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Melanie McFarland (page 9)

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

Matt Smith in "House of the Dragon" (Ollie Upton/HBO)

“House of the Dragon” returns but lacks the storytelling fire to make us care who gets burned

Melanie McFarland
Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton and Hannah New as Lady Tilley Arnold in "Bridgerton" (Netflix)

A “Bridgerton” happy ending hints at long-anticipated queer romances ahead

Melanie McFarland
Star Wars: The Acolyte (Lucasfilm Ltd. / Disney+)

“The Acolyte” follows the Thread to tell a tragic Jedi story from the witches’ perspective

Melanie McFarland
Károly Kozma as Adolf Hitler in "Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial" (Netflix)

“Holocaust denial … was turning into ‘Hitler was right'”: Director on urgency of Nazi docuseries

Melanie McFarland
Nicola Coughlan in "Bridgerton" (Netflix)

Dissecting the frustration and confusion of the “Bridgerton” split season

Melanie McFarland
Carrie-Anne Moss in "Star Wars: The Acolyte" (Lucasfilm Ltd./Disney+)

“The Acolyte” bait and switch angered some, but many more kept watching. That’s why it works

Melanie McFarland
Nick Cannon in "Counsel Culture" (Prime Video)

“Counsel Culture” makes us wonder, is Nick Cannon really the best advocate for growth and healing?

Melanie McFarland
Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult (Netflix)

“Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult”: A tango between coercion and the entertainment industry

Melanie McFarland
Amandla Stenberg in "Star Wars: The Acolyte" (Lucasfilm/Disney+)

A riveting “Star Wars: The Acolyte” breaks away from the usual Jedi rhetoric about good and evil

Melanie McFarland
Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa in "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

“Furiosa” is struggling at the box office. Could the post-apocalyptic “Fallout” be a factor?

Melanie McFarland
Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump on set during the Season Finale of the Celebrity Apprentice on May 10, 2009 in New York City. (Bill Tompkins/Getty Images)

“The Apprentice” long con persists today, even beyond its host’s many convictions

Melanie McFarland
Helen Hunt in "Hacks" (Max)

“She’s suffering no fools”: “Hacks” guest star Helen Hunt weighs in on the finale’s shark attack

Melanie McFarland
Sarah Kameela Imprey as Saira, Anjana Vasan as Amina Hussain, Faith Omole as Bisma, Lucie Shorthouse as Momtaz, Juliette Motamed as Ayesha in "We Are Lady Parts" (Saima Khalid/WTTV Ltd/Peacock/C4)

“We need to upend this”: How punk band comedy “We Are Lady Parts” conquers second album anxiety

Melanie McFarland
Hoa Xuande as Captain in "The Sympathizer" (HBO)

“It’s not about nihilism”: “The Sympathizer” boss decodes the series’ ending revelations

Melanie McFarland
Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt in "Interview with the Vampire" (Larry Horricks/AMC)

“I don’t want to see some glittery vampire”: Why Anne Rice’s undead reigns in a post-“Twilight” era

Melanie McFarland
Carrie Fisher on Stinson Beach in Northern California with an Ewok from Star Wars. (Photo illustration by Salon/Aaron Rapoport/Corbis via Getty Images)

Hate “The Phantom Menace”? The Ewok Line theory could explain why

Melanie McFarland
Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart in "Hacks" (Max)

“Hacks” wonders why saying sorry is rare in comedy

Melanie McFarland
Moscow Tools (Comedy Central)

“Is autocracy actually compelling?”: Jordan Klepper examines why we’re falling for Russian misinfo

Melanie McFarland
Nicholas Galitzine in "Mary & George" (Starz)

“Mary & George” star Nicholas Galitzine is happy to be more to us than the ideal boyfriend

Melanie McFarland
Power (Courtesy of Netflix)

“It’s not about good apples and bad apples”: Netflix doc “Power” traces the history of US policing

Melanie McFarland
Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in "Bridgerton" (Laurence Cendrowicz/Netflix)

“Bridgerton” examines the perks and perils of its wallflower’s power

Melanie McFarland
Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Maher (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)

No one cares anymore about cancel culture, but it is a heckuva marketing tool for some comics

Melanie McFarland
Millie Gibson and Ncuti Gatwa in "Doctor Who" (Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)

“Just enjoy it!”: The new stars of “Doctor Who” strike a chord by going musical

Melanie McFarland
Interview With the Vampire (AMC)

Through its time change, “Interview with the Vampire” examines how war poisons the blood

Melanie McFarland
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