The State of the Spy Drama
The DailyYou’re reading The New Yorker’s daily newsletter, a guide to our top stories, featuring exclusive insights from our writers and editors. Sign up to receive it in your in-box.In today’s edition, shaken, not stirred. And then:The choreography of Kyle AbrahamU.F.O. hunting in New JerseyA prescient early Annie Proulx storyIllustration by Carlo GiambarresiA Sentimental Spin on the Spy GenreInkoo Kang reviews two new spy shows: “Black Doves,” starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, and “The Agency,” starring Michael Fassbender and Jodie Turner-Smith. Both indulge in a bit more emotional mishegoss than is strictly necessary, and achieve a bit less political relevance than one might like. “Distancing espionage thrillers from our own political tumult can give them a comforting gloss,” Kang writes. “It also robs them of their staying power.” If this pair misses the moment, there’s always “Slow Horses,” a now venerable British series featuring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas, which Kang points to as a twisty treat that serves as more than mere escapism. Read the story »More Top StoriesThe New “Nosferatu” Drains the Life from its PredecessorKyle Abraham’s Extraordinary Dance MemoirSearching for (Real?) New Jersey Drones at a Fake Alien-Landing SiteThem Old Cowboy SongsDaily CartoonCartoon by Tom ChittyCopy link to cartoonCopy link to cartoonLink copiedShopShopMore Fun & GamesPlay the Holiday Crossword: Today’s theme: 2024 in literature.P.S. “The miracle of Christmas is that, like the distant and very musical voice of the hound, it penetrates finally and becomes heard in the heart—over so many years, through so many cheap curtain-raisers,” E. B. White wrote in 1949. “It is not destroyed even by all the arts and craftiness of the destroyers, having an essential simplicity that is everlasting and triumphant.”
In today’s edition, shaken, not stirred. And then:
A Sentimental Spin on the Spy Genre
Inkoo Kang reviews two new spy shows: “Black Doves,” starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, and “The Agency,” starring Michael Fassbender and Jodie Turner-Smith. Both indulge in a bit more emotional mishegoss than is strictly necessary, and achieve a bit less political relevance than one might like. “Distancing espionage thrillers from our own political tumult can give them a comforting gloss,” Kang writes. “It also robs them of their staying power.” If this pair misses the moment, there’s always “Slow Horses,” a now venerable British series featuring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas, which Kang points to as a twisty treat that serves as more than mere escapism. Read the story »
- The New “Nosferatu” Drains the Life from its Predecessor
- Kyle Abraham’s Extraordinary Dance Memoir
- Searching for (Real?) New Jersey Drones at a Fake Alien-Landing Site
- Them Old Cowboy Songs
Daily Cartoon
P.S. “The miracle of Christmas is that, like the distant and very musical voice of the hound, it penetrates finally and becomes heard in the heart—over so many years, through so many cheap curtain-raisers,” E. B. White wrote in 1949. “It is not destroyed even by all the arts and craftiness of the destroyers, having an essential simplicity that is everlasting and triumphant.”
