Contributor: Paul Asay

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

Archer

It appears that FX has issued its silly and salacious animated superspy with a license to appall.

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The Plugged In Show, Episode 46: Examining The Social Dilemma and Our Interaction with Social Media

Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Most of us use at least one social media service, and we know that they’re not altogether perfect. But as Adam Holz pointed out on a blog this week, Netflix’s The Social Dilemma shows an even uglier social media underbelly …

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Monsterland

Complex characters? This show has ‘em. But it apparently ran out of budget to buy any hope.

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Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Series Might be Taking the Wrong Lessons from Game of Thrones

Middle Earth has plenty of room for dwarves and elves, orcs and hobbits. But it is no place for an intimacy coordinator.

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The Walking Dead: World Beyond

Looking for a kinder, gentler Walking Dead spinoff? Keep shambling along, ’cause you’re not going to find it here.

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Bond Shakes the Entertainment Industry (Again)

Britain’s durable super spy is taking his latest adventure, No Time to Die, all the way to April 2021. That’s the fifth time the movie has been postponed—and the second delay due to the coronavirus.

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A Call to Spy

When it comes to the real work of spycraft, the women here make Bond look like the shallow fiction he is.

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Actress Julianne Moore as Gloria Steinem at a women's rights rally.

The Glorias

The Glorias rejects complex character building and storytelling in favor of a fairly rote sermon featuring fairly wooden icons.

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Filthy Rich

Filthy Rich tries to expose a wealthy Christian family’s hypocrisy, while somehow missing its own.

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Ratched

Is this younger version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’s famous villain kinder and gentler? Um, no.

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On the Basis of Sex

This sympathetic cinematic portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg prods viewers to ponder important questions about equality.

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Yes, the Emmys Were a Literal Trash Fire

During Sept. 20’s surreal, socially distanced Primetime Emmy Awards, Jennifer Aniston tried to douse a flaming envelope on stage with a fire extinguisher. It did not quite go as planned. https://youtu.be/juJE80qiZF4?t=144   It was, in a way, a fit …

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A husband hugs a wife in their new home.

The Nest

It’s the house. It must be the house. It’s too big. Too old. Too dark. Too … distant. Yes, it does look lovely, this sprawling manor in Surrey, England. But so many doors to lock. So many windows to peer through. One never knows what might stalk, unsee …

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Digitally Dodging Schoolwork

We all know—and many parents know all too well—that school’s back in session. But this fall is unlike any we’ve seen in our lifetime, and parents, teachers and students alike are dealing with some all-new challenges. So-called Zoombombers (people who h …

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Raised by Wolves

Ridley Scott’s bloody new show pokes and prods faith like it’s some sort of alien creature.

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