Weekender: Lonely Superfans, UV Medicine and Vine’s Rise and Fall
by Bradley Hope
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This week in Brazen Weekender: Why do bad people do good things? Farah Halime unpacks the twisted morality of power, guilt, and redemption. Plus: six sharp recs—from corrupt cops to flawed families—exploring how darkness and decency often share the same stage.
Hello and welcome to this weekend’s edition of Brazen Weekender. This week, we’re examining a provocative question that cuts to the heart of many stories we cover: Why do bad people do good things? In the essay below, Farah Halime – Brazen's head of creative – explores the moral contradictions of power, corruption, and self-justification through this very lens. Stick around after the essay for a curated list of new team recommendations, all thematically aligned with these ideas.
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By Farah Halime
A few years ago, I overheard a phone call that’s stuck with me ever since.
Our co-founder, Bradley Hope, was speaking to a source – someone caught in a strange purgatory. They were isolated, trapped not just by their criminal past, but by their own inability to be fully themselves. They had committed multiple offenses – the kind that would lead to life imprisonment, or even the death penalty, depending on which country caught them.
But the conversation? It sounded like two old friends chatting. The source was warm, soft-spoken. Bradley laughed easily, as they joked about the weather and their favorite foods. It was light, even affectionate. Eventually, the source confessed to their crimes. Not for publication, they trusted Bradley wouldn’t write about it. And for a while, he didn’t.
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