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Close Reads

  1. close reads
    The Beauty and Brilliance of Forever’s Stand-alone Episode“Andre and Sarah” is proof that streaming shows also need snappy episodic stories.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  2. close reads
    Helen DeWitt’s The Last Samurai Is the Best Book of the Century (for Now)The Last Samurai is a masterpiece. It’s an accident of recent history that it’s taken the culture some time to realize it.
    By Christian Lorentzen
  3. movies
    How Sierra Burgess Is a Loser Captured the ‘Giddy Immediacy’ of Texting“I wanted the experience of watching Shannon text Noah feel as visceral and real as possible.”
    By Hunter Harris
  4. close reads
    Insecure Shouldn’t Bring Back LawrenceThe surprise return of Issa’s ex feels both unearned and deflated.
    By Angelica Jade Bastién
  5. close reads
    How André Holland Keeps Castle Rock AfloatHis deft performance is a voice of reason amid horror, bloodshed, and madness.
    By Amy Woolsey
  6. appreciations
    Why Ice King Is Adventure Time’s Best CharacterHe wasn’t just an evil, crazy wizard.
    By Eric Thurm
  7. superheroes
    Ethan Hawke Is Right About Superhero Movies — For NowBut the seeds for better films already exist.
    By Abraham Riesman
  8. close reads
    Sharp Objects Is Not Just Another Dead-Girl ShowThe HBO mini-series ends with a radical message about motherhood and female rage.
    By Jen Chaney
  9. close reads
    Let’s Talk About the Sharp Objects FinaleLike everything in this HBO miniseries, it forces us to look and listen very carefully.
    By Jen Chaney
  10. close reads
    Sharp Objects Broke the Mystery BoxHidden messages were everywhere in Wind Gap, but they weren’t puzzles meant to be solved.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  11. close reads
    Skinny Is Not Magic, But I Still Appreciated InsatiableIt’s not just a weight-loss story. It’s not just a revenge story. It’s not even exactly about rage.
    By Kelly deVos
  12. close reads
    Who Really Owns the ‘Blaccent’?While Awkwafina successfully imitates something in Crazy Rich Asians, it’s not black language.
    By Lauren Michele Jackson
  13. close reads
    The Alarming Reality of Terrace House’s ‘Kiss Out of Nowhere’This wasn’t just another awkward kiss, so why did the show treat it that way?
    By Emily Yoshida
  14. close reads
    Kim Wexler’s Ponytail on Better Call Saul Is a Follicular Force of NatureIt’s more than a hairstyle. It’s a reflection of who Kim is and who she wants to be.
    By Jen Chaney
  15. close reads
    What Sharp Objects Understands About MemoryNobody goes about their days living only in the present moment.
    By Matt Zoller Seitz
  16. close reads
    The Bachelorette Was Forced to Admit That Politics ExistAnd it immediately responded by trying to ignore that politics exist.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  17. close reads
    Let’s Talk About the Orange Is the New Black Season 6 FinaleWhat does that shocking last scene mean for OITNB’s future?
    By Dee Lockett
  18. close reads
    Mission: Impossible — Fallout Is the Perfect Movie for Our Summer of UnrealityIn pop culture and politics, the line between truth and fiction has blurred almost beyond recognition.
    By Jen Chaney
  19. close reads
    GLOW’s Radical Message About Problematic ArtWhat season two says about the fine line between empowerment and exploitation.
    By Vikram Murthi
  20. close reads
    Led Zeppelin Is a Perfect Fit for Sharp ObjectsThe band’s history, sound, and lyrics reveal a lot about this dark, mysterious show.
    By Jen Chaney
  21. close reads
    How Sorry to Bother You Found (and Used) Its White VoiceDirector Boots Riley explains Sorry to Bother You’s brilliant dubbing effect.
    By Hunter Harris
  22. TV’s New Favorite Thing Is the Surprise ReleaseAnd it might kill the people who cover television.
    By Jen Chaney
  23. close reads
    The Most Nauseating Moment in Who Is America?The distance between Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy and the real world has gotten much smaller since Da Ali G Show.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  24. close reads
    The Handmaid’s Tale Sabotaged Itself With a Single SongThe very end of season two swaps a grueling parable about power for a rah-rah myth of resistance.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  25. close reads
    Jean-Marc Vallée’s Evolution to Sharp Objects From Big Little LiesBig Little Lies was alluring, but Sharp Objects is intoxicating, thanks in large part to its direction and editing.
    By Jen Chaney
  26. books
    Sharp Objects Is the Ultimate Gillian Flynn NovelYears before the HBO show, Flynn’s debut thriller was ugly, gritty, weird, and creepy in the best possible way.
    By Hillary Kelly
  27. close reads
    GLOW Isn’t a 10-Hour MovieThank God.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  28. close reads
    Where Are All the Celebrities in The Handmaid’s Tale?I have so many questions about Oprah Winfrey’s cameo.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  29. close reads
    The Good Fight Is the Most Incendiary Portrait of Female Anger on TVIn season two, Christine Baranski’s performance brought complexity to conversations about #MeToo and politics.
    By Angelica Jade Bastién
  30. close reads
    Ang Lee’s Hulk Is a Bad Movie, Except for This One Amazing ThingIn praise of the panels.
    By Abraham Riesman
  31. close reads
    Please Love Yourself Enough to Ignore The Proposal I promise you it’s not worth watching ABC’s new reality show.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  32. close reads
    The Fourth Estate Takes on #MeToo and the New York TimesBut does the Showtime documentary go far enough?
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  33. close reads
    Explaining the End of HereditaryWhat was going on with those decapitations?
    By Jordan Crucchiola
  34. close reads
    Let’s Talk About the Scene With the Car in HereditaryThe story behind one of 2018’s most shocking onscreen moments.
    By Jordan Crucchiola
  35. close reads
    The Beauty and Banality of Motherhood Stories OnscreenThe best of these stories use a distancing lens to capture the transformative, magical, grinding exhaustion of motherhood.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  36. close reads
    ‘With or Without You’ Was the Perfect Choice for The Americans FinaleGiven the connection between the lyrics and the story, it’s a perfect song selection. But there are U2-related reasons that make it even more fitting.
    By Jen Chaney
  37. close reads
    The Blistering Vulnerability of The Americans Finale’s Best SceneThe parking-garage scene is a master class in acting and filmmaking.
    By Angelica Jade Bastién
  38. close reads
    American Animals’s Bart Layton on His ‘Slick As F*ck’ Heist Movie“As they get more lost in the fantasy and as they get more detached from reality, so do we.”
    By Hunter Harris
  39. close reads
    The Meaning of Elizabeth’s Dream in The Americans FinaleIt’s a moving view into a woman skilled at building boundaries between herself and the world around her.
    By Angelica Jade Bastién
  40. The St. Elsewhere Finale at 30All these years later, what does Tommy’s snow globe mean?
    By Matt Zoller Seitz
  41. 13 Reasons Why Star Justin Prentice on Making a Villain for the #MeToo EraIn season two, Bryce Walker can’t hide from his horrific crimes.
    By Dee Lockett
  42. close reads
    Let’s Talk About the 13 Reasons Why Season-Two FinaleWe’ll need at least another 13 hours to process it.
    By Dee Lockett
  43. The Roseanne Season Finale Is a Fairy TaleWith the most heavy-handed deus ex machina imaginable, Roseanne sidesteps the connection between politics and family.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  44. How Atlanta Used Horror in Season Two to Explore Black IdentityAnd how it compares to Donald Glover’s use of horror in the Childish Gambino video, “This Is America.”
    By Angelica Jade Bastién
  45. ‘Riddle of the Sphinx’ Is the Best Episode of Westworld YetIt’s an example of what the show can be when it leans deep into a few characters rather than spreading itself wide.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  46. How Did SpongeBob SquarePants Become the Most Meme-able TV Show?The past year has gifted the internet with no less than five viral SpongeBob memes
    By Lauren Michele Jackson
  47. It’s Time for Catfish to Come to an EndI can tell you as someone who has watched every episode that the show has absolutely gotten worse.
    By Tara Ariano
  48. The Disturbing Merchandising of The Handmaid’s TaleThe bitterly bleak femicidal dystopia seems like the last show that should inspire wearables and swag.
    By Laura Bogart
  49. The Delicate Fury of Keri Russell on The AmericansRussell is giving one of the most complex performances ever on television.
    By Angelica Jade Bastién
  50. The Unnerving Delights of Atlanta Robbin’ SeasonAtlanta’s miraculous second season gives you what you didn’t know you wanted.
    By Matt Zoller Seitz
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