Okay, I’m going to get a confession out of the way right off the bat as I head into my review of Murderville episode 1×03. It is entirely possible I have had a little crush on Kumail Nanjiani ever since I first saw his movie The Big Sick. Does that mean I cannot be impartial to an episode of a show I already love with him in it? … Okay, probably.
Let’s get to the review.
The Trainee
There is really nothing better than Nanjiani’s uncomfortable “are they really having this conversation right in front of me?” face. Well, except for the fact that, even though he’s a professional comedian, he cracks at every single opportunity. Am I just wrong in assuming that comedians have enough practice not to do that? But Nanjiani has the worst poker face I’ve ever seen, and I absolutely loved watching him try to get through this episode because of it. And not for any other reason. Look, let’s just move on.
The “murder” this week is every bit as absurd as we’ve come to expect from this show. Death by CD-ROM at Terry Seattle’s high school reunion. To be fair, investigating a murder is the only way you’d ever see me attend one of those. And while Lynch had a couple moments where it was clear he was thinking, “is this for real?” Nanjiani is the first celebrity guest I thought might bolt for the exit halfway through the episode. Not because he had to solve a murder, of course. But because of…everything he was being asked to do. The name. The walks. The song. I can’t say I blame him.
As impressive as it was to see previous guest stars Conan O’Brien and Marshawn Lynch manage to pull through the most absurd of hijinx with their straight faces more or less intact, there’s something really endearing about watching a guest who is completely incapable of remaining chill. And I imagine that, for an actor like Arnett, tasked with pushing the envelope of absurdity, it had to be really gratifying to see Nanjiani crack up every time. It was certainly fun to watch.
Ultimately, Nanjiani deduced correctly and named the correct suspect as the killer. But what I really loved was how he tried to pretend like he’d caught all the clues pointing to that suspect. Yes. I, too, picked up on…all of those things. I swear.
Notable Moments
- “I was ready to get my freak on because tonight, I was working the night shift” gave me some serious Detective Joe Kenda vibes. I cannot explain it.
- “What’s your definition of sex?” “Sex.” This exchange made me laugh so hard, I woke up my baby, and I’m not even mad about it.
- How is Nanjiani so bad at gasping? It’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone have to take tips on how to inhale suddenly in a non-weird way. (Okay, granted, he’s on a show called Murderville, so “there’s been a murder” is hardly a statement likely to fill one with surprise. But still.)
- “I dated someone in high school, but we did speak, so that’s a different kind of relationship.” Nanjiani’s dry delivery of zingers throughout the episode just killed me.
- “That’s not my inner voice. Make it sound more Pakistani. But don’t be racist. But do an impression of a Pakistani guy.” I really thought Nanjiani might be the first trainee to actually stump Arnett in how to improv his way out of the corner he’d been boxed into. Of course, Arnett did…pretty much the only thing he could do under the circumstances.
Murderville is streaming now on Netflix. Did you enjoy “Most Likely To Commit Murder?” Let us know in the comments!