This comedy series has had an interesting path and track record. It's arguably a series that has broken from a traditional format, never being afraid to try different things that would never conform to what other comedy series would do. Aziz Ansari created the show, along side Alan Yang. Ansari is a great stand-up comedian who brought a lot of his stand-up presence to the show and for that he was rightly recognized with award nominations. However, I found it interesting that when his series won an Emmy Award for its first season, that award was for writing, the writing specifically of an episode in that first season that wasn't really about Ansari or his character. Ansari and Yang won for writing the episode "Parents," which was about his and Yang's Asian immigrant fathers and mothers. That episode shifted the focus from Ansari to those adjacent characters.
The second season came out in 2017 and the show was nominated for even more Emmy Awards, but its only above-the-line win was again for writing. This time though, Ansari and Lena Waithe won for writing the episode titled "Thanksgiving," which was again another episode that shifted the focus away from Ansari and his character. That episode was actually about Waithe's supporting character in the series. I'm sure the reality was not lost on Ansari that people liked what he was doing but only when he wasn't focusing on himself or his character. The second season in a lot of ways featured more departures or breaking from the format where he showed a lot of his European filmmaking influences.
Therefore, the fact that this season has really departed or broke from the format in the most extreme way shouldn't be too much of a surprise. The cinematography or shooting style has really departed or changed. Things have really shifted, so much that the character that was a supporting character previously is now the main character. Ansari's character who was the protagonist previously is now just a supporting character and in fact barely present. Some could argue that the reason Ansari decided to make his presence as an actor less this season is due to the fact that in 2018, after the second season won its awards, Ansari was accused of sexual misconduct in what was considered another accusation in the Me Too Movement. There was a lot of push-back and a lot of people who defended Ansari, but still an accusation can be damaging and cause any actor to disappear or step-back. Yet, an argument can be made that even if that accusation against Ansari had never happened, this departure or the new direction for this season would have occurred anyway.
Lena Waithe (Bad Hair and Ready Player One) stars as Denise, a Black lesbian living in upstate New York. She's in fact living in a beautiful country house with her wife, another Black lesbian. It's a house that is probably a bit expensive. Yet, Denise can afford it because she's a best-selling author. She's currently working on her second book, but she seems to be experiencing a bit of writer's block. She seems to be taken with her newfound fame and success. She's been hanging out with celebrities more and hanging out less with her actual friends. Her focus on her professional career is perhaps coming at the expense of her personal relationships, such as that with her wife.
Naomi Ackie (
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and
Lady Macbeth) co-stars as Alicia Jackson, the wife to Denise. She's British, an immigrant from London most likely. She's in her mid 30's. She studied science in school, but now she's an interior designer at an antique shop who hopes to start her own store. However, she has another goal that she's pushing. She wants to have a baby. Being that she's a lesbian who is married to another woman, there are limited options or rather more difficult options that she has to choose to get pregnant.
The series then follows Alicia's attempts to get pregnant. It also follows the ups and downs of her relationship with Denise over the course of what seems to be a few years. Waithe's presence is one that always brings a comedic vibe where she's injecting humor here and there, but the series leans way more into the dramatic aspect. The series actually goes to really heavy depths. At one point, this series made me cry. It made me seriously weep. It also had me on the edge of my seat in what ended up being a really thrilling moment of what really was just a simple phone call. Given that Ansari directed each episode, it shows that he can do well as a dramatic filmmaker.
Some indication of Ansari as a dramatic filmmaker comes from the very first frame. This series is presented in what looks like Academy ratio or possibly 4:3. From the looks of the images, it's possible that Ansari shot the film on actual celluloid. There feels like a grain or slight texture to the images. It also looks like Ansari used a lot of natural light. The majority of the series takes place all in one location, the aforementioned country house. Ansari avoids any camera movements. Each scene consists of the camera being set-up and never moving up or down or side to side. It's always perfectly still and usually never goes in for a close-up. Most of the shots are wide-shots or medium shots. I don't think there's a single close-up in this series.
It can make the audience feel more immersed in the scene like one would feel if they were watching a live stage play. Ansari uses minimal editing. Most of the shots are continuous takes where he doesn't cut away from his wide-shot or medium shot. A lot of his shots linger for as long as five minutes without cutting away in any way. It can make it feel like a stage play. It also allows the actors to exist in a space in a way that feels not manipulated or unobtrusive.
In my review of the first and second season, I referenced that some of Ansari's influences included Woody Allen or Ingmar Bergman. Those influences still feel ever-present here. It's more of a throwback to classic Hollywood and classic filmmaking but with queer characters of color that provides a look at those characters in a way that we don't normally see and that is rather refreshing. Hopefully, this series gets recognized again at the Emmys.
Rated TV-MA.
Running Time: 30 mins to 1 hr. / 5 eps.
Available on Netflix.
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