ROOTING FOR REVENGE ON SUCCESSION
In the second season of HBO's delightful Murdoch/Trump-family-inspired corporate drama Succession, eldest son Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) has gone from weak to utterly broken. He's in no shape for shrewd power plays this season — he barely was in season one. And yet, considering the sliminess of his siblings and father, I can't help but root for him, against all reason, to go the Samson route. I want to see him get one sudden burst of divine strength in order to bring the entire corrupt temple down on top of the Roy family's heads. They deserve retribution, even if Kendall doesn't deserve redemption. Now streaming. (DANIEL WALTERS)
REALLY BAD BOYS
Reality TV show Cops is a staple of American pop culture. But in podcast Running From Cops, host Dan Taberski dives into the show's disturbing nature, such as how its producers let police departments edit episodes, coerce suspects into agreeing to have their likeness on television (or don't bother), promote racial stereotypes, and generally serve as a propaganda arm for law enforcement. Spokane, whose elected leaders recently passed restrictions on such shows operating in city limits, is featured prominently; you'll run into familiar characters like City Council President Ben Stuckart and Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich. (JOSH KELETY)
LIBRARY SCOFFLAWS, REJOICE!
Libraries are awesome in myriad ways, don't let anyone tell you different. Example? Last week, the Spokane Public Library announced it was getting rid of fines for overdue items and eliminating charges for small copying/printing jobs. Any fines you have from before this month still exist, but going forward, you'll just get a friendly email reminder when you're holding on to your copy of Where the Crawdads Sing a little too long. (DAN NAILEN)
KILLED VIA TEXT
It's a landmark case that sparked national headlines: A girl on trial for convincing her 18-year-old boyfriend to take his own life. Michelle Carter was 17 when police discovered a series of alarming text messages she sent to her boyfriend Conrad Roy in the months, days and moments before his suicide. The HBO documentary I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter analyzes Carter's responsibility, yet in doing so tells the deeper story of two severely troubled teenagers whose deranged online relationship inevitably led to tragedy. Now streaming. (WILSON CRISCIONE)
THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST
Some noteworthy new music arrives online and in stores Aug. 16. To wit:
Frank Turner, No Man's Land. I got to see this English folk/punk guy earlier this year, and his live show is excellent. This set is all songs inspired by women's stories.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Infest The Rats' Nest. The prolific crew goes all metal on their latest.
The Hold Steady, Thrashing Thru The Passion. Ace wordsmith Craig Finn and crew are back with their first album in five years.
Sleater-Kinney, The Center Won't Hold. St. Vincent produced, drummer Janet Weiss quit when they were done, and we finally get to hear the final product. S-K plays the Fox Oct. 9. (DAN NAILEN)
