September, 2025 → The Graceful Boon

Isabel Conklin: Everything That The Summer I Turned Pretty Got Wrong About Belly – And How The Series SHOULD’VE Ended

The entire world got to watch Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty come its conclusion after a 3 season run, and while fans were saddened to see their favourite teen show that even people in their 30’s got to enjoy come to an end, Han surprised them all by announcing that there will be a movie coming next to officially conclude Isabel “Belly” Conklin’s story. And if you’ve been living under a rock, Belly, played by Lola Tung, was first introduced as a a teenager who was involved in a love triangle between two brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher. In the end (spoiler alert), after a whirlwind love-triangle that never seemed to end, Belly chose Conrad. Here, we break down Belly’s entire relationships with both Conrad and Jeremiah. We explain all things that the series got wrong about Belly; particularly the very flawed ending between her and Conrad. And we explain explore how the series SHOULD’VE ended instead. Let’s discuss…

Dawson & Joey: The Perfect Pairing That Was Never Meant To Be – And Why It Was The Best Thing For Them Both To NOT End Up Together

The entire cast of Dawson’s Creek, the popular coming-of-age show which ran between 1998 and 2003, minus James Van Der Beek, who portrayed Dawson for all six seasons of the show, reunited for the first time in 22 years for a one-night only event in partnership with F Cancerin support of Van Der Beek, who’s been battling colorectal cancer since last year. While Van Der Beek wasn’t able to attend, the rest of the three cast members did attend and showed a united front in support of their friend and his cause. These were Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, who played Joey Potter, and Joshua Jackson, who played Pacey Ritter. Dawson, Joey, and Pacey were the core love triangle of the entire series. The end of the show saw Joey end up with Pacey. It was a last minute decision by the series creator, Kevin Williamson, as the original ending saw Joey and Dawson end up together. Here, we break down the Dawson-Joey-Pacey-Andie entire love square, as seen on the show. We explain why Dawson and Joey, as well as Pacey and Andie, not ending up together in the end was absolutely perfect. And we explore the romanization of first loves ending up together in film and TV, as well as the influence it has on relationships in real life. Let’s discuss…

Heather Mulgrew: What Her Relationship With Jack Taught Her About Her Ideology Of Endlessly Making Plans For Her Future – And What She Could’ve Learned From Jenn Carter Had She Been A Real Person

The ugly side of cancer wasn’t told in Amazon Prime’s The Map That Leads to You, starring Madelyn Cline and KJ Apa, and is based on the 2017 book by the same name written by P. Monninger. Instead, the story followed a woman named Heather, played by Cline, as she and her two college best friends, Constance and Amy, enjoyed a trip around Europe following graduation before they were faced with the reality of having to start the next phase of their respective lives. It was there that she met Jack, played by Apa. Together they shared sweet, tender moments and arguments about their clashing philosophies on life. Everything they planned together seemed so simple and true; until it wasn’t. Here, we break down Heather and Jack’s entire relationship, as seen in the movie. We explain all the takeaways Heather and Jack could both had gotten from having met one another. And we explore what Heather could’ve learned from Jenn Carter had Heather been a real person. Let’s discuss…

Kerry Katona: How Her Absent Father Led Her To A Sad, Tragic Personal Life In Her 20’s & 30’s – And How She Came Out On The Other Side In Her 40’s

Perhaps the most recent gut-wrenching thing I listened to was an interview with Kerry Katona, former member of British girl group, Atomic Kitten, on Paul C. Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast. During the interview, Katona couldn’t help but reminisce on her past relationship with former Westlife member Brian McFadden. She told Brunson, ‘He was so funny and he really loved me. We were so in love, Paul, (he was) so affectionate and it was great. I think he was the first proper person who genuinely cared about my well-being. Do you know what I mean? I told him what happened in my life. He said ‘I’m going to take you away from all that.’ He was my knight in shining armour.’ He rescued me, I don’t mind (talking about it), I know he doesn’t like it. And you know, that’s part of my story.’ Here, we break down entire life and career choices. We explore how her father’s absence led her to lead such a tragic life, particularly in her personal life. And we explain how she came out of the other side. Let’s discuss…

Perrie Edwards: The Hardships Of Going Through Infertility And Pregnancy Loss – And What Another Person Can Do (And Not Do) To Make A Woman Feel Better And Less Alone

Earlier this month, former Little Mix singer Perrie Edward’s revealed she was pregnant with her second child. She already has a 4-year-old son, Axel, with her partner, English footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whom she’s been with since 2016. This was truly happy news, especially since she recently revealed to Paul C Brunson on his We Need To Talk podcast last month that she’d suffered a miscarriage at 24 weeks after getting pregnant not even a year after her son’s birth. Here, we break down Edwards’ entire interview with Brunson, particularly her opening up about what she called to be the hardest time in her entire life. We explain, in full detail, the hardships and loneliness that comes with such tragedy. And we explore the real impact Perrie Edwards’ most recent interview had on women going through such struggles. Let’s discuss…

Phoebe Buffay: The Real Significance Of Her Surrogacy Storyline – And How She Redefined The Meaning Of Family

Friends is the little show from the 90’s and 2000’s about six best friends living in New York City navigating their lives in their 20’s and 30’s. Perhaps the most misunderstood character of the entire show was Phoebe Buffay, played by Lisa Kudrow. She was an important character; one that was mostly overlooked throughout the show’s entire 10-year run. Her unique blend of eccentric humor, bohemian spirit, and unwavering optimism provided a crucial emotional anchor and comedic counterpoint to the group, while her backstory of hardship offered a perspective on resilience and inner strength. She drove key plot developments, such as discovering Rachel’s pregnancy and delaying her flight to Paris, and her evolution from an unconventional outsider to a more mature, voice-of-reason figure was central to the show’s overall narrative and themes of friendship and self-discovery. Here, we breakdown Phoebe’s character arc to its entirety. We explore her surrogacy journey and its significance for women going through infertility. And we explain how Phoebe redefined the meaning of family. Let’s discuss…

Quinn Fabray: The Real Tragic Tale Of Her Character Arc As Seen On Glee – And Why Her ‘Happy Ending’ Wasn’t Actually Happy

Glee is a musical high school series that ran between 2009 and 2015. Our latest guest contributor, Ginnifer Rose, wrote a wonderful blog entry detailing the 10 things a woman should consider before becoming a surrogate. Getting to speak to her and getting to know her surrogacy journey deeply reminded me of Glee. The reason why I was reminded of the show was because one storyline involved surrogacy, and that was a storyline that involved Rachel Berry, played by Michele, and her biological mother Shelby, played by Broadway veteran Idina Menzel. Shelby, following her meeting Rachel, realized that she didn’t want to be someone’s mother, but a mom too. So she adopted Quinn’s baby, Beth. Here, we break down Quinn’s entire character arc and what led to her decision to give her baby up to Shelby. We explore how her decision to so affected her entire life thereafter – high school and beyond. And we explain how her ‘happy ending’ with Puck wasn’t actually happy at all. Let’s discuss….

10 Things To Consider Before Applying To Become A Surrogate

Story By: Ginnifer Rose In July of 2024, I completed my surrogacy journey by delivering a baby girl for another mother. Becoming a surrogate and carrying a child for another woman who longed for motherhood was one of the most proud things I’ve done in my life. What began as a desire to help someone …

Pumpkin: How The Movie Was More Than Just About A Woman Falling In Love With A Disabled Man – And The Deeper Meaning Behind The Ending Scene

Pumpkin is a 2002 film which starred Christina Ricci and Hank Harris as Carolyn and Pumpkin, two people who were forbidden to fall in love because one was disabled and the other wasn’t not, but did nevertheless. It all started with Carolyn beginning her last year of university. To help her sorority sisters, she joins them in training disabled young adults for the Challenged Games, a fictional version of the Special Olympics. While there, Carolyn meets Pumpkin. He’s nice to her. He’s kind to her. He’s attentive to her. He’s genuine with her, which is far more than she could ever say about her boyfriend, Kent, and her sorority sisters. She begins to develop romantic feelings for him, which come with backlash from the outside world, including her friends, family, and even Pumpkin’s own mother, Judy. Here, we break down the full story between Carolyn and Pumpkin. We find the deeper meaning behind the movie’s premise and how it was more than just about two people falling in love. And we analyze the story behind the movie’s ending scene. Let’s discuss…

Lonely Planet: Owen Brophy And His Relationships – Everything That Made Lily Wrong For Him And Katherine Right

Lonely Planet is a 2024 Netflix original film which starred Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth. Hemsworth, who might recognize as Miley Cyrus’ ex-husband or Thor’s brother, portrayed Owen, a fiancé personnel who came along on a writers’ retreat alongside his girlfriend Lily, played by Diana Silvers. Lily is a newly accomplished novelist, who’s a big fan of Katherine Loewe, played by Dern. Katherine is also there at the same resort. She’s not there for the retreat itself, but rather to work on her book that’s been in the making for two years. She came there in hopes to get some inspiration; something she’s lacked back at home. Here we break down both Owen’s relationships with Lily and Katherine separately. We explore what made Lily the wrong person for him, and Katherine so right…even if she’s 20 or so years older than him. And finally, we explain what the writers retreat meant for all three of the characters. Let’s discuss…