An Italian girl visiting America walks by a pharmacy on a street corner in New York City, stops, and, like she’s found her favorite amusement park ride at last, begs her American friend to take her inside.
That scene and every other that happens before and after it in “Amarsi Un Po,” the second-to-last episode of Master of None‘s second season, put together the best hour I’ve spent watching television in a while.
There’s a lot of that going around in Season 2, just in the show’s shorter, 30-minute segments. “Amarsi Un Po” showcases two of my favorite things about this season of Master of None: the Italian language and the staggering artistry of Aziz Ansari’s filmmaking.
Aziz is an excellent writer — he’s written a terrific love story in Season 2 — and a hilarious comic. These skills of his are well-known. But above all else, Season 2 demonstrates his impeccable vision and creativity from behind the camera, especially in the way he uses lighting and color to create gorgeous scenes inside a small apartment and out. His directing in “Amarsi Un Po,” “The Thief,” “Buona Notte” and “Le Nozze” exhibits his mastery of the art form.
“The Thief,” the Season 2 premiere shot in Italy, is entirely in black and white, an ode to old Italian filmmaking. The absence of color, the location, and that the dialogue is almost entirely spoke in Italian make “The Thief” a standout and joyous surprise in the series’ return to your screen.
Aziz knows how to use great location scouting. That aspect was already there from Season 1, and certainly starting Season 2 in Italy created an embarrassment of riches. His character, Dev, and best friend, Arnold, give us an awe-inspiring tour in the second episode, “Le Nozze,” with private dining at an upscale Italian restaurant, wedding crashing at a castle, and scootering along the countryside in between.
Location is also a big part of what makes “Amarsi Un Po” such a beautiful episode as well, like when Dev and love interest Francesca visit the outdoor Storm King Art Center in Upstate New York. Aziz gets a super-wide picture like this:
The “Amarsi Un Po” scene from the helicopter is an incredible, heart-wrenching part, but as art goes: the way it paints the city at night is surreal. You can kind of see it here:
And maybe I’m overemphasizing the helicopter tour. Maybe that’s how the city looks at night. But significant amounts of the episode are spent inside of Dev’s apartment. It’s a pretty sweet apartment, but Aziz makes it look like the most romantic place on Earth, which sets the ambiance for the primary setting of one hell of an episode.
This:
And this:
And this, too:
How many colors and shades of those colors can you count in that shot?
A snow storm keeps Dev and Francesca stuck inside for a night of emotional Tug of War, pulling on the heart strings of the characters (and us as an audience). When the episode finally gets back outside, there’s this day and night combo:
And:
And this, from a stressful, heart-breaking scene at a bar:
So, this season is gorgeous, and it showcases Aziz’s filmmaking chops over and over again. It also tells a love story that feels really special. Season 1’s, with Noel Wells as love interest Rachel, although good, was pretty ordinary. Season 2, with Alessandra Mastronardi as Francesca, looks and feels extraordinary — joyfully surprising, at least.
The surprising nature of much of Season 2 is the other main part of what makes it such great TV.
The first season ended by telling us Dev was on his way to Italy. We knew he’d be there. But then “The Thief” opened up in black and white with subtitles for everyone speaking a different language. That language, Italian, it should be said, seems like the most fun language, doesn’t it? Everything sounds happier in Italian. (My wife and I are considering learning it, then traveling to Italy — that’s the impact this season had on us.)
“The Thief” is surprising filmmaking.
The satisfaction of witnessing the warm, loving friendship blossom between Dev and Francesca is surprising.
Going on the best walk thru of a basic city pharmacy you’ve ever been on is surprising.
Also in continuing a theme from Season 1 of having excellent standalone episodes like “Thanksgiving” and “New York, I Love You,” altogether Season 2 of Master of None turns out to be an extremely satisfying watch.
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