The Atlantic’s Week in Culture

Don’t Miss

Mykki Blanco’s Super-Sad Queer Rap Love Story—Spencer Kornhaber traces the complex ways in which the rapper approaches sexuality, intimacy, and gender identity on his debut album.

Film

The Glorious Return of Bridget Jones—Sophie Gilbert revels in Renee Zellweger’s return to the eponymous role, in what might be the funniest film in the series.

Blair Witch Gets Lost in the Woods (Again)—Christopher Orr laments the tedious sequel to the groundbreaking 1999 indie-horror sensation.

Snowden Isn’t Paranoid Enough—David Sims delves into Oliver Stone’s latest effort, which lacks the flourishes that once made the director’s films so compelling.

Television

The Embarrassment of Jimmy Fallon—David Sims bemoans The Tonight Show host’s disappointingly tame interview of Donald Trump.

Miss America’s Q&A Segment: The Most Absurd Pageant of Them All—Megan Garber unpacks the puzzling interview round that posed some rather difficult questions to the contestants.

Son of Zorn Mocks the Cartoonish Alpha Male—David Sims illustrates how Fox’s latest sitcom takes toxic masculinity to a new, potentially hilarious extreme.

Saturday Night Live Hires Three New Cast Members—David Sims introduces the latest additions to the sketch-comedy show, including its first ever Latina performer.

The Great British Break-Up—Sophie Gilbert discusses how the UK’s most popular TV show in decades may be crumbling in light of its recent announcement to part ways with the BBC.

Documentary Now Is a Parody That Knows the Power of Nostalgia—David Sims enjoys the sharp referential comedy of the IFC show starring Bill Hader and Fred Armisen.

Fleabag Is the Filthy Antiheroine TV Deserves—Sophie Gilbert celebrates the lovable, dysfunctional, and painfully hilarious protagonist of the Amazon series.

American Horror Story Realizes Simple Is Scary—Spencer Kornhaber examines a promising start to the sixth season of the FX show.

High Maintenance Is TV’s Most Compassionate Cult Comedy—David Sims praises the clever and insightful webseries as it makes the successful jump to HBO.

Music

The Mysteries of Lil Wayne—Spencer Kornhaber makes sense of the enigmatic rapper’s views on retirement and racism from a recent interview .

The Blissful and Strange World of Radiohead’s Short-Film Contest—Spencer Kornhaber interprets some of the artwork submitted by fans and shared widely on the British band’s Instagram page.

Books

Cautionary Tales From the Future—Sophie Gilbert reviews Children of the New World, a bleak, brilliant collection of short stories about humanity fully in technology’s thrall.

Dear America: Reading Through History—Amy Weiss-Meyer looks back at the young-adult series that helped her come to terms with the past in the aftermath of 9/11.

Media

The Case Against Banning Offensive Words—Megan Garber weighs in on Instagram’s newest feature, which allows users to choose which terms they find abusive.

Watching Football on Your Phone—Megan Garber questions how Twitter’s new deal with the NFL to stream games from its platform affects the way we consume sports itself.