"Bit by bit, Downton Abbey is turning into a shallow pop version of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s classic novel, The Leopard (later made into a great film by Luchino Visconti), about an Italian prince who sees his splendid old world melting away around him."
Last year, I talked with a Russian student about his country. He was almost hopeless and "I know how you feel" is all I could offer. Yes, we even discussed Navalny, who indeed is a tiktok influencer and populist. But so what? They need this guy. Kinda made me sad - at least they still have opposition 派对 and public 散步.