Diabolical Motherhood by Emily C. Hughes

This article provides an astute and entertaining analysis of the 1976 horror film The Omen with particular attention to how its themes and plot choices reflected a U.S. society that was still dealing with the immediate aftershocks of Roe v. Wade. Emily C. Hughes focuses particularly on the film’s messages about motherhood and women’s authority over their own bodies and basic well-being. Bringing in the 2024 film The First Omen, released two years after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization shredded precedent to strip away women’s reproductive rights, as a point of contrast is an especially effective choice for the piece. I write about film often enough to be genuinely envious of what Hughes has crafted here. It’s a terrific piece. This article is published by Defector.

Netflix keeps producing second-season bombs because it’s a tech company by Alex Cranz

Writing for The A.V. Club, Alex Cranz digs into the recent struggles Netflix has faced in getting eyeballs on second seasons of their programs. Considering Netflix is the one streaming service so ubiquitous that people basically think of it as a necessary utility, it’s amazing that so many of their shows have such small and fleeting cultural footprints. Cranz touches on a lot of familiar flaws in the Netflix model, all of which the company is obstinately sticking with. I do think at some point in the near-ish future, Netflix is going to need to give up on their model of dumping all episodes at once.

It’s Time To Admit I Have Too Many ‘Start The Day’ Games by Riley MacLeod

I can relate, Mr. MacLeod. I can related. This article is published by Aftermath.