interview
Want a romcom that goes to some very real, complicated places? Try Girl Next Door.
Rachel Meredith, author of Emily's favorite romance novel of 2025, discusses wedding ridiculous premises to real psychological heft.
Latest
pluribus
Pluribus: Episode 8, "Charm Offensive"
Everything costs something.
Rundown
Episodes Monday Rundown April 20–26 2026
This week: The Drama, Project Hail Mary, and some true classics of literature.
review
Project Hail Mary isn't competence porn. It's a love story.
The film's relationships matter more than its equations. You wouldn't know it from the discourse.
26 Episodes
How I Met Your Mother is one last message from a pre-Recession world
And other theories on why this once-beloved sitcom hasn't quite endured
pluribus
Pluribus: Episode 7, "The Gap"
Whether existential malaise or terrifying spiky palm trees, we all have things to overcome.
Rundown
Episodes Monday Rundown April 13–19 2026
This week: Faces of Death, Exit 8, and the new Olivia Rodrigo!
Mailbag
April mailbag!
This month: books that need reissues, songs that belong to one director, and the Buffy Big Bad ranking you've been waiting for.
Max Richter
The biggest danger of over-licensed music in movies and TV
Maybe the song doesn't need to do all the feeling for the audience!
pluribus
Pluribus: Episodes 6, "HDP"
Wait, WHAT are the Joined doing? Let's let John Cena explain.
Rundown
Episodes Monday Rundown April 6–12 2026
This week: The Testaments, The Subtle Knife, and an album that hints at the end of a beloved show.
Mailbag
Submit your April mailbag questions!
It's that time again!