[In addition to being a regular contributor here at Collider, Evan Valentine has also been doing stand-up comedy for the last decade. We asked him to review some of Netflix’s new specials given his own experience and viewpoint as a comedian]   

Dave Chappelle returns to television with two, hourlong standup specials on Netflix. The first, entitled “The Age of Spin” was shot in LA and sees Chappelle jumping from topics involving O.J. Simpson to Kevin Hart to Making a Murderer. The second hour was recorded in Austin, Texas, and appropriately titled “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” In it, Chappelle tackles more personal issues such as his run-in with a car of racist snowball chuckers, issues with his son getting into fights, and the Ebola virus. Chappelle’s been gone from TV for long time, but has Chappelle lost any momentum from his time away? Luckily for fans of comedy and Chappelle himself, I can confirm he has not, and these specials are close to the best of what we’ve seen from the prolific comedian during his career.

To truly get a better understanding of these specials, you need to know about the history of Dave Chappelle. Following the splash success of his Comedy Central variety show, The Chappelle Show, Chappelle was asked to return for a third season for $50 million dollars. Tired of show business and seeking a new path in his life, Chappelle declined the offer and disappeared from the limelight. Of course the true irony is that with his return, he is reportedly being paid $60 million by Netflix to produce a series of one hour specials wherein he has complete creative freedom. It’s been ten years since Chappelle has been in the general public’s view, and that does really help with the material we see in both of his specials. Watching these specials feels like watching a brilliant time traveler step out of his time machine, analyze some of the events of the past decade, and weave them together in an easily digestible, utterly hilarious fashion before jetting off again.

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Image via Lester Cohen

Chappelle is easily one of the best standup comedians of our era, not even necessarily so much for his writing, but simply because of his fearlessness and comfort level. Comedians are always looking for a balance in “selling” their jokes to audiences, trying to walk a line of reading the room, delivering the material, and creating an image of casualness that can make patrons feel more at ease, thus connecting more with the jokes. Chappelle is able to do this in master strokes, and makes it seem as effortless as reflex mechanism. There’s a brief interlude during the second half of his Netflix outing, “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” where Chappelle asks the crowd for a cigarette, which causes a near deluge of them being thrown his way. As he lights up his first, he begins talking candidly with the audience about an experience he had during one of his shows and debated whether or not saying “pussy” was considered to be offensive. It’s a masterful moment as it seems to be a “bit” that is entirely off the top of Chappelle’s head, leading the audience through a discussion that ends up with the ludicrous premise of Lil Wayne investigating a crime scene.

Another strength of Chappelle’s is simply his storytelling, managing to lead viewers in one direction before blindsiding them with a punchline that gains uproarious laughter. Specifically, his buildup to a Bill Cosby-focused joke is the stuff of legend. But what holds up the most, for me anyway, is really when Chappelle talks about his personal stories. This is why if I had to choose between the two specials, I’d go with the Dallas taping over the Los Angeles one, as it delves much more into the events of Chappelle’s daily life than the former. Hearing stories of his brush with racism in his secluded Ohio town, and the subsequent rallying of the townsfolk behind him, makes for a raucous journey that only someone like Chappelle could spin.

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Image via Lester Cohen

Unfortunately, all that glitters isn’t gold. In all honesty, while this is still some amazing comedy, it doesn’t live up to Chappelle’s previous specials. This isn’t a slight to his latest material, but rather a bolstering of his past and how effective those previous comedy outings were. “Killin Them Softly” and “For What It’s Worth” are still two of the best hourlong standup specials to date, and while these two new Netflix recordings are solid, they don’t live up to that past. Also, there are definitely some moments in the special that do tend to seem outright offensive to some groups. When Chappelle starts talking about LGBTQ issues, there’s a definite sense of cringeworthiness filling the minutes. Again, comedy is offensive and everyone is going to take in the material differently, I just wish that Chappelle had taken a different approach with how he put together these jokes and fed them to his audiences. Simply consider this a warning before diving into the specials themselves.

Still, when all is said and done, these specials are most assuredly worth your time. They are excellent representations of the art form of standup comedy, delivered by a master of his craft.  While there may be a joke or two in there that tends to drag, these act as tiny, infrequent bumps in the road for some amazing hourlong romps. Dave Chappelle is back, rising like a phoenix from the ashes of his self imposed exile, with plenty of insight to share. Watch these as soon as you get the chance.

Rating: ★★★★★ Excellent

Miscellanea:

- Ironically, the final bit of each special is by far their strongest. I was laughing so hard at times I was tearing up.

- I would strongly recommend watching the recent interview from CBS where Chappelle goes into his current life outside of the stage and the calm he’s managed to find for himself outside of fame and fortune.

- Be prepared to witness a Dave Chappelle who looks starkly different from the one we knew, mostly because he’s gotten so physically big. It’s amazing to see what years of serenity have done for him.

- Hearing the patented, “I’m RICH BITCH!” at the end of the specials during the credits did stir up my sense of nostalgia. The Chappelle Show really was ahead of its time.

- I enjoyed the slight barb directed at Key and Peele. Good to see Chappelle can have some fun his spiritual successors.

- Up Next: Be on the lookout for Netflix’s next big comedy special from Louis CK to drop in April.

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Image via Lester Cohen