I’ve (attempted to) articulated before on how much I loved Netflix’s Master of None, and applauded it on its sheer realism and top-top shelf writing and direction. The whole minority and LGBT-aware aspect of it took a back seat to the fact that it was simply a dynamite show, that I could not get enough of and was sad when the first season came to an end.
It was wonderful news when the second season was confirmed, and it was happy days all over again when I found the time to binge through the first half of it, and turned into a melancholy end of a good roller-coaster ride as I methodically watched the last few episodes.
Seriously, Master of None is pretty much on my perma-list of favorite television shows. Ever. Up there with Parks & Recreation, Black Mirror, and a few other titles that are probably up there that have the unfortunate distinction of being left off because they’re not as fresh on the brain.
Season 2 of Master of None did not disappoint, and I’m hard pressed to say that I didn’t not enjoy a single episode. Even the prototypical palette-cleanser episode, I Love New York, which barely featured any of the actual cast was done in a manner that was still captivating, entertaining and generated humor in creative and believable ways.
The formula of early episodes being kind of vignette stories with clear objectives are great, while a more central storyline has time to simmer and cook up and begin to take shape and center up in later episodes, which then hits people like me with soft jabs at first before raining emotional haymakers by the time the final episodes start up.
As much as I often applaud the writing’s Thor-like strength, it’s all brought to life on the show’s equally strong cast that portrays characters so believable, relatable and so perfectly imperfect. I look around at the cast of characters throughout the series, and feel jealous of their relationships and bonds and unwavering camaraderie between them. I want to greet my own friends with hugs in bars, regardless of if we see each other on a daily basis, and I want to invite and be invited to cool things that we’re privy to.
Although the believability of romance is often the focal point of the series, I can’t help but be in love with the dynamic between Dev and his friends. Arnold visiting him in Italy, and the two of them go gallivanting around Modena and the Tuscan countryside, eating and drinking and riding mopeds. Dev spending every single Thanksgiving with Denise’s family, with them practically accepting him as their own, burns me up with emotion.
And the acting throughout the series is straight up killer. I can’t even articulate the words to describe just how good it really is. Conversations are so real and believable and make me think that I’ve had them with the people in my life at times. The conflicts of relationships are at times kind of transparent to when you know characters are showing their personality flaws or being selfish or inconsiderate. But the draw to me is the fact that after you’re unknowingly sucked into the storylines, you can legitimately feel the tension and stress along with the characters themselves.
Honestly, I’m not really doing much justice for the show, but if anyone is kind of on my wavelength of television habits, I would highly, highly recommend watching Master of None if you haven’t already. The first season is still great, and honestly I think the second season is just as good if not a little better. I think it’s one of the stronger shows made in recent years, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s definitely one of my all-time favorites. OF ALL TIME.
