Dave, the FX series from rapper-turned-actor Lil Dicky, returns for its second season Wednesday and I'm relieved to say that the show doesn't suffer a sophomore slump. Instead, it finds new ways to examine the rise and frequent humiliation of the man behind the LD moniker, Dave Burd.
That Burd is frequently referred to as LD seems fitting, as Dave is the closest I've seen any show come to replicating the socially awkward humor of Curb Your Enthusiasm, in which Larry David also plays an exaggerated version of himself. Dave, of course, speaks to the anxieties of a younger generation, but the real difference between the two shows is that every now and then, Dave pauses for real drama, which can be a refreshing change of pace.
Season 2 of Dave hints at the pitfalls of fame, from living in an ant-infested mansion with doorknobs that don't work and being the target of TikTok pranks, to facing increased scrutiny from both the U.S. media (embodied by former Lakers star and current THR columnist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Korean social media, where selfies with K-pop stars are cool... but not if they feature drug use. Meanwhile, people question the purity of your intentions, and you're bombarded with requests from friends for money and/or credit. Of course, all of these are first-world problems, but collectively, they speak to the fact that multiple people in Dave's orbit are relying on him for their own livelihoods, so he has a fiscal responsibility to them. This is something the show makes abundantly clear this season and thus, when Dave struggles to conquer his writer's block, it's a major problem.
As Dave and his 13-year-old brain continue to "grow up," he learns that other adults have increased expectations of him, you know, as a fellow adult. To Dave, when you hire Lil Dicky, and then he acts like Lil Dicky, you can't get mad at him for being Lil Dicky, because he can't help being himself. But generally speaking, yes, it's inappropriate to talk to a group of kids at a bar mitzvah about getting "sucked" before teaching them a game in which they choke each other to the point of passing out. (Then again, I still remember my own top-tier bar mitzvah ringleader introducing himself to my friends by pointing to one of them and saying, "why does your breath smell like his dick?" As if he knew what my other 13-year-old friend's junk smelled like. But it was hilarious, you see. That's why I still remember it. Oh, for the glory days of youth!)
Despite the dick jokes galore in Dave, whose irregular penis is treated as the show's greatest MacGuffin, the show does deliver when it gets serious, and Lil Dicky is facing some serious pressure to deliver an album this season. Even his ever-loyal manager, played by the great Andrew Santino, has begun signing other clients since he can't afford to put all of his eggs in one (Dave's) basket. Will Dave be able to redeem himself before the end of the season, or will Elz (Taco Bennett), who is taking off as a hot producer in his own right, continue to dog on his childhood friend for not having an album — a criticism that Burd himself has faced, since Lil Dicky's last record was in 2015.
The first season of Dave was one of the Top 5 things I watched during the pandemic of 2020 — a burst of creative lightning that arrived at an incredibly dark time when people were cooped up inside their homes during the summer months. I was blown away by GaTa's big episode in which the character reveals he's bipolar, and once again, Episode 5 of Season 2 emerges as a showcase for GaTa as well as Elz, who takes out his frustrations with Dave on the basketball court.
Of the five episodes made available to critics, Episode 3 was the standout as it focuses on the rather adorable homoerotic relationship between Dave and producer extraordinaire Benny Blanco, who nearly steals the entire show. As friends, they have a unique way of showing affection that includes an unusual amount of nudity, but what GaTa thinks is "gay" feels like a couple of grown children innocently playing, as if they don't know any better when one recommends sticking gum up his ass so he can fart out a big pink bubble. Blanco is a fun-sized force of nature and while I know he's a busy man and Dave is just his side gig, I'd love to see more of him on this show... you know, if there's any more to see.
Of course, everyone gets their moment to shine this season, and it's a relief to welcome back Taylor Misiak as Dave's ex-girlfriend Ally. We also see GaTa trying to make his own name as a rapper rather than rest on his laurels as Lil Dicky's hype man, while Bennett doesn't get enough credit for bringing a certain complexity to Elz, whose long-standing bond with Dave is somewhat strained in the first half of Season 2. This brings me to Santino, who is really the glue that keeps this crew together. He gets some killer lines this season, lines I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he wrote, given his own background as a comedian. Santino stood out on Showtime's I'm Dying Up Here and with Dave, he is really starting to come into his own as an actor.
Meanwhile, so is Burd, who like Larry David before him somehow remains likable, despite playing a fairly unlikable character. In the world of rap, Dave is the underdog you love to root for, even if he can't get out of his own way. The show sets him up to be big and then consistently knocks his feet out from under him, forcing you to realize that it's all a front... that auto-tune makes everyone sound better.
What I love about Dave is that he has no shame, whether he's embarrassing himself on live TV, or arrogantly assuring a fellow musician whom he fears is suicidal that he can help them because he's an American, and thus, some kind of superhero with the answers to all of life's problems. The character can be his own worst enemy at times, but he sure is fun to watch, and when you throw in the kind of pathos that a comparable show like Entourage never really had, it's a recipe for something special. Dave may have taken a shit in Korea while attempting to shoot his first music video, but I'd say things worked out for him on FX.
Grade: A-