AtypicalAdventurer

I only watched the first season, so if it gets significantly better beyond that, then you can safely disregard this review.

Master of None is a very relevant glimpse into modern day young-ish adult life. And some of the comedy is fantastic. Aziz and Eric in particularly make for a hilarious and heartwarming duo.

The show focuses on a real life theme within each episode; what it's like to be a child-free single dude with friends who have kids, or the early stages of a romantic relationship before the spark is gradually lost, or awkward relationships with parents from a different generation, and so on.

Some of these thematic episodes are played out quite well. Others are... preachy, to say the least, as they very awkwardly try to handle tough real-life subjects, and it just comes across as primary school education but aimed at adults.

An example of this is an episode that focuses on the struggles women face. Definitely an interesting subject and there is lots to be explored... but within the episode, some of the lines are just flat out along the lines of "Did you know that women on average earn x amount less than men? How bad is that?" Really clunky stuff bordering on virtue signalling.

I appreciate shows that tackle complex issues, but this one unfortunately falls short. These moments become quite constant past a certain point in Season 1, to the point where the comedy feels almost secondary.

Again, maybe it drops this habit in season 2 & 3, and I've denied myself a good TV show because I didn't persist. But the bad moments were enough that I didn't feel compelled to watch further.

It had a lot of potential. If it had played to its strengths more, focusing more on comical-but-realistic observations of life, and the interesting dynamics between Aziz and his group of friends... I think it could've been a fantastic show.

6.5/10. Great moments mixed with noticably underwhelming moments average out for it to just be 'decent'.

Brilliant, heartwarming show with a constant yet not overbearing 'feel-good' tone. But don't let the fuzzy feelings fool you, this show has plenty of harsh doses of reality too.

Ted Lasso touches upon many painful aspects of the human experience, but the balance between these harsh and heartwarming tones may leave you feeling like you're watching something straight out of your own life.

For me, the most important part of Ted Lasso was its excellent portrayal of positive affirmation within male friendships-- something that is scarecly touched upon in real life or fiction. The friendships in Ted Lasso are filled with love, support, affection, and so many things that men need but struggle to find in real life.

Is this dynamic a realistic portrayal of a competitive sports team? Maybe, maybe not. But the warmth and love shown throughout the series is how men, and all people, should strive to be.

I don't know what I can add to the commentary that hasn't already been discussed a thousand times. The fact that this movie only has a rating of 7.7 at the time of this review, is unfortunately telling as to how many people had/have an issue with a non-heterosexual love story.

The movie itself is beautiful. It is aesthetically stunning, with the Southern Alberta mountains being a joy to behold. The soundtrack composed by Gustavo Santaolalla is rustic, heartfelt, and perfectly captures the strange and particular loneliness these characters feel.

And then, of course, there is the love story. I wish we lived in a world where this story could remain purely ficticious, and didn't have a single tie to reality. Sadly this is not the case, and there have been countless Ennis & Jacks out there who never got to lead fulfilling lives because of the bigoted shackles society cast upon them.

And that is to say nothing of the heartbreak felt by the wives of these men, who also suffered unspeakable loneliness, trapped in relationships out of expectation, never understanding why they were not loved in the same way they loved their spouse.

This movie presents to us not just a beautiful love story, but a time capsule; a glimpse into a very real past that many of us have lived, in one way or another. At the end of the day, we're all human. And it is so unbelievably tragic, that some people never got the chance to feel that way.