Twilight Zone, “The Comedian”, Review!

The Twilight Zone was relaunched on CBS All Access and the first episode is available streamed almost everywhere.  The original show, which ran from 1959 to 1964, was groundbreaking in bringing all sorts of genres, fantasy, science fiction, and horror to an anthology created and hosted by Rod Serling.  The show featured an incredible roster of writers, besides Serling, there was Richard Matheson, George Clayton Johnson, and Ray Bradbury.  It is developed by Simon Kinberg, Jordan Peele, and Marco Ramirez.  “The Comedian” debuted on April 1st.  It is directed by Owen Harris who also directed an episode of Black Mirror.  The episode was written by Alex Reubens who worked on the show Key & Peele as well as co-writing Keanu (2016) with Jordan Peele.  

There is a warning about the adult content of the show.  It starts out with Kumail Nanjiani starting his set, Nanjiani is of course known for the show, Silicon Valley, and also his brilliant work co-writing and starring in The Big Sick (2017).  Nanjiani plays a subdued, smart comic, but he really works as a comedian on fire.  I think this is a very personal to Nanjiani, Reubens, but also reflects on Peele.  It resolves to a painting of a well dressed audience on the wall, hints of The Shining (1980)?  He plays Samir, casually dressed, working at Eddies Comedy Club.  His opening is about guns and the Second Amendment.  The audience is quiet.  He focuses on the “well regulated” part of the amendment.  Samir looks out at the unlaughing crowd.  He orders a drink at the bar and is joined by fellow comedian, DiDi Scott, played by Diarra Kilpatrick. She is also in the sitcom The Last O.G.  Didi is someone that Samir confides in and she is a little funny. 

TWILIGHT ZONE -- “The Comedian” -- KUMAIL NANJIANI -- Robert Falconer/CBS. 

Samir wants to tell thought provoking jokes and then points to another comedian who he says murdered people.  This is the drunk Joe Donner (Toby Hargrave).  Diarra doesn’t believe he is a murderer and leaves for her set.  He is then joined by legendary comedian J.C. Wheeler.  He is of course played by Tracy Morgan, a dramatic part here, he is best known for 30 Rock and The Last O.G.  It reminds me of the classic TZ episode, “A Game of Pool” (1961) where a legendary pool player has a final match with an up and coming player.  Samir asks J.C. where he has been, he had it all, but he is mysterious.  J.C. mentions the audience is interested in him.  He promises everything to Samir and says once the audience connects, then it will be “gone forever.”  Samir toasts J.C.’s glass. 

Joe Donner finishes and hands his mic over to Samir.  

He starts with the Second Amendment again.  Unsmiling faces.  He mentions they look like his dog.  There are some laughs about his dog named Cat.  The audience laughs their heads off.  Samir heads home to his apartment.  He calls for his dog.  Samir goes to tell his sleeping girlfriend, Rena (Amara Karan) about his success at the club.  He asks about Cat, but she says they don’t have a dog.  Jordan Peele as host speaks about Samir and the cost he is willing to pay, but he doesn’t say Samir has just entered the Twilight Zone!  I love the surreal show introduction, strange as the original, but fresh.  The show returns with a ruined bus stop at Franklin St.  We overhear Deven Singh (Marc Joseph), Samir’s ten year old nephew, ask about it and Samir tells his nephew that a drunk driver, a comic, hit the bus stop and killed people.  They put up missing dog posters.  

TWILIGHT ZONE -- “The Comedian” -- DIARRA KILPATRICK, KUMAIL NANJIANI -- Robert Falconer/CBS. 

Deven points out the joke of the no apostrophes sign to his uncle.  DiDi interrupts them and she likes Deven’s jokes.  Samir is back using the 2nd Amendment joke, really if jokes fall flat, he should use something else in his set or comment on his situation. Clinking ice cubes.  Deven is on his phone.  Samir starts joking about Deven.  Then, Deven is gone. Later, Samir asks Didi about Deven, but she doesn’t know him.  He goes out to the street, it is raining, asking about a “little boy.”  Then, he tries to use his cell phone, but there is no Deven Singh.  Samir goes back to his apartment, he interrupts David Candell (Ryan Robbins) having wine with Rena.  We find out later that he was Rena’s mentor as a lawyer.  He picks up the family photo that had Deven in it, but he is not there.   

Samir tries to explain to Rena about J.C. Wheeler and that the persons mentioned in his jokes are gone.  David checks on them, but Rena takes Samir aside.  There is a memorial to the bus stop victims.  Samir eyes it as he heads towards the comedy club.  On stage, he tries the 2nd amendment again, then about his nephew, it doesn’t work.  Neither does his joke about the president.  He looks at Joe Donner.  Samir starts to make fun of him for killing a mother and her baby.  The audiences laugh.  Joe Donner laughs with his bottle of beer.  Clapping and then there is no Joe Donner.  Samir checks the bus stop and sees that it is intact.  Some fans say he killed in his set.  Samir says he “unkilled.”  At night, while Rena is asleep, he goes through the people on his laptop from his life that were mean.  Playing God.  Rena laughs at the club.  Samir is on a roll.  Still, there are consequences, Samir may not have seen It’s A Wonderful Life (1946), he is not thinking about others and there is a twist.  Is there fear, a mind, a person behind the laughs?  It is strange, but needs to be intense and creepy to be Twilight Zone.  

Three Jokes out of Five!  

#TwilightZone, #TheComedian, #KumailNanjani, #DiarraKilpatrick