Watching these shows, there’s a sense of someone whispering look what you made me do. They can’t decide whether their heroes are deluded assholes or low-key aspirational #goals. In some narratives, that sort of ambivalence is compelling; in these shows, it mostly feels hazy, like the ethical compass of the show itself is spinning wildly,

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Watching: “The Pitt” (Max)

This suggestion probably should come with a medical warning—because I worry you’ll inhale the 15 episodes of “The Pitt” at a pace fast enough to jeopardize your health. The series debuted to a somewhat muted response right after Christmas but has since steadily attracted more and more attention, hurtling toward its season... See more

In every culture, the monsters were defeated, usually slain, by heroes whose courage reaffirmed the moral order. The creatures’ wickedness didn’t arise from trauma or poor life choices. Otherness alone was enough.