This week, the Protocol team can’t stop talking about “Bridgerton,” and we’re so excited for the next Tomb Raider game, even though we don’t know what it will be or when it will come out.
The slow burn of 'Bridgerton' Season 2
The second season of Shondaland’s steamy, Regency-era England show does not disappoint. It returns to London’s illustrious Bridgerton family, but this time, we follow the romance of Anthony Bridgerton, the no-nonsense oldest son and head of the Bridgerton household. He becomes entangled with the Sharma sisters, courting sweet, younger sister Edwina while slowly becoming drawn to headstrong, elder sister Kate. The sisters’ relationship is endearing, the people are beautiful, the costumes are stunning and the classical arrangement of Madonna’s “Material Girl” is *chef’s kiss*.
This season is less raunchy than the first, which is apparently disappointing to some people. But the slow burn between Anthony and Kate is much more compelling! Full disclosure: I binged all eight episodes on a nine-hour flight. My brain was mush, but it was so worth it.
— Lizzy Lawrence
Revisit Lara Croft's roots
Crystal Dynamics made my day when it announced that it’s working on the next Tomb Raider game. Well, the announcement was actually that the next game will use Unreal Engine 5, which is cool, but after almost four years since Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I’m ready to see where Lara Croft goes next. No other game details, including launch date, have been released, which means there’s plenty of time to revisit the most recent three games — conveniently packaged as the Tomb Raider: Definitive Survivor Trilogy — that explore Lara’s origin story.
— Karyne Levy
Dark, fascinating ‘Katla’ is worth your time
This show has been on Netflix for a few months, but it’s definitely worth another look. “Katla” is the story of a small town in Iceland that has been all but abandoned by its residents due to ongoing volcano activity and the toxic ash storms that go with it. A few hard-headed locals remain, going about their bleak days. Then, one day, an ash-encrusted person appears out of nowhere, raising all kinds of questions and ripping band-aids off old wounds. “Katla” is dark, fascinating and not for the faint of heart.
— Janko Roettgers
'Several People Are Typing' by Calvin Kasulke
For the last two years, workdays have largely been spent within Slack (or Microsoft Teams or Zoom or Google chat). “Several People Are Typing” by Calvin Kasulke came out last year, but it continues to remain prescient: The entire story takes place within a small PR firm’s Slack workspace. Gerald, the book’s hero, is a midlevel employee who inadvertently uploads his own consciousness to his company’s Slack workspace. Over the course of 256 pages, Gerald must convince his colleagues that he needs help to escape back into the real world. It’s a bizarre book, but one that’s quite relatable: Who among us hasn’t felt like they’ve handed part of their souls to their devices? It’s a quick read, if only because Slack messages are easy by design, but one that will make you ponder — albeit briefly — what it truly means to exist.
— Jane Seidel
A version of this story also appeared in today’s Entertainment newsletter; subscribe here.
