‘Master of None’ masters a new direction
For its second season, Netflix’s romantic-minded comedy “Master of None” moves into more esoteric territory — Italy to be precise, at least at the beginning.
That’s where struggling Indian-American actor Dev Shah (played by Aziz Ansari, who cocreated the show with Alan Yang) has gone after fleeing New York City following his breakup with his girlfriend, Rachel (Noël Wells). When he hesitated about moving forward with the relationship, she took off. Now Dev is reassessing his life, attending a culinary school to learn how to make authentic pasta. Food is a central theme in the show, often being a distraction from the missed opportunities of love or a way into some cultural themes. (But be warned: Some of the meals look so tasty you’re likely to be dreaming calories.)
In the first episode, called “The Thief,” Dev has settled into life in a small Italian city, even learning some of the language and making friends. Still pining for Rachel, though, he opts for a birthday meal alone at a exclusive restaurant. There he meets a woman he likes but loses her number when his phone is stolen almost immediately after the meal. He then goes on a journey to get it back.
Directed by Ansari, “The Thief” is shot in black-and-white and is a nod to the golden age of Italian neorealist cinema. The new season of “Master of None” doesn’t go that far, but it has a lovely lyrical wandering quality about it.
This year, there are probably more smiles than laughs. The humor is less jokey and more organic (keeping with the food motif). The episodes are more themed than plotted, mostly a
series of interconnected vignettes. Characters drop in and out.
One episode has Dev on a series of dates, which he set up using an app, that all take place at the same restaurant. Whether the person he meets is white, black or brown, the encounters all have odd, unexpected rhythms as the two strangers negotiate the evening. The episode called “Religion” is less about differences in faith and more about the problems the younger generation has when dealing with more traditional parents.
Eventually, Dev does return to New York City where he is hired to host “Clash of the Cupcakes” on Food TV. While it’s a steady paycheck for him, like his relationship with Rachel, he not sure this is the direction he wants his life to head.
Instead of taking on issues — whether cultural or romantic — straight on, “Master of None” goes at them sideways and in a more layered way. Ansari and Yang, who won an Emmy last year, wrote all the episodes.
Since Dev is less neurotic and crazy than most main characters in a sitcom, the show becomes less about him than what is around him. His parents may be Indian-American Muslims, but he’s something of a cultural agnostic, well aware there’s a wide array of people in the world, which is what season 2 explores.
One poignant episode set over a series of Thanksgiving Day celebrations involves Dev and Denise (Lena Waithe), his friend from childhood. On one holiday, she reveals she is gay. As the story skips through the years, there develops this interesting split as some attitudes begin to evolve while some remain static.
For the most part, Dev is still puzzling things out. This season the show is romantic in that it feels hopeful, though it may not solve any problems.
When his friend Arnold (Eric Wareheim) pops up in Italy a bit distraught because he’s going to his ex’s wedding, Dev consoles him with, “Sometimes you meet people for a reason. Sometimes you meet people for a season.”
“How do you know which is which?” Arnold wonders.
“I don’t know. I just know it rhymes,” Dev shrugs as if admitting sometimes that’s all you will ever know.