit here in the corner, quietly admiring Ted Lasso for investing in its own future, amused at how the things I love about season two are also what turned so many people against it.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22643585/ted-lasso-season-2-two-backlash">https://www.vox.com/culture/22643585/ted-lasso-season-2-two-backlash</a>

vox The Ted Lasso backlash was inevitable

The Ted Lasso d iscourse has hit, and it is a torrential downpour of hot takes, over-the-top tweets, and impassioned arguments for and agai...

Welcome to the bigger, bolder, and maybe overcrowded MCU

After a year of pauses and false starts, the Marvel machine is humming again.
When we last saw the Avengers, in 2019’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/4/26/18514287/avengers-endgame-ending-explained-spoiler">Avengers: Endgame</a>, they had just defeated Thanos. Empowered by the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos had snapped away half the galaxy’s population — but in a mortal sacrifice, Iron Man brought all those lives back. At the end of the movie, the remaining Avengers mourned the deaths of Iron Man, Black Widow, and Vision, and said goodbye to Captain America as he went into retirement. The remainders have since gone their separate ways, but this is Marvel; we’ll surely be catching up with our heroes sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, the entertainment titan is set to release Shang-Chi over Labor Day weekend, marking the first Marvel movie that chronologically takes place after Endgame. (<a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/6/27/18760677/spider-man-far-from-home-review">Spider-Man: Far From Home</a>, which came out a couple months after Endgame, was a Sony and Marvel collaboration; this year’s long-delayed <a href="https://www.vox.com/22555357/black-widow-review-marvel-natasha-romanoff-too-late-disney-plus">Black Widow</a> was a prequel.) Post-Snapback, as Iron Man’s heroic final act is called, both the Avengers and Marvel itself are dealing with a much different universe. Shang-Chi is the film that will set the next phase of Marvel’s grand design into motion.
That means learning the origin story of Shang-Chi, the first Asian-American superhero in Marvel’s history to get his own movie. Then, in November, we’ll meet the Eternals, a group of powerful immortal beings who have decided to finally come forward and protect Earth from villains who threaten it. Noticeably absent this year are movies starring any of the Avengers’ current roster — Captain Marvel, Thor, Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, et al. are nowhere to be found on Marvel’s 2021 slate. But don’t blame the pandemic: Introducing new characters ahead of established heroes’ next adventures <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/9/23/21452801/black-widow-eternals-shang-chi-marvel-phase-4-delayed">was always part of Marvel’s plan</a>.
Heading into Marvel’s next phase, the company’s new strategy is to simultaneously bolster its tentpole movies and build out the Marvel Cinematic Universe with television shows on its parent company’s streaming service, Disney+.
<a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22229407/wandavision-review-disney-plus-marvel">WandaVision</a>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22335323/falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-review-disney-plus-sebastian-stan-anthony-mackie">The Falcon and the Winter Soldier</a>, and <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22522332/loki-review-marvel-tom-hiddleston-owen-wilson">Loki</a> spotlighted supporting characters and gave us deeper looks into their lives in ways that previous movies had not. In keeping with Marvel’s signature style, all three series contained enough juicy teases about the future to turn them into must-see events. Sometimes it was a promise of the multiverse. Maybe it was a new villain or a potential crossover. Sit one out, and you might be missing a huge chunk of the backstory for an upcoming movie.
Pushing its streaming titles in the downtime between tentpole blockbusters has been a successful content and business strategy for Marvel. It allows the company to fully mine its comic book source material, embrace multiple levels of storytelling, and always keep the mythology alive for fans who can’t get enough.
Unlike previous efforts to make TV out of Marvel properties (think Netflix’s Jessica Jones and Daredevil, or, to some extent, ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), what happens on these Disney+ shows is explicitly connected to the events of Marvel’s films. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier addressed the fallout of the Snap and Snapback, showing how these universe-changing events specifically impacted Earth’s governments, refugees, and terrorism.
Loki and WandaVision, meanwhile, aimed to tell more ambitious stories about alternate dimensions. If Thanos was powerful enough to change reality and the Avengers were smart enough to time travel, then surely alternate universes and variant timelines have to be a possibility.
Marvel’s venture into streaming has expanded the MCU and the overall number of stories Marvel can tell, but it also signals a bigger, bolder world. While the Avengers are engaged in a more ambitious set of adventures, possibly involving multiple dimensions and inverted realities, there’s plenty of other action happening on a smaller scale.
To deal with all these hijinks, the movies and shows will need more heroes, villains, side characters — all of which Marvel has in its comic books. Not every hero in the company’s vast catalog is a demigod or a cosmic space force, and not every villain is a titan who wants to conquer the universe. In the end, it’s just not good or evil prevailing. It’s Marvel, too.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1630455125_3812_42185" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22810233,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gjtwrt8CLlBhJG_KV3jmlMIjkR8=/0x0:2048x1138/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KAoTBYT8oLYNffwNz0HVWVouiRE=/0x0:2048x1138/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mRgMKs0vZdPsWVJE8IXuf3s6XBc=/0x0:2048x1138/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YgTVu0VZPZkpBjEfSYHyVlgg8ZM=/0x0:2048x1138/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-hc8lcc1i9a_NAcurdskTdZyenE=/0x0:2048x1138/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ASklJzSiwsHruYRNumPFcZqz-vQ=/0x0:2048x1138/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/O9nLFTNZblCu_XMSqmB_-xZQbv4=/0x0:2048x1138/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dWtP1B-SfEQbJSj01qnUBmwTjmQ=/0x0:2048x1138/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mJgORX_wC2c2AtYLZS4ahpUo6sg=/0x0:2048x1138/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="2048" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gHlS8rU4RhTSJZpAdIhuO5KqyQs=/0x0:2048x1138/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HvXHB5afOybWZv0yBN2Zsq2LqEk=/0x0:2048x1138/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UkT2rSzfR0H811IrunF6aoXsrUs=/0x0:2048x1138/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/t293jD2oN_XYe8tJvTaFTEcMVnI=/0x0:2048x1138/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_YiOPhjQ9kLgvQe8W5KQbQ-W9Go=/0x0:2048x1138/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Q_PUWvmONmTHvmNaE8aCLEwaiGs=/0x0:2048x1138/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jeoaM8fouDwkK5W6kptc-NnMI4A=/0x0:2048x1138/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BhrM0jSYCAoB3Ac6BDFXEoijNrM=/0x0:2048x1138/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fJwu2gElAdrzNsU09wRYjHkJMiI=/0x0:2048x1138/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3t1SRsH224xD8GGtRtPcrntpdI0=/0x0:2048x1138/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1138):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810233/EvtRZ_GXAAMcQKg.jpeg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Remember her?</figcaption>
<cite>Marvel/Wandavision</cite></figure>
WandaVision and Loki told two completely different stories, but both were engineered to set up Marvel’s big picture. The former was a stylish puzzle box that followed Wanda Maximoff’s descent into grief while the latter sent Marvel’s most charming villain into an existential crisis. Both established the idea of parallel timelines in the MCU. In Loki’s final episode especially, we got a glimpse of why the timelines that make up the multiverse all matter.
In that finale, Loki and a variant of Loki known as Sylvie (variants are alternate versions of a person who originated in a different timeline) come face to face with a character known as “He Who Remains.” This meeting is the culmination of a rather complex story, as He Who Remains (played by <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3718007/">Jonathan Majors</a>) explains that he has been keeping the master timeline sacred. He Who Remains then intimates that there could be a future in which one of his variants is less benevolent — a clue to Kang the Conqueror (<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ant-man-3-casts-lovecraft-country-star-jonathan-majors-4059824/">also played by Majors</a>), the upcoming villain in 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and an iconic antagonist in Marvel’s comic books. He then gives Loki and Sylvie a choice: Take over his work and continue to pare down alternate timelines as they arise, or kill him and let the multiverse grow. Sylvie makes the final decision, killing He Who Remains and allowing more and more timelines to sprout.
This all sounds complicated; it is complicated. Another way to understand the multiverse-variant concept is to look toward one of Marvel’s best examples to date: Miles Morales, the popular comic book hero and web-slinging protagonist of 2018’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/11/28/18113552/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-review-miles-morales">Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</a>. Morales and an alternate version of Peter Parker live in a parallel timeline to the MCU’s Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland). If their timelines were to hypothetically merge, you could theoretically see Morales’s Spider-Man meet up with Holland’s Spider-Man.
But back to the MCU. Though she is never mentioned by name on Loki, WandaVision’s Wanda Maximoff was also a looming figure on the show.
At the culmination of WandaVision, Wanda was revealed to be a powerful entity known as the Scarlet Witch. She can bend reality to her will, and throughout the series, we saw her manipulating objects at the atomic level, refiguring people’s anatomies, and even granting <a href="https://www.vox.com/22280022/wandavision-episode-6-recap-monica-rambeau-superpowers-disney-plus">Monica Rambeau a new set of powers</a>. It was hinted that Wanda is considered a <a href="https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Glossary:Nexus_Beings">Nexus Being</a>, someone who’s powerful enough to disrupt the way reality and time usually work — someone who would be a significant person of interest on a show like Loki that’s all about time-hopping and alternate realities.
In WandaVision’s eerie <a href="https://www.vox.com/22315312/wandavision-finale-recap-credits-scenes-spoilers-explained">post-credits scene</a>, Wanda heard her twin boys’ cries for help even though they never existed in the first place — she created them by warping reality. The popular theory is that her children’s cries for help exist because she placed them in an alternate dimension when she dissolved her spell on the town of Westview. The important takeaway is that Wanda is powerful enough to do such a thing.
With WandaVision disrupting universes on one plane of reality and Loki sprouting alternate dimensions, variants, and Kang the Conqueror on another, the two shows laid the foundation for what feels like the next big Marvel battlefield: what’s left of the Avengers joining up with a few new recruits like Shang-Chi or the Eternals and fighting against interdimensional threats in an ever-expanding multiverse. Both shows also seem poised to dovetail into 2022’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9419884/">Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness</a>.
What’s especially fascinating about this approach is that while Marvel set about establishing a titanic concept — that there may be multiple dimensions full of heroes and villains, some of whom may be variants of ones who already exist — it began building out some smaller stakes stories, too.
Despite Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan’s charms, not many were especially thrilled by <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/04/review-the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-aims-high-but-falls-a-bit-short/">how</a> The Falcon and the Winter Soldier <a href="https://screenrant.com/falcon-winter-soldier-finale-failed-disappointing-reason/">concluded</a>. The show was too often derailed by clunkiness, especially when it ambitiously tried to tackle the <a href="https://gizmodo.com/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-s-commentary-on-race-1846566829">implications of racism in the MCU</a>. It’s difficult enough to make a TV show that offers intelligent commentary on the effects of race and racism in America (though HBO’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/10/17/20918439/watchmen-hbo-review-damon-lindelof-regina-king-comic">Watchmen</a> adaptation comes to mind as a successful example). Trying to confront those ideas within the context of the MCU, where bias and racism have rarely been addressed — and doing it while incorporating real-life allegory and cultural commentary — seems impossible.
That said, one of the brighter spots of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was the way it explored the worldwide repercussions of Thanos’s Snap in Avengers: Infinity War and the Snapback in Endgame. Apparently, one of the silver linings when half the world’s population disappeared was that the world became more sustainable for the people who remained, including those who were previously struggling to get by.
Conversely, the problem with Endgame bringing back all the snapped folks was that in the five years that elapsed post-Snap, the world moved on without them. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier detailed how, after a period of instability and power grabs when government officials varnished, new authorities rose. The series also looked at how people returning en masse created a refugee crisis. The resulting displacement created social and political unrest.
This unrest opened the door for one Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine to be sneaky and broker deals with characters like John Walker, a.k.a. the replacement Captain America, and Yelena, Natasha Romanoff’s sister. Though we don’t fully know her plans, Valentina (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has a nefarious comic book background and seems to be setting up a team of rogue or misguided heroes.
Valentina’s actions so far seem to indicate that she’s bad but doesn’t care about the multiverse, or reality warping, or becoming a villain more powerful than Thanos. She also doesn’t seem to care about any of the heavy-hitting Avengers like Thor or Captain Marvel coming after her. We haven’t had that much insight into her plans, but it feels very possible that Valentina is purposely slipping through the cracks because she knows the Avengers might be preoccupied with much more powerful villains and much more cosmic tasks.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Valentina becomes the throughline for Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ shows — Hawkeye (scheduled for release later this year) and 2022’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10234724/">Moon Knight</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10857160/">She-Hulk</a> — which all happen to focus on street-level characters. Based on the comic book source material, where they are usually on Earth fighting crime, and considering the Disney+ storytelling so far, it seems likely that these new characters will take on a villain like Valentina or deal with the repercussions of big multiverse stuff in an acute way (e.g. the effects of a multiverse collapse on New York City) rather than meeting up with the Avengers in a battle to save the universe. It’s more or less what Netflix attempted to do with characters like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage, despite not having clearance from Marvel to connect them to the MCU.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1630455125_2551_42186" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22810245,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/r0hn4mWujC4H5P7KESmmAWmgo70=/0x0:4096x1716/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/V5DqE58dJa1EyPb13oWn-xhpm28=/0x0:4096x1716/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PfyD8vFAWjuF-0q-oD8ZlO3P7ng=/0x0:4096x1716/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AW2G-DP__NMnNUivVKBIxtD9gO8=/0x0:4096x1716/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QRsB-YeBK3fquB89AFIiCfwxkCE=/0x0:4096x1716/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5d3-HEd_tbig06JwfrJYXb-dfP0=/0x0:4096x1716/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Bu2Ndg_IXFukT_tXlquVsK0gDUI=/0x0:4096x1716/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/H9osfd2JDQ-cJ-d_2SG14n795yQ=/0x0:4096x1716/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZqR4KDwCG9g5VQ8KqePLFHj86n8=/0x0:4096x1716/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="Two people in a marital arts-style battle appear to be sending lightning at one another." data-upload-width="4096" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xYFX2zydvYQAUtQbMKtcOU53Qng=/0x0:4096x1716/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/acUAq9klbGP27u5ZxP0idmwvuus=/0x0:4096x1716/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QC08sYX3jBqI-Oo4uSaKGTsUUKw=/0x0:4096x1716/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3jTP5tRp2AFd3DuwVtJSBaNQPdU=/0x0:4096x1716/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WF1_acpC9pGV3TecMWiX54qEsTs=/0x0:4096x1716/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/s17Fa9fkt31uxqWymNpBx5Pv1eA=/0x0:4096x1716/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LDHJjccWpibJkCjftCHF7Q0zcOg=/0x0:4096x1716/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/C0VBw8Y0-4QtM5gpa5o2egJW5ZQ=/0x0:4096x1716/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BNFFbzh7nDRJrip_GJvjREfV6og=/0x0:4096x1716/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/R-4slh77x2PIpmeqEHl5Kg0l1ow=/0x0:4096x1716/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x1716):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22810245/SFT1985_cmp_wta_v0414.1180_R.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.</figcaption>
</figure>
In 2019, <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/3/20/18273477/disney-fox-merger-deal-details-marvel-x-men">Marvel acquired film rights</a> that had previously been sold off to Fox, thereby expanding its ability to bring even more of its huge roster of characters to the screen. So it makes a lot of sense that the company is deploying its intellectual property in Disney+ shows that can serve as bridges to future movies while presenting smaller-scale adventures for some of its newer heroes. Audiences clearly love Marvel — we don’t have much streaming data, but <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/?ref_=bo_nb_yl_tab">Black Widow has hauled in $370 million</a> during a pandemic and is the 2021’s fifth-biggest movie so far — and Marvel can’t make shows and movies fast enough. Taking advantage of that demand by creating a bigger onscreen world is low-hanging fruit.
The looming question now is whether there’s a point where so many different characters and teams coupled with an expansive multiverse might trigger superhero fatigue, which more casual fans may already be experiencing.
There’s historical precedent for this concern: Splitting the MCU and its heroes into larger- and smaller-scale teams is taking a page out of Marvel’s comic books. For example, in the 2013 comic book event called Infinity — which saw Thanos invade Earth in a manner similar to his onslaught in Infinity War — a group of heroes called the <a href="https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/48316/mighty_avengers_2013_1">Mighty Avengers</a> dealt with the invasion in New York City while the heavy-hitting Avengers were off in space. (This group included Monica Rambeau, who made her onscreen debut on WandaVision.)
There also used to be an alternate Earth, known as Earth 1610, that existed in a line of comics that was separate from the “main” line. Called Ultimate Marvel, these comics had a grittier, more mature tone than the main comics, and were full of variant versions of Marvel’s superheroes like Captain America, Nick Fury, and Tony Stark.
Marvel stopped publishing the Ultimate Comics line in 2015.
As Vulture’s Abe Riesman reported, Ultimate Marvel had initially been a success but <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2015/05/secret-history-of-ultimate-marvel.html">slowly fell victim to confusion and overcrowding</a> across all of Marvel’s properties. As Marvel’s movies got bigger and more popular in the years following Iron Man’s launch in 2008 and the Avengers’ first team-up in 2012, the main comic book timeline did too — which made the variant stories of the Ultimate Marvel spinoffs confusing. The main comic books also began mimicking the hallmarks and themes (realism, grittiness, antiheroes) that originated in Ultimate Marvel, which made both comics lines feel interchangeable and disorienting.
Marvel eventually decided to eliminate the line, save its most popular heroes, and focus on the main timeline.
Could a similar fate befall Marvel’s onscreen projects? Certainly.
Trying to explain WandaVision and Loki to casual viewers who haven’t kept up with each new MCU entry can be a frustrating experience for more dedicated Marvel fans. The same is true <a href="https://www.cbr.com/spider-man-no-way-home-tobey-maguire-jb-smoove/">when attempting to explain rumors</a> that Tobey Maguire (who played Spider-Man in Sony’s early 2000s trilogy of Spidey films) and Andrew Garfield (who played the character in two more Sony films in the 2010s) will both show up alongside Tom Holland (who plays the web-slinger in Sony and Marvel’s recent Spider-Man co-productions) when Spider-Man: No Way Home comes out in December. And that’s without considering how such a possibility may or may not connect to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. There’s definitely a risk of alienating some audiences.
That risk will likely be balanced out by the fact that Avengers: Endgame is the second-<a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/chart/top_lifetime_gross/?area=XWW">highest-grossing movie of all time</a>, worldwide, and that Marvel has transcended its more niche past to become mainstream entertainment. The company doesn’t have to worry about casual fans if it’s made the second-biggest movie in history.
Plus, the MCU has another important thing going for it: While we’re over a decade of stories in, it’s still nowhere near as crowded as the comic books were. Though it may be difficult to believe, Marvel is still in the early stages of building out its onscreen world. The Avengers roster might even feel smaller for the next few years, as fans adjust to the departures of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson.
Meanwhile, there’s no pressure (yet) to keep every plate spinning. If a show doesn’t catch fire the way Marvel may have hoped, there’s no obligation to keep it going for multiple seasons. Of Marvel’s three Disney+ shows to date, Loki is the only one whose second season has been announced.
Upcoming Disney+ shows like She-Hulk and <a href="https://www.marvel.com/tv-shows/ms-marvel/1">Ms. Marvel</a> may ultimately be used as trial balloons to see just how well they win over an audience. The former is a mainstay in the comic books; the latter may not just have her own show but is rumored to also appear in the Captain Marvel sequel that’s slated for 2022.
With all that in mind, it seems like Marvel’s two big upcoming movies will be launching pads for new heroes to join up with the existing Avengers and participate in big battle stuff like Endgame.
Shang-Chi’s immortality-granting weapons (the rings) and the Eternals’ wide array of superpowers seemingly make them more equipped to trade blows with a cataclysmic threat like the late Thanos and his ilk than to trade quips with Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Disney+. Either way, the fans will be watching — at the movies, at home, or most likely, both and often.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/22632477/shang-chi-marvel-mcu-multiverse-eternals-wandavision-loki-disney-plus">https://www.vox.com/22632477/shang-chi-marvel-mcu-multiverse-eternals-wandavision-loki-disney-plus</a>

vox Welcome to the bigger, bolder, and maybe overcrowded MCU

After a year of pauses and false starts, the Marvel machine is humming again. When we last saw the Avengers, in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame , ...

'One Of History's Biggest Airlifts': Biden Hails US Evacuation From Afghanistan

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="'One Of History's Biggest Airlifts': Biden Hails US Evacuation From Afghanistan" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-08/m29bo55g_joe-bidenafp_625x300_27_August_21.jpg" title="'One Of History's Biggest Airlifts': Biden Hails US Evacuation From Afghanistan" /></div>
US airlift of over 120,000 people from Afghanistan "extraordinary success", Joe Biden said (File)
</div>
Washington:
President Joe Biden called the US airlift of more than 120,000 people from Afghanistan an "extraordinary success" Tuesday, a day after the last US soldiers pulled out of the country.
"We completed one of the biggest airlifts in history," Biden said.
"No nation has ever done anything like it in all of history; only the United States had the capacity and the will and ability to do it," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/one-of-historys-biggest-airlifts-biden-hails-us-evacuation-from-afghanistan-2525518">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/one-of-historys-biggest-airlifts-biden-hails-us-evacuation-from-afghanistan-2525518</a>

news world 'One Of History's Biggest Airlifts': Biden Hails US Evacuation From Afghanistan

US airlift of over 120,000 people from Afghanistan "extraordinary success", Joe Biden said (File) Washington: President Joe B...

"No Deadline," Joe Biden Pledges To Get Every American Out Afghanistan

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="'No Deadline,' Joe Biden Pledges To Get Every American Out Afghanistan" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-01/gf5htdig_joe-biden-reuters-650_625x300_21_January_21.jpg" title="'No Deadline,' Joe Biden Pledges To Get Every American Out Afghanistan" /></div>
We remain committed to get them out if they want to come out," Biden said (File)
</div>
Washington:
President Joe Biden pledged Tuesday to help scores of US citizens who remain in Afghanistan to leave, a day after the evacuation mission from Kabul airport ended.
"For those remaining Americans, there is no deadline. We remain committed to get them out if they want to come out," Biden said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/no-deadline-joe-biden-pledges-to-get-every-american-out-afghanistan-2525515">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/no-deadline-joe-biden-pledges-to-get-every-american-out-afghanistan-2525515</a>

news world "No Deadline," Joe Biden Pledges To Get Every American Out Afghanistan

We remain committed to get them out if they want to come out," Biden said (File) Washington: President Joe Biden pledged Tuesday t...