This week on staff rants, Tom is angry about MTA fares, Natasha feels stuck in a sophomore slump and Ryan is passionate about Laurie Metcalf and how the world has underrated her.

On MTA:

The quality to price ratio for the MTA is slowly waning, as is my patience for their shenanigans. I paid $5.50 round trip for the subway, like it’s been for a few years — why the 6 train consistently gets stuck between 28th and 33rd is beyond me, but it does like clockwork. Why do we even need a 28th street stop? The 33rd street stop is close enough that it can be walked to. The 28th street stop isn’t even wheelchair accessible while 23rd and 33rd are, so it’s really for the lazy. The kicker comes from Metro North though. I paid $16.50 round trip to go to Yonker, on a Sunday — both times not during busy hours. Despite this, they limited the number of available cars, and I was forced to stand on the train both ways as they packed six cars’ worth of people into four cars, which were also fifteen minutes late. It costs even more off peak for me to get home just to be even more inconvenienced. An off peak round trip ticket to New Caanan (I don’t live in New Caanan, but it’s the closest train station to my house that I can drive to) is $23 but requires a transfer at Stamford, a mildly annoying waiting game that usually results in being over packed into a train. You don’t want to transfer? Spend $31 on a round trip peak ticket and prepare to also still be packed into a beyond capacity train. I’ll happily pay less to receive shitty service, but charging $17 to $30 is ridiculous for the quality of service that is provided.

— Tom Miritello, Audio Engineer

On Sophomore Slumpin’:

I didn’t believe in the sophomore slump until this semester. I’ve only got classes three times a week, but I’m still somehow never home and never able to get more than six hours of sleep during the week. Between homework and actual work, I see my professors more than I see my roommates. You’d think I’d have the whole social life/work/school balance down after almost two years, but I think I’ll still be behind on everything in my life by senior year. With my planning skills, I’ll probably nap through graduation.

— Natasha Roy, Managing Editor-at-Large

On Laurie Metcalf:

It has been almost two months since this year’s Oscars ceremony, and I am still not okay. Remember when Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway erroneously announced “La La Land” as last year’s best picture? Well, lightning always strikes twice, and I was fairly certain that such a mistake was fated for this year’s award ceremony. When Academy Award-winning actor Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight”) awarded this year’s best actress in a supporting role to Allison Janney for “I, Tonya,” I held my breath for Ali to scurry onto the stage at the eleventh hour and announce Laurie Metcalf (“Lady Bird”) as the year’s rightful victor. But I was wrong and left in utter disbelief.

Don’t get me wrong, Janney is the second most underrated actress in Hollywood today. But wasn’t this Metcalf’s golden statuette to lose? What happened to the 22 critics awards she was honored with leading up to the ceremony? As expected, I was not alone in my disbelief. At least The New York Times seemed to agree with their February cover story that read: “Laurie Metcalf Was Hiding in Plain Sight.” Willa Paskin eloquently writes, “the 62-year-old actress is finally showing off the extent of her range,” but with all due respect, was her five decade-spanning career not evidence of this? Are we forgetting who exactly Ms. Metcalf is? At 62, the film, television and stage veteran has played the mom, Ms. Davis, in the “Toy Story” franchise, the gangbuster-sharp lawyer in “Pacific Heights,” the vengeful Ms. Loomis in “Scream 2,” the Emmy Award-winning and all-American television staple Jackie Harris in “Roseanne” and now — in her most acclaimed performance to date —the strong-headed, strong-loving mother we all deserve, Marion McPherson in “Lady Bird.”

I’m glad commentators are calling 2018 the year of women because 2016 should have been Hillary Clinton’s year and 2017 should have been Metcalf’s. Fresh off her Tony Award win for “A Doll’s House, Part 2,” last year was Metcalf’s closest shot to triple crown — a prestigious term for actors who have won an Academy Award, Tony Award and Emmy Award. But with this rapid resurgence in Metcalf’s career, here’s to hoping an Oscar is still in the actress’ horizon.

In the words of Alexandra Wolfe for the Wall Street Journal, “suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, she’s back” and oh, did she come to slay.

— Ryan Mikel, Arts Editor

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