Culture | Opinion

On ‘Squid Game,’ the game is cruel but life is crueler. In Season 2, a new twist introduces a kind of cruelty that feels uncomfortably close to real life.

By Rebecca Sun

It’s not a miracle, but it seems like one.

By Matthew Walther

A second-person narrative of social media.

By Caitlin Macy

Schubert’s final three piano sonatas are a deep exploration of loneliness, and particularly apt for our age of isolation.

By Jonathan Biss

On the internet, the truth and the manufactured lies about celebrities are hard to sort through.

By Elizabeth Spiers

How a contentious friendship between political rivals led to the creation of a classic Christmas anthem of hope.

By Charles King

For decades, the film industry seemed to forget how to mint new male matinee idols. Then came a much-needed windfall.

By Devin Gordon

The film feels like an artifact of a more optimistic feminist moment.

By Michelle Goldberg

The people, places and objects that held our collective attention in this election year.

Photographs and Text by Taryn Simon

An eclectic list of works that influenced, intrigued and entertained our guests.

By ‘The Ezra Klein Show’