Notes

Chris Rock's Netflix Special Was Not All It Was Cracked Up To Be
When Chris Rock was scheduled to perform his new stand-up special live on Netflix, it seemed like a match made in comedy heaven. The combination of the comedian's balletic, energetic and sometimes abrasive delivery style with his commentary on a major pop-cultural event layered on top of the streaming service's first foray into live broadcasts was supposed to be nothing short of thrilling.

And it could have been, if not for the Will Smith slap incident. While ซีรี่ย์จีน of the jokes that followed Smith's infamous Academy stage smackdown were already well-established in Rock's sets as he toured over the past year, it was still the first time he had addressed the issue with an audience for a live TV special, and it was his first opportunity to talk about the incident at length since its occurrence.

As a result, many were eagerly awaiting the 58-year-old's response to the incident — a moment that he ultimately saved for the end of his set. And when it finally came, it was worth the long wait.

For the most part, Rock's hour-long performance, titled Selective Outrage, was well-crafted and solidly funny. He was able to maintain the energy of his normal routines while tying them into topics that have been weighing on audiences' minds, such as the recent wave of sexual misconduct and the rising tide of white supremacy. The comedian's verbal counterpunches were often witty, insightful and sometimes even righteous.

Unfortunately, there were also a few jokes that felt oddly outdated. Several of his bits, involving the Kardashians and Blac Chyna, seemed to come from five years ago and retread ground that he had already covered in his 2018 special Tambourine. And a few others, such as a bit about how women and transgender people should be able to just 'be themselves' and a joke about Duchess Meghan having an abortion, flattened out and failed to resonate.

But Rock's blazing, extended attack on Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith near the end of the show redeemed much of what had gone before. As the special's energy built up, he seemed buoyant; his typical rhythm of repeating jokes clicked into place as more of a puckish delaying game than anything that felt like a provocation of discomfort. Jokes about Jada's entanglement with Will's movie career landed, and even the flubbed film-title line he accidentally delivered at one point managed to get laughs.

Overall, it was a solidly entertaining special that was made all the more memorable by the fact that it was happening live for an audience of millions. It was worth the one-year wait to see if the Will Smith slap would be addressed and if Rock could return to his best form onstage after a lengthy hiatus from the mic. However, it was disappointing that the special wasn't able to gain enough momentum to sustain itself beyond its first act with a pre-show and post-show featuring guests such as Arsenio Hall, JB Smoove and Yvone Orji.
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