This is the third comedy special in the "Dropout Presents" series and in many ways I think highlights the best of what "Dropout Presents" as a format can be. I was intrigued by the title, and I think riffing on Scarlett Johansson playing as Makoto Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell is pretty fair game.
There's sections in the second half of the show that are aggressively self-effacing. Part of what I like about this particular show is that it's so pointed and is centered around a clear argument, that is clearly communicated by the title (in a way)--it's going to talk about race and Hollywood. This makes reviewing it slightly tricky, given that I have different feelings about it as a comedy show, as an argument, and as a piece of theater.
As a comedy show, it is funny, but the "thoughtfulness" of the show is likely to be what people remember.
As an argument, it has some moments that give me pause. There's a point where he complains about people liking the show but then making stupid tweets that seem pertinent to his argument--but the analogy he seems to be making at that point in the show I think is more complicated than he has time to unpack.
But let's be frank, where this show shines is as a piece of 'theater.' That it's not the "funniest" show is not really an issue and that the "argument" has some flaws doesn't really bother me that much, because the overall presentation--the theatricality of it all--is really quite amazing. Even though I "liked" Hank Green's presentation more (in the sense that I personally related to it more), I feel like Chris's presentation here is the "best" that Dropout has offered thus far, and I think Dropout should be celebrated for giving shows like this a bigger platform.
