Written by, directed by and starring Aziz Ansari, Master of None is an ongoing Netflix comedy-drama series. Ansari is Dev Shah, an Indian American who has moved to Italy following a rough relationship where he is now working as a pasta maker. With his friends Denise (Lena Waithe), Arnold (Eric Wareheim) and Francesca (Alessandra Mastronardi), Dev must navigate the tumultuous world of employment, love, religion and family as an Indian man in New York City.
+ all the characters are so relatable. Every group of friends has someone who could be “a Denise” or “an Arnold”. All of the characters have desires, flaws and such fleshed out stories, too, it is easy to think of this as an ensemble show, despite Ansari being the main focus
+ the storylines are all mostly realistic. All the characters get new jobs, wade through scandals and go on a string of bad Tinder dates
+ two episodes in particular (of the ten in season 2) were simply fantastic; episode 6 shows life in New York from the perspective of three unconnected people -a black doorman, a deaf conveience store clerk, and a Burundian taxi driver- while episode 8 shows what like was like for Denise as she grew up as a black woman whilst also coming to terms with her sexuality. On paper, they read like easy “bait” episodes, but they are done so well it is hard not to feel something for everyone involved
– although it is realistic, Dev’s own motivations and desires come across at times as very selfish. It does create a more “grey-area” character, but it also just makes me not want to keep watching sometimes, becuase I can’t stand him
> I’ve spent the whole time watching this series thinking that Arnold’s actor, Eric Wareheim, was the guy from Just Shoot Me!. As it turns out, the guy from Just Shoot Me! is Brian Posehn. They could be twins.
Should you watch this show: I watched the first season one rainy day because I had enjoyed Ansari in Parks and Rec, and was pleasantly surprised at how funny and relatable the show was. That continues in this season; the show is funny without needing too many jokes, and relatable without going out of it’s way to be mundane. This show, meaning both seasons, is well worth watching.
MoshFish Reviews 