Jez Recs: What to Read, Watch, or Fall Down a Rabbit Hole Over This Weekend

I’ve had difficulty describing Wolfish to people, when I try to tell them about my friend’s incredible debut book. (I promise I’d be recommending this even if the author were a perfect stranger, though!) It’s about real wolves, yes, and the polarizing politics around reintroducing them to the mountains. It’s about symbolic wolves in culture and myth—big and bad, cried for by lying boys. But really, it’s about Berry’s own conception of the literal wolf and her quest to see them in the wild, and, perhaps most importantly, the figurative wolf—that is, her own experiences living as a woman in the world, and all the fear and anxiety that comes with that. It’s an incredible book that’s sort of hard to summarize, but you simply must go read it. —Nora Biette-Timmons

As a late TikTok joiner, the algorithm is still trying to get a hold on what I’d like to watch as I rot on my couch for hours at a time after work. It has, however, blessed me with Yuri Lamasbella’s (@yurilamasbella) account, where she does incredible impersonations of the entire Kardashian family. According to her bio, she is a “LOST Kardashian” herself (I believe it!). From everyone’s flat affect, to Khloe’s post-it nails and a Kris Jenner wig, Yuri has the entire glam-clan down pat.

In one of my recent favorites, the sisters try to discuss the Hailey-Selena drama (aka The Beef) that happens to include Kylie, but Kourtney, who has already refused to say “cheese” because she’s “vegan,” says, “I don’t know, I don’t eat beef,” in the Kardashians’ signature mildly whiny drone. All of this to say, I’m very much looking forward to Yuri hashing out the whisperings that the family was uninvited to next year’s Met Gala. Maybe Anna Wintour will get her own wig? —Rodlyn-mae Banting

Poker Face wrapped up its first season on Thursday, so it’s all ready for you on Peacock to devour. And what a feast it is: Natasha Lyonne is magnetic as a cynic with a heart of gold whose low-key superpower is being able to tell when people are bullshitting, and who’s being chased across the country by Benjamin Bratt (he’s still got it). Murders abound. So do guest stars. I watched everyone from Chloe Sevigny to Stephanie Hsu to Ron Perlman pop up with the glee I imagine superhero movie fans feel when Ant-Man unexpectedly teams up with…a Spider-Man easter egg? I dunno.

Director Rian Johnson’s use of vivid colors and just plain cool camera work (sorry, I don’t know good filmmaking words) makes Poker Face a visual indulgence, too. And when you’re done watching, read this interesting interview he did with Vulture about updating the TV procedural format. —Sarah Rense

Miley Cyrus’ eighth studio album has finally arrived after a methodical release campaign that found its leading single, “Flowers,” a #1 hit and a TikTok mainstay. Much to my relief (and ecstasy), every Miley that’s ever existed is present in Endless Summer Vacation—echoes of Bangerz and Plastic Hearts, and her roots in folk and country. Still, while the album progresses from mellow daytime lullabies to synth-ed up pop for a night out, it presents a cohesive, and startlingly intimate, view of Cyrus herself—perhaps the most authentic we’ve seen yet.

Though my favorite track on the album is “You,” a sultry and sweet ode to a potential paramour, this release has unquestioned range. From a striking piano ballad in “Wonder Woman” (never know she’s broken/until she cries) to the raging breakup song “Muddy Feet” (you smell like perfume that I didn’t purchase/now I know why you’ve been closing the curtains on us), this feels like Miley at her sharpest. —Emily Leibert

Have you heard of this little known rag called the New York Times? No? Well, let me tell you—it published a great piece earlier this week about artists holding day jobs separate from their art practice that filled me with grounded joy. “Day Jobs” is an exhibition currently on display at the The Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin, that “examine[s] the overlooked impact of day jobs on the visual arts” and “is dedicated to demystifying artistic production and upending the stubborn myth of the artist sequestered in their studio, waiting for inspiration to strike.”

The article, by art critic Travis Diehl, and the exhibition itself grapple with the mythology and implications of artists holding non-artistic daytime work to pay the bills. I’ve long been interested in that balance as someone who both writes for joy and for money. As Diehl put it, there is a “myth of artistic meritocracy” that “a day job is the mark of failure,” a misconception that to me does a disservice to not only creatives who maintain day jobs, but also the creativity and spark of ingenuity that can be found in everyday life. —Kady Ruth Ashcraft

For your weekend consideration, may I recommend deep-diving into the rapidly expanding world of NBA podcast wars? Because the year is 2023 and every NBA player and their freaking cousin has a podcast, famous feuds—namely between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies—are ramping up to the next level. Pending how many straight men you follow on Twitter, you’ve probably seen the clip of Warriors power forward Draymond Green responding to the Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks’ trash-talking, anti-Green rant last week; Green responded on his own podcast, which exists for some reason, and I consumed the now-viral clip with a bag of popcorn in hand.

So, this week, I recommend Wednesday’s episode of The Draymond Green Show, because that is exactly what it is: a damn show! You don’t have to enjoy watching tall, hot men run back and forth with a basketball and get in each other’s faces (though why wouldn’t you???) to enjoy said tall, hot men aggressively feuding with each other via the pettiest platform known to man. —Kylie Cheung

I’m less of a true crime person than a “fuck our criminal legal system” person, so I definitely wanted to watch this Netflix series about Alex Murdaugh, the powerful South Carolina prosecutor who was recently convicted of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul in 2021. The docuseries explains how the family is linked to THREE MORE deaths and makes a convincing case that Alex helped cover them up by working his connections with local law enforcement and using outright intimidation of witnesses.

The show starts off by interviewing the former friends of Paul, who drunkenly crashed a boat and killed a classmate in 2019, but never spent so much as a night in jail for it. These kids rip the entire Murdaugh family to shreds on camera. It’s only three episodes and I frankly wished it were longer, but there’s also an HBO series to watch next. —Susan Rinkunas

I didn’t love last year’s Scream requel. Therefore, I was skeptical of Scream VI, to say the least. As a longtime fan of the franchise, I anticipated an experience that would be fine given my nostalgia-fueled fondness for the first four (I liked the third one, sue me). Fortunately, I was proven woefully wrong. Because I tend to agree with everything Jezebel’s own Rich Juzwiak thinks, I’ll briefly paraphrase his review: “It’s one of the franchise’s best—as funny as it is scary as it is inventive.”

This time, Ghostface and the gang are in the Big Apple, which really works if only because I can’t think of a more terrifying venue than one that hosts a housing crisis, rat infestation, and startlingly inept mayor. The opening sequence, IMO, was one of the best in the franchise. The cast—most notably breakouts Jenna Ortega and Jasmin Savoy Brown—will never be the original, but they’re getting good in their own right. And seeing Hayden Panettiere on the big screen again? Well, it was a very welcomed homecoming. Go ahead, take a stab. —Audra Heinrichs

A woman in McNally Jackson told me this book was “so funny I couldn’t stop laughing on the subway, people probably thought I was crazy.” And also, “It has a lot of great lesbian sex scenes, if you’re into that.” Who isn’t?! I’m halfway through and can report that this book is hot, hilarious, and one of my favorite books I’ve read in the last few years. Also, the way the author writes about the main character’s dog is…so fucking funny. I’ve never read anything like it. I love this book and I’m obsessed with this dog. —Lauren Tousignant