On this week’s show, Dana, Julia, and Steve are joined by special fourth guest host: Wesley Morris of the New York Times. The foursome wield their sharpest critical tools for a discussion of the horror hit Weapons. Whether the twisty thrill ride hits its intended target— and what exactly is said target— is up for debate.
Next, they take up the latest Spike Lee joint Highest 2 Lowest which reunites the legendary director with Denzel Washington and riffs on an Akira Kurosawa classic. Finally, they examine the “Performative Male” trend popping up in TikTok, style sections, and costume contests around the globe. Is it an embodiment of real gendered anxiety or internet nonsense?
In an exclusive Slate Plus bonus episode, the panel gets into all the shocks and surprises of Weapons’s finale in a spoiler-filled conversation.
Email us your thoughts at <a href="mailto:culturefest@slate.com">culturefest@slate.com</a>. 
Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch.
Endorsements
Steve: Music by the jazz pianist <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/4K2Ys4NwPXEYomQrKwAeZc">Bobo Stenson</a>, specifically his album <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/39tOPTArYE0OWaZkx0IYIO?si=nv777fLzSqecmCokFHzE5Q">Serenity</a>.
Julia: Wesley Morris’s stellar new culture podcast <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/column/cannonball-with-wesley-morris">Cannonball</a>, specifically <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/14/podcasts/and-just-like-that-finale-cannonball.html">the episode with Taffy Brodesser-Akner about And Just Like That</a>.
Wesley: Watching the great New York sporting event the US Open. If you can’t make it to Flushing Meadows, you can watch on ESPN or stream on <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/welcome/leagues/30114527?irmp=5565082&irad=596299&sharedid=USA-NW-Match-2025_US_Open_Tennis-Men%27s_&_Women%27s_First_Round">Fubo</a>, and shop the enviable merch at the <a href="https://usopenshop.org/2025-collection/?srsltid=AfmBOoo-hviUXQ_7orz3f4N_8ClKgI1aDVDjuIg1KHhmdogr1m8Hjvn9">US Open Store</a>.
Dana: Akira Kurosawa’s <a href="https://www.criterionchannel.com/high-and-low">High and Low</a>. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

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