Master of None: Amarsi Un Po

May 21, 2017 8:02 AM - Season 2, Episode 9

When Francesca returns to New York for a month, Dev plays tour guide and finds himself caught in a whirlwind of confusing emotions.
posted by The Gooch (5 comments total)

This was probably my least favorite episode of the season thus far. To me, Master of None is at its best when telling unique stories that feel utterly original, unlike anything else currently (or ever) on TV. This one, with its plot of "dude has a crush on super hot, cool woman, but darnit', she has a boyfriend" just feels like overly well-trodden material without anything particularly new to say about the subject.

Also, I felt like the hand of the writer was too obvious in this one. Pino is portrayed as such a bloviating buffoon that it is like the deck is completely stacked, as if the show is trying to flash a bright, shining neon sign, exclaiming,"HEY GUYS,IN CASE WE HAVEN'T MADE THIS COMPLETELY OBVIOUS - PLEASE ROOT FOR FRANCESCA TO LEAVE HER FIANCÉ FOR DEV, OK?"
posted by The Gooch at 8:12 AM on May 21, 2017 [9 favorites]

I agree, The Gooch. I liked it fine but it wasn't special to me in any way. Except I did kind of want to shake the Italian love interest and say hey, you, it's 2017. You have more than a choice between Pino and Dev. You can move to a big city in Italy if you want. WAKE UP! But TV is not real life and the plot arc demands this love-interest thing, apparently, which is pretty much the only thing about this season that makes me sad.
posted by Bella Donna at 4:11 PM on May 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

So boring. I kept checking the time to see if this episode was over. Will they won't they... I didn't care, I find Francesca a very boring character, either she is under written or just an indecisive princess who likes to string people along because she's bored. Also I just don't see the appeal for Dev who typically​ seems to like women with a bit of bite, or at least more personality.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:31 PM on May 21, 2017 [4 favorites]

Thanks for validating all my feelings about this episode. Why so darn long for not much? The other episodes of the season were so fresh and interesting from a storytelling perspective, and this was borrrring.
posted by honey badger at 5:43 PM on May 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

Dev and Arnold are the couple I care about most. I wanted more Dev and Arnold, and less "oh god, this is going to crash and burn."
posted by aabbbiee at 8:06 PM on June 12, 2017