Episodes
Writings on culture, identity, and a bunch of other things from Emily St. James.

Latest

Jun
06
Tim Robinson, clad in a deeply tan suit, sits behind a sweet drum set.

Friendship perfectly captures the crisis of modern masculinity

4 min read
Jun
02
Tim Robinson, in a pure beige coat, clutching a huge soda cup, looks at Paul Rudd, in a colorful jacket. Rudd holds a mushroom.

Episodes Monday Rundown May 26 - June 1 2025

6 min read
May
30
Tom Cruise in a dive suit in a cylindrical room, water roughly up to his waist. It's lit by fluorescents. It looks cold.

The protagonist of reality

12 min read
May
28
A toddler in a purple jacket and pink hat sits on a swing, facing away from the camera. A teddy bear is on the swing opposite.

Undetermined

"This is a story about transition – but not my daughter’s. She has always been exactly who she is."
11 min read
May
26
The shark from Jaws lunges up onboard a boat, gobbling away at the various pieces of flotsam and equipment there.

Episodes Monday Rundown May 19 - 25 2025

6 min read
May
23
Mon Mothma, dressed in a golden dress, stands amid a group of revelers, dancing wildly. They are out of focus.

How a 1980s TV storytelling technique is making streaming shows more compelling

8 min read
May
19
The cover of Emily Henry's Great Big Beautiful Life features a woman reading and a man gazing up at her from where he's writing.

Episodes Monday Rundown May 12 - 18 2025

7 min read
May
16
Hailee Steinfeld and Michael B. Jordan star in Sinners. They're in an embrace, heads tilted back in ecstasy, in a wood-paneled room.

May mailbag

10 min read
May
14
Noah Wyle and Shawn Hatosy star in The Pitt. They're both looking haggard and run down after a long day.

Should TV shows have more episodes per season? Really?

On the greatness of The Pitt and the reductive nature of The Pitt discourse.
6 min read
May
13

Submit your May mailbag questions!

1 min read