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By: Collin Frazier
frazierc@findlay.edu
@Collin_53
FXX’s sleeper-hit keeps on delivering
The pandemic taught us all something about ourselves and the world around us. Something it taught me was to not judge a book by its cover, and that has applied to so many things, including TV shows. One show that blew away my expectations was FXX’s “Dave” (also streaming on Hulu), which follows the life of rapper Dave Burd, AKA ‘Lil Dicky’. Burd, who also co-created the show, as he attempts to make it big in the music industry. Anyone who listens to him knows that he is a comedic rapper and it would be hard to take anything by him seriously, but I was blown away. It was funny, depressing, and even inspiring. I was excited for what season two would bring to this dramedy.
What stood out from this season apart from its predecessor is it was not as funny as season one, which somewhat threw me off-guard. There were some moments that I thought were funny and I did laugh a few times, I really felt bummed out the majority of the season. There were many moments where Dave’s ambition would bring out the narcissism in him, mostly leading to humiliating or just sad moments in the show. It was hard to watch the season, but it kept me going to wait for Dave’s big break.
What I really appreciated this season was its portrayal of mental illnesses. Two characters stand out this season: Dave’s father, Don Burd (David Paymer), portraying Depression, and more importantly Dave’s hype-man and fellow rapper Davionte Ganter, better known as GaTa. Ganter, who suffers from bipolar disorder both on the show and in real life, revealed in an interview with “The Independent” that he was diagnosed with the disorder in 2011 after working with rapper Tyga. Ganter’s character would have his highs and his lows in the season but ultimately became a better person and rapper because of it.
As for Dave’s father: From the majority of the season, you would not even know that Don had depression until he confessed it to Dave, who broke down and started blaming himself for it. I thought this was a great moment in the show because of how real it is. Some people will live their life without ever showing they have a mental illness, and when someone confesses to their loved ones they have a mental illness, the family cannot help but cry and blame themself. Both Dave and GaTa’s character development culminate in an emotional, triumphant season finale, which I think may be one of the best season finales I have seen in a long time
SPOILER ALERT: Dave finally releases his album only to have Ariana Grande releasing an album overshadow him, also causing him to have his performance on the MTV Video Music Awards cut short. He gets angry and takes it out on everyone, including GaTa, causing GaTa to enter a bipolar episode. They eventually butt heads and realize they both need each other in their lives. Dave eventually invites an emotional GaTa to perform with him during the awards ceremony, kickstarting both their careers. I have never been so happy for a narcissist to succeed, but I was probably happier for GaTa. I got choked up watching the end of this episode. Being bummed out for a majority of this season paid off in this episode.
“Dave,” while taking a step back on the laughs, makes you cry and cheer for the titular character and his hype man. My final rating for FXX’s “Dave” a 94/100.
Featured photo courtesy of FX Studios.
