Having seen Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette, I was very excited to see that she had a new comedy special on Netflix. Nanette was such a moving show that I was expecting there to be much more than just comedy in Douglas. And I certainly was not disappointed with this week’s Netflix pick
Hannah Gadsby: Douglas Directed by Madeline Parry – Comedy: In Gadsby’s latest comedy special she shares her insights on topics like living with autism, and her rise in popularity. And throughout her stories, she doesn’t hesitate to call out the patriarchy, anti-vaxxers, or her haters. The show is named after her dog… and possibly also the pouch of Douglas. (Content warning: if you’re not sure what this is and decide to Google it, be prepared to see some pictures of female human anatomy.)
Pros: Gadsby gives a few art history lessons, which is unique and unexpected in a comedy special. She skillfully links the pictures to jokes that she makes during the rest of the show. It is so clever and absolutely hilarious. I would watch an entire show of her giving comedic art history lessons.
Cons: Given the fact that she show was named after her dog and featured art history, I get that there was an artistic looking dog sculpture on stage. But it just felt so out of place to have something like that on stage that I found it a little distracting.
Final Thoughts: Although Douglas was not as moving as Nanette, Gadsby still shared some very meaningful personal information and insightful thoughts about society and art. But, since this is a comedy special, the most important thing was that I had some great laughs. I would love to see Gadsby come out with more Netflix specials.
