Hannah Gadsby returned to Netflix last week with her most recent comedic masterpiece “Douglas”.
Even casual fans of Gadsby know and love her for her off-kilter, tense and pretty harrowing brand of comedy. Her new special “Douglas” is no disappointment.
Gadsby has been a staple on the Australian comedy scene for over a decade now, but it was her ‘final’ show, “Nanette”, which really catapulted her into mainstream stardom. To be honest, the show is heartbreaking. Seriously. Gadsby has a unique ability to delicately hold your heart in the palm of her hand, and just when you think you can finally take a breath- she closes her fist. It messed me up for days.
“If you’re here because of Nanette… why?”
It is also extraordinary funny, in the way that you can’t help but laugh through the tears. And so captivating. It’s a cathartic experience, and once you’ve finally recovered from the trauma of it- you’ll probably find it hard to stop yourself from rewatching it.
In part, the international success can be chalked up to Gadsby’s awkward likability, but mostly you can attribute the media frenzy to the fact that Gadsby addresses a lot of universal truths in a truly unique way.
“Had I known how widely popular trauma was going to be in the context of comedy, I might have budgeted my shit a bit better” – said Gadsby on the success of Nanette.
Gadsby uses her own experiences to discuss social political issues such as the violent and ingrained discrimination towards LGBTQ peoples, the ripe sexism in western society, and mental health struggles. Keeping her audience on a tight leash, she leads us through the ringer. Tense, and release. Tense, and release.
Gadsby works to actively dismantle the structure of stand-up comedy and it’s conventions by having her audience undergo the same tension in which marginalised people suffer on a daily basis. And does nothing to alleviate the audience of this weight by curtain close.
Nanette was Gadsby’s swan song from comedy. She went all in, airing all her dirty laundry in one final F*** you to society.
To the men in the room, I speak to you now. Particularly the white men, especially the straight white men. Pull your fucking socks up!”
Except is wasn’t the end.
Gadsby created a cultural phenomenon, and for her to quit comedy after having such an important impact on the zeitgeist would be a great loss. After Nanette, the whole world was listening to what Hannah Gadsby had to say. The only problem was- she’d pretty much said it all already.
“I went and put all my trauma eggs into one basket like a f***ing idiot”
Perhaps Gadsby’s saving grace is that marginalisation is like clockwork. It doesn’t stop because of one widely popular Netflix special. In fact, for Gadsby- the online vitriol actually became worse.
So that’s partially what her new Netflix special “Douglas” is about. Addressing the reaction to her first big show. But moving past that, the show is about autism (which Gadsby has), anti-vaxxers, and of course, sexism. Because that one never does seem to go away.
Gadsby begins by addressing her audience with a playful-but knowing opening monologue. Confused as to why people have come to see her after the emotionally charged Nanette, she dives right in by readjusting the audiences expectations.
“You know, I have no way of telling what people are expecting from this show. Right? But what I’ve decided is possible is for me to just tell you… That’s how I’m going to meet your expectations. By adjusting them for you now.”
What we can expect, Gadsby tells us; is some observational comedy about Americans. Then, a story about her Dog (the eponymous Douglas). A gentle and very good natured needling of the patriarchy. Another story; this time about a misdiagnosis she received -and blames squarely on misogyny- “Because it’s true”.
This all serves as somewhat of a prelude to what we’re all expecting:
“I’m going to do a bit of what I call ‘hate baiting’… it’s a very complex idea.
Now the way that I do that is I will just say a thing. And I will make no f***ing effort to make it funny… I would strongly recommend that you do not take the bait”.
It is this type of comedy that Gadsby is famous for. In between the humour of her show, it is the quiet, unfunny moments that transcend.
Following on from this section, the needling of the patriarchy will have become a jousting stick.
“And then with said jousting stick, I’m going to set about tearing my haters a new a**hole”
And while we’re only half way through Gadsby’s prologue of adjusting our expectations- the audience already knows everything they need to. “Douglas“ is here with the same veracity, humour and harrowing social commentary of its predecessor. However this time, Gadsby is aware of her power. Every joke she tells, every ‘hate bating’ line she says- is purposeful. Powerful. Impactful.
The nuance in Gadsby’s comedy is sorely seen in stand-up. A Hannah Gadsby show makes you work for every bit of it. The humour is both a trap- easing the audience into a false sense of comfort- and a source of relief.
“Douglas” is Gadsby’s stellar second act, and she blows expectations out of the water. I would recommend watching Nanette first, but as Gadsby says herself- “this show does not depend on you seeing Nanette. I’m not that kind of confident”.
Douglas is streaming on Netflix now!
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