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b'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'