"Maria Bamford: The Special Special Special" is Bizarre and Esoteric

Maria Bamford: The Special Special Special (2014)

Comedy specials are commonplace, particularly on streaming sites such as Netflix where it seems as though every current comedian in the business has at least one series or special streaming. Maria Bamford is a fantastic comedian, known for her dark humor which exploits her experiences with mental illness and delves into the surreal life she has led as she grapples with suicidal thoughts and stints in and out of various hospitals while doctors prescribe her with all sorts of different medication. Due to her new Netflix series, which is a fantastic surreal experience that frequently lapses into analyzing the familiar tropes from comedy shows and often breaks the third wall, I decided to watch one of her specials. Naturally, I was drawn to the specialist of specials: Maria Bamford: The Special Special Special.

This special is particularly interesting due to the fact that it was filmed at a particularly rough point in Maria's life. Her mental health was in rapid decline and she had recently left a hospital and was dealing with one of the more severe episodes of her struggles with mental illness, however, she was still determined to put out some sort of material. Unable to cope with going out on a stage and performing to an entire crowd of people at this point in her struggle with health, she instead opted to film somewhere much more familiar to her. Maria Bamford: The Special Special Special was recorded in her parent's living room while she was moved back in with them, and the audience consists only of her parents.

Admittedly, this makes moments in Maria's Netflix special particularly uncomfortable, especially when her humor sometimes lapses into lashing out at her mother for not being a particularly sensitive person regarding issues of mental health, or when she makes jokes at her sister's expense (who, thankfully, was not there for the filming). There are moments where he jokes earn what is obviously feigned laughter from her parents, with her mother attempting to hide her distaste for what is being said, but it is perhaps these instances that make this comedy special so fascinating. While it is absolutely a comedian telling jokes, it is simultaneously an uncomfortable glimpse into her home-life with her parents, with her father earnestly laughing at everything she says and her mother seeming to grin and bear it while she waits for the cameras to be shut off.

Visually, the Special Special Special is fascinating as well. It takes place in a darkened living room, with some lights strung up to create a spotlight effect, but also has small skits in between to provide little glimpses throughout the house. These instances feel disjointed and strange, because the genuine nature of her telling uncomfortable jokes to her parents is so real and authentic in comparison to glimpses of her rummaging through the kitchen to retrieve burning cookies from an oven. However, they still serve the purpose of bringing the special into a surreal sort of realm in which she flounders between reality and lapses into nervous panicky breakdowns.

Maria Bamford: The Special Special Special is unlike any other comedy special you will watch, it's purposefully uncomfortable and provides more of a glimpse into Maria's personal life than it does an hour or so of laughter. If you're interested in seeing something different, perhaps even a little uncomfortable to sit through at times, I recommend watching it and realizing how strange comedy can be.