‘Master of None’ Returns to Netflix With New Focus
Following the 2018 sexual misconduct allegation against actor and comedian Aziz Ansari, the comedy-drama ‘Master of None’ will be lead in a new direction. The Emmy award-winning show was based on the professional and personal conflicts of character Dev, played by Ansari, and was loosely based on the actor’s real-life experiences.
To address the article released on babe.net, which shared details of the harassment, the show was postponed for three years. The show originally focused on the identity struggles of the main character Dev, an Indian American man who hopes to be an actor but just can’t quite land a role. As the show is coming back this month, the storyline has done a complete 360 and will now focus on Denise (Lena Waithe) and the struggles of queer black love.
In the original plot of the show, Denise was a supporting character, but it appears as though she and her wife Alicia (Naomi Ackie) are now the main focus. This season kicks off from a previous episode where Denise’s sexuality became the topic of discussion and will now dive deeper into LGBTQ+ issues, and more importantly, love.
Just recently, Netflix released the trailer for season 3 that highlights a conversation between the couple at dinner.
“Okay, hypothetical for you. Let’s say we’re at a party, Maxwell’s playing,” Denise says.
“You don’t know me and I don’t know you, and I ask you out on a date. Would you say yes?”
“Yeah. I said yes then. I’d say yes now. ” replies Alicia.
In addition, Nuit d’étoiles (Starry Night), sung by Natalie Dessay, plays over 70’s aesthetic footage of the two talking and shows scenes from their home. The trailer appears to be a gradual progression of the ups and downs in their marriage. A few scenes show the couple arguing, including one where Denise is seen sitting alone in their living room showing signs of distress as Alicia appears to be walking away.
It is unclear if the ‘Master of None’ future seasons will have the same focus on queer love, but this season is especially important because it not only focuses on LGBTQ+ representations, but the two main characters are POC. Whenever black or POC LGBTQ+ characters are introduced, they are usually put in the position to come out or face negativity from family or friends. However, this story appears to show the couple going through normal issues that come with a relationship rather than focusing on race or coming out.
‘Master of None’ returns to Netflix on Sunday, May 23, and hopefully is received well by eager fans of the first two seasons.
