Thematic Progression is the ability for a writer to link themes in a clause to those that surround it and acts as the bridge between script and it’s performance as speech. The strategy is taught hard in journalism schools because it can lead to some of the best work that writers and directors could ever create. If done correctly, the link between theme and narrative can intertwine without a hitch in the story. I think the classic thought that theme and narrative are synonyms is proven false because this show proves smaller themes can exist alongside an overarching narrative. Alan Yang and Aziz Ansari take on this challenge of Thematic Progression in the sophomore season of Master of None in such a complex way that sometimes you think they’ve lost their line of sight only to see everything come full circle in beautifully done second season.
We continue to follow the life of Dev (Aziz Ansari) and his struggles in the real world only this time, we are transported to Modena, Italy. Ansari narrows in on important themes for each episode allowing him to escape the general narrative for a moment to expand his artistic reach. With his newfound freedom, the audience is able to view episodes surrounding, religion, dating, the working class of New York City, Thanksgiving and an Italian culture which always seems to be cinematic gold. What Ansari and his fellow director, Alan Yang found in their thematic exploration was that taking risks in the editing room could only work in their favor.
Consider the demographic Master of None is reaching out too, a young, hipster(ish) crowd who uses technology to navigate their world. Small details such as, making the entirety of the first episode in a black and white filter pay homage to post World War II movie classics such as Bicycle Thief will probably go unnoticed. Yet, Ansari and Alan Yang even went as far as to imitate a scene from the movie (pictured below), as well as use the theme of a bicycle thief to carry the plot of the first episode. The 1948 film reference may go over the heads of the show’s targeted demographic but that fact seems to have little effect on Yang and Ansari.
Editing techniques seemed to be a theme to pay homage or respect to those who are not normally recognized such as the working class of NYC and goes a step further to recognize the deaf community as well. Actress, Treshelle Edmond, is in fact deaf and her section of the story includes zero sound which was very unnerving yet extremely powerful. Almost fifteen minutes of silence is a small yet powerful way for the directors to try their best to put the audience in the character’s shoes. I couldn’t think of a better way to gain the attention of an audience mid-episode but to go completely silent because not once could I glance at my phone and that’s saying a lot. Alan Yang, the genius behind this award winning episode, had clear intentions to represent a community who rarely gets to see their kind represented on screen. Aziz’s character, Dev, takes a backseat in this episode and is only shown for a minute at the end. Once again, the ability to step away from the love story narrative and give the audience a powerful short film was extremely risky but I couldn’t appreciate it more.
Season two proves that the less formulated a show can be, the more artistic minds have the ability to show their range. Not only were there less limitations on themes but also on the duration of each episode. It was clear that the goal was to keep each episode around 30-35 minutes yet episode nine of season two reaches nearly 60 minutes entangling the audience in a stressful love story.
So I’ve mentioned the love story a couple times so far and I think it’s time I stop beating around the bush. In season 1, the Master of None had a happy relationship which turned passion-less and only ended up in heart break and soon Dev was back at square one soul searching again. Enter the dream girl for every sex, race and gender. Francesca, (Alessandra Mastronardi) wins the hearts of her viewers as the cute, smart woman with the Italian accent to melt your heart will soon become your new woman crush Wednesday. The actresses steals the show and overtakes Ansari as the lead character who begin to you root for. But of course, this is Dev’s life so the perfect woman can’t come without a catch. Francesca is engaged to a man she’s been dating for 10
YEARS and is soon caught in a love triangle and left with the same decisions Dev was faced with at the end of season 1, take a chance on life or live a predictable yet comfortable life.
The love story definitely intrigues and does a good job of carrying the show as the overarching plot line but as I mentioned before, each episode brings it’s own unique style to the table. We finally got to see intimate details of Dev’s best friend, Denise, journey to coming out as a lesbian female. The intricate and hilariously awkward episode follows a series of Thanksgiving dinners where Dev is traditionally present and Denise is struggling with getting her mom and her aunt to accept her newfound identity. The episode includes a cameo by American Horror Story power woman, Angela Bassett, as Denise’s thickheaded mom. The most fascinating part of the story is when Bassett’s character tells her daughter to not “act” lesbian when in the presence of family. A passive aggressive move which many queer people have to deal with because it shows how truly accepting someone is. It’s a deep theme which can strongly be related to many of the struggles we have in our world today. Many people claim to “accept” one’s non-conforming identity until it’s shown right in front of them. The idea that “ignorance is bliss” rings so true and yet is proven once again to be a false solution for progress.
Ansari and Yang mix in these extremely deep ideals into a show which they opened up for themselves by not setting limits for themselves. The formula for a TV show is there more for decoration or an example but not something that was strictly followed. It carries a friendship vibe which people yearn for like Ilana and Abbi in Broad City. It seduces you with a love story that has it’s audience pulling their hair out. And it adapts short films into it’s narrative as if to claim that TV shows have no boundaries or formulas anymore. A concept that you must open your mind to if you’re going to truly appreciate it. So Please. Watch this show.
Also the soundtrack slayed.
And here’s a link to Alessandra Mastronardi’s Instagram – You’re Welcome World.
The Pretentious Prophet 
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