The first 20 seconds of Master of None, Aziz Ansari's critically-acclaimed new Netflix original series, is groundbreaking. The show cold-opens with the comic's character having sex with a white girl he met a few hours earlier and they experience something most people have dealt with at least once in at some point: a broken condom.Ansari's character Dev Shah, a struggling, 30-year-old actor, and Rachel (played by the charming Noël Wells) google whether pre-cum actually contains sperm. An UberX is called, Plan B is purchased, and the couple have one of the most painful "we should hang again sometime" conversations imaginable.
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It's not the first time two Asian guys were paired together on a hot topic entertainment project (shout-out to Harold and Kumar), but in Master of None it feels like a breakthrough. Ansari's creative presence and execution is felt throughout the series and it's almost a landmark to finally see characters on screen that actually mimic the populations of diverse urban cities. The show regularly features more than one person of color at a time on screen, and there's smart cultural criticism doled out alongside the comedy—as well as what may be the best television soundtrack in a long time. Dev and Brian have conversations about their parents' immigration stories and experiences with racism in between rating ramen shops and sharing strategies for asking women out. Episode four, "Indians on TV," is a master class in the cringeworthy history of Indian portrayals in the media, from The Simpsons' Apu to Ashton Kutcher's brownface Popchips ad.
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