As many people have mentioned, this show owes a lot to Synecdoche, New York (a film that I have very strong memories of and for despite having only seen once, in a haze, ten years ago.) It's also a show in the discourse, which I think belies a little just how deeply weird it gets. This isn't quite a comedy (though there are very, very funny parts — "it's days like these that I curse the Chinese for inventing gunpowder" and the silent birthday party are two of the hardest times I've laughed this year), nor is it quite reality television. It's a show that is very adroitly aware of criticisms that would be leveled its way, and the way it neither absolves itself nor dodges those criticisms in the final two episodes is delightful.

I just said a lot of positive things, and none of those things included what the show itself was about, or what I thought the thesis of the show was. I'm not entirely sure how to answer either of those questions; the closest I think I can get is what it's like to take an absurd premise to its even more absurd conclusion. But it was certainly a unique show, and one that I enjoyed spending time with, and one that I will probably spend a lot of time over the next few weeks thinking about.

★★★★