We are living in a golden age of betrayal. From the labyrinthine conspiracies of Game of Thrones to the devastating swerves in Attack on Titan , and from the "who done it" anxiety of Succession to the true-crime docuseries exposing decades of duplicity, popular media has discovered a singular, uncomfortable truth:

Why? Because betrayal in media allows us to explore the "shadow self." In reality, we are loyal. In fiction, we want to see what happens when you take the money and run. It is a safe space for ethical carnage.