Season 1 of Dave must be one of the most underappreciated comedy shows out there. From the brain of Lil Dicky came one of the funniest shows of 2020, and I never thought I’d say that. Giving major Atlanta vibes but opting for a more comedic approach, than the drama-soaked episodes of Atlanta. Season 1 had its moments though of drama, the episode focusing on GaTa being a standout, and has quite a nice thematic through line dealing with Dave and his relationship. Season 2 however takes a tonal shift, the balance of comedy to drama is flipped and this season becomes a fantastic deconstruction of Dave, focusing on the selfish nature of man, while also attempting to recognise and highlight the privileges he’s been given to get to where he is.
The start of this season sets the stage for what follows, the first two episodes while funny are anxiety-inducing, quite the unexpected shift from what the first season was yet follows on thematically and story-wise perfectly from where it left off, mainly Dave not listening to anyone and being completely obsessed with creating a perfect debut album. Then there’s two standard funny episodes but once the show gets to episode five then there is just an incredibly sequence of stories that culminate into a beautifully finale that wraps up the ingenious arc of the show. Specifically, episodes 5-8 masterfully continue Dave’s storyline while simultaneously also telling an impactful and eye-opening story of one of ancillary characters. The genius of this is that every time we are told the story of one of these characters and cut back to Dave, his situation is viewed in a completely different light, often that is one of privilege.
In Episode 5 this recognition of privilege comes from GaTa, who continues to be a stand-out character this season. Dave can blow off a gig that will pay three times his normal rate as he’s famous and wealthy enough to afford such a luxury. Meanwhile the story cuts back to GaTa who has his car towed and spends his time wandering the streets of L.A. Yet when GaTa shows up he performs for the disappointed fans let down by Dave, despite not getting paid. The fans ask him to perform and GaTa doesn’t have the privilege to be letting people down, he needs to keep the fans he’s got.
In the following episode we cut between typical workdays for Dave and guest star Doja Cat, playing a version of herself, as they flirt back-and-forth texting after matching on a dating app. For Dave, all he had to do was guest in someone’s music video and this was considered a full day for him. Juxtapose this with Doja Cat’s day, where she is sent a million different notifications she has to respond to, perform an Instagram live for her fans (and haters), have dance rehearsals, check her social media, go to a photo shoot and then after all that she still made time for Dave, who’s ruined the date by trying to educate Doja on dating etiquette after feeling ignored. While maintaining the humour expected from Dave in this episode, it’s also a stark look at the way female rappers are treated in the music industry and what’s expected of them, the idea that what is required of Doja is far more than Dave, yet Dave is completely oblivious to how much she has to work.
The following two episodes again continue the theme of highlighting Dave’s privilege, with episode 8 dealing with Dave’s parents in a thoroughly unique and interesting way and episode 7 being one of my favourites in the season. Episode 7 continues to showcase Dave’s selfishness and unawareness of the people around him. Emma, we find out, has been one of Dave’s oldest friends that’s stayed by him, and helped him get his rap career of the ground yet has been side-lined by him throughout their entire friendship.
By the time we reach the finale Dave really hasn’t developed much as a character. Yes, in episode 9 we get the revelations of what’s been holding him back from creating him debut album has been himself, and there is growth in his creative self but in terms of personal growth and recognising his selfishness and privilege he hasn’t changed, despite the numerous chances to have recognised it. But then in the finale there’s one great moment where Dave and Davionte (GaTa) are arguing and GaTa’s sister shouts “Dave” and asks them to keep it down, both men turn to face her and then resume their conversation, but Dave begins to listen. He sees that GaTa has been trying to make his own music, in his own time, in his closet, not sitting “in a mansion rapping about writer’s block and ants”. It’s at this moment Dave realises that GaTa just wants to be heard, to be viewed as an equal by a fellow rapper. But Dave hasn’t given GaTa’s point of view any thought, just like he hadn’t considered Elz, his parents, Emma or even Doja Cat. He’s recognised his privilege.
What transpires is just some beautiful storytelling. We see GaTa crying in the dark, why? We’re unsure. Dave is seen thanking Mike and Elz before going on for his VMA performance this episode has been building up towards. Then we cut to GaTa with a stunning shot of him wiping his tears, putting on his glasses and being risen into the spotlight on the top of a staircase on stage, where he walks down to Dave as they rap a duet. This cuts to a packed concert on Dave’s tour, where Dave and GaTa are still performing together as the lights behind them shine, “Dave”. In this moment, the tiresome ignorance and oblivious privilege that Dave had is confirmed to be deliberate. To allow a character to go through a meaningful journey of growth, to give a whole season to unpack who Dave is, meant the show could highlight masterfully the message of privilege it wanted to tell, while also still being one of the funniest shows on TV.
★★★★1/2
