It’s Friday. Looking for something to switch up your weekend, or to give you an excuse to relax a little? That’s what the Weekend Reset is for. Each week we’ll pull together five things to get your weekend started. Could be something to read or watch, something to eat or listen to, or even something to do. Enjoy the weekend fellas.
PLAY: Diablo II: Resurrected
Diablo II, released over twenty-one years ago, was an action RPG distilled to its purest form: you’re a hero that needs to save the world from a powerful demon, and in order to do so, you’ve got to kill monsters, gain power, level up your abilities, and gain sweet loot. Diablo II: Resurrected is a welcome return to this classic game: less a remake than an upgrade, a new coat of paint that adds new graphics and better online features, but the same core gameplay. Whether you’re setting things on fire or summoning skeletons or bashing things in with swords and hammers, the game’s classes and abilities make for a staggering, delicious variety of playstyles. If you’re looking to spend the weekend clicking your way through some of the best retro-dungeons ever crafted: look no further. Out now on PC, Xbox, Playstation, and Switch.
WATCH: Muhammad Ali
Ken Burns’ latest is a fascinating four part exploration of the life and career of Muhammad Ali, a deep dive into both Ali’s talent as a boxer as well as his complex role as a hero, antiwar advocate, and American icon. Featuring incredible and thoughtful commentary, this is already garnering comparisons to last year’s phenomenal The Last Dance as yet another sports documentary that’s about so much more than sports. Streams free on PBS.
MAKE: Woodsman Pasta
Fall is a time for earthy, hearty dishes — stews and soups and braises, the kind of stick-to-your-ribs fare that takes hours to simmer on a low stove. But sometimes, we want those earthy fall flavors, without having to wait around all day for them to develop. A nice, hearty pasta dish is perfect for this sort of occasion. Serious Eats’ Woodsman Pasta is my personal favorite in this genre — a smoky, hearty dish full of bacon and mushroom and thyme flavor, but one that comes together in under an hour rather than all afternoon. Genuinely one of the most delicious pasta dishes I’ve ever made. Photo by amirali mirhashemian on Unsplash.
LISTEN: I’ll Be Your Mirror
It’s impossible to overstate the influence that The Velvet Underground had on Rock and Roll. There’s a case to be made for each of their four albums as the Velvets’ best, but The Velvet Underground and Nico is likely their most influential, a record full of guitar-driven garage pop that inspired a thousand copycat bands. I’ll Be Your Mirror is a full-length record that pays fitting tribute to the classic album, featuring covers from everyone including Michael Stipe, St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, and Courtney Barnett. Streams on Spotify.
HOST: Sunday Night Football
Football is back! And thanks to vaccination, according to the CDC it’s now safe to get together with friends to watch a game. Of course, follow your own instincts on this, but this might be a perfect Sunday to have a few buds over, make some good food, get some good beer, and hang. You can even play some lawn games or toss a ball around during the commercials. After last year’s fall-in-quarantine, there’s something so wonderful about getting to catch up with some friends you haven’t seen in a while over a game.
About the author: Michael Robin is an LA-based television writer and tutoring company co-Founder. When he’s not working away on his latest pilot script, you can find him scuba diving, hosting Shabbat dinners, or goofing off with his goldendoodle, Biggie Lebowski.