<p>On this week’s show, Dana, Steve, and Dan Kois get into cultural topics of various scales. First, they examine <em>The Christophers</em>, the latest film from Steven Soderbergh<em>.</em> The small scale two-hander starring Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel about an aging artist and an upstart forger is intentionally intimate, but is it too slight? They discuss.</p><br><p>Next, they pick up their cultural magnifying glasses to peep at <em>The Miniature Wife</em>, the new marital comedy series starring Matthew Macfadyen and Elizabeth Banks about a scientist who accidentally aims his shrink ray on his wife. Is this diminutive premise too small for its multiple episode execution? They discuss.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Finally, they take up the small but mighty objects apparently floating at the bottom of many an it girl’s purse: cigarettes. They respond to a recent piece in the Ankler <a href="https://theankler.com/p/cigarettes-get-a-sequel-hollywoods" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">“Cigarettes Get a Sequel: Hollywood’s ‘Cool’ Bad Habit Is Back.</a>”</p><br><p>In an exclusive bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, the panel gazes at the vast expanse of space and talks about Artemis II’s mission to the far side of the moon.&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>Endorsements</strong></p><br><p><strong>Dan</strong>: The novel <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/possession-man-booker-prize-winner-a-s-byatt/7bb013b17fc58719?ean=9780679735908&amp;next=t" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Possession </em>by A.S. Byatt</a>.</p><br><p><strong>Steve: </strong>The essay in <em>New York Review of Books </em>“<a href="https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/04/23/from-the-rooftops-of-tehran/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">From the Rooftops of Tehran</a>,” an anonymous first person account of life under fire from American and Israeli bombs.</p><br><p><strong>Dana</strong>: The radio show <em>Shocking Blue </em>on New York’s WFUV from the DJ <a href="https://wfuv.org/users/delphine-blue" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Delphine Blue</a>— if you miss it on Saturday nights 8pm-11pm when it airs, check out at <a href="https://wfuv.org/archives" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WFUV’s archives</a> to listen to episodes after broadcast.</p><br><p>--</p><br><p>Email us your thoughts at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a>.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>