Wednesday, November 11, 2015

The Best Parts of Master of None, Season One

When I'm into a TV show, I'm INTO a TV show.

I binge-watched Master of None this weekend and now I want to talk about every episode. Since no one around me has yet finished season one, I'm breaking this first season down to my favorite part of every episode because this is the best show I've seen in months and I'm sad that I watched it too fast.
I also made a playlist for myself on Spotify of all of the music from this season... check it out here. I'm a little obsessed right now. Please tell me your favorite parts too! I want to talk about this show!

Episode 1: Plan B
This whole episode won me over, especially because I've been thinking about the pros and cons of kids lately, but can we talk about Dev's hypothetical daughter putting ketchup and mustard on the iron?
That ish was hilarious. I looked up who was writing this show besides Aziz Ansari because I feel like there must be some knowledge coming from women. I've been having the same inner struggles about kids lately. No women credited as writers. It's Ansari and Alan Yang. Who are their lady friends that they talk to for this info though? I want to know them.

Episode 2: Parents
I related to this episode so much. The scenes in the beginning of the episode that give a glimpse into Dev and Brian's parents' lives before they come to the States were the best. I wish I had that. I've also had the feeling that both characters express throughout the episode-- they want to know their parents' stories and to thank them for all of their sacrifices, but they don't know where to start. I've never known what to do except say thanks, but the guys take their parents out to dinner. Maybe I'll try that sometime.
Best conversation from the episode:
Dev: Mom what about your first day in America, that must have been pretty exciting.
Dev's Mom: No. I just got dropped off from the airport and your father went to work, I didn't know nobody and I barely knew your father. We had an arranged marriage and I knew him only for a week or so.
Dev: Well what about that first day though? Did you go out and explore the city?
Dev's Mom: No, I sat on the couch and cried.
Dev: Well, that's really sad.
Dev's Mom: You asked!
Dev: Is there anything else you remember?
Dev's Mom: Yeah I was scared to answer the telephone because no one could understand me because of my accent.
Brian's Dad: I was scared of answering the phone too. They yell so much! "What?" "Huh?" I just got to this country. Why are they so mad?

Episode 3: Hot Ticket
Dev tries to put the moves on Rachel and gets shut down.
He responds genuinely and awkwardly. When he goes to hug Rachel but she hesitates, he says, "I've been up in those guts." That was hilarious.

Episode 4: Indians on TV
First, this hat.

Second, this conversation, which felt like one I've had with my friends:
Dev: People don't get that fired up about racist Asian or Indian stuff. I feel like you only really risk starting a brouhaha if you stay something bad about black people or gay people. I mean if Paula Deen had said, "I don't wanna serve Indian people," no one would really care. They'd just go back to eating their biscuits.
Denise: Yeah, but Paula Deen didn't get in trouble anyway. She gave some fake ass apology and then went back to making fatty foods.
Dev: True, but, she did have to apologize, right? Like she had to go meet with Al Sharpton. I mean, that's kind of the punishment, right? You've gotta find Al Sharpton and have to eat with him or whatever. We don't have a person like that. Who are you supposed to meet with? Deepak Chopra? The Indian dude from No Doubt?
Brian: Yeah, but who's my guy? Steve Aoki? George Takei? He's busy with gay stuff.
Denise: Who's my girl? Like Oprah? Or Beyonce? Oh shit, I've got the heavy hitters. Nevermind.

This show isn't afraid to real talk about race and I like it. Nothing is black or white in Master of None when the candid conversations about race happen. The show does a beautiful job of highlighting the gray that so many people of color face in our society. And it's funny!

Third, this quote: Private racism becoming public racism that gets fools fired? That's so bomb.

And lastly...Tastee!

Episode 5: The Other Man
Dev sleeps with Claire Danes' character because of how he treats ice cream. Ice cream. I love it. I mean, there were probably other reasons if you want to read into it, but for me, it was because of ice cream.
When Dev recognizes that it's her husband in the ice cream shop. Classic Aziz face.

The delicious looking ice cream Dev doesn't get to eat. I've recently given up dairy fer reals because of my lactose intolerance, so this just looked delicious to me.

Dev's face when the husband throws the ice cream away. Another classic Aziz face. 

Episode 6: Nashville
The Baby Justin scene in the hotel room.
It felt like something the Hubs would do to me. It felt like a more real flirtation than the way flirtation is usually portrayed on TV. It didn't make Rachel out to be a the stereotypical manic pixie dreamgirl (sorry Nathan Rubin). She's just goofy, like so many of us.

Episode 7: Ladies and Gentlemen
The whole first part of this episode before the credits was spot on. The experience of two dudes walking home from the bar compared to one single lady walking home was relatable. I asked myself again, who is writing this show? Aziz can't be this in touch with my life! But I Googled it again, especially because the show blew up last weekend and everyone is writing about it and yep, it's still two guys-- Alan Yang and Aziz Ansari. Who are their friends?!

Especially when she does this:
How many of us have done this or walked with your keys in between your fingers so you could scratch a potential rapist/kidnapper/murderer in the face?

Episode 8: Old People
One word: Paro

Episode 9: Mornings
This scene about cleaning between Rachel and Dev... another exchange that felt very real and made both characters more real. The fight wasn't ridiculous, it was one that people face when they move in together.

After she picks up her clothes, Rachel says, "What are you gonna do there anyway?"
He says he's going to hold a plank pose.
I wish all stupid fights about cleaning ended like this. 

Episode 10: Finale
At the beginning of the episode, Dev and Rachel attend a wedding where the bride and groom make every couple around them feel bad about the state of their relationship. You can't say that's never happened to you. Sometimes we spend too much time comparing ourselves to other couples instead of being really in our own relationships. The whole talk about marriage Dev has with Benjamin near the end of the episode is real talkin' at its best. In our eighth year of marriage and thirteenth year together, I've got to say I agree with what was said in this scene 100%.
The end of the season didn't make me feel disappointed-- I was happy that the message wasn't that you must find a relationship to be happy, rather, you've got to figure yourself out, you can do that on your own, and that's okay.

Here's a hug for all of you waiting a year for Season 2:

1 comment:

Trinabean said...

Yes! You highlighted the best parts of show perfectly. It is so good! I felt like they were in my head especially in the moving in episode.

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