Although it certainly had its flaws, Dave was one of the funniest shows I have have seen in quite a while. I don’t think I have laughed out loud this much at a show since watching The Office!
One of my favorite things about the show was the acting (or real personality) of Dave, the main character. As the show is meant to be based on his real life, I think he was mostly just acting as himself, which was a hilarious, obnoxious narcissist with big ambitions. While the supporting characters were also very well rounded and funny, he definitely stole the show. My favorite part was the episode where he met all of the different producers, and presented his future plans and view of his own brand. While he was totally confident, the presentations were absolutely ludicrous and hilarious, which follows with most of his other shenanigans during the show. However silly and inappropriate he was, when he actually freestyle rapped during the show I was very impressed. I (and I think others) tend to forget that although his main genre is satire and dumb songs, he is actually quite a good rapper and can show up when challenged.
I also was impressed by the relationships between different characters, as they were well developed even between side characters. I really felt invested in almost every character we met on the show. The lewdness and ridiculousness of the acting or writing style made it easy for the characters to seem incredibly real. It also felt more relatable than most shows I watch about teens, which feature actors way over the age of the people they are supposed to be playing, as well as ridiculously high stakes and serious drama. This show just felt more casual and realistic.
Dave also did a great job of addressing several societal and personal issues throughout the different episodes. The show dealt with the struggles of someone with bipolar disorder, relationship problems, issues in the music industry, and even lightly brushed on racial issues towards the end of the season. But they weren’t in a fake or overdone way, they were more gently dealt with in the way that they really should be in real life.
The one thing that did bother me about this show is the way they ended the season. It seemed as if the writers did not know what to do with a lot of the loose ends, and when the show ended I sort of sat there like “What? That’s the end? That doesn’t make any sense.” In fact, I assumed there would be something after the credits because it just seemed like the show cut off. It ended before resolving the many problems Dave was having in his personal life, and it did not even resolve what was going on in that particular episode. I also wish they hadn’t tried to make Dave look like a decent guy after what he had done to his girlfriend, as well as the racial issues he had stirred up and not really absolved for. Hopefully he will get his punishment or backlash in the next season.
Overall, I would definitely recommend Dave to anyone who enjoys modern rap, lewd comedy, and interesting, real characters. I really liked this show, and I can’t wait for the next season to be released!
