Netflix reviews straight to your screen: ‘Master of None’
This is part 3 of a 6-part series. Reviews reflect the pilot episode of each series.
Ever since Woody Allen did “Annie Hall,” fusing his “playing all of the Marx brothers” brand of humor with his love of existential European cinema, other comedians have followed suit. The most recent disciple was Louis C.K. with his show, “Louie” on FX.
Now here comes Aziz Ansari (from “Parks and Recreation” fame) with his Netflix show “Master of None.” Where this show differs from the other two examples is that Ansari, young person, roots the show in a modern context. At times, the show satirizes youth culture — such as a scene where Ansari and his girlfriend Google some important information on their phones and take everything they read as undisputable fact.
However, most of time, the show annoyed me with its youthfulness. Eric Wareheim, who plays Ansari’s man-child friend, is unbearable to watch. His playing in a moonwalk and his constantly abbreviating and combining words were, as he would put it, ‘umorless and irritupid (that’s irritating and stupid). Likewise, the overarching theme of the pilot is children and whether or not Ansari’s character wants one. Maybe it’s that I can’t relate, or maybe it’s that I find the idea that children shouldn’t have children a no-brainer, but the plotline didn’t resonate with me.
Also, I hate cute kids who say inappropriate things. It’s a lazy joke. Speaking of jokes, there’s a tendency in a lot of modern comedies to forsake jokes for awkward moments and situational humor, which I also hate.
Verdict: To everyone between the ages of 18 and 45 who isn’t irritable, this show is for you.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bFvb3WKISk
OTHER REVIEWS IN THE SERIES
Netflix reviews straight to your screen
Written by: Hunter Lanier
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‘Bloodline’
Written by: Hunter Lanier
As the title suggests, “Bloodline” is all about family; the Rayburn family, specifically. READ MORE
‘Narcos’
Written by: Hunter Lanier
The “Narcos” pilot is set up like the prelude to a prize fight. READ MORE
This article, unfortunately, fails to acknowledge what “Master of None” set out to be, and what it truly is. Ansari, being a wildly successful comedian has an obligation to himself, and to his fans, to find a dash of humor in nearly everything, albeit a tad subversive at points, the comedy, overstated in this article, in “Master of None” has a charming nuance that is a rare treat.
But what the author wasn’t unable to derive from “Master of None,” is that the comedic aspects of the show are just a side dish. “Master of None” at it’s heart is a show about growing up; a show about how even at thirty (a far cry from “babies”) were not done growing up, and odds are we will never be done. The show touches on many subjects that we as people think about, but seldom speak of; the anxieties associated with making a life long commitment to a significant other, the guilt we feel as we get older and realize that we should have been more thankful for and better to our parents, the struggle of dealing with not being quite where you had planned to be in life at this age, and learning to accept all of these things and keep going.
Additionally, it has a great, subtle, social commentary that shines interesting points of views on many different subjects. I would love to tell everyone who has read this article to give the show a shot on your own, it really is a groundbreaking and unique series.