Although at first glance it may not be a series that generates interest, a couple of episodes will be enough to want to see it complete. There are a total of eight and they are short, just over twenty minutes. What is necessary, in a context saturated by the contents, to accompany the viewer at different times, get a laugh and, on that journey, invite some reflection on contemporary society. That’s what it’s all about God’s Favorite Idiot, of Netflix.
Melissa McCarthy, through his production company and his performance, commands a story aimed at parodying different religious topics; from the ideas associated with God and Satan, to the various stories related to the pulse between good and evil. She plays Amy Luckwho becomes the sentimental interest of ben falconethe other protagonist, and who plays Clark Thompson. This loving connection occurs at the very moment that God chooses him as one of his messengers.
Clark is an ordinary employee who, from one moment to the next, begins to receive all the public attention that he never had. Meanwhile, Amily is a co-worker with an alcohol problem and obvious irritability. While one is calm the other is storm. That feeds much of God’s Favorite Idiota story that is not romantic but feeds on that bond to laugh at different religious perspectives.
God’s Favorite Idiotamerican humor to enjoy
The story is sustained by the camaraderie and friendship that develops between Amily, Clark and their co-workers. Gradually, each other assumes that their partner is a kind of representative of God on earth, while knowing the dangers facing the protagonist. Through them memory, family, some of the theories related to religion and its weight in contemporary society are explored.
All this from a fairly relaxed perspective. God’s Perfect Idiot It is a parody of the currents that claim to be messengers, of the inability of one and the other to find answers, of the faith given to different figures (religious or not) so that they influence different sectors of society, including part of pop culture. , with references to Harry Potter and the Thor, for instance. Although the mixture of elements may seem strange, it serves to build an entertaining story.
Leslie Bibb, playing Satan, serves as a contrast to the protagonists, a manipulative and cruel villain who is not out of tune with the humorous tone marked by the story. She bonds with him naturally. The fact that she is a woman is perhaps another of the implicit messages of the series, which laughs at the fact that evil is associated with a particular gender although it is not exclusive to one or the other. Among them the essence of the story arises: another representation of the fight between good and evil, with several moments to estimate. Like the four horsemen of the apocalypse running into a supermarket and a reference to The Lord of the rings.
The “but” of the Netflix series
Assuming it’s a series full of American humor, a talk show marked by various romantic details, the middle chapters of God’s Favorite Idiot they are disconnected from the initial rhythm of the series. Until the last two, when he recovers a rhythm more similar to that of the beginning. They are sections in which other characters have more room for development.
Perhaps the last thing was produced thinking that it will be necessary information for a second season. Beyond the brake on the rhythm, the growth of the secondary characters is convenient to avoid everything being summed up in Amily and Clark. God’s Favorite Idiot aims to be a narrative that laughs at multiple issues. In that sense, other characters give room for action; within them stands out Kevin Dunninterpreting to GeneClark’s dad.
The open ending invites us to think that there will be a second season. Good news.