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On this week\u2019s episode, the panel is first joined by Slate\u2019s music critic, Carl Wilson, to puzzle over The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift\u2019s much-anticipated 11th studio album. Stuffed with 31 tracks, the two-part album is a departure from the billionaire pop star\u2019s otherwise perfectly crafted oeuvre: it\u2019s messy and drippy, and at times, manic and frenetic. Is this secretly a cry for help? And more importantly, when did she find the time to record this thing? Then, the three explore Fallout, a post-apocalyptic drama series adapted from the extremely popular role-playing video game of the same name. Executive produced by Jonathan Nolan (Westworld, Person of Interest) and streaming on Prime Video, Fallout certainly achieves a high level of immersive world-building, but do the stories and characters fare the same? Finally, Becca Rothfeld, the Washington Post\u2019s non-fiction book critic, joins to discuss her triumphant first book, All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess, in which she rebukes the culture\u2019s affinity for minimalism and makes the case for living in a maximalist world.\xa0\nIn the exclusive Slate Plus segment, it\u2019s part two of the Ambition versus Contentment discussion (courtesy of a listener question from Gretel): How should a parent approach cultivating ambition in a child, if at all? The hosts discuss.\xa0\nEmail us at culturefest@slate.com.\xa0\nOutro music: "Ruins (Instrumental Version)" by Origo\nEndorsements:\nDana: The Teacher\u2019s Lounge, a film by German-Turkish director Ilker \xc7atak. It was a Best International Film nominee at the 96th Academy Awards. (Also, Ebertfest in Champaign, Illinois!)\nJulia: Kristen Wiig\u2019s Jumanji sketch on Saturday Night Live, inspired by Dana.\xa0\nStephen: The British band Jungle, introduced to him by his daughter. A few favorite songs: \u201cBack on 74,\u201d \u201cDominoes,\u201d and \u201cAll of the Time.\u201d\xa0\nPodcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.\xa0\nHosts\nDana Stevens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices