Master of None Season 2 Review
May 25, 2017
Master of None returns for season 2 after releasing its first season to critical acclaim back in 2015. Star and Co-Head Writer Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation) was nominated for multiple Emmys for the first season, even winning one for Best Writing in a Comedy Series along with other Co-Head Writer Alan Yang. The show follows the life of a 30 year-old actor named Dev and his attempts to advance his career and love life in New York City even though he is racially prejudiced against. Season 2 picks up a few months following Dev’s decision to move to Italy and attend pasta-making school following Rachel breaking up with him at the conclusion of the first season.
The show has come roaring back and does not show any signs of fatigue following its two-year absence, with Ansari truly cementing himself as one of the most brilliant comedians working today. The show perfectly captures what it feels like to live in the world today and how people interact with each other. As somebody who is from New York, the city is perfectly represented with the amount of diversity on the show and how New Yorkers speak to each other. Ansari is absolutely breathtaking in this season as he continues to show his evolving dramatic chops to go along with his outstanding comedic abilities.
The only fault I had with the show this season is Dev’s love interest for the season Francesca, played by newcomer Alessandra Mastronardi. While Mastronardi is good in the role and the character is extremely well-written, her chemistry with Ansari didn’t “pop” on-screen. While it was always going to be extremely hard to recreate the chemistry that Ansari had with Noel Wells, who played Rachel, Dev and Francesca’s relationship never fully clicked for me.
Overall, this show is a simply great and this season solidifies it as one of the best Netflix original shows. Ansari again demonstrates why he is one of the best comedians in the world right now because he is in-touch with today’s world on a personal level. Master of None is one of the easiest shows to binge and is definitely worth your time.
Master of None Season 2: 9 out of 10
Photo Credit: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4635276/?ref_=nv_sr_4
Joe Nowacki • Oct 27, 2017 at 12:44 pm
I wholeheartedly agree with your positive review of the newest season! Aziz really is a fantastic writer and pulls at my humanity at every scene.
However, I’d like to comment on your fault with this season.
***spoilers ahead if you haven’t watched this season yet***
If we look at Dev’s love life over the course of the show so far, it isn’t a fault in the writing or acting that his chemistry with Francesca doesn’t hold a candle to that between he and Rachel. For one, Dev and Rachel were in the unabashed stereotypical type of love without (almost) any constraints.
However, the genius of the show’s writing shows up when Dev has his passionate feelings for Francesca, who, for many reasons, cannot reciprocate (she’s from a small village in Italy, she cannot relocate easily, she has a previous engagement). While the audience may root for Francesca to leave her seemingly unhappy life and be with Dev (I certainly did), the show is only more true to life for representing the complexity of such an issue.