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| Scene from Master of None |
It seems impossible to keep up with Netflix's output of original content. Even in the realm of comedy, there have been a handful of shows such as BoJack Horseman and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt competing for attention. However, there is one that came out this past month and quickly established dominance as the streaming service's funniest series to date. What Aziz Ansari has pulled off with Master of None is nothing short of brilliant, capturing the millennial experience as he tries to relate to family and women alike while attempting to break racial boundaries. If this sounds pretentious and familiar, it's not. At its worst, the show is a familiar romantic comedy. At its best, it has some of the best contemporary commentary by any comedy this year. Ansari goes personal and succeeds in a move that will be difficult for Netflix to top anytime soon.
It is likely that you know Ansari best as Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation. As a supporting player, he was the eccentric socialite who was often more ego than character. Along with an impressive career in stand-up, Ansari has slowly been building as a voice to be reckoned with, even to the point of selling out Madison Square Garden. The bigger he has gotten, the more personal he seems to have gotten. In his most recent stand-up special, he opens not with trendy jokes, but about his family's immigration to America. These 10 minutes are indicative of what Master of None achieves: a perfect balance between comedy and observation on communal experiences. While not the central focus of the show, it's often used during the program's best, and funniest, moments.
One of the most striking things about the show is that it is more racially diverse than every Netflix show not named Orange is the New Black. With Aziz being Indian, it's interesting to see that the supporting players range from a black lesbian named Denise (Lena Waithe), a Chinese friend named Brian (Kelvin Yu), and - in a great twist on an old trope - "the token white guy" named Arnold (Eric Wareheim), of whom takes on the comically aloof bad advice usually reserved for character actors like Ansari. Yes, there's interracial dating and great performances by Ansari's parents. Yet, none of this feels like novelty thanks to great scripts that focus more on subjects than pointing out views that are either progressive or in need of change.
The show hits highs early on with "Parents," in which Ansari's Dev and friend Brian take their parents out for dinner, only to discover that their lives are far more interesting than they thought. Considering that the parental characters start off as repressed and ignored by the men more in love with their phones, it's a great and endearing take that works thanks to the naturalism of the non-actors, specifically Ansari's real life father (Shoukath Ansari) and his love of entertainment that is a little outdated. The series does supporting characters well, even allowing Shoukath's character to have a serious backstory about his struggles in India, only to have it undermined by Dev moments later. It's both comical and reflective of the contemporary 30-something, whose dreams aren't entirely clear and who will do anything for exposure.
While the series is best viewed as standalone vignettes, the ongoing themes of the first season is that of Dev's career as an actor in the Contagion-esque movie The Sickening, and his love to the adorable Rachel (Noel Wells), whose performance in the intimate "Mornings" alone is heartbreaking, funny, and real in a way that the initial indie style film making overshadows. The one positive that Ansari as a writer knows to gradually show the progression of the relationship, warts and all. "Mornings" covers the subject of them moving in together in ways that are indicative of deeper themes throughout the season as well as Dev's naivety to grow up and take responsibility. His career may be at a standstill thanks to mediocre gigs, but there's a sense that his enthusiasm could be used to better progress his career.
The show jumps back and forth between seriousness and lighter episodes almost in uniform. While the Rachel episodes tend to be more familiar, episodes like "Indians on TV" and "Ladies and Gentleman" explore racial and sexual politics in fresh and exciting ways by juxtaposing the stark differences against each other. The former was so acclaimed that its commentary on a Short Circuit 2 actor's "Indian face" lead Ansari to actually discuss it publicly with him. While the show's existence is relatively fresh, its immediate impact is being felt in these small ways. Meanwhile, the latter episode captures the difficulties of being feminist in an inventively indirect fashion.
What's more impressive is that Ansari is so confident in every aspect of this show. Beyond the commentary, he has made a series that focuses on the struggles of modern 30-somethings, who are likely as aimless as Dev is. The only difference is that in between his sarcastic remarks is a sense of heart and desire to learn about the world around him. It may be a naive and not always effective desire, but it's one that definitely creates for one of the fullest comedies of the year. It expands on what Ansari has achieved in his stand-up while also proving that he's more than capable of being a good actor. Each episode opens like its own short, novelty credits and all, making it seem a tad like Louie. However, it's so much more relative than Louie ever could be. It's also a great sign that between Fresh Off the Boat and Master of None, this has been a strong year for Asians in mainstream comedy. One can only hope that the next step will come sooner than later; or at least another season of this amazing show.
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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