Master of None
May. 17th, 2017 08:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
author_by_nightSo I watched the second season of Master of None, and have thoughts both on that and Aziz Ansari's saying that he doesn't want a third season until he's in a different place in his life.
(This post is 100% spoilery.)
I think it was a very good season, and stronger than the last. However, it was also very different. Last season felt more like a dark comedy, with a few more serious episodes. This season was definitely not a comedy, although there were comic moments. Rather, it was an art form, complete with a black and white episode and an episode that wasn't even really about any of the main cast. It at times almost felt more like a series of short films based around the same people. Which is a format I'm fond of in novels, where every chapter feels more like a short story. I don't know that I've ever seen a show do it, with the exception of murder mysteries, since those tend to have one plotline and one cast of characters. But even those often have the same formula (to the point at which you often know who did it once you've seen enough episodes), whereas Master of None had very different formulas.
People seem to be debating on who was more sympathetic in the Pino-Francesca-Dev storyline. I think it was just a complicated situation overall; I think Francesca was scared to leave Pino, but also had legitimate reasons for not wanting to leave Italy. She wasn't just choosing between a man she wasn't overly enamored with and Dev, but leaving her entire life behind. Pino dropped the ball emotionally a lot, but didn't seem to be a horrible person. Dev got a little... "Nice Guy" towards the end, honestly, but mostly I think he even tried doing the right thing, except then he didn't, and it just went downhill from there. Still, those episodes really weren't my favorite.
My favorite episode was "Thanksgiving." I liked that we saw Denise and Dev over the years, and I also felt they portrayed Denise's Coming Out very well. As a white cisgender woman I can't speak for accuracy on the being a black lesbian front, but it certainly felt raw and real. Particularly with Denise's mother wanting life not to be hard for her, and that being her primary concern, rather than religious or social concerns. (Although she still didn't get that it wasn't a choice Denise made, at least not at first. However, she was ultimately very accepting of Denise's girlfriend in the end.) My only criticism is that for an episode based partially around Denise and Dev's friendship, we actually didn't see much interaction between them this season. Arnold seemed much more like an old childhood friend than Dev, even though he's apparently quite a bit older.
Which brings me to my next point. Aziz Ansari has apparently said that he doesn't want there to be a third season yet, in part because he feels he can't keep writing about a single male in NYC. I do wonder if, for this purpose, a more ensemble show would have been better. The show does have episodes with characters apart from Dev, and a great one where Dev is barely featured at all, so it must be doable. Now, I personally didn't have a problem with the lack of an ensemble storyline, but he might have had more room for other story arcs if that was what he was going for. He also said he feels he'd have to be married or something to write about that, but I'm not sure that's true. Jane Austen wrote romance novels, and she never married. "Write what you know" is a very misleading notion.
On the other hand, I've had the same problem when tackling storylines that seem above my experience - writing about a divorcee, for instance, who has children. I've never been married, let alone divorced, and don't have kids. However, I think if you know your characters, and you know the story, you can make that lack of experience work. But maybe because the show has a biographical element, Ansari has opted out of that, which I can certainly respect. Although I'm also not sure why his show even has to just be about being single in New York - he's portrayed acting just as heavily. Having said that, this season was so artistic I'm not even sure it needs another season. Maybe it's best as is.
no subject
Date: 2017-05-21 02:27 pm (UTC)"Thanksgiving" was great! Totally agree that it was handled very well, and also that Denise and Dev's friendship was otherwise very downplayed this season. Too much love triangle!! That said, I did really enjoy the black-and-white episode (possibly just because of how well Aziz Ansari speaks Italian).
He also said he feels he'd have to be married or something to write about that, but I'm not sure that's true. Jane Austen wrote romance novels, and she never married. "Write what you know" is a very misleading notion.
I think it really depends how you define "know". The majority of Austen's work is about awkward social situations and people being idiots or jerks, which anyone observant can know about, and the romance is largely buried until the end. She didn't get married, but whether or not she went through courtships is kind of up for debate, and she definitely observed them through her sister, niece, etc. So I think if he really wanted to write a season three, he could look at and talk to his friends in long-term relationships ... but tbh, he could have just written S2 to not be all about him getting together with Francesca. (Does he have the experience of being the second leg in a love triangle?)
no subject
Date: 2017-05-21 08:48 pm (UTC)Yeah, I agree on both counts. I'm not big on love triangles anyway, and I prefer when there's at least more complexity to it. Not to mention that it ended up taking over when a lot more could have been explored.
My ONLY thought is that he was perhaps trying to subvert the trope, since generally those end in the "right" guy being picked.
. (Does he have the experience of being the second leg in a love triangle?)
Maybe he does? He has said a lot of this is based on real experiences, and I'd like to know what aspects as nothing in the show seems to mirror his professional life, at least. However, I thin he was either trying to turn around a cliche, or wanted to explore a love triangle because it's a common formula. Given the art form of the season, though, I'm beginning to lean towards the former. Unfortunately I do think other potential plotlines and character exploration was downgraded for it.
I think it really depends how you define "know". The majority of Austen's work is about awkward social situations and people being idiots or jerks, which anyone observant can know about, and the romance is largely buried until the end.
Very good point.
no subject
Date: 2017-05-25 01:07 am (UTC)Same! I have wondered if it's more about being emotionally truthful to his life than literally truthful.