The Creator of Succession Takes on the Broligarchy Edition
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Jun 4, 2025
The hosts dive into Jesse Armstrong's film 'Mountainhead,' exploring its critique of tech culture and the 'brolicarchy.' They discuss the struggles of identity in the new Amazon Prime series 'Overcompensating,' and the quirky dynamics of celebrity PR in today's media landscape. Personal anecdotes and literary endorsements add depth, as they reflect on the importance of authenticity in public image. The conversation sparkles with humor, offering insights into the complexities of self-identity and the changing narrative of fame.
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Mountainhead Satirizes Tech Overlords
Jesse Armstrong's film Mountainhead satirizes tech overlords by portraying them as destructive archetypes in an isolated mansion.
It highlights their self-interest and questionable moral impacts through sharp, topical dialogue and scenarios.
insights INSIGHT
Tech Bros' Rationality Masks Ego
Mountainhead's satire exposes how tech bros' commitment to "no priors" rationality masks their true motivation: ego and greed.
Their purported altruism is a veneer to justify doing whatever they want right now, regardless of consequences.
insights INSIGHT
Mountainhead Lacks Succession's Depth
Mountainhead struggles between satire and tragedy, lacking the deeper emotional complexity found in Succession.
It mainly offers biting humor but feels shapeless and less narratively satisfying compared to Armstrong's earlier work.
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In 'The Swerve', Stephen Greenblatt explores the impact of Poggio Bracciolini's discovery of Lucretius' 'De Rerum Natura' in 1417. This ancient Roman poem, which posits a universe governed by natural laws rather than divine intervention, had a profound influence on the Renaissance and beyond, shaping the thought of figures like Galileo, Darwin, and Einstein. Greenblatt's book is both a biography of Bracciolini and an intellectual history of how this text helped shape modernity.
2666
Roberto Bolaño
2666 is a sprawling novel composed in the last years of Roberto Bolaño's life. It revolves around the unsolved murders of hundreds of young women in Santa Teresa, a fictional city based on Ciudad Juárez. The novel is divided into five sections, each focusing on different characters and locations, including academics, convicts, an American sportswriter, and an elusive German novelist. The book delves into themes of violence, death, mental illness, journalism, and the breakdown of relationships and careers. Bolaño's writing style shifts and weaves through various voices, evoking a range of emotions and confronting the reader with the harsh realities of life[1][3][4].
On this week’s show, longtime hosts Julia, Stephen, and Dana are all together in-person to talk about Mountainhead, the new HBO Max movie from Jesse Armstrong, creator of Succession. Then, they dig into the new Amazon Prime series Overcompensating. Finally, they talk about the new PR junket, full of spicy food and odd quizzes, inspired by this Vulture article by Nicholas Quah.
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