Reel Review: Taylor Swift’s Heart Shines in The End of an Era Premiere
Disney+
As Gen Z says, we made the right person famous: Taylor Swift. The pop superstar’s infamous Eras Tour played 149 shows across 51 cities and spanned five continents. Swift herself told her dancers in the opening scene of her new docuseries that they performed for ten million fans. Yes, ten million. The Eras Tour has left huge, glittering boots for other artists to fill. One can’t help but wonder: how in the world did Swift do it? Well, Swift takes fans along her iconic tour in the six-part Disney+ docuseries, The End of an Era.
Disney+ released the first two episodes of the series, in which Swift talks about the good, the bad, and the horrible. The first episode opens with Swift, her dancers, and her mother, Andrea Swift, marveling at the tour’s success. However, Swift doesn’t shy away from the terror that ensued at some points in the tour. Swift breaks down as she talks about the safety of her fans and the horrendous stabbings at a children’s Taylor Swift dance class and a thwarted terrorist attack on Vienna’s shows. The singer’s raw vulnerability and love for her fans shine in every moment of the documentary.
In the wake of tragedy, the show goes on. The first episode recounts Swift preparing to meet the families of victims of the England stabbings before a show. The episode also takes fans through the intense day of preparation for the London shows, the first shows after the terrorist attacks were prevented. The singer shed light on the new anxieties that flood her mind after the attacks, revealing how she copes with the stress. Carrying the weight of hundreds of thousands of people in one given stadium seems debilitating. Still, the docuseries does an incredible job at showcasing how Swift approached the safety of her fans with humanity and heart. She didn’t let the bad guys take away the magic and joy of the beloved Eras Tour.
Would it really be a Taylor Swift concert without some surprise celebrity guests? A particular part of the show that took the world by storm was when Swift would surprise fans with a new song in her “surprise song” section of the show. Fans would flock to social media to mourn the loss of a beloved song from Swift’s albums. At every performance, fans waited to reach that section of the show to see if their favorite song was magically chosen by Swift to be sung that night. To make it even better, she eventually started mashing up songs across her entire discography into one beautiful performance. What makes it even better? Throwing Grammy-winning singer Ed Sheeran into the mix.
Watching how casually Swift and Sheeran blended their songs together in her dressing room mere hours before the show was fascinating. Being able to create such a personalized, memorable moment for her fans at each show is a testament to Swift’s love for her craft and her fans. Speaking of people Swift loves, the brief moments of her talking to her fiancé, Travis Kelce, was a whole new level of adorable. In her previous documentary, Miss Americana, Swift kept her relationship with Joe Alwyn out of the camera’s view, except for one moment when she ran to him after a show. As a lifelong Swiftie, it’s truly a gift to see the queen of writing love stories finally get to live out her own fairytale.
Rather than just showcasing the glitz and glamour of being a celebrity, Swift ends episode one as she takes off her makeup, still donning her sparkling blue bodysuit, as she winds down to watch some television and go to bed, just like a normal, everyday person. It’s no secret that Taylor Swift is one of the biggest stars in the world, but her humanity shines through the screen. Fans get to hang out with the honest Taylor as she goes to work, deals with stress, and does her best to be a good human despite the cruelty the world possesses. The premiere of The End of an Era peels back the curtain on one of the most successful tours of all time. Still, it also showcases the courage and compassion Swift has to be a world-class storyteller who brings joy to millions of people.
The first two episodes of The End of an Era are now streaming on Disney+, with two new episodes dropping every Friday in December.
