Willa Paskin
Culturebox
In Defense of Lusty Movie ReviewsWe trust that other physical responses, like tears and nausea, are trying to tell us something about what we just saw. Our libidos are too.
Television
The Handmaid’s TaleIt’s a terrifying dystopian drama about systemic murder and rape. It’s also somehow a pleasure to watch.
Television
The Gonzo New Season of The LeftoversThe show has entered full-blown mania. It’s thrilling.
Culture Gabfest
The Culture Gabfest “Beast, Brontës, and Broadway” EditionSlate’s Culture Gabfest on Beauty and the Beast, To Walk Invisible, and an interview with Alison Wright.
Culture Gabfest
The Culture Gabfest “[Chuck Berry Guitar Lick]” EditionSlate’s Culture Gabfest on Personal Shopper, Chuck Berry, and the sale of Us Weekly.
Brow Beat
Rachel Maddow Turned a Scoop on Donald Trump’s Taxes Into a Cynical, Self-Defeating Spectacle
Brow Beat
The 2017 Oscars Transformed From a Tepid Rejoinder to Trump Into a Full-Fledged Liberal Fantasy
Culturebox
What’s a Celebrity to Do in the Age of Trump?The rich and famous get mocked relentlessly for speaking up about politics. But they may not have a choice.
Brow Beat
Ricky Gervais’ New Netflix Series Is So Bad That It Shows Exactly What Made The Office Great
Assessment
Dogged Reporter, Truth-Seeker, Kind of a JerkHow Jake Tapper became the ideal newsman for our age.
Television
Archie Meets Twin Peaks Meets Live Action Meets Gossip GirlRiverdale mashes up the classic comic-book characters with a medley of genres, and somehow it’s delectable.
Brow Beat
CNN’s Inauguration Coverage Was One Long Existential Crisis About How Not to Normalize Trump
Television
Diane, Remind Me to Tell You How Twin Peaks Changed TV ForeverBefore Special Agent Dale Cooper, you could just watch a show. Now you have to solve it.
Brow Beat
The Ending of Girls Was Not Particularly Satisfying. But This Show Didn’t Need a Great Finale.
Television
Life Imitates VeepThe new season is a portrait of a defeated female politician in exile, and it has more pathos than punchlines.
Brow Beat
The Big Little Lies Finale Was the Perfect Ending for a Show That Excelled at Artful Misdirection
Television
Must-Suffer TVShots Fired, American Crime, and the challenge of making grim, issue-driven shows that are somehow still fun to watch.
Television
Where’s the Beef?Ryan Murphy’s Feud takes one of history’s juiciest catfights and reduces it to a dry lecture about Hollywood sexism.
Brow Beat
Girls’ Episode With Matthew Rhys Proves This Show Is Still Brilliant at Stoking Controversy
Television
The Return of Tracy FlickThe thrilling new HBO drama Big Little Lies lets Reese Witherspoon do exactly what she does best.
Television
The Monstrous Brilliance of GirlsRegardless of how you feel about the noise Lena Dunham generates, don’t let it drown this out: Girls was a truly great show.
Television
24 Is Back, and Its Politics Are … ConfusingCan a show be tacitly anti-immigration and also woke?