Flaked: Westminster
March 16, 2016 11:56 AM - Season 1, Episode 1 - Subscribe

Will Arnett co-created, co-writes, and stars in this Netflix series that premiered on March 11. The story takes place in Venice, California, and centers on alcoholic Chip (Arnett), friend/housemate Dennis (David Sullivan), and possible love interest London (Ruth Kearney). Mitchell Hurwitz (Arrested Development) is executive producer of the series.
posted by aabbbiee (13 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I am kind of puzzled by the mediocre reviews of this show. We are a few episodes in and are enjoying it. I am seeing a lot of comparisons to Bojack Horseman, which we have not watched.

I like Will Arnett in this role.
posted by aabbbiee at 12:00 PM on March 16, 2016


This is the first I've heard of the show, but that brief description sounds pretty close to a live action Bojack Horseman. I will definitely be checking this out.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 2:23 PM on March 16, 2016


I am a Bojack watcher. This isn't quite like Bojack, but it's close enough that I found myself being bored. Honestly I think I'll just rewatch Bojack.
posted by miss-lapin at 7:45 PM on March 16, 2016 [3 favorites]


So I've only seen the first episode of this so far, but I am mystified by the tepid-to-bad reviews going on. Particularly the criticisms that peg it as shallow. Maybe the subsequent episodes are worse, but there's a good bit of potential to mine here so far.

Particularly the hard look at cliche-focused recovery culture and that class of recovering addict who has mastered the language but never got past the instinct to merely keep up appearances or manipulate others. There are a bunch of stories out there of the recovering addict still manipulating people, but none that I've seen that poke at recovery culture itself like this.

I've seen a little of Bojack, and while the premise is similar, they're very different shows to me. I wonder if this is a conscious attempt to do the Coen brothers thing of telling the same story in two different ways.

It's an uncomfortable story, and I wonder if that's what's putting people off. This kind of story typically goes down easier with a candy coating of either popcorn melodrama or big-laffs comedy (like Bojack). And most successful US TV falls into one of those two categories anyway. But Flaked is shooting for something much more straightforward, and that could be too sad for what a lot of people probably wanted to be Arrested Development 2.
posted by middleclasstool at 6:56 AM on March 17, 2016


Yes, the recovery culture thing is really interesting to me, and Will Arnett playing it straight rather than typecast as a sociopathic buffoon, and also the connection between Chip and Dennis as friends. There is humor in this show, but it's not what you'd expect from something featuring Will Arnett, and I find that refreshing.

Also, I'll be honest, I still find novelty in shows about LA when it's about unique parts of LA. I especially like the old hippie Cooler/Jeff Lebowski characters who surf and drift and bike and play paddle and never have jobs and wear sandals all the time, and yet somehow keep perpetuatin' the whole darned human comedy down through the generations, westward the wagons, across the sands of time. I'm sure it's not that realistic, and it's certainly lily-white and privileged, and of course the fight against gentrification in Venice is ironic given that those hippies gentrified it in the first place, and it's all pretty far removed from my life experience, but still I like it.
posted by aabbbiee at 7:31 AM on March 17, 2016


I binged the whole thing yesterday, and while I didn't love it at first, the whole vibe started to appeal to me the more I watched it. There are some pretty big twists in the last few episodes. Yeah, I think people wanted it to be like Bojack or Arrested Development so much that they weren't appreciating it on its own merits. The music is great too -- someone made a public playlist on Spotify that's easy to find if you search "Flaked."
posted by Clustercuss at 7:40 AM on March 17, 2016 [1 favorite]


Yes, the music is great!
posted by aabbbiee at 9:00 AM on March 17, 2016


Alright you all talked me into giving it a few more eps before tap out. I should also add I'm sick with the flu so my brain isn't all that functional, which may also explain me zoning out during the show. I'll wait till I'm well and try it again.
posted by miss-lapin at 10:06 AM on March 17, 2016 [1 favorite]


Watched the first episode. Oh boy, another flimsy narrative built around the core concept of having some gross dude hooking up with attractive young women. Pass.

At least Love had Claudia O'Doherty and a cat.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 9:45 PM on March 17, 2016 [1 favorite]


Just to clarify: Will Arnett is a gross dude?
posted by aabbbiee at 7:31 AM on March 18, 2016


The guy he's playing is. Imagine Chip's profile on OKCupid. He's 45, but looking for women aged 21-30. For an open relationship, since he's already dating someone. Bullet points: unemployed, alcoholic, self-serving bullshit artist. Takes the concept of calling dibs on women seriously. Oh yeah, he killed someone drunk driving. Sorting by grossness, he's a 100% match.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 8:12 AM on March 18, 2016 [7 favorites]


For some reason I liked this show okay, despite all the reasons I wouldn't (see above; 40-year old white dudes and their problems, trying to sleep with hot younger women). I wouldn't say you should drop everything and watch it, but if, like me, you happen to be on vacation and are spending some time relaxing on the couch in ways you never otherwise have time for and want something entertaining but not deep or important, it's perfectly fine. It does manage to have a nice vibe despite the problematic premise.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 7:53 AM on March 22, 2016


I feel a deep psychic connection as if Arnett is playing a script of my life..down to the bicycle exuberance.
posted by bird internet at 7:45 PM on March 23, 2016


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