Miss Americana Makes Sense Now… And It’s Dark

I'm an open book. You know everything about me. And then there's the the the

about me. And then there's the the the person that we do not know at all. And

many people do know that. I think we know that. But I I think there are

know that. But I I think there are people who don't know that. It's just so out of touch. That's really how I would describe it. It is extremely detached

describe it. It is extremely detached from reality and she doesn't know it, which is why she presents it in a very serious way without a hint of self-awareness.

>> It's looking rough. It's looking really rough. It's looking really busted. The

rough. It's looking really busted. The

the you know the frosting's melting off the cake. Like the glitter is falling

the cake. Like the glitter is falling off it. Like it's really looking rough.

off it. Like it's really looking rough.

Welcome back to Evolution of a Snake.

I'm Zach.

>> And I am Maline.

>> And today we are doing something very exciting in anticipation of a brand new era tour docue series which by the way we will be reacting to exclusively on Patreon. I will be live streaming

Patreon. I will be live streaming watching the new era tour movie. It's

going to be a lot of fun on patreon.com/tologist. We won't be able

patreon.com/tologist. We won't be able to upload any of our reaction stuff to YouTube because of copyright. So, if you want to catch up with us on that, go there. But, we thought it would be a fun

there. But, we thought it would be a fun primer to go back and look with a fine tooth comb at one of the strangest moments in Taylor Swift's career and

something that I think watching it in 2025 is really coming back to bite a little bit. The chickens are coming home

little bit. The chickens are coming home to roost. And of course, we're talking

to roost. And of course, we're talking about her Netflix documentary that premiered in the first year of 2020, Miss Americana.

>> Now, those were the days, ladies and gentlemen. Can you believe Miss

gentlemen. Can you believe Miss Americana is deeply associated with quarantine in the pandemic to me because they were like part and parcel. Miss

Americana came out and then it was quarantine time.

>> Two months later, two months later. And

what's interesting about it is that Taylor's entire paradigm on like who she is, what her career should be, what her purpose is as an artist shifted with the pandemic. Like with everyone, we all

pandemic. Like with everyone, we all had, I think, very big shifts. But

Taylor's approach to being relevant completely changed in the pandemic. So

Miss Americana was almost dead on arrival. Like by the time the middle of

arrival. Like by the time the middle of the year that it came out happened, a lot of the stuff of what she said either did not come true or she had changed her perspective on because much of this documentary is basically Taylor's soft

launching I'm not relevant anymore and I'm okay with that.

>> And that's really funny and that's really funny. But you know what's really

really funny. But you know what's really interesting is like I didn't even think lover was like irrelevant. I didn't

think it was like this big moment. She's

like I'm done, you know, put me out to pasture. I I didn't feel that way. So

pasture. I I didn't feel that way. So

when she was talking that way in the documentary, I remember thinking like, what the hell is she talking about? I

found it disturbing, but I mean, at the same time, we were sitting over here making a retrospective podcast.

>> Yeah, we >> So maybe there's something to that.

There's something to that. There was a there was an air in Swiftyism that was saying like this is all almost like apocryphal like this is all coming to an

end very soon.

She was leaning into that for sure. And

I think the circumstances of the documentary are really important to keep in mind as well because what was going on behind the scenes when this was all being filmed was Taylor had lost control of her master recordings. She was

effectively being bullied by someone that at the time had more power and cache than her in the industry. It

wasn't looking good for her. And I think she actually despite Lover being like her bright and cheery album, I think she was deeply confused and lost. She was

with a new record label after only ever having been with one. Like I think this transition was a lot more chaotic and painful than she let on at the time. And

we really only know that with the benefit of hindsight, but how we learned about this documentary is a good window into what kind of mind space she was in.

Uh it was a not so fun official announcement that we learned about it in November 2019. Taylor was already locked

November 2019. Taylor was already locked into her dispute with Big Machine and Scot Scott and Scooter Braun. and she

made a follow-up post to her announcement of I lost my recordings saying that they were blocking her from using her old material footage and songs from her catalog at the ANA in her artist the decade performance. Again,

another sign that she was like, I'm a legacy act. Goodbye. And in this new

legacy act. Goodbye. And in this new Netflix documentary, unless she agreed not to re-record her music and to stop criticizing them publicly, they responded saying they weren't trying to prevent her from doing this. Taylor

refuted it. went back and forth and eventually all her use of the material was cleared for the documentary. This

was not a good way to soft launch that she was doing a her first documentary.

She had never done anything like this.

Journey to Fearless doesn't count. This

was like build as an inside look into her life and her process and the way it was announced was just so upsetting.

Yeah, it really and there was many things that were totally soured by this whole thing going on during this time period. They they really wanted to like

period. They they really wanted to like I mean maybe intentionally, maybe unintentionally, but it doesn't matter.

Like there were a lot of things that I feel like were ruined by their grief >> by the men. The men.

>> Mhm.

>> They ruined everything. We hate you. In

case you didn't know, this is a podcast.

Again, Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta. First and foremost, before

Borchetta. First and foremost, before we're the Taylor Swift podcast, we hate those men.

>> This is not a Taylor Swift podcast. This

is a we hate Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun podcast >> forever. And no, no Sydney Sweeney kiss

>> forever. And no, no Sydney Sweeney kiss will ever make me stop. Nope.

>> Well, for many, the Sydney the Sydney Sweeney kissing is only making it worse.

>> And as it should. As it should. So, when

we did finally learn about it officially, we learned that it was a female director, which was very important to Taylor, Lana Wilson. And we

learned that it would premiere at Sundance, which seemed like a very big deal. I mean, Sundance is a very

deal. I mean, Sundance is a very prestigious event. Like, this wasn't

prestigious event. Like, this wasn't going to be a journey to Fearless, like album puff piece. It was very much buil as like a serious uh investigative documentary where Taylor would reveal

things she'd never revealed before.

>> Can we talk about the poster?

>> Oh, yeah. I I never understood either of the two posters. There was the one where she's like in the coat and she's got her ponytail and she's looking down. And

then there's the one of her in the elevator in the mirrorball outfit looking down. We couldn't have done a

looking down. We couldn't have done a little photo shoot moment. I liked that the the mirrorball one more than the other one, but the one where it's just like totally black and her face and profile. I'm like, this is not

profile. I'm like, this is not interesting.

>> Well, it also didn't feel like lover related to me. I remember thinking that.

I was like, this is it's called Miss Americana and it's like I didn't understand how that was related to Miss Americana. Obviously, I hadn't seen the

Americana. Obviously, I hadn't seen the documentary yet, but I was like, as an image, I was like, "Okay, what does this have to do with the era that we're in right now >> to my naked eye?" Nothing.

>> Not that I wanted it to be, not that I wanted to be pink and sparkly. That's

not what I'm saying. But like, you know, we could have There's a lot of really good things that we could have made that poster. They wanted

poster. They wanted >> Look at my shirt.

>> This is an interesting >> That's a good That's a good picture for Miss Americana documentary.

>> Many people are saying it. I mean, the one that ended up it also the one that she the ones that she show chose were mostly like stills from the documentary, not actual pictures, which again made it

seem kind of like slap dash. But it also came out when the documentary came out, it came out with a new song, a promo single for the documentary, and that

song was Only the Young.

>> None of my business.

>> I wish I could I wish I could remember the first time I heard that song. I

really do. I can't remember it. It's

like completely gone from my memory. I

think I listened to it once and said good night.

>> None of my business.

>> None of my business. I do not need to be press and play on that again. I cannot

remember the experience of hearing it the first time.

>> No, I don't remember the experience of hearing it for the first time either. I

do remember seeing the video of the children's choir recording it and I was like "This is not." And also, this also was hot off

is not." And also, this also was hot off the heels of Cats. Like cats had just come out and it was like a catastrophic flop.

>> Catastrophic >> cat >> catastrophic >> catastrophic flop.

>> Taylor was like this is the year that I'm going to slay in the medium of film.

>> No, there really is something to flop era. Like it's not about the album. Like

era. Like it's not about the album. Like

I the lover stands get really defensive about it. It's really not about the

about it. It's really not about the album when I say flop era. I'm talking

about everything else. I'm talking about cats. I'm talking about the flop the

cats. I'm talking about the flop the flop behavior. The outfits too.

flop behavior. The outfits too.

>> The outfits especially.

>> Yeah. So that I don't I guess going into it I was I my expectations were rock bottom. What can I say?

bottom. What can I say?

>> They were rock bottom. I was interested in the documentary build itself as much more revealing than it actually was.

Like the clips of what she talked about in the trailer are pretty much exactly what we got in the documentary. there

wasn't a lot of elaboration on what she was talking about. So, it was a lot of like narration, voice over, like things we already know set to uh I don't know footage we've already seen. So, that was

kind of frustrating. I think I was a little bit I remember watching it for the first time and being a little bit bored. I was like, "Huh, this like I

bored. I was like, "Huh, this like I know this. I I know speak now. I know

know this. I I know speak now. I know

Fearless. Like, I don't I don't What am I getting here that I don't already know?" This is what Taylor had to say

know?" This is what Taylor had to say about the dock and why she did it before it premiered to Variety magazine. One

theme that ended up emerging in the film is what happens when you are not just a people pleaser, but someone who's always been respectful of authority figures, doing what you're supposed to do, being polite at all costs. I still think it's important to be polite, but not at all costs. Not when you're being pushed

costs. Not when you're being pushed beyond your limits, and not when people are walking all over you. I needed to get to a point where I was ready, able, and willing to call out [ __ ] rather than smiling my way through it. That is

one of the more interesting lines of exploration that is presented in the movie.

>> Yes, completely agree. And very true.

That was when I feel like the calling it Miss Americana, I've kind of like waffled back and forth on whether or not I thought that was a a wise choice because I've always kind of felt like if

this documentary is about how you don't want to be that persona anymore and you kind of want to break out of it, I think I would have chosen something else. But

then you could think of it like she is becoming a Miss Americana but in a different kind of a way. So, I kind of am like back and forth on the on the titling of it and like the the the

theming of it. But my my favorite part of the documentary is all of this stuff that she's just like, I want to not be that girl that I was. And I think that like the political stuff in 2025, it's

really hard to watch.

>> It's very, very hard to watch because of the lack of follow-through. It was hard to watch at the time because it already felt like she was playing catch-up to a landscape that had moved on without her.

And really, we'll get into this later, but really what this the political piece of this does is betray how uninformed

she is about like the world and also how uh selfserving her activism and her investment and engagement in any sort of

actions beyond herself has been. So that

has not held up well and I think it it actually overshadows what's interesting about this documentary. And Miss

Americana, I think it was a title, tries to serve her rebrand as some sort of like low-key activist, but that didn't

end up coming true, now did it?

>> No. No. No. That's the hard part. That's

the really That's the hard part. The

second half of the movie is really hard to watch.

>> This was called out when the movie premiered, by the way. Like from the jump, people were like, "Okay, you're a near 30-year-old woman declaring that you finally are interested that there

are bad things happening in the world."

That doesn't sound good.

>> It's like really traumatic for me. It

really >> No. And when we get into it, like

>> No. And when we get into it, like specific things that she did to announce it are so it's just so out of touch.

That's really how I would describe it.

that is extremely detached from reality and she doesn't know it which is why she presents it in a very serious way without a hint of self-awareness.

>> It's really it's like probably one of the most it's just a little embarrassing for me like as a fan. I really have to be honest with you it's a little cringe

inducing to me because like I I wanted it to be I this would have been a great documentary when she was like 25. this

would have been so I mean you know what I mean like would have been so good 24 25 like this would have been amazing but it's like in the lover era I just feel like the the comment about her being out

of touch we it was already so prevalent and then like to have this be put out >> to something this is 2014 2015 feminist tea like what she's saying here is what she just should have said to avoid all

the criticism that would befall her all the Arian goddess queen allegations if she had said this stuff in 2014 2015 that would have been an actually interesting revelation. However, what

interesting revelation. However, what you will notice about Taylor Swift is she doesn't say stuff like this until it's completely market safe. Like when

she's sure that it won't tank her career to say it, she'll say it. At that point in 1989, the reason why it would have been interesting to hear her say it is because it was a little bit risky and it was a little bit not brand safe for her

to say something of this depth. So

yeah.

>> Yeah, that's about the size of it.

She's not going to put her neck out. She

just won't. If if it has a potential financial repercussion, >> she's not going to do it.

>> No comment. No comment from me.

>> It's the truth. It's and it's hard to accept. I don't want to come away from a

accept. I don't want to come away from a Taylor Swift talk being like, "Wow, out of touch queen." But this, but like half of this documentary is very much I am

Miss Liberal. I'm the liberal queen. And

Miss Liberal. I'm the liberal queen. And

you know what?

In in today's day and age, I say at least it's better than the alternative.

At least we have at least >> you know what? At least she's not like stoned out of her mind at the GQ interview going it was surreal.

>> It was surreal when Trump put Miss the fate of Oilia in my in his White House.

>> It was surreal.

>> At least we have silence. At least we have She's a liberal. She made the Camela Harris uh cookies. I cheered.

>> If she learned anything from her experience with this documentary, it was to revert back to her way of being that she criticizes herself so much here.

Just say nothing.

>> Just say nothing. Say less.

>> Never complain. Never explain. All

right. Now, so basically we we split it up. Maline and I took different halves

up. Maline and I took different halves of the movie. I got the bad half. Okay.

Meline got >> Now he he chose this. He volunteered

himself. I forgot how it went.

I thought the political stuff happened first. Uh, wrong. Wrong. So, Maline,

first. Uh, wrong. Wrong. So, Maline,

take it away. Take it away. So, the

documentary opens with, in my opinion, a perfect shot, a beautiful shot. Taylor

sitting at her piano playing a little song while Benjamin, who was just a baby at the time, is walking across the keys.

I mean, this is great. This is This is perfect. This is Taylor. This is cinema

perfect. This is Taylor. This is cinema and she's really looking like Miss Lover. She looks like one of those, you

Lover. She looks like one of those, you know, when they make the stickers that have all the eras. She looks like the Lover era. She's wearing her lover

Lover era. She's wearing her lover merch, tie-dye pink shirt underneath blue short overalls.

That's her. That's Miss Lover. Seeing

her like that, I was kind of like, you know what? I kind of miss this girl. I

know what? I kind of miss this girl. I

kind of miss her. Where is she? Where is

she? Oh yeah, this is amazing. So, we go to a shot of her then playing with Benjamin in a pile of her old notebooks and diaries. Now, this is very important

and diaries. Now, this is very important to the lover era. And then she begins flipping through them. And the first thing that she says in this documentary is about one of her journals. She says,

quote, "This is the first one that I started when I was 13." And it says, "My life, my career, my dream, my reality."

And I just thought, you know what?

There's something about like the fact that she was that cringey and like that embarrassing and it worked.

>> There's like a lesson to be learned from like the manifestation and the blind belief that you're going to be the number one superstar in the world.

Everyone should just start behaving like that and maybe it'll happen for you.

Maybe it will.

>> How the hell are you going to believe in anyone else if you don't believe in yourself?

>> How the hell are you going to believe in anyone else? So she says that for a

anyone else? So she says that for a while she went through a phase where she was writing with Quill and Ink. She

doesn't say when. I know when >> it was during Speak Now and Red.

>> It was during Speak Now and Red without any shadow of a doubt. So I loved this part. I loved this little, you know,

part. I loved this little, you know, looking at the diaries. They were such a huge part of Lover. And I actually had this thought that like the diaries being

a part of lover was actually a really pointed thing to do about like her ownership of like her story. And there's

something like it's not I always thought it was so random and so strange because like lover itself is not really about that kind of it's not really looking backward much at all. But like there's

something very pointed about it as I'm looking at it in hindsight. Like I own all of these things. These are my song lyrics that I wrote in my diary. I never

thought about that before, but it only just occurred to me >> to have possession of them. This is

where they came from.

>> She doesn't mention the Scott Pricetta or the Big Machine records like really at all in this documentary. I have to assume for legal reasons, but like she hints at it and it's like if you watch

it with full hindsight, you you can see all the ways that she's hinting at it.

So, I liked this part. I thought it was a really good way to open it up. So then

she says what could be considered to be one of the foundational themes of the documentary. She says quote my moral

documentary. She says quote my moral code as a kid and now is a need to be thought of as good. It was all I wrote about. It was all I wanted. It was the

about. It was all I wanted. It was the complete and total belief system I subscribed to when I was a kid. Do the

right thing. Do the good thing. And

obviously I'm not a perfect person by any stretch. But overall the main thing

any stretch. But overall the main thing that I always tried to be was just like a good girl. quot some of us had coined

this phrase before we saw Miss Americana and called it her good girl complex. It

was a little Taylor Swift podcast that has a yearly format. I don't want to name names, but the good girl complex had been identified.

>> Oh, we had identified that. I mean,

that's like one of the things that cuz they used to compare her to Taylor moms all the time. So, yeah. No, ser and it's this is such an old reference. this this

show is like this is showing my age, but like they used to compare to Taylor Momson because remember when she first started like rocking out and like wearing the stripper heels and everything and looking so >> um people were really upset about it cuz

she was like the good girl on Gossip Girl >> and Jenny I'm such a sweet I'm sweet and then she's like actually this she wants to rock she wants to wear red lipstick etc etc and because her name was Taylor guess who she's getting compared to

Taylor Swift and so it was Taylor moms and [ __ ] Taylor Swift the good girl and I think at the time that would would have been something that Taylor Swift really relished.

>> Yeah. She and she also I think she does generally discuss that in the documentary how um she finally understands eventually that that her taking pleasure in it. She's not only

hurting others by that she's also hurting herself. Like it doesn't

hurting herself. Like it doesn't actually as she explains help her to be fixated on being a good girl because it's never enough. It's a very fluid concept.

>> Right. So, this quote that she says introduces a montage scene of her starting with her performing the national anthem in her American flag get up. She looks incredible. Her getting

up. She looks incredible. Her getting

her first guitar, her performing at age 12, going to Sony music at age 13, playing the piano at age 15, promoting Tim McGrath at age 16, meeting fans, and then going through the Fearless Tour, the Speak Now tour, and on and on. All

of these moments in her journey to being who she is at the time of this documentary, of course. And there's a voice over of her over this montage where she says, quote, "I'd been trained to be happy when you get a lot of

praise. Those pats on the head were all

praise. Those pats on the head were all I lived for. I was so fulfilled by approval. That was it." And they show

approval. That was it." And they show all these clips of her like basking in applause. You know, her pause when she

applause. You know, her pause when she stares out at the crowd, the champagne problems moment. And then back in the

problems moment. And then back in the day used to be uh the was it you belong with me? she would like stop and pause

with me? she would like stop and pause and then after welcome to New York, stop and pause, look over her shoulder, just gaze upon the crowd. Um, and she says, quote, I became the person everyone

wanted to be. And that's over a moment of her grinning on the 1989 tour as they cheer and cheer. And then title card, I actually thought this was a really good title card drop in the movie. The the

the shot of her grinning in 1989, like the peak of her career. It's weird to think about at this point the documentary being made 1989 was the peak of her career. That was the peak of Miss

Empire Swift. It's funny now to think of

Empire Swift. It's funny now to think of it because 1989 in comparison to like what's going on now is like kind of like a drop in the bucket, which is crazy, but for this documentary 1989 looking

over her shoulder, basking in all the applause, I'm the perfect diva title card, Miss Americana. I thought it was great.

>> Yeah. Also to clarify, it's the quote is I became the person everyone wanted me to be. You accidentally said everyone

to be. You accidentally said everyone wanted to be. And it's like yes, that's true.

>> But but your point is that like she felt as And it's interesting to me that like they chose a 1989 image to put over that

quote because to our knowledge 1989 was her being like, I'm a feminist. I'm a

girl boss. I am exactly who I want to be and I don't care what the men say. But

really behind the scenes, according to her at least, she was still really trying to capitulate to being liked. And

that was a huge defining feature of 1989.

>> Yeah.

>> Be my friend.

>> I agree.

>> Be my be my friend. I'm everybody's

friend. A friend to >> is a friend to none.

>> The opening montage is probably one of my favorite parts of the documentary.

First of all, because I'm Swifty and it makes me emotional. I always cry when I've seen the documentary. I think this was my third time watching it. I hadn't

seen it in years this time, but like this was my third time watching it. It

always makes me cry. But also, second of all, because I think it serves as a really great mission statement. I think

it's a really great opening to like the way that she described the documentary in the quote that she gave. Like that's

it. I wanted to be who everyone wanted me to be. And the documentary is going to be about how I'm not going to be that person anymore. Did that go on to be

person anymore. Did that go on to be true? Well, no. But I think if this if

true? Well, no. But I think if this if it had been true, this would have been great.

>> Yeah, it would have been great. I mean,

the the problem with this documentary overall is that Taylor Swift is like the executive producer and has ultimate and final say over what gets included.

Therefore, we're not going to see anything that is like actually revealing or challenging to the narrative that she wants us to see. So, you must keep that in mind when you go through this documentary. Every single moment has

documentary. Every single moment has been approved and sanctioned by Taylor Swift, which means that it serves her narrative in some way. Ideally, with a revealing doc, as this one was built to be, you get some stuff that paints

people in an unflattering light. For

example, Selena Gomez's My Mind in Me to me is a much more revealing documentary because it perhaps unintentionally displays Selena Gomez in a light that she maybe wouldn't want herself to be

shown in. This entire thing is so stage

shown in. This entire thing is so stage managed.

Yeah, the My Mind in Me is a really good example because I remember watching it and there's like one specific scene that I think about all the time. It's the one where she gets really upset after the interview

and she's like arguing with her friend about it.

>> I was like, "Oh, see." But at the end of the day, because it was so revealing and because it really showed her as being like a real person who's like really like having a hard time, it made me like

her more, >> right? It didn't come off of her. And I

>> right? It didn't come off of her. And I

think Taylor is this is where Taylor's stage managing becomes detrimental to her because it's like, okay, it's not coming off as sincere. It's actually

worse for you to be so uptight about what is shown than it is for you to just actually let people see a little bit of the real tea. So hopefully with the Aerys doc, we get more of that and less

of this. But I'm not hopeful about it.

of this. But I'm not hopeful about it.

>> Yeah. I don't watching Miss Americana and then thinking about the Aerys doc. I

it made me it didn't make me think, oh, I know exactly how she's gonna do the Aristo dock. I was like, I have no idea

Aristo dock. I was like, I have no idea how she's gonna do the Aerys store doc.

>> I'd hope it's different from this.

>> I hope it's different.

>> It's different.

>> Mhm.

>> So, we know from the first four minutes of the documentary, Taylor is talking about the expectations people put on her and where those expectations came from and where she's going to go moving

forward. So, this kind of sets up like

forward. So, this kind of sets up like one of the main things that the documentary is going to be about.

politics are not mentioned. I kind of found and we'll talk about this when we get to it, but like politics kind of come up out of nowhere. It's kind of like >> it's like the documentary is two parts really.

>> Right. Exactly. So after this this great opening scene, title card, we move to a scene of her backstage at the Reputation Tour singing Ready for It in 2018. And

we get to see some backstage moments.

And there's this great moment right before she goes on stage where somebody puts her hood up for her to delay just right. And you can kind of see in her

right. And you can kind of see in her eyes her like almost getting into the mindset of this reputation character because she goes from being like excited and smiling to like in the zone from one

shot to the next. And she's going on stage and she's doing the ready for it opening and it's all so bad and then it stops very suddenly and she's in the back of a silent car. It is silent. It

goes from screaming, screaming, screaming to silent. And I think everything in the scene is like very deliberate. We see her practicing ready

deliberate. We see her practicing ready for it in her dressing room. You could

maybe say she seems like nervous or it seems like she's in her head making sure her vocals sound right. And then we see her excited and smiling. And then we see her uh becoming someone else to go up on stage and perform this particular show.

And then she's on stage and she's completely somebody else and it's loud and it's big and it's over the top and she's surrounded by so many people who are screaming we love you and then silence and she's completely alone. It

takes us through her whole show night in like 45 seconds getting ready, getting nervous, getting into character, doing the show to screaming fans, ending the night completely alone in silence and going to her hotel room alone. It's such

an insular experience that is surrounded by so many people. Only she can warm up for the show. Only she can make sure her voice is in the right place. Then when

she's about to go on stage, she's alone.

When she's on stage, she's alone. Even

though there are people around her, like everybody else gets to go backstage and maybe take a sip of water between songs or change outfit. like she's got to be there the entire time and then she's

alone going back to her hotel or getting on the plane. Like it's very it's a very isolating experience.

>> We see her talking to someone on the car ride home who we never see. We It could be the camera person. It could be Andrea. It could be anybody.

Andrea. It could be anybody.

>> I'm so happy. Everyone was so happy. She

texts someone and we don't know who she's texting or what she says, >> but she smiles as she's typing. There's

like lots of invisible people in the movie. There's people that we don't get

movie. There's people that we don't get to see. There's conversations that we

to see. There's conversations that we don't get to hear that we never get to see Joe, but he's like a whole storyline in the movie. There's things that we don't get to know or be privy to, even though they're being shown to us. It's

like very deliberate cuz I think there's this image of her as someone who everyone knows everything about. And

there's the idea of her where there is no curtain with her and everything is just out there, but there is a curtain and we don't get to see everything. Even

in the revealing tell all documentary, >> she is actually very private if you can believe it.

>> She is. And that's the that's the thing that's so strange about like the uh sort of like dichotomy of Taylor is like there's like two parts of her and one is like I'm >> and they're not going to come away from

this documentary being like, "Oh, I don't know her." They're not This won't do that impression for them.

>> No. So, in the immediate next scene, Titanic sinking. Taylor is home alone,

Titanic sinking. Taylor is home alone, and I every time I watch the movie, I want these socks. They're like velvet two-tone socks, and they look like they'd feel like butter on my feet.

She's in her PJs. She looks so comfortable.

>> And she's getting the phone call that Reputation was not nominated in the major categories. And she's getting

major categories. And she's getting visibly upset. Nobody could think that

visibly upset. Nobody could think that she was not upset. And she says, and I quote, "This is good. This is fine. You

know what? This is fine. I just need to make a better record." And when whoever is on the phone, Tree Payne probably pushes back and says, "Reputation is a great record." Taylor says, quote, "No,

great record." Taylor says, quote, "No, I'm making a better record." With tears in her eyes.

I remember watching this for the first time and getting mad as hell because first of all, I knew exactly what record she was making. And second of all,

because you're talking about reputation, >> not on my watch. You're not on my watch.

But this scene says something that I already knew about her because, you know, both of us have been fans for so long. She's obsessed with Grammys and

long. She's obsessed with Grammys and awards and applause. It's a scene that reinforces the exact thing that she said in the opening moments of the documentary. She loves a pat on the

documentary. She loves a pat on the head. And there's no bigger pat on the

head. And there's no bigger pat on the head in the music industry than a Grammy nomination, let alone a Grammy. And this

is a moment she does not get that. And

she doesn't get mad. She doesn't scream.

She doesn't throw it around. She gets

sad. It hurts her that this record that she loved didn't get the recognition.

And in that moment, she decides that it's not good actually because someone else said it wasn't. That means that it isn't.

There are so many parallels between Reputation and Lover as Red and 1989 because the exact same thing happened with Red. It got all the nominations but

with Red. It got all the nominations but it didn't win anything. And I think that is even worse when you get all dressed up when you do the performance when you're sitting in the audience with a camera on you and then you don't win. I

think also like they were both Reputation and Red were both experimental in different ways. They

were kind of polarizing albums that Taylor kind of disavowed after they didn't get the Grammy like respect that she thought they deserved and came back around once the fans really started

rallying around them. But Taylor then made a calculus with Red to 1989. She

was like, I need to do something really different and I need to really fully commit to the bit. I'm going to do pop.

I feel like after Reputation, she was like, I'm going to do the same thing that I did when I went from Red to 1989.

I'm gonna refocus Lover and I'm gonna make it a big pop record allow 1989 because that was a formula that she knew that worked. Now, did it happen that

that worked. Now, did it happen that way? Well, no.

way? Well, no.

>> Well, no. Well, no. She's

>> And it better And it better not have been like this when Torture Poets didn't win. Better not have been like that. She

win. Better not have been like that. She

should have just said it deserved.

>> It deserved and that's all there is to it. So, in this reality where she

it. So, in this reality where she doesn't get nominated in the big four for reputation, she doesn't even care if it gets nominated in the genre categories for pop. She's just sad,

hangs up the phone, crying down bad, I'm going to make a better album. Cut

immediately to a scene of her in the studio making me. You cannot make this up. You can't.

up. You can't.

>> And at this point, >> me had been out for almost a year and had flopped catastrophically. So, I'm

like, "Girls, we should have gone back into the studio and fake recorded Cruel Summer."

Summer." >> Edited. Edited it. Edited it. So, she is

>> Edited. Edited it. Edited it. So, she is uh on the piano, and on the piano, it sounds so sweeping and pretty, but we know the truth. We know the truth. So,

she's in there with Joel, who I completely forgot he was Australian.

Completely forgot that. They're in there cobbling it together, and Taylor goes, quote, "I think this is the first single. It barely exists at this point.

single. It barely exists at this point.

It's not even a a a bar. It's not even a verse yet. And she's This is the first

verse yet. And she's This is the first single. I bet you think that. I bet you

single. I bet you think that. I bet you do. It's like watching everybody ignore

do. It's like watching everybody ignore the iceberg warning on the Titanic.

>> Joel is just Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Joel.

>> Well, and he got fired. So, you said yes. And what happened?

yes. And what happened?

>> You see what happens?

>> Scene of the crime.

>> He's He really is. So, that happens. And

then we go to a scene of her getting off the PJ and running to greet Andrea. Big

hug. really cute moment. And then she enters her boardroom with a team full of men and two women. Exactly. Miss

Americana. Eight men, two women. We love

it. This is a part of the dock that honestly feels like really disjointed to me. We're crying over the Grammys. We're

me. We're crying over the Grammys. We're

making a better record. That's really

just me. We're at the boardroom full of men saying, "New music, new album time."

We're getting off the PJ. And then we're back home playing the piano very suddenly. I wonder if this was like

suddenly. I wonder if this was like supposed to set up like a day in the life or like a week in the life of Taylor and if it's meant to feel all over the place because her life is all over the place. This is like what she's

doing right now. I mean,

I thought it was a little disjointed.

>> Well, we got to make the connection clear. If it wasn't clear to you, then

clear. If it wasn't clear to you, then it wasn't done well.

>> Period. Nonetheless, we're at Taylor.

We're at home with Taylor playing the piano ready music. And she says everyone has their own thing that sets them apart. And for her, it's storytelling in

apart. And for her, it's storytelling in her songwriting. I think this is one of

her songwriting. I think this is one of the few revealing said things that she says in the documentary. She says,

quote, "I know that without me writing songs, I wouldn't be here." So, that was kind of the first time that she sort of admitted like, "Without me writing songs, I know I'm not the best vocalist.

I'm not the best dancer. I'm not the best pop star in the world. Without me

writing songs, my songs are who I am.

This is why I'm in this position."

>> Important stuff.

>> It's important, powerful stuff. So then

we go into the making of Lover the Song.

Lover the song. She's on the piano.

There is an element to my fan base, she says, where we feel like we grew up together. I'll be going through

together. I'll be going through something, write the album about it, and it'll come out and sometimes coincide with what they're going through. Kind of

like they're reading my diary," unquote.

Precisely. It was really nice after all this time to hear her talking about the fans like this and the special connection that her fans have with her music. And I was thinking as I was

music. And I was thinking as I was watching it that it kind of feels like it's been a little while since that happened.

>> It's been a while since you know she writes an album, it comes out and it's coinciding with what I'm going through because I was not going through >> fat redwood tree. It's not hard to see.

>> I wasn't I just wasn't going through that, you know. I wasn't that wasn't my reality.

>> Unfortunately, not everybody gets to have that experience. I mean, what

experience. I mean, what >> I also wasn't I wasn't down bad crying at the gym either, but I I know that some people were.

>> Many people were >> many people were. I mean, it's just a matter of, you know, where are you in life? One one day you're going to be

life? One one day you're going to be saying heized me.

>> Let's pray.

>> Let's pray.

>> So, from this scene, we cut back to a scene of her at age 13 singing one of the first songs she ever wrote and the greatest song ever made, a little diddy called Lucky You. It's a little song

about a girl who's just a little bit different. There's a little girl in this

different. There's a little girl in this little town who's a little difficult. I

don't know the words to go around. Live

forever. Never say never. That's what

she said.

>> Okay, we've had enough of this. Thank

you.

>> So, this is the most incredible song ever made. And then we go to the worst

ever made. And then we go to the worst song ever made. She's playing it. She's

like 13, 14 years old. Smoky Black

Knights. God,

>> this is one of the worst songs ever made. This is one of the worst songs

made. This is one of the worst songs ever made.

>> I hate it so bad. But we go from these two, Lucky You and Smoky Black Knight to the Origins. They're important whether

the Origins. They're important whether people like them or not. These are the origins. And then we get Tim McGrath. We

origins. And then we get Tim McGrath. We

made it, girls. Now this

>> astonishing astonishing caliber.

>> She goes from Smoky Black Knights to Tim McGrath. That's powerful.

McGrath. That's powerful.

>> That's powerful. I think that this scene is meant to primarily showcase her as a songwriter and that she's a songwriter first and that she's always been a

songwriter ever since her hands were big enough to play the guitar and I think it it does a good job of that.

>> I mean we need to know that she's know it. Remind us she is. Sometimes when I

it. Remind us she is. Sometimes when I think about this documentary as being for people who aren't fans, I'm like, "Okay, I can see it." Like I can see it

as being for somebody who's not as plugged in as we are.

>> The casual local.

>> Yes. Exactly. So then from the Tim McGra I'm I'm I'm a songwriter. I'm I'm a young girl. We get Leslie Stall on 60

young girl. We get Leslie Stall on 60 Minutes and a series of other people saying this girl has made it. She's the

biggest thing since sliced bread. She's

blowing it up. She's selling more copies than anyone. Youngest person in history.

than anyone. Youngest person in history.

And the award goes to Taylor Swift. All

of this while Tim McGra plays in the background. I was amazed

background. I was amazed >> as it should.

>> I said, "This is incredible. This is

incredible." No, she she's the greatest star the world has ever seen. She is the only real star that we have. As a matter of fact, we go to a montage of her winning awards. And Andrea watching and

winning awards. And Andrea watching and smiling. That's my baby and I'm real

smiling. That's my baby and I'm real proud. That's what's going on there. And

proud. That's what's going on there. And

then we get to the Fearless Tour, which of course for her at the time, you can imagine was like the pinnacle of all pinnacles. It is the achievement of all

pinnacles. It is the achievement of all of her achievements at age 19. And she

says, quote, I was in country music and I remember thinking, this feels like a dream. This feels like a dream. This

dream. This feels like a dream. This

feels like a dream. But when you're living for the approval of strangers, and that is where you derive all of your joy and fulfillment, one bad thing can cause everything to crumble. And of

course, we the viewer, if you were alive in 2009, you know exactly what she's referring to. And I remember gagging hard when I

to. And I remember gagging hard when I watched it the first time when I realized she was going to talk about the VMAS thing because at the time she hadn't really mentioned it in any sort

of length since like 2010.

So we see her riding up in her carriage.

The diva beautiful princess. This is

supposed to be her night. We see Kanye storming the stage. I'm really happy for you. I love that they kept in Beyonce

you. I love that they kept in Beyonce being horrified. We need to know.

being horrified. We need to know.

Everybody needs to know.

was horrified that this was occurring.

Taylor's confused face and then her realizing honestly I have to admit as a Swifty this is cinema. This is cinema.

This is like one of the greatest pop culture moments of all time. The the

>> it's crazy.

>> The it's the first time we really understood I did not know that the reason why she was so devastated in that period of time was that she thought everyone was booing her.

>> Yeah.

She didn't realize that everybody was on her side. She thought you don't hear

her side. She thought you don't hear that in the telecast. Everybody agreed.

>> When you're watching on the VMAs, like when I was watching it like live, you cannot tell that people are really booing. Like it doesn't occur to you,

booing. Like it doesn't occur to you, but like when you're in there in the room, this is what she says about it.

Quote, "It was so echoey in there. At

the time, I didn't know they were booing him doing that. I thought they were booing me." For someone who's built

booing me." For someone who's built their whole belief system on getting people to clap for you, the whole crowd booing is a pretty formative experience.

>> Yeah, she >> that really changed my perspective on why that evening is so formatically formatically is so formally traumatic

for her >> as in like it wasn't just the fact that someone she respected told her she didn't deserve an award. It was that for a moment she felt like the world had

turned against her and it would and it would be from the same source.

>> I found it impactful the first time I saw it and I found it impactful the this time that I watched it because she had done a lot of interviews about it like when it first happened and she had talked about it a lot to the point where

she was walking away from the phone to pick up brought up. She said as much as she could have possibly said back then about it until she was blew in the face from saying stuff but she had never really been so frank about it before because she couldn't. She's Miss

America. She's a good girl. What's she

going to say? So, she couldn't never be as frank as she was. How it felt to really be there and like why it had hurt so badly. She doesn't linger on it and

so badly. She doesn't linger on it and the documentary doesn't linger on it either. It just presents it as this is a

either. It just presents it as this is a moment that changed me going forward.

And I thought that it was edited and put together well for like the biggest emotional payout because it leads directly into the next scene where she's playing all too well at the Grammys. And

she says, quote, "That was sort of a catalyst for a lot of psychological paths that I went down and not all of them were beneficial. It was all fueled by not feeling like I belonged there.

I'm only here because I work hard and I'm nice to people." And I thought that that was really sad. Not I'm I'm only here because I'm really talented. I'm

only here because I deserve to be here.

I'm only here because I work hard and I'm nice.

>> And I mean there is something to that.

Talent is like 20% of why you're successful in like an industry like entertainment which requires so much networking and it requires so much collaboration and working with other people. Like something you really hear

people. Like something you really hear about stars that can be their downfall is that they're difficult to work with.

And Taylor went out of her way to be easy to work with. And I think what she's getting at here is that sometimes she made herself too accessible. She was

too nice. She was too permissive when she should have been more um aggressive or like confident about herself.

>> Period. And she says, quote, "That work ethic. Thank God I had that work ethic

ethic. Thank God I had that work ethic because I can't change what's going to happen to me, but I can control what I write." Unquote. And this is a really

write." Unquote. And this is a really good setup for going into the 1989 era.

And as we see clips of her doing Out of the Woods in her bull cutup bob, she says, quote, "I really just went to this place where I was like, I'm going to prove myself. I'm going to make sure

prove myself. I'm going to make sure people know that I deserve to be here."

And this is said before a montage of people saying how great and amazing she and 1989 are. Barbara Walter says, "She is the music industry."

>> One of the best one of the best moments.

>> And then Taylor says, quote, "That was it. My life had never been better."

it. My life had never been better."

Unquote. So she thought we as fans watching this knew the truth >> and the documentary does set it up like in an ominous sort of a way like of course we know that this is all going to

come crumbling down. So we go from the fearless tour of this is a dream to the dream crumbling just by one single person's opinion to I will prove myself I will prove myself to 1989 I'm the on

top of the world diva I can't be stopped. It does surprise me that in

stopped. It does surprise me that in this whole montage, she doesn't include Red not winning the Grammy. But I think she's still like, >> I'm not laughing.

>> It's not relevant to the story. It's not

funny. It was humiliating. I'm not

smiling. I'm not chuckling. It's not

relevant. It doesn't mean anything to her.

>> We're not talking about that.

>> It did win, actually.

>> But Taylor says, "My life had never been better." And then we go to one of my

better." And then we go to one of my favorite scenes in all of Miss Americana and perhaps all of cinema >> when she wins the Grammy for 1989. Now,

this is a favorite meme on Evolution of Snake. Yes. But it is also genuinely one

Snake. Yes. But it is also genuinely one of the scenes that stuck with me when I first saw it and it sticks with me today. I love to reference it. I love to

today. I love to reference it. I love to think about it. It's one of the more powerful scenes in the documentary because personally, I didn't know she felt that way about winning the Grammy.

So, this is what she says. Quote, "Oh my god, that was all you wanted. That was

all you wanted. That was all you focused on. You get to the mountaintop and you

on. You get to the mountaintop and you look around and you're like, "Oh god, what now?" I didn't have a partner that

what now?" I didn't have a partner that I climbed it with that I could high-five. Now, in hindsight, this is

high-five. Now, in hindsight, this is pretty revealing because the partner that she climbed it with was technically Scott Porchetta, but she didn't feel that way. She did not feel that way,

that way. She did not feel that way, ladies and gentlemen.

>> Well, Scott also was an active obstacle to her creating 1989. That's kind of the unspoken thing hanging in the air here is that he gave her a lot of push back and a lot of uh not mistrust in her. He

didn't trust that she knew what she was doing that her work ethic would pay off into something bigger and better than what she had ever done before. He he

couldn't dream as big as she did and therefore this win didn't belong to him.

It wasn't his because he didn't support it.

>> And all he was saying was music has value.

>> And where did that get you?

>> $300 million.

>> Yeah. She continues, quote, "I didn't have anyone I could talk to who could relate to what I was going through. I

had my mom, but I just wondered, shouldn't I have someone that I could call right now?" Unquote.

>> Meanwhile, boyfriend meanwhile boyfriend. Boyfriend actively mentioned

boyfriend. Boyfriend actively mentioned in this moment, Kelvin Harris there, but she had no one to call.

>> She had no one to call. She didn't want to call him. Did not want to call him even.

>> Funny to me, she has literally just written him out of existence. It kills

me.

>> And that's where he belongs. Mhm.

>> Now, what's interesting about this scene is that this particular voice over when she's saying like, "I didn't have anyone I could talk to. Nobody could relate to me." It's provided this visual of her

me." It's provided this visual of her backstage at the Reputation Tour and it's just her back standing there alone as the crowd screams in the background.

It's sort of like muted. And I think it's meant to show that every night Taylor has this crowd of people screaming her name and screaming that they love her, but she still feels like she has no one to call and she's all alone and misunderstood. And it's just

like that scene at the start of the movie where in one second it's so loud and in the next it's silent. There's

like this unspoken loneliness in the movie that is maybe not spoken about because Taylor didn't say it and maybe doesn't even really realize that it portrayed this, but as a viewer you

really get the sense of her being alone a lot, a lot a lot a lot.

>> I think this thread is like a real classic celebrity documentary thread.

like the most famous loved person in the world is secretly very insecure and and feels very alone and is isolated all the time and that is always interesting to people I think no matter who it is and what context it's presented in. I think

of Katy Perry Part of Me where she's like having a mental breakdown about Russell Brand divorce and she just has to get it together and go on stage.

There's no one in that scenario that can do anything for her that can make it better for her because the only person she can rely on to get through it is herself. And I think that this is an

herself. And I think that this is an interesting celebrity documentary trope that I hope we see more of from the heirs store doc because it the the the paradox of being beloved and being in front of thousands of people every night

but feeling like there's no one in your corner is interesting.

>> It is interesting and it's right in front of our faces in Miss Americana.

>> It's right in front of our faces. So

from this scene winning the Grammy, it's the most depressing thing that's ever happened to her. We go to the studio unfortunately. Now, this is this is the

unfortunately. Now, this is this is the moment where we learned that she didn't have a burrito until she was in her mid20s. This when I saw it, when I tell

mid20s. This when I saw it, when I tell you I gaped, I was like, "No burrito until age 25 or or or later." Okay.

Okay.

>> Yeah. I mean, that said a lot without saying very much.

>> Then she says she thinks that she invented the concept of putting chips in her burrito for a little crunch. That

killed me. I was like, Taylor, >> let her let her.

>> It's like, >> it's her first burrito. Let her have a delusion.

>> That therapy thing that people say, "Let them. Let her.

them. Let her.

>> Let them. Let them.

>> Let her." So, she's about to turn 29.

This is what she's talking to Joel about in the studio. They're taking a break from, you know, doing me terrorization on the world. And she says she's about to turn 29. And Joel asks, "How do you feel about that?" As we all know,

everyone is terrified of turning 30, especially women. And Taylor wouldn't be

especially women. And Taylor wouldn't be immune to that. But she has a really interesting response. She says, "There's

interesting response. She says, "There's part of me that feels like I'm 57, but then there's part of me that's not ready for all this grownup stuff, like having kids." And when Joel says, "Nobody ever

kids." And when Joel says, "Nobody ever really feels all ready for that stuff.

You just figure it out when it happens."

She says, "I kind of don't really have the luxury of figuring stuff out because my life is planned like two years ahead of time. In two months, they'll come to

of time. In two months, they'll come to me with the dates for the next tour."

And it's presented with no commentary further, but we know what it's supposed to mean. So, so far, we're getting that

to mean. So, so far, we're getting that she's terribly alone. She has no real partner in all this or that's how she feels. Also, her entire life is

feels. Also, her entire life is controlled to the point where she doesn't feel like she can just be a normal person who lives normally and makes normal life decisions like having kids, getting married because everything is already planned for her. People tell

her where to go and where to be and when to be there.

>> And I think at this point up until now, she had wanted it really actively. Like

it was never a question of this is how my life's going to be. I'm gonna tour.

I'm going to do an album. I'm going to do it like this. This was the first time ever in her career to this point at 29 that she had stopped and been like, "Do I like this? Am I enjoying this?

>> Did I get them in?

>> Did I ever get to have a burrito? I

never get to stop and enjoy a burrito.

>> I never got to put chips in my burrito for the first time."

>> So then we go to a PJ scene where someone scares the out of her. It's

actually one of my favorite uh moments from the documentary when she climbs out and the camera guy is there and she's like, "Oh, you scared me." Could have been anybody. I guess that's why that

been anybody. I guess that's why that could have been anybody. So, for the first time ever watching this, I realized that in the private jet scene, Austin is in the background. I never

noticed that >> he's back there. He He has to say >> I was in the background and no one noticed me. That's his whole life.

noticed me. That's his whole life.

>> So, they talk a little because Kitty is there. The giant dog is there. And um

there. The giant dog is there. And um

they talk about how much Andrea loves her giant horse dog and Taylor is like disgusted by these dogs. She always has been. For the record, I don't think

been. For the record, I don't think Taylor is like not a dog person. I think

she's not a horse dog person. I don't

think she likes that Kitty is >> I've seen Kitty. I've seen Kitty in person. She's messy and rowdy and she's

person. She's messy and rowdy and she's huge. Like dogs like that, they drool

huge. Like dogs like that, they drool everywhere. They take really huge. Like

everywhere. They take really huge. Like

they're they're not easy animals to take care of. They have high energy needs.

care of. They have high energy needs.

Yeah, they're a lot. I I would think a therapy dog would be like a golden retriever, you know, something obedient, something easy to take care of. This is

not that.

>> No. So, Andrea calls Kitty her cancer dog because after she got diagnosed, she decided to do something she always wanted to do, which is get a really big dog. So, this is kind of how they

dog. So, this is kind of how they introduce um one of the most important things in Taylor's life, which is that her mother has cancer. And Taylor says that her mom getting cancer has been really hard for her because Andrea is

her favorite person. And I really like that they chose to use this scene of her and Andrea on the plane laughing and having fun and joking around with the dog to like showcase their relationship instead of doing something sad because I

think this scene really shows that Andrea and Taylor are best friends and that they rely on one another and they also just have a good time. And also

that Taylor is used to turning around and like seeing her mother there. Every

step of her career she turns around and Andrea has been there. And the thought that one day she could turn around and not see her there is just completely abhorent to Taylor. It's not acceptable.

It's hard for her to even conceptualize it. And Taylor goes on to say, quote,

it. And Taylor goes on to say, quote, "It woke me up from this life where I used to sweat all of these things. Do

you really care if the internet doesn't like you today if your mom's sick from her chemo?"

her chemo?" >> And I think that's a great quote. Do

you?

>> It puts things into perspective.

>> It's a huge moment in the documentary.

It also really adds, this is a beautiful illustration of soon you'll get better.

that that moment where she goes, "Who am I supposed to talk to? What am I supposed to do if there's no you?" Like,

that lyric is so moving. Taylor and

Andrea's relationship is very special and very moving to me as well. I I find it to be I'm I'm like, "Thank God Taylor has Andrea in her life. And thank God that Andrea has been her advocate this entire time. Even when we see her later

entire time. Even when we see her later on, which we'll get to in the political scenes, um when Taylor is coming up against all these men that are wanting her to behave in a certain way, Andrea is in Taylor's corner. She's down for

whatever Taylor wants. I don't think she pushes back on her in a way where she's like, I'm thinking about your brand. I'm

thinking about your image. She's

thinking Taylor is my daughter and a person first, and what she wants, I want for her. I I like that Taylor has that

for her. I I like that Taylor has that in her corner.

>> Yeah, me too. Because I think Andrea may be one of the only people who says, "This is what Taylor wants. This is what I'm campaigning for, too." And I think having just having one person in these

like rooms full of men looming over her going, "Do you what about Bing Crosby?"

and like this that and the other thing.

One person to go, "No, this is what she wants to do and this is what >> I support her doing it." It's important.

>> It's like you can't replace that.

>> Thank you, Andrea. We love you.

>> Thank you so much, Andrea. Um, so Scott is in this scene, too. Taylor drives to Scott's. I This is like one of the last

Scott's. I This is like one of the last Taylor. This is

Taylor. This is >> all we hear is I'm going to crash. All

we hear is I crash.

>> I didn't know that she still up until this point was driving. I don't think she drives today. She better not be.

haven't seen her behind the wheel of a car. I don't think

car. I don't think >> it better not be. But this whole scene, she's at Scott's house or she's hanging out with family. Austin's in the background. The dogs are going crazy.

background. The dogs are going crazy.

This scene is all about Taylor's biggest priority, her family and those closest to her. And that's reinforced because we

to her. And that's reinforced because we go from at home with her parents to into her beautiful Nashville apartment with Abigail, her oldest childhood friend.

>> I love the Nashville apartment so bad.

>> It looks so busted now. Like when you see Reputation Taylor in there, it like she my favorite thing about it is that it's a complete time capsule to who she was when she created that apartment.

She's not updated anything. It looks

exactly as it was. And I hope that that never changed. It looks crazy in the

never changed. It looks crazy in the context of 2018 2019. But I love that about it.

>> I absolutely love it. The purple couch, the um tea party, >> the cabinetry in different colors, the I'm moving in. I'm moving in.

>> No, I'm there. I live there. Mentally,

I'm there.

>> So, they're they're making spaghetti together. Like, this is probably a

together. Like, this is probably a really normal night for like Abigail Taylor hangout. Come to my house in

Taylor hangout. Come to my house in Nashville and I'll make dinner for you because we have to. This is what we have to do to hang out. We can't do the things we used to do. We can't go to the soccer.

>> We can't go to the ice cream parlor. We

can't do any of that stuff. So, come

over and I'll make you a beautiful plate of spaghetti. I would be happy with

of spaghetti. I would be happy with that. I would be very happy with that.

that. I would be very happy with that.

>> Hell yeah. In the natural apartment.

That's better than going to heaven. So,

we see her pour cat treats on the table for Olivia to eat at the table as they're also having dinner. This is a step too far for me.

>> I don't like that the animal cannot eat at the table. If I was Abigail, I'd be like, "Absolutely not." So, uh, the conversation that we see Abigail and Taylor have, of all of the conversations

that they could have, they talk about a mutual friend having a baby, and Abigail says, quote, "I think you'd be an excellent mother." And Taylor looks

excellent mother." And Taylor looks really happy to hear this. I never

noticed this back in the day. Kids come

up more than once in this documentary.

And I and I the what I'm reading into that is this vision. It's like wish list. This vision of a normal life.

list. This vision of a normal life.

>> This vision of like I can have that. But

I also think there's like subliminally like no you can't.

>> And also the other subliminal thing is you might not want it. That's the other thing that she's like not really saying, but she is saying because when she presents the whole like my life is planned out, blah blah blah blah. She

doesn't immediately say I don't want it to be like that anymore.

>> She says, "I I'm not feeling it.

I'm not feeling it." The whole kids thing, being an excellent mother, I'm not sure about that. I'm not about all that.

>> I'm going to put that in the back pocket.

>> Yeah, that's going to go filed away into the back of my mind until 2025. Wish

list >> got me thinking about a driveway about it with a basketball hoop. Many such

cases. Many such cases. Then we're on to the next thing. Abigail. I feel like she kind of was like put in just kind of like I'm still I still hang out with Abigail. I'm a normal girl.

Abigail. I'm a normal girl.

>> We wanted more.

>> We wanted more.

>> Then we're on to the next thing. We're

back on the PJ who is the second main character of the documentary. The PJ is the only person who appears as often in the documentary as Taylor.

>> I don't remember people doing PJ discourse back in the day either. Like

people were not bringing this up. They

weren't. They didn't care. her home. Did

she live?

>> This was her home.

>> Her primary residence, PJ.

>> Yeah. We get the iconic scene where she like is all under the umbrellas and she says, "Good luck getting a picture of this."

this." >> Excellent. Wonderful. Then we're back to

>> Excellent. Wonderful. Then we're back to Taylor's New York City apartment. And we

get an iconic papwalk and fans screaming and cheering. She's leaving the

and cheering. She's leaving the apartment. Taylor, look over here.

apartment. Taylor, look over here.

>> I love this. I love this.

>> And she gets into the back of the car.

The camera crew is waiting for her.

Everybody's in there. and she says, quote, "I'm highly aware of the fact that that is not normal." Certainly not.

Certainly not. And then she says, and this is kind of like a real bombshell moment of the documentary, quote, I've learned over the years, it's not good for me to see pictures of myself every day cuz I have a tendency, and it's only

happened a few times, and I'm not in any way proud of it, but I get I tend to get triggered by something. Whether it's a picture of me where I feel like I looked like my tummy was too big or someone said I looked pregnant or something and

that'll just trigger me to just starve a little bit just stop eating. And what

strikes me the most about this scene watching it now is that it does feel very spurof the- moment like she just decided she wanted to talk about it. It

feels very offthe cuff when you watch it. She's like rushing through it. She's

it. She's like rushing through it. She's

not looking into the camera when she says I'm not proud of it. I really feel that in how she says it. There's like a shame in the way that she's talking, stuttering over her words. And I think

it's because she knew she had never admitted it before or talked about this part of her life. And it's really, really difficult for her to talk about.

And this was like a huge moment for her.

And she says, quote, I thought I was just supposed to feel like I was going to pass out at the end of the show or in the middle of it. Now I realize, no, if you eat food, have energy, get stronger, you can do all these shows and not feel

it. I'm a lot happier with who I am and

it. I'm a lot happier with who I am and I'm happier with I don't care as much as someone points out that I've gained weight. It's just something that makes

weight. It's just something that makes my life better. That I'm a size six instead of a size zero. That wasn't how my body was supposed to be. I just

didn't really understand that at the time. I would have defended it to anyone

time. I would have defended it to anyone who said, "I'm concerned about you." I

was like, "What are you talking about?

Of course I eat. I just exercise a lot."

And I did exercise a lot, but I wasn't eating. And I don't think you know

eating. And I don't think you know you're doing that when you're doing it gradually. There's always some standard

gradually. There's always some standard of beauty that you're not meeting because if you're thin enough, then you don't have that that everybody wants.

But if you have enough weight on you that you have that, then your stomach isn't flat enough. It's all just >> impossible. Unquote. This is powerful

>> impossible. Unquote. This is powerful stuff. I remember gagging. I couldn't

stuff. I remember gagging. I couldn't

believe it. I remember watching. I

cannot believe that she's talking about this.

I I remember when I watched it, I really was like, "Now, this is where I wish the director, the person behind the camera, would interject and ask some polite but leading questions to just elaborate on a

few things here." Um, because she is saying some really important and powerful stuff and it's such a short moment of time and it's disconnected from the rest of the documentary. Like

there isn't really an engagement.

There's a montage of like her looking very thin in the past. But I wish I feel like this is it is such a revelation and I understand Taylor wanting to be brief about it. But I think the way she

about it. But I think the way she renders her experience with starving herself is so relatable. And I also think it's very much like busting the myth of like to have an eating disorder

you must be hospitalized or you must like you must really be very conscious of it and actively trying to hide it from people. And I think what she's

from people. And I think what she's showing here is how your brain grows to trick you into thinking that like what you're doing is normal. you you tell yourself these lies. Yeah, I just exercise a lot when really over time

because you do it so slowly and gradually and the pressures around you evolve, it becomes a much bigger problem than you realize. It would have been interesting to know like what was the moment where you realized I can't do

this anymore. And like she does talk

this anymore. And like she does talk about like now it feels like I don't have to pass out during a show. Like

there were there was a little bit of a moment for expansion there. And I'm not saying that she has to, but like for the confessional tell all documentary, it would have been interesting to get more

Yeah, for sure. Uh, at the end of the scene, she shows the camera an example of a picture that would have made her spiral back in the day. It's like a reputation uh era paparazzi pick and

she's like talks about how she, you know, saw the picture and was like starting to do the thing. Oh, look at the way I look blah blah blah. And she

was like, nope, we don't do that anymore. That's not good. That wound us

anymore. That's not good. That wound us up in a very bad place last time. Is

what she says. Um, it's a very powerful scene. Taylor was also thin spo for for

scene. Taylor was also thin spo for for a lot of people in a really bad way. And

I think that her doing this and saying it and showing how she used to participate in this with herself very important and a corrective thing.

>> Yes. Because like when you become aware that people are using you to harm themselves, it's like uhoh, we need to >> we need to reel the I need to like figure this out. And I also need to make

it really clear. I was doing something bad.

>> I was doing something bad to myself. and

and I didn't mean to do it, but now I have to correct it because I need to be healthy for my job. If for nothing else, I can't I she could never do the eras tour

>> in the position that she was in during 198 that could have never happened. So,

this is probably >> I think that this is the most revealing scene in the documentary. This this

really the most revealing the most the most real like revelatory thing. So,

this is the entry moment for this scene about the hate and the magnifying glass that's put on her and how people talk about her. I think that taking the space

about her. I think that taking the space to have this conversation that was very clearly very important for Taylor and also hard for her to talk about separately and first before we get into

all the other stuff that comes along with the negative side effects of fame was a very good idea. I think it's a good gradual tonal shift from like getting stalked by the paparazzi to what

has this done to her mentally to other kinds of speculation and obsessions that people have with her that have made her life difficult? The the people taking

life difficult? The the people taking pictures of me and like me becoming obsessed with that and fixating on my looks. That's all part of this

looks. That's all part of this magnifying glass thing that she's talking about. The negative side effects

talking about. The negative side effects of being famous. Also, because I was watching the scene with subtitles on on Netflix for the first time, I realized that in this montage of all the haters and like things that people do and the

paparazzi, there's a moment where the paparazzi is yelling at her and one of them says, "Did you Kim Taylor?" I have never >> I never noticed that. What era was this?

>> It was during 1989.

>> She has short hair. It's crazy just shouting at her in the street. And I

knew that paparazzi yelled stuff, but I feel like all of the paparazzi videos that I've seen, at least in my recent memory, they look over here that to her.

Yeah. They don't like that's that I believe that it happens, but it shocked me.

>> That is really >> absolutely shocked. So, this montage is about terrible things that people have said about her dating life, about how thin she is. She's too thin, her friends, everything. Every single thing

friends, everything. Every single thing that you could hyper analyze and like criticize about a person, she's getting criticized for. And the hate is just

criticized for. And the hate is just mounting and mounting and mounting and it leads up to the Kanye West Kim Kardashian famous drama and how this was all just an opportunity for her to be

victimized again. She liked the way that

victimized again. She liked the way that people thought that she was a victim of Kanye West again. So, she's just being a victim again. and they show the the

victim again. and they show the the famous uh Kanye West show where he's up on the stage, the Tilty stage, and he's doing famous and he takes a pause and

the whole crowd of men starts shouting Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift. It's like

Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift. It's like

actually kind of disturbing. Like seeing

it in this kind of like montage, it ain't right. It wasn't right.

>> It's extremely disturbing. And this the documentary is kind of like leading up to how this particular drama led to another one of the worst backlashes of

her career and another low point. And

that's two times now in her life that Kanye West has made her feel like that.

And the dock really does go out of its way to show that. It feels pointed and deliberate. And recall at this point

deliberate. And recall at this point Taylor exoneration had not happened yet.

She was getting him and he deserved it.

two times he has been absolutely terrible to her. I'm just saying >> it makes a lot more sense why she's still fixated on this when you watch the documentary. When you when you see it

documentary. When you when you see it again in black and white it's like okay at this point I understand why it still felt urgent and fresh because it was >> it was it was to her and you know what

period so they killed Cassandra first because they feared the worst.

>> Yep. Heard of it. So, uh, you know, the famous drama happens and so then they show a montage of headlines about how horrible Taylor is, how her downfall is amazing and great and we're all so happy

watching it and this is so great. We've

been waiting for this. Yes, finally

she's being taken down. And she says, quote, "When people decided that I was wicked and conniving and not a good person, that was the one that I couldn't really bounce back from because my whole

life was centered around it." Quote,

>> "Taylor Swift is over party was the number one trend on Twitter worldwide.

Do you know how many people have to be tweeting that they hate you for that to happen?"

happen?" >> No. And I don't want to know.

>> No. And I don't want to know.

>> No. Well, we kind of do know on a very small scale. We know. And it ain't nice.

small scale. We know. And it ain't nice.

Not a nice feeling.

>> It ain't nice. Um, this is I think like watching it now, I can kind of see how they did like build up to this. They

built up to this like earthshattering.

I can't do this. I'm Miss Perfect. I'm

I'm Miss Good Girl. I'm this like perfect image. First of all, it's been

perfect image. First of all, it's been taken away from me. Let's open that case wide open. And second of all, I can't do

wide open. And second of all, I can't do it. I don't want to do it anymore. It

it. I don't want to do it anymore. It

was miserable. Like I can't I'm my reputation is in the literal gutter. So

it's just like over. It's done.

everything that I worked so hard for is is how she felt like I worked so hard to maintain this image and it's just gone just like that. Everybody hates me. I I

thought I was doing exactly what they wanted me to do and yet they all hate me.

>> It's tough to watch.

>> It's tough to watch. We go into the scene um where she's somewhere, it's not clear where she's talking to her mother and it looks like

maybe some label people. She cries and says, quote, "We're people who got into this business because we wanted people to like us, because we're intrinsically insecure, because we liked the sound of

people clapping, because it made us forget how much we feel like we're not good enough." And I've been doing this

good enough." And I've been doing this for 15 years and I'm tired of it. I'm

just tired of the just it feels like it's more than music now at this point.

And most days I'm like, "Okay." But then sometimes I'm just like, it just gets loud sometimes. She's in reputation

loud sometimes. She's in reputation merch when this is happening. She could

be backstage at the Rep Tour or it could be anywhere. There's no time indicators

be anywhere. There's no time indicators or any indicators of why she's upset or what has triggered this. But it almost doesn't really matter. It's like you know you know what it was another thing.

Somebody else said something mean. She

read something out. She saw something she didn't want to see. And this is how it feels when that happens. This

insulated moment. This is how it feels.

It feels like people take me and they abstract me and they make up about me and it's not about music. All I want to do is make music, but they do all of

these things that are so personal and it hurts and it doesn't feel good.

>> There are like three truly unvarnished scenes in this documentary. It's the

eating disorder clip, it's this clip, and it's the one where she's fighting with her team about becoming a Democrat.

Those are like the three scenes where I'm kind of like, she forgot the camera was there. She forgot they she said, "Uh

was there. She forgot they she said, "Uh oh, you didn't get that, did you? Was

that off the record?" And they said, "No, no, no, no, no. We got you on.

>> We got you." So, she says after this scene, this is one of my favorite quotes in the whole documentary. She says,

"When people fall out of love with you, there's nothing you can do to make them change their mind. They just don't love you anymore. And I just wanted to

you anymore. And I just wanted to disappear. No one physically saw me for

disappear. No one physically saw me for a year." And that was what they wanted.

a year." And that was what they wanted.

>> This lie. I love that lie. It's just

such an easily >> it's such an easily disproven thing, but it also really serves a narrative that she wants to serve. So, I let her have it. But it's

it. But it's >> You have to let her have it. This is her constructing her narrative. And you know what? I clap and I cheer. I like the

what? I clap and I cheer. I like the narrative. I like the narrative.

narrative. I like the narrative.

>> Nobody physically saw me on a red carpet for a year.

>> Sure, >> I'll take that.

>> So, this whole scene, you know, the hate, the famous hate train, um her getting cancelled, it was one of the worst things that ever happened to me.

It shattered my whole image. I had to rebuild from the bottom up. I'm crying

because people people seeing more to me than just the music when all I want to do is make music. All of this leads up to reputation. And thank God we get

to reputation. And thank God we get clips of the making of reputation. We

get clips in the scene of look what you made me do and I did something bad. And

my favorite thing in the I did something bad video is you can see Bleachella.

Bleachella is alive and well in this. So

>> that's why it's such a good song.

She broke up with uh Tom Hiddston is the way that I'm viewing this. And then she said, "I did something bad." That's

literally >> She did gorgeous first and then she did something bad.

>> And I love that sequence.

>> It's It's just hilarious.

So, quote, "The reason why that backlash hurt so much was because that used to be all I had. I felt really alone. I felt

really bitter. I felt sort of like a wounded animal lashing out. And I

figured I had to reset everything." So,

she's making reputation. This is the state that she's in and we can't really talk about reputation and not talk about Joe. So this is when we start to see the

Joe. So this is when we start to see the suggestion of Joe Alwin. We never really get to see him but we get to surmise that he's there.

>> So he we go into this montage of like home videos and he's filming all these videos. You know that I don't know if

videos. You know that I don't know if like a stranger watching it could I knew that when I was watching it. I was like >> I think a stranger would be confused by the construction of this documentary.

It's not, it doesn't have a clear follow through, especially when you're deliberately excising a part of the narrative that you want to talk about but can't. Right? So,

but can't. Right? So,

he's filming all these videos and we never see him really other than his back and one quick shot of his face later on.

She says, quote, "I had to deconstruct an entire belief system for my own personal sanity. I was also falling in

personal sanity. I was also falling in love with someone who had a really wonderful normal balanced grounded life. And we decided together that we

life. And we decided together that we wanted our relationship to to be private.

>> Good luck with booking that stage. You

speak.

>> So, we see this like ominous video. He's

filming the ground and you can see his shadow and her shadow together. That's

what we see. And we see later on her mouthing to him. I love you. We see her looking him in the eye, but we can't see him >> only once and very briefly.

>> And I was thinking when I was watching this, I was like, you know what? Maybe I

just shouldn't bring it up.

>> Maybe we just if you don't want to be in it, then don't be in it.

>> Then don't be in it.

>> She wants to talk about it. She wants

people to know that she's in love and she wants to celebrate it, but she's not allowed to.

>> She's not allowed to.

>> Am I allowed to cry? No.

>> Am I allowed to cry? I think that what they ultimately did in the documentary, I would I would like to know the conversation that took place about can Joe be in it. He's there. He has to be in some of these scenes where they're

filming. He just simply has to be there

filming. He just simply has to be there at some point, but he's not there as far as we know. And it's like, what was the conversation like? No, I don't want to

conversation like? No, I don't want to be in it. Don't show me in it. I would

be upset.

>> You can't decide to do a revealing documentary about your life and leave out 50% of it. You can't do that. That's

why Miss Americana feels so disjointed because there's a lot that she's not showing. I mean, what we get from the

showing. I mean, what we get from the Aerys tour trailer immediately is Travis content immediately because he's part of the story. He is a huge part of the

the story. He is a huge part of the Aerys tour. It would be not an Aristo

Aerys tour. It would be not an Aristo documentary if he wasn't featured in it.

Just like this is not really an accurate depiction of what she's specifically explaining, which is how she got herself out of the situation mentally by getting into a relationship with this person.

She's not allowed to mention it. So, it

feels it feels like just random pieces of vlog footage shoved together, >> right? And I think that Taylor really

>> right? And I think that Taylor really wanted to show this was such a bad time in my life, but out of that came something great, but she wasn't really allowed to like extrapolate upon that

for whatever reason. Well, I mean, we can't speculate as to why. We don't know what the conversation was like. We don't

know who decided that, but >> No, >> it's weird. It's weird. It It feels weird when you're watching it. It felt

weird the first time I saw it. It felt

even weirder in 2025 now that I know, you know, the whole story. But

nonetheless, it was interesting. She says, quote, "But I wasn't happy in the way I'd been trained to be happy. It was happiness without anyone else's input. It was just we were happy.

>> We were happy.

>> Period." I said, "Period. Absolutely." I

mean, that's how that's how it >> that's how it should be. That's exactly

like nobody else should have like an opinion. This is the part of like the

opinion. This is the part of like the privacy that totally makes sense to me.

Really, nobody else should have an opinion. People have them. Absolutely.

opinion. People have them. Absolutely.

But you really don't have to let that in.

>> Absorb it.

>> We were happy. We had our own little bubble and we were really happy there.

Period.

>> So then we go into We're back in the studio. We're making reputation. Max

studio. We're making reputation. Max

Martin cameo.

Period. Jack Anton cameo. Getaway car

>> timo. Everybody clapped and everybody cheered. And then we get a clip of

cheered. And then we get a clip of Getaway Car live on the Reputation Tour, which is so one of the most underrated in my opinion, most underrated tour performances of all time is Getaway Car.

I love it.

>> And she's just there vibing on stage.

Like there's not much to it, but it just serves in a way the slide, the jacket.

Oh, it's everything.

>> So we get, you know, you have this great scene of her doing Getaway Car. Oh, it's

so amazing. She's on stage, everybody's cheering, and then she gets off stage and we see Joe's back and kind of his face as she's like running to him and she says, "Oh, I'm so upset. I couldn't

find you." Blah, blah, blah. She's

running to him. He's standing there.

Move. Do something.

>> He's probably hiding. He was probably hiding.

>> I also have always gotten the sense that this was the first time he came.

>> I saw him in New York. I'm pretty sure I saw him at the New York show with his hat on.

>> Yeah, he had his hat on.

>> He was there. He was standing in the back. He was he was in the he was often

back. He was he was in the he was often in the like VIP area, but he would stand right at the back with his hat on >> and he would not talk to fans.

>> He wouldn't look at people. Actually,

>> I'm not going to say often. I'm not

going to say often. New York was kind of a big show, so I would imagine like Lena Dunham was there.

>> Lena um other people were there.

>> We know Lena Dunham was there.

>> We know Lena Dunham booked that stage.

>> She She booked that stage. She was she was instrumental.

>> Unless I'm imagining it. Did I imagine that?

>> I don't know. I I don't know if Did you see in the comments? Did you see Joe Alwin at the reputation door? Did you

personally see Joe Allen at the at the reputation door? If so, leave a comment.

reputation door? If so, leave a comment.

Ladies and gentlemen, you're going to start saying like >> he threw a call it what you want lemonade in my face and stuff like that.

>> And he did. No, he probably did. That's

the thing.

>> But he did. So then we get perhaps the most awkward scene in the entire documentary. She's on stage. She's doing

documentary. She's on stage. She's doing

this. Then she sees Joe, you know, she's backstage, etc., etc. Taylor at a meet and greet >> and a fan proposes to his girlfriend,

>> and she's just standing there watching it happen. I love this scene so much.

it happen. I love this scene so much.

They're the two. It's the most awkward little couple. They're so cute, but

little couple. They're so cute, but they're so awkward. And Taylor's just like, "You just got engaged. That just

happened."

>> Something you want.

>> Something you want, Taylor?

Just asking.

We can only >> The only reason that this was put in the documentary was to share some more insights into her close relationship with her fans. I like the scene. It's

really cute. All the fans and her interactions with them. It's a necessary part of the documentary. I think we could have cut Joe right out of it.

>> You know what I mean? I'm interested in Taylor fan interactions. I'm not

interested in in Joe showing his face for two seconds on the documentary screen. I'm not interested

documentary screen. I'm not interested in that. Thank you so much. That's my

in that. Thank you so much. That's my

half of the movie.

That's your half of the movie. Well, um,

so I get the busted half. I get the half where everything falls apart. You know

how it starts? It starts with Taylor and Brendan in the studio speaking in tongues trying to write me. And Taylor

says, "I just want little kids to be like, there's no one like me. Who? Who?

Why would you want that? Why? I get that this dog is a complete image rebrand and overhaul, but girl, you're 30 years old almost saying, "I want to make music for little kids."

little kids." >> And then she had the nerve to get offended when we said, "Is this for the Secret Life of Pets?"

>> You have never even when you were close to being a kid, made music for kids. Tim

McGrath, that's not for children.

>> Just a very strange choice, especially right after Reputation. Like

>> things are >> I don't think the kids are lining up. I

mean, they are now, but I'm talking about like, why do we need to rebrand this hard?

>> Didn't work. It's too far.

>> Didn't work. Didn't even work. Didn't

even work. They will come. The kids will sing All Too Well 10. That's what you don't realize. The kids want to scream

don't realize. The kids want to scream the patriarchy. They don't want to say

the patriarchy. They don't want to say spelling is fun.

>> They don't.

>> They don't want that. So, then they have an interesting conversation about people breaking into their houses. Brendan is

like, "Oh my gosh, fans come in and like they knock on the door." And Taylor's like, "Haha, yeah, one time this crazy dude broke into my apartment and slept in my bed." and he's like,

>> "She's on a different level." Like, she is on a completely different level.

>> So, then we get recording footage of Brendan Yuri. I'm sorry. I hate this

Brendan Yuri. I'm sorry. I hate this man. I can't stand him. He does some

man. I can't stand him. He does some horrific screaming vocal warm-ups. And

this is allegedly the first time they've also allowed cameras into the studio with like a full production crew for for this documentary because before it was just her phone videos. This is like you've got other people witnessing

what's going on and this is what you chose to let them see. Uh Taylor's

offering notes on his vocal performance.

She's saying he's making it come alive.

The note she gives him, by the way, is right.

>> She's a vocal coach.

>> Vocal coach. She did it. And then she says, "I'm so excited." This is before the song was even done. So she's

declared that it's the first single. And

she says, "I'm so excited that you're down to do a massive video. It's not

going to be a small one.

What is he going to say? No, he's

unemployed. He's

>> He needs the money. He needs to cash that check expeditiously.

>> He needs to cash that.

>> He's got the time.

>> Then she explains her brilliant genius idea to shout just come. And they

intersperse her telling Brendan the idea for the music video with footage from the actual shoot. This is a humiliation ritual.

>> I know he >> it came out exactly as she theorized it would. It is to the letter what she

would. It is to the letter what she wanted it to be. And then she says it's dancers, cats, gay pride, people with country western boots, unicorns.

>> That's exactly what happened.

>> That's what it was.

>> And we weren't sharing.

>> No, we weren't sharing. This video, she says, is what would imagine if she split her brain open and her imagination fell out. Put it back in.

out. Put it back in.

>> Put it back in. Put it back in.

>> Here is what it looks like. All the way to the, you know, the the waterfall.

That's what I always think of when I think of the meme music videos. Ugly.

>> How much CGI did that cost?

>> Waterfall. Why did you >> We're lucky AI didn't exist when this video was being made. Imagine what

horrors they could have suggested us to.

That would have been really terrible.

>> Then we had we have a scene and these are the scenes that I love as we've discussed where she's exiting the second character of the movie, the PJ with Olivia and a cat backpack and she gets into a car and again I picked up the

same notes as you. I'm always struck by how insular her life is. This reminded

me of gray and blue and fights and tunnels. She's always in an enclosed

tunnels. She's always in an enclosed space.

>> I was under.

>> It must make you feel like a caged animal, especially because at this time she was not open to being spotted. The

whole thing was about hiding. Everything

was hiding. So, it's all enclosed spaces. Then we get into

spaces. Then we get into political Taylor. So, she a propos of

political Taylor. So, she a propos of nothing. We were just doing I want the

nothing. We were just doing I want the kids to love this song unicorns. I guess

the clue was gay pride. That was the clue.

She She says, "I really care about my home state and it's a huge part of this midterm election." Then we go into news

midterm election." Then we go into news clips about Marcia Blackburn and her OP.

One of the things that enraged me the most is that she voted against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which tries to protect women from stalking, date rape, and domestic violence.

This is her pet issue. This is something that she could have stuck with and maintained advocacy for. It's specific.

It's not generally women's rights. It's

a specific thing that she can relate to.

It's something that is evergreen. It is

something that is always going to be important. It's something that is always

important. It's something that is always going to be under advocated for. This is

the kind of issue that she should keep up. Like when I'm thinking about what

up. Like when I'm thinking about what she could do when people ask how would you want Taylor to interact with politics, this is a pet issue that that could be very good for her. Then we have the iconic clip where she goes obviously

it's a no for gay marriage. It's a no for them to have any rights whatsoever where people just take it out of context and just clip that. It's a no for gay marriage.

>> It's a no for gay marriage >> obviously.

>> And she says I'll be very upset if people think that Tennessee stands for these things. Then there's clips of her

these things. Then there's clips of her saying prior in interviews for her career saying I'm a singer. They don't

want to hear my political views. And in

a voiceover she says part of the fabric of being a country artist is you don't force your politics on people. That is

grilled into us. Then of course we have a montage of the chicks. The first

victims of of modern cancellation as we know it. Throughout my career, label

know it. Throughout my career, label executives would say, "Don't be like the chicks." But I loved them. A nice girl

chicks." But I loved them. A nice girl doesn't force their opinions on people.

A nice girl smiles and waves and says thank you. A nice girl doesn't make

thank you. A nice girl doesn't make people feel uncomfortable. I was so obsessed with not getting in trouble that I'm just not going to do anything that any anybody could say anything about. And I mean, this is a revealing

about. And I mean, this is a revealing thread, especially as we've moved further away from it. On the one hand, it makes a lot of sense why she would feel so gagged, so to speak. But she

wasn't actually gagged. This is an almost 30-year-old lady saying, "Hey, maybe I should take more of an active interest in the world around me. If I

truly do care about something other than myself, which I have no problem promoting and using all of my social capital to proliferate, I'm happy to expound about myself at length in public and talk about things that benefit me."

And I think this is the point where we really see how her approach to issues, global issues, political issues, is framed. She's in the car getting quiet

framed. She's in the car getting quiet and sense being like, "I can't listen to people saying no. Stay out of it. Stay

out of it." And then we get into recording the man.

>> This is her political rallying cry. If I

was a man, then I'd be the man. It's

true.

>> This is but it's the exact problem of her entire approach to activism or speaking definitively about political issues we cannot understand without reframing through the context of me.

That song is more about Taylor Swift than it is about Taylor Swift's rights than it is about women's rights. It's an

interesting little number. Joel Little

is sitting there being like, "Let me botch this art really quick." He's doing his blew and she's like, "Yes." And I was like, "Girl, no." And I like watching her be the boss in the studio.

Actually, she's really subtle with it, but it's definitely like, "Okay, now you go to the console and start a vibe.

Like, she's issuing instructions. We're

done with the piano. That's it. Thank

you. You go over there." It's it's really interesting to see her click into boss mode. She's so subtle with it. And

boss mode. She's so subtle with it. And

I would imagine that that's kind of something that you have to adapt as a woman in the industry. Like you have to always couch your decisiveness and your authority in being nice. But I think she actually manages to do it in a way

that's like not overly nice. It's just

I'm the boss and you're here to do a job, so do it. Thanks.

>> Right. Can you stop playing for a second? He says, "Oh, yeah."

second? He says, "Oh, yeah."

>> He's like, "Yeah, of course. I'm silent.

>> I'm silent. I'm silent. I'm silent.

>> Yeah, I'm done.

>> Thank you." Then they have a conversation, Joel and Taylor, about what the song is about. He asks her if it's exhausting, and she said she's always doing a strategy in her head as to how to not be shamed for something on every given day, but then she gets

accused of being calculated for having a strategy, and she's always twisting herself into a pretzel on an hourly basis. And I do like seeing her work

basis. And I do like seeing her work through this stuff in real time and like talking to people about it that don't necessarily know. Like Brendan Yuri

necessarily know. Like Brendan Yuri doesn't didn't know how bad her stalking issue was. Joel Little doesn't really

issue was. Joel Little doesn't really know what it's like to be a woman in this level of magnitude of the industry.

It's interesting to hear her explaining that. Um, that's the best part of the

that. Um, that's the best part of the doc. Taylor is actively sanctioning this

doc. Taylor is actively sanctioning this beat, by the way. She's like, I love it.

>> It's great. No, she thinks it's amazing.

She thinks it's the best thing ever.

>> Where were the cameras during Cool Summer? Where were they?

Summer? Where were they?

>> And I know that recording and I know that writing session was crazy.

>> The whole secrets of the universe were contained in that writing.

>> St. Vincent, Jack Anton, Taylor Swift coming together. I know there was wine

coming together. I know there was wine on the table. I know there were burritos being had and they were writing it like it was the masterpiece that it was. I

needed to be in the room >> and the tea was so so hot. So hot. The

camera lens couldn't come in.

>> It couldn't come in. So then it cuts to actually Sorry, I forgot. This is one of the most powerful parts of the documentary, too. And it's the best

documentary, too. And it's the best leadin for the political stuff. I

probably should have started here actually. Probably should have started

actually. Probably should have started here. the sexual assault trial. Death to

here. the sexual assault trial. Death to

this DJ. Death to all of them.

>> Death to all of them. Clap if you think he should die.

>> Taylor explains it very simply off the top to show how cut and dry it was. This

happened to me. I told his boss. They

did an investigation. He got fired. Then

he sued me for millions of dollars. So,

I counter sued for $1 to make a point.

And she says very powerfully, "You walk into a courtroom and there's this person sitting there staring at you like you did something to them. The first thing they say to you in court is why didn't you scream or react quicker or stand further away than he is a lawyer get up

and lie. There were seven people who saw

and lie. There were seven people who saw him do this and we had a photo of it happening. I was so angry. I was angry

happening. I was so angry. I was angry that I had to be there. That it happens to women. That people are paid to

to women. That people are paid to antagonize victims. That all the details were twisted. You don't feel a sense of

were twisted. You don't feel a sense of victory when you win because the process is so dehumanizing. This is with seven witnesses and a photo. What happens when you get raped and it's your word against his? This is the most moving and

his? This is the most moving and powerful part of the documentary, especially in the political. It's the

best example of how she can take a personal event in her life and apply a wider lens to it because she's not focusing actually on what happened to her when she's talking about it. It's a

symbolic win. She's pointing out loudly and publicly that one, she won't be badgered into accepting that this is in any way her fault. Two, the system is designed to antagonize victims, not support it or protect them. And three,

she displays an understanding that what happened to her is the bestcase scenario. Meaning, she had all the

scenario. Meaning, she had all the evidence and resources and power on her side to pursue this effectively, and yet she felt no satisfaction and no victory from it because it was such a disruption

to her life that shouldn't have happened in the first place. Very moving stuff.

>> Definitely the most powerful scene in the whole documentary. I also love that they used the courtroom sketches to portray it. I feel like that added like

portray it. I feel like that added like a layer of >> like just power seriousness to it and

like how horrible it really was and how terrible it was. This person sitting there staring at her from >> years ago at that point who thought that he had any claim to the money that she

had made because he lost his job being a pervert not on her >> and she had to sit she had to stand there and say my is located on the back of my body. She had to fly in, take time out of her busy schedule to go and deal

with this. It was absurd. It was really

with this. It was absurd. It was really ridiculous. It was absurd.

ridiculous. It was absurd.

>> But this is really where I feel she has failed with her advocacy and where she can do more and should. She could be doing more for survivors and victims of sexual assault and stalking. I don't I just don't know. Maybe she is doing it

behind the scenes, etc. But like these are issues that she has talked about before. She's raised consciousness about

before. She's raised consciousness about those. Those issues have not gotten

those. Those issues have not gotten better since she started talking about them. and she has a voice that could be

them. and she has a voice that could be powerful. These are personal issues. She

powerful. These are personal issues. She

speaks really cogently about them. She

is articulate and it's disappointing that she dropped this entirely. And the

most effective celebrity activism in my opinion is focused and honed in on a very specific thing. Like for example, Olivia Rodrigo has picked reproductive rights specifically. That's her that's

rights specifically. That's her that's that's her thing. Um so rather than like women's rights and being a girl boss feminist, why don't you make this your issue?

>> Right. Let's hear it. People would like to hear it. It could. It'd be very powerful. She was on the Time magazine

powerful. She was on the Time magazine cover, lest we forget. This is powerful stuff.

>> And it's just like not that she has to wheel out her sexual assault trial for like, you know, advocacy reasons. That's

not what's being said here. But it's

just like >> she's such a powerful person, such a powerful woman in the world.

>> What she could do for victim's advocacy is like astronomical.

>> It really is. and and she tried to do it, which is this is the whole part about Miss Americana that really trips you up because it's like this was positioned as her announcing a new era, a new Miss Americana, a new person that

was going to interact with her fame in a more responsible way and she has done a complete heel turn on that. So, it is confusing to look at it. Um, but I I we have to give props where props are due

because like just speaking about this at all was really powerful. And I think what she did do when she decided she was going to speak about it was important and was consciousness raising. Um then

it it cuts to a clip of her on the rep tour saying, "I'm sorry to anyone who wasn't believed. I don't know what turn

wasn't believed. I don't know what turn my life wouldn't have t would have taken if I had said something happened to me and people didn't believe me."

>> So moving.

>> So moving. And she plays clean. And then

we have a very moving clip of her mom crying and saying how proud she is of her. And Taylor is comforting her and

her. And Taylor is comforting her and saying, "It's okay now. Like I'm safe.

I'm fine." Uh, but yeah, Miss Americana is so damning because she sets herself up time and again to be held accountable for going silent in the future. She

explicitly says, quote, "I thought to myself, next time there is an opportunity to change anything, you had better know what you stand for and what you want to say."

Did you get the opportunity to change anything?

>> It's it's it's it's really hard to watch in 2025. I remember watching this in

in 2025. I remember watching this in 2019 and thinking, "This is great."

Like, you know, it's not like she's the most perfect political mouthpiece of all time. Like, she's not going to change

time. Like, she's not going to change the world or anything, but like this is great. Like, this is I I'm so excited

great. Like, this is I I'm so excited for this like next phase in Taylor's career where I don't have to defend her from the claims of her being a Nazi.

>> Well, >> right.

>> Well, it's it's interesting. It's

interesting to see the different like shades of her activism that go on here because this part feels very like this doesn't feel self- serving to me. This

doesn't feel like image rehab. this

doesn't feel like she's doing it to make herself look a certain way or to achieve a certain goal. When you contrast that with her LGBT activism, how clearly profit driven that was and

how vacuous and shallow her understanding of the issue was. That

contrast is where you're like, okay, you can see what Taylor is good at when it comes to speaking about things. She

doesn't need to focus on everything.

focus on the thing that you understand really well and that you're passionate about, not the thing that you think other people might like to buy, basically. Um, so after this, we get the

basically. Um, so after this, we get the cut to her doing her makeup on the PJ, saying her team is really not happy with her fixation on the Marshia Blackburn debacle, and she says, "It's not that I

want to step into this. I can't not at this point. Something is different in my

this point. Something is different in my life, unchangeably different since the sexual assault trial last year. No man

in my organization or my family will ever understand what that was like. Then

we get to the king's court. These

crusty, dusty, decrepit white men, Team Taylor. Notice how we're not introduced

Taylor. Notice how we're not introduced to them. Their names are not shown on

to them. Their names are not shown on the screen. They It's Scott Swift and

the screen. They It's Scott Swift and his two >> wise men idiots sitting next to him. And

they are low-key lecturing her. They're

they're speaking to her like, "Little girl, you don't know what you're talking about." They say, "For 12 years, we've

about." They say, "For 12 years, we've not gotten involved in politics or religion." And she's very agitated.

religion." And she's very agitated.

Like, Taylor has clearly come prepared for a fight. And we have we have Andrea Queen on her left, and we have woke Meredith on the right sitting there being like >> literally tremendous.

>> We're Democrats, babe. We're all

Democrats in this.

>> It's a new It's a new dawn. It's a new day. It's a new go.

day. It's a new go.

>> Democrat attitude. Um, and then Taylor says, "But this is the home front. In

the presidential election, I was in such a horrendous place. I wasn't going to pop out my head and say anything." Scott

shoots back with, "Why would you? Would

Bob Hope or Bing Crosby say anything?"

That kills me. And it immediately >> It immediately kills Andrea, too. SHE

GOES, "HONEY, WHAT the hell? Bob Hope

and Bing Crosby?"

It's like, girls, this is why we can't be taking advice from the Crusty Dusty Kings report. They think that your peers

Kings report. They think that your peers are Bing Crosby, Bob.

>> What?

>> They've been dead a long time.

>> What do you think?

>> They've been dead a long time.

>> Can any of these men name a Beyonce song? Can they ask them who Haley Kyoko

song? Can they ask them who Haley Kyoko is? They don't know.

is? They don't know.

>> They don't know.

>> They don't know. And then Taylor's getting worked up. She's like, "These aren't your dad's celebrities, and these aren't your dad's Republicans." Eerie

how relevant that is now in this day and age. Uh, and the two random crusty dusty

age. Uh, and the two random crusty dusty guys say, "What if we came to you and said, "We can have the amount of people to come to your next tour, trolls.

>> We don't care.

>> We don't care. Are you not listening?"

Mama, mama, ears open. He's saying, "I don't care."

don't care." >> Someone tries to plead security. I think

it's Scott. He says Taylor Swift comes out against Trump. And she goes, "I don't care if they write that."

>> Well, period. Come out against >> They've been writing it. They've been

writing it.

>> She says she's sad she didn't do it two years ago, but she can't change that.

What's killing me in this scene is the rubber snake that is just sitting on the coffee table like a rubber toy snake and a very casually but perfectly draped is

this the end of all the endings blanket.

It's too It's It's like It's too funny.

>> Staging. No, it's too good.

>> The staging of it is hilarious.

Gorgeous. And I think also I think Taylor genuinely does live in a place of I'm wearing my merch. Like I don't think that's fake. Like she is at various

that's fake. Like she is at various points authentically wearing her own merch. I love that. I wear my own merch

merch. I love that. I wear my own merch all the time. I legit wear my Evolution of a Snake merch 24/7. It's comfortable

and it's mine. What's not to like?

>> Yeah. What's not to like? Um, and she says, "I know this is right and I need to be on the right side of history and if he doesn't win, then at least I tried." Clearly, this is an argument

tried." Clearly, this is an argument that she's had with Scott before because he sort of she sort of reverts into little girl mode when she's talking to him and like gets choked up. She does

that frustrated crying thing that you do when you argue with your parents.

>> And she goes, "I just want you to read what I wrote and know that this is important to me." And Scott cuts her off and is like, "I read the entire thing.

I'm terrified. I'm the guy who went out and bought armored cars." And Andrea said, "Listen, you know, I worry as much as you do, maybe even more." And Taylor is like still crying and pleading her

case. And this is it is fascinating to

case. And this is it is fascinating to see her like this because it it does feel like she's asking for permission.

She's not going into it the way she is in the studio being like, "I'm the boss and this is what's happening." This is like her saying, "Please give me the go-ahad to do this." She says, "It's right and wrong at this point. I can't

see another commercial of her disguising these policies as Tennessee Christian values. I live in Tennessee. I'm a

values. I live in Tennessee. I'm a

Christian. These are not my values.

>> Yes.

>> And it's it's like she's saying I'm a Marxist communist and I am going to redistribute the wealth. That is how everyone is acting.

>> That's how Scott's hearing it.

>> They're all hearing you want Ma's cultural revolution in the United States. That's what they're hearing. And

States. That's what they're hearing. And

she says, "Dad, you have to forgive me because I'm doing it. Rise God

values." She's putting her foot down. It

is really interesting to see the dynamic change when she's in the studio with Joel Little. He's nothing. He's aunt.

Joel Little. He's nothing. He's aunt.

I'll crush you. When she's in this room with this label guy and her dad and who knows who else and they're coming down on her, men. Men like foisting this

[ __ ] out. They're going to lose fans. And like this is like don't you

fans. And like this is like don't you know like trying to anxiety attack her into not doing this.

>> Mhm.

>> You're going to lose fans. We're going

to lose this. This is going to happen.

Do you want to get shot, Taylor? I

bought armored cars and like all this stuff. It's like, man, this ain't real.

stuff. It's like, man, this ain't real.

>> Is it that serious?

>> It's just not real.

>> It's just not real.

>> We get to one of the funniest scenes in the documentary. Like, this is

the documentary. Like, this is objectively like this is a VEP scene almost. It's our redheaded queen, Tree

almost. It's our redheaded queen, Tree Payne, sitting next to Taylor as she's about to post on Instagram. It's like

she's been handed the nuclear codes and she is about to press world destruct.

Like that is how it's deeply unserious.

Okay. Everyone is gathered around her.

She's like, "I'm nerv." Tree says, "I'm nervous." Taylor goes, "You should be.

nervous." Taylor goes, "You should be.

You should be nervous. I'm about to this whole world up. Wait till you see what I'm going to do." And Tree is like, "Okay, I need to bring up everything that we can expect. One, President Trump could come after you, Taylor. That I

don't care."

>> Period.

>> Thanks.

>> Period.

>> Okay. If I get bad press for saying don't put a homophobic racist in office, then I get bad press for that. Where did

she go?

>> Where did she go? Where'd she go?

>> Where is she? Who the [ __ ] that guy?

>> They're playing fatal feelia at the White House. You know about this? Th

White House. You know about this? Th

This This is always posting. This is

what always posting looks like.

Situation room. Tree pane. Wine glass

phone. What's happening? Tree is like enchanted by this as Taylor's ranting and raving. She's like, "Oh, yes. I love

and raving. She's like, "Oh, yes. I love

my little w queen." She was like, "Finally." And then she goes, "It would

"Finally." And then she goes, "It would be so spineless of me to be standing on stage saying happy pride guys while someone is literally coming for their neck.

>> It would it would be. It would be.

>> It would." And what you said in Chicago was posting.

>> We were there.

>> We were literally there. It's

>> when she stood on stage and said, "Happy Pride everybody."

Pride everybody." >> And you could see her losing losing the plot as she was saying. She was like, "Oh, there's no plan. I don't know how to land this plane." Uh, this time she wasn't ready to talk about Marshia Blackburn and specific policies. Oh, no.

She didn't know what to say.

>> Mm- She had no idea.

>> She just wanted to say, "Happy Pride, guys. That's it."

guys. That's it."

>> And she said she wanted everybody less gay. It was

gay. It was >> while someone's coming for their neck.

That's what she wanted to do.

>> Um, then they all cheers to the resistance. I literally burst out

resistance. I literally burst out >> to the resistance.

>> Taylor Swift, Andrea Swift, and Tree Payne. The resistance.

Payne. The resistance.

>> White ladies drinking wine about to post an Instagram post is the resistance.

>> And the Instagram post says, "I'm a Democrat." That's what the Instagram

Democrat." That's what the Instagram post says. It says, "I'm a Democrat."

post says. It says, "I'm a Democrat."

That is the long and short of it. And

then she posts it and they ALL GO, "OH MY GOD, >> I can tell it's happening.

>> I cry. It's It's too good. It's It's a little too delicious. And then here comes the spin. Here comes the spin. The

favorable media coverage montage ensues.

As well as Trump saying he likes her music 25% less now. Iconic.

>> One of the greatest quotes of all time.

I like music 25% less.

>> He couldn't say the music sucks. He

couldn't. He knew he couldn't. He He was listening to Space in the Car.

>> You know, he's turning it up. He can't

help it.

>> He can't help it. Just 25% less.

>> Uh the sound bites are interesting. The

sound bites are it's a risky move for someone of her age and status to step into politics. This is what PMO about

into politics. This is what PMO about this entire thing. It's like in 2018 at age 28. No. Again, it would have been

age 28. No. Again, it would have been more more adventurous for her to do this like actually during the election year when she didn't say anything. That's

when it would have been like brave and impactful. At this point, it was the

impactful. At this point, it was the group think of everyone in her industry that what was going on was bad and wrong. Taylor was far too late to that

wrong. Taylor was far too late to that party. Katy Perry beat her there.

party. Katy Perry beat her there.

>> And Katy Perry been beating her there.

>> Katy Perry been beating her there.

>> Been beating her there. And got beaten up for beating her there.

>> Yeah. And purposeful pop.

>> Purposeful pop.

>> She was at She was at the Hillary Clinton uh 2016 rally playing this song of me. Or was it? I think it was.

of me. Or was it? I think it was.

>> No. Rise. Remember her flop song for the Democratic National Convention. Rise.

No, you don't. She has her own. It's

It's her only the young. It's her only the young. So then they start talking

the young. So then they start talking about how she got vote.org to get 50k new voter registrations and she's celebrating this with the team. You see

how it all has to be about numbers and what did I get and what did I do and how did I >> charts of it's the charts of book.

>> Taylor's like if I can't see what impact I had, it didn't exist.

>> Yeah.

>> Um and then she asked she goes, "Do you think it'll do you think it'll actually do something?" And everyone's like,

do something?" And everyone's like, "Yes, yes." Everyone's like, "Yes, it

"Yes, yes." Everyone's like, "Yes, it will.

>> It's going to change everything."

>> And she goes, "I feel >> just changed.

>> I feel 200 lb lighter." Tree then, okay, now again, this is crazy. Tree then

presents Taylor with a quote from the brilliant mind of Perez Hilton. Note how

they are attacking her intelligence instead of her opinions. They don't

respect women enough to debate them. Oh,

so you want to talk about respecting women? you

women? you Hilton >> on women's faces.

>> You want to I >> what you said about women in the early 2000s. We need to get him. People are

2000s. We need to get him. People are

forgetting this is being memory.

>> Tree Payne knows that. Taylor Swift

knows that. You all know this about him.

And yet in the woke girl boss documentary, our source of of pride is Perez Hilton. That's the biggest joke of

Perez Hilton. That's the biggest joke of them all. It's the biggest joke. And

them all. It's the biggest joke. And

we're not laughing. I'm not laughing about that. I'm not. Her continued

about that. I'm not. Her continued

engagement with Perez Hilton is repulsive. And he was invited to the

repulsive. And he was invited to the reputation tour. That's probably why.

reputation tour. That's probably why.

>> This is the thing about Taylor. It's

like if someone's nice to her.

>> They're they're perfect.

>> They're perfect. And it's like you you need to say Perez Hilton, get out of my DMs. You have to you have to >> you can't say women should not be targeted by hate campaigns and then say

I love you PZ Hilton >> Perez Hilton this is it it people need to know this if you don't know it you need to know it he is scum know it

>> evilst he is the male Candace Owens that's the best comparison I can like put for everyone and my email to him I stand by it to this day when I was 12 I said I'm glad he got punched in the face

>> I have it saved in my phone. I just like to look at it. I'm glad you got punched in the face.

>> Mhm.

>> Period.

>> XOXO Zack.

>> Get him again.

>> Get him again.

>> Exactly.

>> He deserved it. Who punched him? Do you

remember that? Who punched him?

>> Oh, I think it might have been Willam or Chris Brown.

>> Get him.

>> No, it was Will. It was Will.

>> Get him. I know he punched him.

>> He deserves it, too.

>> I know he's in the gym.

>> A punch from Will is like that. If

you're Perez Hilton, like a schlebby like computer guy. Will made it. I am

>> Michael made it.

>> Knock you down.

>> Michael made it. He did. So then she gets into her mirrorball outfit. I love

the shot of her going into the elevator.

So So then she snaps into robot Barbie for the red carpet. I love to see it.

She repeats her decree to tell people to vote in the midterm elections when she wins artist of the year. Okay, thanks.

Then we have a hard cut to her in the pastel yellow suit strutting into the Mi music video and there's no sound and a green screen behind her. So it looks especially insane. Like it really looks

especially insane. Like it really looks crazy. And then she's reviewing the

crazy. And then she's reviewing the footage and she goes, "I have a really slappable face. I'm not meaning to look

slappable face. I'm not meaning to look like that." And I'm like, "It's not your

like that." And I'm like, "It's not your face, queen. It's not your face. It's

face, queen. It's not your face. It's

not your face. It's the outfit. It's the

song. It's the concept.

>> Hair.

>> It's the creative."

>> Yeah.

>> No. And the transitions, as you mentioned earlier, between subjects in the documentary are weird. And I think that has a lot of influence over the content because she has influence over the content. So, it seems like a list of

the content. So, it seems like a list of PR talking points. It's like, okay, check. We talked about eating disorder.

check. We talked about eating disorder.

Check. We talked about sexual assault trial, then we're going into my I'm a Democrat. Now, we're back to talking

Democrat. Now, we're back to talking about aging in the industry. It's like,

how are we these things do not feel connected. So, then she says, I wish I

connected. So, then she says, I wish I didn't feel like there's a better version of me out there and the pressure to innovate that pop stars are put into a graveyard at 35. Everyone's a shiny new toy for two years. The female

artists I know have reinvented themselves 20 more times than the men.

They have to or you're out of a job.

Constantly reinventing and finding new facets of yourself that people find to be shiny. Be new to us. Be young but

be shiny. Be new to us. Be young but only in the way we want. Reinvent

yourself in a way that we find to be equally comforting but also a challenge for you. Really, she's cooking here.

for you. Really, she's cooking here.

She's cooking. And it's interesting because she's talking about this hot off the heels of reputation, which is probably her hardest image pivot and the one she got the most response of. I

don't recognize who this is for. like

you haven't reinvented your way in a way yourself in a way that I find to be comfort comforting. This is offputting

comfort comforting. This is offputting to me and you know >> I think it's interesting she says live a narrative interesting enough to entertain us but don't make us uncomfortable. This is one of my last

uncomfortable. This is one of my last opportunities as an artist to grasp onto that success. So as I'm reaching 30 I

that success. So as I'm reaching 30 I want to work hard while society is still tolerating me being successful. She

thought they were going to put her out back and shoot her.

>> They She really did think that. It's

crazy to watch this now because now we see like it wasn't over. It was never over. It was never really over. It never

over. It was never really over. It never

was. But I understand that kept going after 30. Beyonce kept going after 30.

after 30. Beyonce kept going after 30.

There was precedent for it. I think she just thought not me. I don't get to.

>> Mhm. I don't think >> because they they don't I'm not going to have this kind of like um relevance in 5 years. Like they're all just going to be

years. Like they're all just going to be done with me. Well, thank God.

>> I'm so glad you're wrong about that.

>> Flopsha Blackburn wins her election and they wanted the swift lift, as they say, and they didn't get it. She is

confounded by this news. She is like, I got her ass. I broke my political silence and I didn't even get what I wanted. And she's like, I can't believe

wanted. And she's like, I can't believe she gets to be the first female senator and she's Trump in a wig. She won by being a female applying to men who want us to be in a 1950s world. She's got a heart on her cheek while she's saying

this. And then it immediately

this. And then it immediately transitions into another humiliation ritual. Only the young. She said, "I

ritual. Only the young. She said, "I have to get in the studio. I have to get in the studio. I have to get these profound thoughts out." And she says, "I want this song to be for the kids again

for the kids who went door todo for Bato in Texas." She wants to tell them not to

in Texas." She wants to tell them not to lose hope. What kids were going door to

lose hope. What kids were going door to door? Kids don't go doortodoor. Kids are

door? Kids don't go doortodoor. Kids are

in school.

Yeah, I I don't I don't think the kids were going door to door. At least not in enough numbers for it for her to write a song for them.

>> Kids don't know about >> they don't and they shouldn't. They

should be insulated from that. Um, so

then she's working out the lyrics.

Humiliating. This is also the big finish. This is the big finish of the

finish. This is the big finish of the documentary. She's explaining this to

documentary. She's explaining this to Joel Little. She's like, it goes like

Joel Little. She's like, it goes like this. Only the young, only the young can

this. Only the young, only the young can run. and he says it like

run. and he says it like >> I love the part where she goes uh you know you were bested this time

>> it's so it's so humiliating it's so humiliating uh resist shift the power in your direction for being bold enough you can

run from fascism those are real words that she said >> and where's that where's that girl now is she resisting now running from fascism now. They're playing fatilia at

fascism now. They're playing fatilia at the White House.

>> It's on the loudspeaker at the White House.

>> Girl, we don't care.

>> An Instagram story. We don't care. We

don't care. We don't care. Um,

>> but this is like the most detailed we've ever got of a completeness of like from spark of first thought to finish of a of a song. And it's this complete flop. And

a song. And it's this complete flop. And

that's you can see it happen in like 3 minutes. That's why it's a flop. It's a

minutes. That's why it's a flop. It's a

flop. And you know, she said, "I'm not done flopping." You want to see flop?

done flopping." You want to see flop?

Let me show you flop. We go straight to the set of the You Need to Calm Down music video. And she says, "I feel

music video. And she says, "I feel really good about not being muzzled anymore. It was my own doing. I needed

anymore. It was my own doing. I needed

to learn before I spoke to 200 million people, but I've educated myself now, and it's time to take the masking tape off my mouth forever." Why do you say these words? Why do you say these words?

these words? Why do you say these words?

You say these words that you will be held to on film. They've got you on camera saying I'm unmuzzled forever. Are

you though?

>> She's not.

>> She's not.

>> The muzzle's back on. And again, it's her own doing.

>> It's her own doing. And it's

interspersed with clips of her with the Fab Five in the by Pride flag wig and the hideous back tattoo. And again, this scene really illustrates why Taylor

Swift should not approach issues outside of her wheelhouse. She's talking about LGBT rights and she's asking Jonathan Van Ness for what issues she could help with. She's looking this person dead in

with. She's looking this person dead in the eye and saying, "What can I do?" Why

is that person Jonathan Vaness? You know

what their response is? Just keep

talking. Just just keep talking about it. Girl, let's talk to a fundraiser for

it. Girl, let's talk to a fundraiser for the Trevor Project. You want to ask what can I do? I'll do anything. Let me use my voice, my platform. JVN can't help

you. They cannot help you. No, that's

you. They cannot help you. No, that's

not it. The people in her sphere of influence who explain these issues to her, such as Todrick Hall, are almost as clueless as she is about the reality of what could be done. And then she said,

"This is so funny to me." Like, this is really, really funny to me. I want to love glitter and also stand up for the double standards that exist in our society. Who told you you couldn't do

society. Who told you you couldn't do that? I want to wear pink and tell you

that? I want to wear pink and tell you how I feel about politics. I don't think those things have to cancel each other out. Her saying this like it's some sort

out. Her saying this like it's some sort of revelation in 2018. This was what the suffragettes said in their first line of attack. Wasn't there a whole thing we

attack. Wasn't there a whole thing we want to wear pink and wear politics?

That they we've been knowing that. We've

been knowing this. We are thing. Thank

you.

>> That Tik Tok meme where she says, "Who ever said that a girl with hot honey blonde highlights can't eat a chicken pot pie?" Everyone's like, "Nobody ever

pot pie?" Everyone's like, "Nobody ever said that. It's the with you music video

said that. It's the with you music video by Jessica Simpson and she doesn't even know it. She's she's eating the ribs and

know it. She's she's eating the ribs and the white t-shirt and she doesn't even get it.

>> At Congress.

>> Yep.

>> On capital.

>> Um crazy. Then we're at the VMAs and Taylor is painting Toddrick's nails. He

says, "I will die if I win a VMA. I will

lose my She said, "Well, you're first on the list." Acting like she doesn't know

the list." Acting like she doesn't know that she is in fact getting a VMA. Isn't

it such a coincidence that JVN happens to be the presenter of this award? Huh?

That's so convenient. We all know that you can again VMAs are for sale. You can

buy >> They're for sale. You can buy them. It's

easy.

>> And with Taylor, you just have to show up. All you have to do is show up and

up. All you have to do is show up and you'll get a VMA. Drag Beyonce and drag Taylor right behind her as she takes this moment to ask everyone to sign a petition. BB Rexa's like, "Yes, woohoo."

petition. BB Rexa's like, "Yes, woohoo."

Ba.

>> Then she says, "This petition has half a million signatures." And she looks at

million signatures." And she looks at her wrist, starts tapping her wrist.

>> It's time for They have to move. They

have to respond. Let's go.

>> Then she's jubilantly celebrating behind the scenes. And what's our big finish?

the scenes. And what's our big finish?

Final scene. I'm trying to be as educated as possible on how to respect people and deprogram the misogyny in my own brain. Toss it out, reject it, and

own brain. Toss it out, reject it, and resist it. There's no such thing as a

resist it. There's no such thing as a [ __ ] There's no such thing as a [ __ ] There's no such thing as bossy. There's

just a boss. We don't want to be condemned for being multifaceted. Then

she says, "Sorry for ranting and rejects and resist the misogyny by going," sorry, was I loud in my house that I bought with the songs that I wrote about my own life. That was a That was a world

stop moment.

>> She said, "Period." And I heard that. I

heard that. I felt that. I felt that.

>> She said, "Mom, I am a rich mom."

>> That was her mom. I am a rich man.

>> Mom, I am a rich man.

>> I am a rich mom. I am a rich man. Let me

Let me clarify that.

Then the archer starts playing and there's a montage of Times Square lover promo. She says there's nothing better

promo. She says there's nothing better than this moment. Really? Lover release.

There's brighter days ahead.

>> Oh, there's way brighter days.

>> She doesn't know it.

>> You don't have a number one hit. Worry

about that.

>> Jack says no one is this good and this hardworking. That's true.

hardworking. That's true.

>> That's true. We've been knowing that.

>> We've been knowing that >> after 13 years of feeling constantly misunderstood, knowing all of that would turn into this moment is so awesome. And

she's at the Stella McCartney popup. I

can't.

>> There's a there's a Dazzling Haze sweatshirt. It kills me. It kills me.

sweatshirt. It kills me. It kills me.

>> Disconnect is crazy. And

>> it's delusional. Like it borders on delusional.

>> It's so crazy with the doc. It's like

why is Lover the ultimate moment that why is Lover the synthesis of all these things? She leaves a bunch of

things? She leaves a bunch of breadcrumbs but doesn't connect them.

And the album isn't really discussed at all in this >> in this film other than these flop songs, but it's presented as the solution to all the issues that are raised here as some sort of like tour

divorce of everything that's discussed.

>> And I'm like, >> it's not really then that's the whole problem.

>> It isn't.

>> That's the problem. It isn't

>> problem.

>> And she says she got frozen at the age she became famous and she's just trying to catch up to 29. The end is honestly a you're on your own kid moment. She's

reading her diary. I practiced my songs and it went horribly. I wanted this so bad. I get scared of what might happen.

bad. I get scared of what might happen.

Relax. I can handle it. I'm young and talented and they'll see it in me. I've

got to hang on. Then I started crying.

Then I started crying. Then I started handing. Then I said, I understand. I I

handing. Then I said, I understand. I I

know the point of it all. You are the You are >> Rosa Parks. Actually, I've decided you changed the world. You sang the first song I ever created. And one of my favorite Taylor one of my favorite

Taylor quotes ever. I still want to have a sharp pen, a thin skin, and an open heart.

>> Mhm.

>> That's a rally and cry we can all get behind.

>> And it should have been the tagline of the movie. Maybe then maybe then they

the movie. Maybe then maybe then they would have gotten it. Maybe then we would have gotten it.

>> Maybe then no one did.

>> You know what?

Slow clap.

>> Thank you. Well, it was a lot to It was a lot of There were There were a lot of issues going on. It's a lot. It was it's a lot of issues going on and it's especially a lot of issues going on when we're doing this as kind of the

precursor to a new Taylor Swift documentary. I do have slightly higher

documentary. I do have slightly higher hopes just on the basis of the fact that it's far longer than Miss Americana. You

have to tell us something. You have to >> also has a focus. The problem with Miss Americana is that it seemed to serve it was like a press release. It was like, I want to talk about these 10 talking points and they all have to fit into

what is actually a very short documentary. It's not even 90 minutes.

documentary. It's not even 90 minutes.

>> That's crazy. It's crazy.

>> It's crazy. Like, this is crazy. And it

hasn't aged well. That's its biggest issue.

>> And that's that's really the biggest issue now in like the big year of 2025.

It's looking rough. It's looking really rough. It's looking really busted. The

rough. It's looking really busted. The

the you know the frosting's melting off the cake. Like the glitter is falling

the cake. Like the glitter is falling off it. Like it's really looking rough.

off it. Like it's really looking rough.

And it's something that's uh referenced all the time when people are talking about their disappointment with Taylor not doing this, Taylor not doing that, Taylor not speaking about this, Taylor not speaking about that. Taylor not

saying get my fatable song off your White House Tik Tok. Now this is what they're referencing because you said on camera I will speak.

It's a lot of issues going on and it's a lot of issues that you created for yourself. This is why I really don't

yourself. This is why I really don't bother to defend her on the whole like >> she shouldn't be political. She should

blah blah XYZ like she it's not safe for her to I'm like you know what she set herself up for this. Like she completely set herself up and you should let her suffer the consequences of that.

>> Yeah, she said it.

>> You you can't come out and say everything is different now. I'm

changed. I'm new. I'm woke and then revert to silence and I'm best friends with Britney Mahomes. It's not

congruent.

>> It's not congruent. Good thing I like my friends canceled.

>> Good thing I like Good thing we like our Taylor Swift canceled.

>> Yeah. Good. Good thing again. My

favorite thing about canceled. It's a

snake that eats itself.

>> Yeah.

She >> It's delicious.

>> Well, I hope you enjoyed that thorough deep dive. You'll be getting one about

deep dive. You'll be getting one about the heirs to do dog series. Trust it

won't be just this one episode. But I

mean, it took us 2 hours to talk about 80 minutes >> Americana. So, it's going to be in in

>> Americana. So, it's going to be in in pieces and in parts. And you're going to get most of it on the Patreon. So,

patreon.com/wifttologist

or you're stupid.