The Take

Parks and Rec's Ron Swanson is a mix of three key myths that underpin our culture: the manly man, the authentic libertarian, and the wise elder. This vintage superhero teaches us how to feel hopeful about the world, even when we don't all agree. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pamela Anderson has long been defined by her infamous sex tape. Now, with an upcoming official Pamela Anderson documentary, it looks like Pam is finally aiming to retake control of her narrative, her way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bruce Willis is more than an action hero, and as he ushered in a new kind of movie star, he cemented his place as one of the most influential actors of his era. So how did he do it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most antiheroes repeat the same mistakes in their lives and commit monstrous acts as they pass their emotional trauma on to future generations. But why? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Season 2 of Bridgerton, Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma are star crossed lovers, but rather than being thwarted by external forces, it’s their internal hostility to one another that gets in the way of their obvious desire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The "Other Woman" is a threat to the family unit, always wants what she can't have, and is seemingly motivated to 'steal' a married man. Despite attempts to humanize her, The Other Woman remains a powerful, often hated taboo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who is Jennifer Lawrence, really – the cool girl who can hang with the guys she long acted like in public appearances, or the steely, resilient and deep heroine she’s often played onscreen? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The surreally intimate and disturbing Kim-Kanye-Pete feud, as well as celebrity drama as a whole, reveal a lot about the state of social media and fame today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Heather is popular, coveted, and mean. But she's also often unhappy and voiceless. So what can we learn about pop culture’s most mysterious, and most misunderstood archetype? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Buff Clown has become one of today’s masculine ideals that seems to dominate blockbuster movies, and he’s often used to skewer stereotypes of toxic masculinity and ridiculous egotism. So who is this new Hollywood hero? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How I Met Your Mothers' Lily often has her professional and personal goals sidelined. She serves as the show's ultimate "domestic goddess," modeling true, long-term romance with her own kind of assertiveness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At its core, Cruel Intentions is about elite society, and the emotional reality of kids who grow up in a rich but loveless environment and then go on to perpetuate cruelty in the greater world. So is Kathryn's rage justifiable? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If the "Special Girl" onscreen is given her status by a guy, then surely her specialness can be taken away as quickly as it’s bestowed. So beyond loving the special girl, what really makes her more deeply special? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In season 2 of Euphoria, Cassie goes bananas. Her arc has a lot to say about self-esteem, sexuality and the “slut” trope in today’s world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2022, it’s harder than ever to know what the Oscars are supposed to be. If the “slap” is the main thing we’ll remember about the 2022 Oscars, what does that say about any deeper value the Academy Awards even still hold in our zeitgeist and cultural conversation? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coverage of Zendaya and Tom Holland's relationship often centers on the Tall GF/Short BF debate. What’s the real reason behind the media’s fixation over just a couple of inches – and why is a shorter man dating a taller woman even a story at all? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s expected by the time we turn 30 has changed drastically over the last decades, leading to the new 30-crisis, as seen in titles like tick, tick... BOOM!, Inside, Starstruck and The Worst Person In The World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Power of the Dog is ultimately a story about how toxic masculinity is a corrosive force that destroys people from the inside, and so the movie’s title refers to those dark, secret selves we fear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While 1961’s West Side Story is a tragic love story with a laser focus on the Romeo and Juliet romance between Tony and Maria, Stephen Spielberg’s 2021 update is a wider story about the bigger forces in society that contribute to hate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On How I Met Your Mother, Barney's "rules of dating" reflect our “laws” about how to act on a hook-up, who’s an acceptable match, and how a potential partner’s behaviors should be interpreted. But real love demands throwing out the rulebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Modern Family's Gloria Pritchett tore up the "second wife" playbook, proved those caricatures aren’t all real, and gave us hope that sometimes you really can get it right the second time around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Celebrities - they’re just like us! Or that’s what we like to believe, and nothing sells that story better than when celebrities get together with “normos”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Game Of Thrones rushed toward a finale that left a confusing and disappointing legacy. So, are we ready yet to talk about the show again - and can it ever regain that place in our hearts? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When does something stop being trendy, and start being "cheugy" – and is it time to just stop trying ever to be “up to date”? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Thomas Anderson's films present a portrait of love that entails accepting the good, the bad, and the ugly in another person – seeing all your partner's flaws and adoring them anyway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices