The Atlantic's Week in Culture

Don’t Miss

Baby Driver Is a Tribute to the Magic of the Earbud—Spencer Kornhaber dives into how Edgar Wright’s car-chase caper explores the wonders—and the dangers—of everyone having their own soundtrack.

Film

What The Big Sick Gets Right About Parenthood—Inkoo Kang unpacks the romantic comedy’s fleshing out of the poignant supporting roles that mothers and fathers can play.

Has Michael Bay Fallen Out of Love With the Military?—David Sims traces the Transformers director’s history of portraying soldiers in his films.

Will Ferrell Needs to Be Weird Again—David Sims believes films like The House, which cast the actor as a frustrated suburban everyman, are a waste of his unique comic talents.

The Little Hours Is an Alt-Comedy Gone Medieval—David Sims watches Jeff Baena’s new film, which juxtaposes foul-mouthed 21st-century humor with bawdy tales from the Middle Ages.

Television

The Bachelorette Reveals Itself for What It Is—Megan Garber argues that the show, with exploitative plotlines that treat racism as entertainment, is becoming harder and harder to defend.

How Will Silicon Valley Work Without T.J. Miller?—David Sims considers the future of the HBO show after the mercurial comedian departed under mysterious circumstances.

Sasha Velour and Drag’s Permanent Revolution—Spencer Kornhaber recaps the finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

The Norwegian Teen-Drama Series Loved Around the World—Boyd van Hoeij looks at the recently ended Skam, a wildly popular web show about Oslo high-schoolers that resonated for its realism.

The Most Pessimistic Episode of Veep Yet—Megan Garber explains how the show’s Season 6 finale highlighted the sometimes suffocating nature of American politics.

Art

Anicka Yi’s Strangely Persuasive World of Smells—Jane Yong Kim explores the artist’s Guggenheim show, which uses olfactory experiments to overturn assumptions about gender, race, and hygiene.

Music

Jay-Z’s Pitch for Generational Wealth—Spencer Kornhaber unpacks what the rapper’s new album 4:44 says about commerce and racial progress.

What Jeff Tweedy Has Been Trying to Say—Spencer Kornhaber listens closely to songwriting on the Wilco singer’s new acoustic album.

Books

How Rudyard Kipling Turned His Guilt Into Fiction—Joe Fassler chats with the novelist Scott Spencer about the English author’s short story “The Gardener,” as part of The Atlantic’s ongoing “By Heart Series.”

Media

Mika Brzezinski and Donald Trump’s Penchant for Blood Feuds—Megan Garber weighs in on the president’s controversial comments about the MSNBC host.

Aspen Ideas Festival

How Activism Can Advocate for Art—Sophie Gilbert discusses how Lil Buck and Jon Boogz use their performances to get people to reconsider what movement can do.

The Perils of Meritocracy—Megan Garber makes the case against one of the most loved ideas in American life.

The Power of Art That Makes You Pause—Sophie Gilbert attends a talk by the art historian Sarah Lewis and the architect Michael Murphy.

Hamilton’s Peaceful Protest—Sophie Gilbert reports on how the show’s November statement to Vice President-elect Mike Pence came about.

The Vital Role of Political Theater—Sophie Gilbert discusses how a recent production of Julius Caesar fits into a grand artistic tradition.