“I will not die a monster!” Those are the last words of Dr. Otto Octavius in Spider-Man 2. There’s an echo of the tragic to them, like something said by a ruler of Thebes at the end of a play you had to read in junior high. Cadmus, Pentheus, Athamas, Oedipus . . . these were guys who really knew how to suffer, back in the days when misery was an art.

But by the time that Otto utters those defiant words, it’s too late. In the classical and the tragic sense, Otto has, against his will (or as a result of his misdirected will) already been a monster and has served his function as one. As J. Jonah Jameson, editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle points out, it was Otto who made Doctor Octopus, “Doc Ock,” the Hyde to Otto’s own Jekyll:

It’s all over town, Robbie. Gossip. Rumors. Panic in … read more»

Like most people who watch Friday Night Lights, I became desperate to convert new viewers. After all, we were constantly reminded by television critics that it was in perpetual grave danger of cancellation. If you’re reading this, you probably share my sentiment that the show was too good to be … read more»

Time was when the Romance section of the bookstore was a safe and cozy retreat from all things unfrivolous. Sure, there might be an occasional gothic or mystery romance with a terrifying moment or two, but one could basically rely on the fact that any book you took off the … read more»

The Twilight Saga is, simplified, a tale of the romance and adventures of a young woman and an immortal vampire she meets at school. Readers of the novels do not reject this premise out of hand—“regular old teenage girl falls for ancient vampire”—because by now we are so used to … read more»

ANNOUNCER: You’ve seen The Bachelor. You’ve seen Survivor. You’ve seen Joe Millionaire, but you won’t admit it. Now, from the creators of Sense and Sensibility and Fear Factor, comes a reality show that has as much romance, backstabbing and exhibitionism as those other shows—but with British accents, so you … read more»