Lady Dynamite Season 1 Review

Lady Dynamite (2016-)
Season 1 (2016)

Created by:  Pam Brady, Mitchell Hurwitz
Starring:  Maria Bamford, Fred Melamed, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson

Lady Dynamite - Quirky and wacky.

Plot: 
Netflix's latest half hour comedy features comedian Maria Bamford as a struggling comic.

Verdict
Partially based on or inspired by Bamford's life, it's manic, surreal, subversive, and strange, falling somewhere between a sitcom and a sketch show. If you're not interested by the third episode there is no reason to go further. Even then, you may not like this but it's worth watching a few episodes.
Watch it.

Review
Maria is a struggling comic. The show jumps between "the present", "the past", and "Duluth" which is even farther in the past. It takes more than a few queues from Bamford's life, as she struggles to find work in the present, is successful in the past, and deals with depression in Duluth.

The first episode is the weakest, and the third episode got my attention. The styling of the first episode is betrayed by the lack of story and plot.

It's got a joke in the first episode with Patton Oswalt playing a police officer who breaks the fourth wall suggesting that Maria shouldn't have her character's occupation be stand up comedy. That's to set up the comedy police line and a Breaking Bad joke thrown in for good measure.

The show's first episode wasn't that funny, and it's capped with a stand up failing. Is having an episode where your standup comedy bombs really the way to go?  I'm not compelled to watch further episodes, but since I'm reviewing it I have that distinct responsibility to provide a full review. I'm glad I did.

The second episode is a bit better. It's not trying to introduce characters and how this show works. It's just quirky and wacky.

Lady Dynamite Season 1 Episode 3 - Riding off into the sunset on a garbage truck.

Episode three tackles issues of race. It's better than the second episode. It actually is a really good episode. Everything comes together, the show's elements and good content.

With episode four, it's amazing how much more interesting Maria's voice is as Diane. It makes her so much less annoying. It's a trip of an episode, but every episode is.

It's wacky, and while I wouldn't say I like this show, I wanted to keep watching once I was past episode three. It's funny, but technically not laugh out loud. It gets even wilder towards the end of the season, and while my interest began to wane, the season finale ties together the timelines of Maria's life.

It's completely different from the typical comedy. Maria plays the awkward type well, which is at time amusing and other times grating.