What I’m Watching: Master of None

Master of None: Season 2, Episode 8 “Thanksgiving” (B+)

Between when I watched this episode and when I sat down to write this review, this episode earned two Emmy nominations, one for guest actress Angela Bassett and the other for writing duo Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe, who plays Denise. I’ve never found Denise to be one of the strongest characters on this show, though I did enjoy her “Stop what you’re doing, this is a citizen’s arrest” moment with Dev from season one. This episode was a very expository installment, one that started from a point in the past where Dev and Denise were just figuring out who they were. Casting Bassett as Denise’s mother was a strong choice, and it seems like it was a fun role to play. For however inappropriate Catherine was in how she reacted to her daughter’s sexuality, there was nothing more horrendously awkward than Nikki. Saying that she watched the news was a bad start, and Dev just made it even more unbearable by repeatedly asking her to say her Twitter handle over and over. Michelle was a much better fit, and it was sweet to see her offer to help with the cooking during Thanksgiving 2017, finally giving Catherine a sense of what it’s like to have her daughter find a great significant other. I didn’t love this episode as much as previous similar format installments, but it was still cleverly-done and a good showcase for the two writer-actors to pen their own lives and have a great time bringing it all to life.