Still Watching

In the highest-grossing movie of 2023, Barbie, a literal doll, leaves the comforts of Barbieland and ventures into real-world Los Angeles, where she discovers the myriad difficulties of modern womanhood. This arc from cosseted naïveté to feminist awakening is a narrative throughline that connects some of the biggest cultural products of the year. In this episode of Critics at Large, the staff writers Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz discuss how 2023 became “the year of the doll,” tracing the trope from “Barbie” to Yorgos Lanthimos’s film “Poor Things,” whose protagonist finds self-determination through sexual agency, and beyond. In Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” a teen-age Priscilla Beaulieu lives under the thumb of Elvis at Graceland before finally breaking free, while in Emma Cline’s novel “The Guest,” the doll figure must fend for herself after the trappings of luxury fall away, revealing the precarity of her circumstances. The hosts explore how ideas about whiteness, beauty, and women’s bodily autonomy inform these works, and how the shock of political backsliding might explain why these stories struck a chord with audiences. “Most of us believed that the work of Roe v. Wade was done,” Cunningham says. “If that is a message that we could all grasp—that a step forward is not a permanent thing—I think that would be a positive thing.”Read, watch, and listen with the critics:“Barbie” (2023) “M3GAN” (2023) “Poor Things” (2023) “Priscilla” (2023) “The Guest,” by Emma Cline “The House of Mirth,” by Edith WhartonNew episodes drop every Thursday. Follow Critics at Large wherever you get your podcasts.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Richard, Chris, and Hillary break down the series finale of The Crown, while producer Suzanne Mackie goes deep on the scene that united Imelda Staunton, Olivia Colman, and Claire Foy for the first time. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Richard, Chris, and Hillary go deep on episode 9 of The Crown season 6, "Hope Street," while VF staffer and royals expert Julie Miller stops by to explain whether Carole Middleton was as devious in real life as she is on the show. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Richard, Chris, and Hillary discuss The Crown's farewell to Princess Margaret in season 6, episode 8, "The Ritz"—and later, the celebrated actor details how she prepared for her showcase episode, as well as her long friendship with fellow Crown star Imelda Staunton.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Still Watching goes back to college for season 6, episode 7 of The Crown, which introduces a young Kate Middleton—and details how her mother's machinations may have put her directly in the path of Prince William. Plus, Chris chats with Ed McVay, who plays William, about nabbing the role of a lifetime. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In season 6, episode 6 of The Crown, Queen Elizabeth faces an existential crisis, and the modern energy of a beloved new prime minister named Tony Blair. Richard, Chris, and Hillary break it all down, and welcome VF royals expert Erin Vanderhoof to explain Blair and Elizabeth II's complicated relationship. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Prince William takes center stage in episode five of The Crown season six, as Richard, Chris, and Hillary dissect the future king's days as a teenage heartthrob. Plus, Jonathan Pryce stops by to talk about playing Prince Philip and the royal's special relationship with his grandson. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In a special bonus episode of Still Watching, Richard, Chris, Hillary, and VF fashion expert Kia Goosby take a break from The Crown to talk Diana’s enduring appeal, her style, and two very different recent projects about the People’s Princess: Spencer and Diana: the Musical. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Richard, Chris, and Hillary analyze the aftermath of that fatal car crash; plus, episode director Christian Schwochow explains how the show depicted it respectfully, and his approach to Diana’s spectral presence. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Richard, Chris, Hillary, and guest Julie Miller talk “Dis-Moi Oui” and who might have been Diana’s actual true love. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices