The Atlantic's Week in Culture

Don’t Miss

Wouldn’t It Be Nice to Have a Woman’s Shoe Emoji That Isn’t a Red Stiletto?—Megan Garber reports on Florie Hutchinson’s effort to create a new emoji for flats.

Frontiers of Sports

World Series Hopes Ride on a Pair of Aces—Robert O’Connell states that despite sluggers aplenty on Houston and Los Angeles, each club’s title chances hinge on the pitching prowess of Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw.

Film

The Square Is a Masterful Symphony of Discomfort—David Sims watches Ruben Östlund’s cutting satire of the Swedish art world.

The Alien Majesty of Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon—David Sims emphasizes that a new Criterion Collection release of the 1975 period piece highlights just how unique the director’s vision of the past was.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer Is a Dark Twist on a Greek Myth—David Sims reviews Yorgos Lanthimos’s new film, in which the director of The Lobster reunites with Colin Farrell for an even stranger tale.

TV

How The Good Place Goes Beyond ‘The Trolley Problem’—Elizabeth Yuko says that the terrific NBC sitcom continues to explore ethics without sacrificing complexity or humor in Season 2.

The Walking Dead Staggers On for Another Year—David Sims believes that the show’s eighth-season effort to take down its tiresome super-villain might be too little, too late.

The Darkness of Stranger Things 2—Sophie Gilbert previews the new season of the breakout Netflix show as it takes a turn toward horror.

Music

George Michael, Through George Michael’s Eyes—Spencer Kornhaber thinks the late singer’s autobiographical documentary conveys a man in charge of his own narrative, and reticent to reveal all.

Fats Domino: Remembering a Rock and Roll Pioneer—David A. Graham eulogizes the pianist and singer, who died at 98, as one of the few remaining links to the era when jazz, blues, boogie, and R&B were melding to form a new genre.

Kelly Clarkson’s Retro, Uplifting Dream of Unity—Spencer Kornhaber listens to the singer’s soul-influenced new album, which comes at a time when the notion of an idol for all of America seem quixotic.

Media

Harvey Weinstein and the Economics of Consent—Brit Marling writes that the blunt power of the gatekeeper is the ability to enforce not just artistic, but also financial, exile.

Harvey Weinstein’s Statements Have Taken a Striking Turn—Megan Garber traces the mogul’s words, from denials to apologies to claiming “a different recollection of the events.”

The ‘Harvey Effect’ Takes Down Leon Wieseltier’s Magazine—Adrienne LaFrance digs into the news that the legendary intellectual’s fledgling publication, set to launch this month, is being suspended amid allegations of past workplace misconduct.

Leon Wieseltier: A Reckoning—Michelle Cottle talks to women who once worked at The New Republic about their experiences with the literary editor, who is now facing allegations of workplace “misconduct.”

Books

What If Women Had The Power?—Sophie Gilbert reads a stunning new speculative-fiction novel by Naomi Alderman that couldn’t be more timely.

Cujo’s Unexpected Lesson About Parenting and Art—Joe Fassler chats with the comedian and write John Hodgman about what Stephen King’s 1981 horror novel taught him about risking mistakes in storytelling and fatherhood.