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Melanie McFarland (page 32)

Melanie McFarland is Salon's award-winning senior culture critic. Follow her on Bluesky: @McTelevision

Claire Foy and Paul Bettany in "A Very British Scandal" (Prime Video)

Claire Foy and Paul Bettany can’t lift Amazon’s gloomy “A Very British Scandal” divorce tale

Melanie McFarland
Kaley Cuoco in "The Flight Attendant" season 2 (Julia Terjung/HBO Max)

“The Flight Attendant” returns with double the baggage and showcase for Kaley Cuoco

Melanie McFarland
Better Call Saul (Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television)

“Better Call Saul” reminds us of that the slow approach can be better than bingeing

Melanie McFarland
Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford, Viola Davis as Michelle Obama and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt in "The First Lady" (Ramona Rosales/SHOWTIME)

“The First Lady” tells the story of three revolutionary presidents’ wives in an inconsequential way

Melanie McFarland
Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald in Warner Bros. Pictures' fantasy adventure "Fanastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

The magical magnetism of Mads Mikkelsen, explained… in fantasy party guest terms

Melanie McFarland
Julia | Minx (Photo illustration by Salon/Seacia Pavao/HBO Max/Katrina Marcinowski)

Like food and sex, “Julia” and “Minx” are meant to be enjoyed together

Melanie McFarland
Abbott Elementary (ABC/Temma Hankin)

The joy of “Abbott Elementary” is its lesson about fulfilling work

Melanie McFarland
Richard S Castellano watching Al Pacino aim gun in a scene from the film 'The Godfather', 1972. | Saucepan with tomato sauce (Photo illustration by Salon/nito100/Paramount/Getty Images)

One of the greatest legacies left by “The Godfather” was basic instructions on how to make dinner

Melanie McFarland
Bridgerton (Courtesy of Netflix)

Why “Bridgerton” and “Sanditon” dialed back the sex – and came out stronger for it

Melanie McFarland
Atlanta (Oliver Upton/ FX)

On “Atlanta,” Van partied for every Black woman exhausted with being overlooked

Melanie McFarland
Julia (Seacia Pavao / HBO Max)

The joy of HBO Max’s Julia Child series, a deliciously affectionate celebration of an icon

Melanie McFarland
Oscar Isaac as Steven Grant in Marvel Studios' "Moon Knight" (Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios)

With the sleepy “Moon Knight,” come for the MCU, but stay for Oscar Isaac’s dodgy cockney accent

Melanie McFarland
Will Smith appears to slap Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock made the 94th Academy Awards one to remember — for the wrong reasons

Melanie McFarland
Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas in "Deep Water" (20th Century Studios/Hulu)

Has Ben Affleck’s”Deep Water” left you asking why? Look back at “Gigli”

Melanie McFarland
Pachinko (Apple TV+)

The must-see “Pachinko” is a pure and flawless beauty about the unpredictability of living

Melanie McFarland
Atlanta (Rob Youngson/FX)

The return of “Atlanta” is perfectly timed, delivering its sharp honesty when we need it most

Melanie McFarland
Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief in Halo (Adrienn Szabo/Paramount+)

Paramount unmasks “Halo” for a perfect launch to the long-awaited video game adaptation

Melanie McFarland
Sandtion (Photo courtesy of Joss Barratt)

A less sexy “Sanditon” doesn’t evolve the plot, but so what? That’s not why people watch

Melanie McFarland
Greg Kinnear (left) and Courteney Cox (right) in “Shining Vale” on STARZ (Photo courtesy of STARZ)

“Shining Vale” creator on the horror of midlife: “Depression and possession share similar symptoms”

Melanie McFarland
Volodymr Zelenskyy in "Servant of the People" (ECCHO)

“Servant of the People” is an example of a politician living up to the promise he plays out on TV

Melanie McFarland
Rosario Dawson in "DMZ (Eli Joshua Adé/HBO MAX)

A Second Civil War and too many plotholes plague “DMZ,” HBO Max’s latest dystopian adaptation

Melanie McFarland
Evan Rachel Wood in HBO's "Phoenix Rising" (HBO)

In HBO’s enraging “Phoenix Rising,” Evan Rachel Wood shows how her abuse was painted as rock romance

Melanie McFarland
Uma Thurman stars in "Kill Bill: Volume 1" directed by Quentin Tarantino in 2003. | Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer." | Actress and comedienne Roseanne (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)

Reality bites: How reckonings and the post-truth age ruined pop culture anniversary nostalgia

Melanie McFarland
The Adam Project (Doane Gregory/Netflix)

“The Adam Project” digs into the essential sadness of Ryan Reynolds’ heroes

Melanie McFarland
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