Master of None brings the Real World to Netflix

After one long week of exams, it was nice to sit back and relax a little bit this past week. Friday and Saturday were much needed rest and recuperation days in between Finals and then the beginning of the infamous I-Core Case. My group hit the ground running last night, reviewing the case and beginning to divvy up the work amongst ourselves. Today we were able to check a lot of the smaller parts of the case off of the list, and then got a good start on the bigger parts of the case that I believe will provide more of the "sticking"  points that we will have to combat. The Case itself is pretty difficult, but I don't think from a concept standpoint the questions we have to answer are extremely difficult. We are able to utilize our book to help consult and answer any questions we may have, and I have enjoyed the back and forth between teammates during the initial steps to help develop our plan and shape the direction of our project. That being said, the actual "write-up" portion of the Case will be much more difficult. While there is no official page limit for the entire document, we are limited to a 4 page Executive Summary to explain our plan and give an overview of what the judges are going to expect to read in our Case. The guidance we have been given was that if your CEO just read the Executive Summary he or she should understand what you are trying to accomplish and be able to give approval on the project. There will be a lot of pressure on this section of our Case to give a strong synopsis of what we hope to accomplish, but I look forward to taking the challenge head on.

In lighter news, I decided to turn my focus from sports this week to television. While I am much less knowledgeable in this area versus sports, I believe I have a pretty good eye when it comes to what is a good TV show. This past weekend with my ample free time, I re-watched Season 1 of the Netflix Original Series "Master of None", staring Comedian Aziz Ansari, formerly as Tom Haverford of Parks and Rec, and Noël Wells, formerly of Saturday Night Live. Ansari is extremely popular from the Haverford role on "Parks and Rec", and even with Leslie Knope's quirkiness and lovable triumphs and tribulations, I think that Tom's swagger and comedy throughout the series provided a welcome alternative to Amy Poehler's Knope. Personally I think Ansari brought a little bit of that Tom Haverford charm to his character, Dev Shah, but with that said Ansari's and co-creator, writer, and actor Alan Yang's fantastic writing and acting allow for "Master of None" to be its own incredible show. (Don't worry there won't be any spoilers for those who haven't watched it)

"Master of None" is the story of Shah, and his life as a early 30's something in New York City where he is trying to make it as an actor. He's made himself a nice niche in the acting business, mainly working on commercials, one in particular that he is well known for is a Go-Gurt commercial he alludes to early on. But with that said, Shah is looking to become more mainstream and one of the main storylines of the season is Shah's time on set of "The Sickening" where he plays a doctor. While this is happening, Dev also deals with trying to find love in the big city, this is where Wells' character Rachel comes in, relating to his parents who came over from India to make a better life, and wonders about what his future mind hold with marriage, kids, and how to adapt your life as new challenges arise.

Courtesy: Netflix and YouTube

Ansari and Yang, who plays Dev's friend Brian on the show, do an incredible job of intertwining personal experiences into the show's fabric and it definitely shows. In many cases I feel as if Sitcoms have to artificially create drama or awkward situations to force you to laugh and follow along with the show. "Master of None" does a terrific job of creating genuine comedic scenes while also making you live and breath with the characters. Even with the comedy, the show does well to speak to what I think most humans grapple with on a daily basis. Questions like, is the person I'm dating going to be the person I marry? How will I be as a parent to my kids? Am I willing to take this leap of faith to pursue my passion? These are just some of the questions that Shah, Rachel, and the entire show grapple with during the 10 episode pilot season that felt as if it was half as long as it should have been. The show does a great job of keeping the viewers on their toes, and the cliffhanger to end the 1st Season has me very excited for what Ansari and Yang have in store for us in the upcoming 2nd Season. 

Ansari and Yang's brilliant writing netted the show 4 Emmy Nominations, with 2 of the nominations coming for the "Parents" episode that is my personal favorite for the 1st Season. I highly suggest that anyone take the time to watch the 1st episode, and I guarantee you will be stuck to your couch until you finish the entire season.

Duncan Hensley

Indiana University

Kelley School of Business '18