Netflix ‘masters’ yet another original series

After almost two years off, the innovative comedy/drama from Aziz Ansari is back for a second season: The Emmy award-winning series “Master of None” has returned with 10 more episodes available exclusively on Netflix.

The show follows the same format as the first season, jumping around from Ansari’s character, Dev, and his endeavors to find success with his commercial acting career, to many other topics such as family, diversity in pop culture, and more frequently, dating.

Each episode is rather short, which makes it easy to watch quickly, and while the show does follow a recurring story loosely based on Ansari’s own life experiences, a lot of the episodes tackle these subjects individually.

Episode 1 takes viewers all the way to Italy, following Dev’s bold decision to move there and study pasta making. The episode was shown in black and white to pay homage to the classic Italian film, “Bicycle Thieves.”

This makes for a fun setting due to the abundant Italian culture and the amount of fancy foods that Dev and his friend, Arnold, interact with.

Soon after his time in Italy, Dev does make it back to New York where most of his experiences take place. This is where a lot of the show’s diversity is showcased, especially in the episode titled, “New York, I Love You.” Characters include a group of Rwandan immigrants and a deaf couple that are shown without any sound playing during their scenes to best simulate the perspective of their surroundings.

There is a focus on Dev’s dating life throughout the show, but it is highlighted in the episode, “First Date,” where he deals with the struggles of meeting people through a popular dating app.

Much like the first season, Ansari does a good job presenting many current issues in our society, and to do so he offers viewpoints from all sides. I thought the show did a great job with this in the “Thanksgiving” episode where Dev’s childhood friend, Denise, brings home a girlfriend of hers and eventually has to explain to her mom that she is a lesbian.

Another thing Ansari does so well with directing this show is how he manages to fit humor into the serious topics being dealt with. Although he is known for his comedy, Master of None has lots of deep moments, much like the show “Louie,” which is self-produced by comedian Louis C.K.

The timely show does an excellent job covering all sorts of current themes though each episode, and it will certainly help viewers gain some additional perspective while making them laugh.