This week, Alex and Wesley discuss the unique greatness of The Knick, Cinemax’s hospital horror-thriller directed entirely by Steven Soderbergh. It’s one of the grossest things either of them has ever watched; Wesley even provides audio evidence of how disgusting he found one climactic sequence. This conversation begins with a rant about bad Ebola coverage. They apologize in advance.

Then it’s on to new albums by Taylor Swift and the rap duo of El-P and Killer Mike, known together as Run the Jewels.

They end the show with a quick spray of reaction to entertainment happenings: that Benedict Cumberbatch will play Doctor Strange, that a very different-looking Renée Zellweger went out last week, and that Boardwalk Empire is dead.

Also: There’s a new book for the next reading club conversation. It’s A Brief History of Seven Killings, by Marlon James. That’s for the December 2 show.

Listen to the podcast here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8K2tMdHho8.

Here are links to topics discussed on this week’s show.

The Knick (and Ebola)

“‘The Knick’ Finishes Its Brutal, Triumphant First Season As the Scariest Show on TV,” Grantland, October 20, 2014

“I Changed My Mind about ‘The Knick,’” The New Yorker, October 2, 2014

“Steven Soderbergh Is Doing Some Next-Level Work on The Knick,” Vulture, September 29, 2014

The Daily Observer (Liberia’s news daily)

“Responding to Reader Concerns on Ebola Coverage,” The New York Times, October 28, 2014

“What It Is,” The New Yorker, October 7, 2014

Run the Jewels/1989

“Pop Is a Banana-Quinoa Muffin: The Artisanal Aloofness of Taylor Swift’s ‘1989,’” Grantland, October 28, 2014

“Download Run the Jewels’ Head-Cracking New Album Immediately,” Grantland, October 24, 2014

Odds and Ends

“Career Arc: Doctor Strange, Marvel’s Uncastable Sorcerer Supreme,” Grantland, October 24, 2014

“The ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Series Finale: One Last Trip to Atlantic City, for Better or Worse,” Grantland, October 27, 2014

“The Week in Gossip: The Five Stages of Accepting Renée Zellweger’s Face,” Grantland, October 23, 2014