A modern comedy

'Master of None' mines millenial anxieties for humor

Good comedy makes us laugh. Great comedy makes us think—take Amy Schumer’s critique of female beauty standards in her brilliant boy band music video parody “Girl, You Don’t Need Makeup.” Or Louis C.K.’s now-legendary stand-up “Everything’s Amazing and Nobody’s Happy” about the miracle of air travel. Both use humor to tackle hypocrisies of the modern age, with Schumer going after pop music’s idea of conventional beauty, and C.K. our inability to be satisfied. 

Contrary to the title, Aziz Ansari’s new Netflix comedy “Master of None” shines largely because he is a master of observation. Ansari understands the neuroses of millennials like few others, honed from years of stand-up (“Buried Alive,” “Live at Madison Square Garden”) and a book on the subject (“Modern Romance”). In each “Master of None” episode, the subject matter is introduced in neon right out of the gate, and Ansari mines the topics—“Parents,” “Indians on TV,” “Plan B”—for humorous hijinks and unexpected poignancy. 

Ansari portrays Dev, a charming-yet-aloof New Yorker just entering his 30s. As many in the real world can attest, a new decade doesn’t necessarily bring much clarity to life, specifically where relationships are concerned. Friends are married now. Some have kids. It doesn’t help that Dev is another struggling actor in the Big Apple. In a particularly hilarious, excruciating turn in the second episode, Dev auditions for the “black virus” movie “The Sickening” in the middle of a crowded coffee shop. Screaming and cursing and public humiliation ensue. 

Ansari is a first-generation American, which makes him uniquely suited to enlighten the rest of us on the topic of immigration. In episode two, titled “Parents,” Dev and his Taiwanese-American friend, Brian (Kelvin Yu), plan on meeting for a movie. Before each leave their parents’ houses, their respective fathers (Dev’s played by his real-life dad, Shoukath Ansari) ask them to perform a small favor before they go. Both sons refuse their fathers’ requests; they’re in a hurry to answer the pre-movie trivia questions. 

Cinematic flashbacks show both fathers growing up in poverty in their home countries – India and Taiwan. The men are eventually able to immigrate to America to seek better opportunities for their children. Once in America, Dev’s father struggles every day working in a zipper factory to provide for his family. In sharp contrast, Dev’s greatest struggle is the poor Wi-Fi in his apartment. The disconnect between the two generations injects both humor and pathos into the plot. It takes a dual family dinner to bridge that gap, with Brian and Dev finally asking meaningful questions and their fathers responding with stories such as their shared fear of answering the phone when they first arrived in America. I actually called my parents after the credits rolled.

While it’s Ansari’s curious eye that makes the show so fresh, he knows that collaborations can add layers to even the most routine storyline. “Parks and Recreation” fans will notice Alan Yang as a co-creator, helping infuse “Master of None” with a familiar warmth and optimism. Director James Ponsoldt brings knowledge of the aches of life in transition from his Sundance crowd-pleasers “The End of the Tour” and “The Spectacular Now” to the first episode, “Plan B.” Most illuminating is Noël Wells’ turn as Dev’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, Rachel. Woefully underused in her one season on “Saturday Night Live,” Wells’ character doesn’t fall back on stereotypes—she plays a witty, sweet, vulnerable, flawed human. Kind of like real-life humans.

Unfortunately, not all of the jokes land. The opening episode especially has a few clunky scenes that seem more like a sketch gone wrong than narrative TV. (Dev’s large friend Eric [Eric Wareheim] pushing kids around to make room in a bounce-house at a birthday party). A few storylines settle a little too nicely, detracting from the admirable realism of the show. Still, these things feel forgivable and don’t linger long enough to significantly mar the plot.

“Master of None” is the perfect encapsulation of why singular voices in comedy should be given the opportunity to bring their visions to life. Schumer does it in her Peabody-winning Comedy Central show, “Inside Amy Schumer.” C.K. did it in the autobiographical FX show, “Louie.” Ansari didn’t put his name in the title, but that doesn’t make “Master of None” any less his own. It’s about romance, race, immigration, entertainment, the Internet, and growing up. Simply put, it’s about life in the modern age, and all of the humor and heartbreak it entails. That’s not what makes “Master of None” a comedy; it’s what makes it a great comedy.

For more from Landry, read his review of the second season of "Fargo."