The Expendables

 


So I just binged the entire "The Expendables" series on Peacock. And actually it wasn't half bad.

An off the books team of experts from hand to hand combat and weapons experts defend and protect the US from crazies. This is the basis of the first one. Over the course of the 4 films you find out more about the background and how the team started & by whom. In that sense, it’s very layered.  

I remember trying to watch the 1st one years ago and not being into it. This time I took it more seriously and liked it alike. The ONE thing it's lacking is heart.


There's brotherhood and bond, but I want heart. I wanna see who these guys are away from each other so their time together MEANS something. That's the only thing missing. 


I love that Stallone assembled the action stars of yesteryear. It's so cool seeing all the faves of the genre come back.


Overall, 3 stars. It's good for it's genre. 

All Her Fault

 


On Peacock is a new limited series called ALL HER FAULT co-starring Dakota Fanning. I am shocked she's not the lead, but Sarah Snook is actually the lead with Jake "SHADY AF" Lacy, Jay Ellis, and Michael Pena...Jake RARELY plays a good guy. Him and Jake Abel always play the sleaziest characters. No spoilers here though.

Although this is a crime show, it's based on Author Andrea Mara's book, which itself was inspired by a moment in 2015 when she arrived to pick up her daughter from a playdate and found the house empty, triggering a brief, terrifying moment of panic that she later used as the foundation for a fictional plot.  

The series begins with Marissa Irvine (Sarah Snook) going to a house to pick up her son from a 
playdate and being told not only is he not there, the homeowner never heard of her or her son 
before. And what's even weirder is that the playdate was asked via text by Jenny (Dakota
Fanning), who was not even in town at the time. So where is her son? And who sent that text?
And why?

And this leads into the most trippy show I've seen recently. It's so good and easily 4 stars! 
Definitely worth binging.

the other one about my absence

 Hi, friends!

It's been FOREVER AND A DAY (giggle - I'll explain later) since I posted. A crap ton has happened since. But I will be back to posting.

First, I can explain Forever and A Day...from December 2020 to December 2024, I was Co-Writer (and eventual Co-Executive Producer and Co-Star) of a podcast soap opera of the same name (scroll to the bottom to listen from the beginning). I joined as a part-time writer Season 2 and also did one episode as a nurse, in season 3 I became a full-time cast member and writer, then seasons 4-5 I was full-time erthang lol I became lifelong friends with Casey Hutchison and Candice Mack! They truly are two of the greatest humans I've ever met.

Then in 2022, Casey and I created Everyday Women, which was a podcast series basically the West Coast LGBTQ+ version of "Sex and the City"  (scroll to the bottom to listen from the beginning).

Also Brandon recruited me and his bestie Gabby to help get kitty off the ground. Not only am I a Consulting Producer on this project, but he allowed me to add my story notes to the script. Before we can get it filmed as a full length feature, 17 minutes have been cut as a short film. We worked with the fabulous Rafi S. Perez as Baby Girl and Luke Bucaro, who happened to be real-life friends which added a beautiful layer to their on-screen friendship. Check out the 1 minute trailer here

I also celebrated 11 years with my company!!!! Woohoo haha 

And of course I have kept writing. I'm still pretty terrible at promotion so my books really haven't gone anywhere, BUT I might have something in the works *rubs hands together and gives a sly smile* I don't want to talk about it fully yet; I have this thing that I feel I jinx stuff when I talk about things I want or working towards before they are a reality. Like the Universe takes it away because I'm bragging. So that one is close to the vest for now.

But I am active on Tiktok, Instagram, Threads, and Snap (MsEmmyMorgan). I left Twitter because Elon Musk allows hate and dissention to live there...since he took it over it's truly gone downhill. People love to be mean-spirited and evil to each other simply for likes or requotes. Threads is such a great alternative. You can not only block them, but before you do you can hide their responses from EVERYONE if it's under your comment. It's fabulous. I don't mind disagreeing with people, but I will never speak to anyone who's disrespectful. EVER!

Other than that I do need y'all to pray for my family. There was a gofundme out there so it's not a secret, in March 2025 one of my sister's brother-in-law took his own life (I am still shocked to be honest - Rest in Peace Kenny), but if that wasn't bad enough his wife had terminal cancer and has passed this Sunday, leaving behind 3 kids that my sister has taken in. So now she is responsible for 6 kids. My other sisters are dealing with health issues.

OH!!! The latest with my blood relatives! Well, I have decided that my half-brother and mother have been designated as blood relatives as well as anyone I am blood related to that has shown me contempt, hate, and disrespect. Those that I love related by blood or not are my family. Having said that, I have a half-sister and TWO half-brothers I found through Ancestry DNA and 23 & Me. I wish I were kidding. But I love with my whole heart, truly! They are not half anything to me. 

The saddest updates about my life have been my love life and my Tiktok family. I was pretty scarred by my last ex. He said some pretty unforgivable things that I just cannot shake. I've tried to forgive him, but I can't. And it's clouded how I interact with other guys even if I'm actually interested in them. What really sucks is I was part of a Tiktok family that I loved for 2 years. Unfortunately, one outsider came into the group, did the EXACT same thing that my ex did and that group is forever fractured. FOREVER AND A DAY hahaha see how I circled back haha I don't regret meeting them though. Not only did I learn so many important lessons about people and myself, but I did walk away with some amazing friendships I will preserve for the rest of my life. A handful of bad apples don't ruin a bushel. 

That's my life update. I will be back here posting my reviews and commentary on things. As always thank you for listening to me rant.

xoxo

Em

Murdaugh: Death in the Family

 


I binged the Hulu/Disney+ series, "Murdaugh: Death in the Family." 

For those of you not familiar, it's the true crime story of the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, a mother and son, allegedly by the hands of Alex Murdaugh their husband and father respectively. But it goes deeper than these two murders. Their maid/nanny Gloria had a life altering accident on their property, Alex was accused of embezzling from his clients, Paul "Paw Paw" was involved in the death of his high school friend while boating. Just SO MUCH happened in this. 

I've seen the documentaries, the two part miniseries, and other things about the once most powerful family in South Carolina. But this goes into expert detail (taking some liberties of course). This was a deep dive.

This limited mini-series fills in gaps and updates timelines (their maid/nanny passed two years before the series starts, but the producers/writers wanted to include her as a way to honor her family). 

Based on the details of the show, I do believe this may have been what happened. Although I am still unsure about Alex's motive.

I would give this (no spoilers) 4 out of 5 stars. Well-acted and written. I will say Jason Clarke and Patricia Arquette are CLEARLY brilliant as Alex and Maggie, but Johnny Berthold as Paul "Paw Paw," Gerald McRaney as Randolph, Will Harrison as Buster, Kathleen Wilhoite as Gloria, and J. Smith-Cameron as Marian were my faves. Brittany Snow as Mandy, the reporter who reported every detail of the Murdaughs to the press was SEVERELY underused.

Oprah with Meghan & Harry


I watched the two hour interview of "Meghan & Harry," and this was triggering...keep reading

Promising Young Woman

 


This film is amazing...Keep reading!

Zack Snyder's Justice League

 


"Zack Snyder's Justice League" is a 3 out of 5 stars. Keep reading...

Friends

 



I rewatched the entire 10 seasons of "Friends." Season 5 is far and away my favorite ("Pivot," Phoebe discovering Monica and Chandler...), but as I was watching it I realized this is not the show I remembered. If this show aired today, it'd either last one season or be SEVERELY rewritten...keep reading.

the one where I explain why I have no feelings at all for my half-brother

So all my life I’ve never really talked publicly about my half-brother or given a complete full story. Mostly because I didn’t think ppl would believe me, but also because it’s embarrassing. 

Anyone related to abusive or toxic ppl know this. It’s almost like I feel shame for being related. Well that ends today…keep reading.

It started as a kid. I was always the cute one everywhere we went, but he wasn’t. In church, I remember people would call me a cutie but said nothing to him. I think that’s when he started resenting me. As a kid, I couldn’t understand why he was mean to me cuz I loved him. But he kept on. He would hit me then lie and say he never did. One time he slammed me on the ground, and I had a seizure. My mother comforted HIM while I was trying to recover from my seizure. That’s when I realized he was the favorite. 

All growing up he never helped me, protected me, or stuck up for me. If ppl picked on me, he’d join in. In fact I found out when, HE outed me to his friends in the presence of ppl in my school. I was very flamboyant, but for them to hear my own sibling make fun of me. Ppl in school told me I was shocked. I told my mother, and she literally did not care. I was teased and contemplated suicide but still she didn’t care. 

Then at 15, I had enough of his abuse and told him if he touched me again I’d slit his throat in his sleep. He cried and told my mother. She punished me. She’s always been his gatekeeper. 

Fast forward to Saturday February 5, 2022. He’s never apologized for the past, still never defended me to anyone, never tried to even make up for it. I even learned when I wasn’t living at my mother’s house, he picked my bedroom lock where ALL my stuff was, stole some stuff, and used my bedroom as his second closet putting his clothing on my bed. I bought a Halloween costume in 2002 that he decided to wear in 2017 without my permission. 

I was insulted. He never apologized. When I moved back to my mother’s during the pandemic after transitioning, he deadnamed me and misgendered me on purpose. My mother never corrected him. She actually joined in util I finally told her that “David is dead.”

This past Saturday after my mother threw out my mail a few days prior, I saw she opened mail addressed to me. I let her know not to, and my half brother jumped in.  Thankfully my friend was on the phone w me at the time to hear it. I got off the phone with him to record this:


What this fool doesn’t realize is he threatened a legal LGBTQ+ woman. That means he committed a hate crime and threatened a woman. Two very serious charges. I forwarded it to our local police department. Whatever happens next is up to karma. When I told my mother she did not even care. 

As a kid, my mother would tell me if anyone ever bullied me to speak up. When my half brother was my bully she ignored me and even tried gaslighting me to thinking I was the cause. Videotaping him finally proved to everyone that I wasn’t the dramatic liar they tried painting me out to be. 

Now here’s the thing: threatening him at 15 was a child telling a 21 year old to stop abusing me. Jumping into a conversation at 51 when you’re not asked to, jumbling the facts, then threatening someone ain’t the same. Both are wrong; I’m not trying to normalize my trauma over his. But you’d think he’d learned throughout the years. I have. I don’t threaten ppl’s lives.I was talking to my cousin about this. Both my mother and half-brother have trauma they haven’t dealt with. At 4 my mother was there when her dad died after he was shot; she is also the youngest of 11 and spoiled all her life. Some said she was a spoiled brat even. It’s been hinted at that she didn’t want me originally 🤷🏾‍♀️ I would’ve been better off.My half-brother for the first six years of his life my half brother was shuffled from living with my grandmother to my aunts and snatched from both after I was born. He’s got abandonment issues and secretly hates my mother for it but because he depends on her to literally survive takes his hate on me. And why not? I’m the one my mother chose to raise along w him. When given solutions to make his life better, he ignores it. Stayed back in high school 4 times, never got his high school GED even, works deadens jobs with no benefits or retirement plan or even unemployment. Offered him a chance to help but rescinded my offer. 

There’s this old saying of baby raising babies; my mother had my brother at 16, didn’t know how to be a mother, then at 22 felt she had to. But instead of my mother creating a house of love and acceptance, she loved pitting my half brother and I against each other. Even recently telling me stuff about him. I actually defended him before Saturday. She still is a spoiled brat too. Demands respect but doesn’t give it. Makes big demands but doesn’t offer help in return. She’s the 2nd most selfish person next to him. He will throw her or anyone under the bus. He loves no one, is loyal to no one, and is not genuinely nice to anyone.  After I came out as trans, I asked her if she ever wanted a daughter.  She said no that she always wanted two boys. I believe it’s cuz she thinks in her selfish mind that boys will take care of her when she’s old and gray. Trust me I get them. “Hurt ppl hurt ppl.” We need to normalize hurt ppl seeking help so they end the cycle of abuse. 

At this point, I don’t want or need an apology from either of them. It won’t be sincere. They don’t know how to love or show love. What I need is to be left da fcuk alone. Until I move out don’t bother me. I will not take back my message to the police department. Nor will I ever downplay what he’s done. 

As a 52 year old, unemployed, uneducated man he lies about everything still, comes into my room when I’m not there and steals my stuff, eats my food, lets the air out of my tires (I’ve never had flat tires ever till I moved back w my mother and him), turns on the hot water in the kitchen when I’m taking a shower. And what’s strange is he thinks he’s better than ppl! He uses racial stereotypes towards Asians, Hispanics, and even calls women whores & sluts. And he’s the biggest Uncle Tom (for those that don’t know what that is; it’s a Black man who hates other Black ppl; Aunt Jemima is the woman version). If this was Antebellum, he’d be a field slave telling Master when other field slaves were escaping. 

What’s so funny about him is that he is a stereotypical Black man himself. No real job, living off of his mother, even his entire physical makeup is a stereotype. So why then judge others? Why shame others? I know that I'm a better person than him because I don’t do half the crap he does. And my mother is exactly like him. She was trash talking the color of some woman’s hair on TV to me. I was horrified. She doesn’t know this person, but she ain’t got a lick of hair. They both need to be humbled. I’m so glad I’m not like them. Damn. And it’s funny hearing them complain that bad stuff happens to them, but they don’t know why. Ummm how about take stock in how awful you are! When you put good stuff out into the universe, good stuff happens back. Same thing happens for bad stuff. 
 
I’m writing this now for cathartic purposes. But also to show people you aren’t alone. I’ve also learned a lesson I’d like to pass on. You cannot choose your blood relatives, but you can choose your family. Family is the collection of people that love you, support you, and stand for you unconditionally. You can always rely on family. Some blood relatives CAN be family, but it’s not necessary. If blood relatives don’t treat you how you deserve to be treated, then let them go. I have 👍🏾

Another reason I’m posting is to stop gatekeeping abusive ppl. I understand it may be upsetting to find out someone you admire even love is abusive, but what if that person(s) was abusing your child or sibling? Normalize walking away after they are called out or exposed. What if your support could literally save a life?

the one about my absence

So first I would like to apologize...I have been absent for almost a year. But when I say alot has happened, I am not even joking.

...my older posts