In the past, there have been few shows to discuss mental illness and disorders, but back in 2017 Netflix’s Lady Dynamite stepped up to change that pattern. In a conversation with Matt Wilstein of Daily Beast, the show’s star and subject, Maria Bamford, says that what made mental illness more difficult for her was “that she didn’t know anyone else going through the same thing.” When she did stumble across someone else with similar experiences she felt “relief,” and so this was one of the goals for Lady Dynamite, to help others find relief. It also aims to eliminate the stigma around mental health and disorders and familiarize viewers with the subject.
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Lady Dynamite is roughly based on Maria Bamford’s life and her experiences in stand-up comedy as she coped with both bipolar disorder and depression. In the series, Bamford plays herself when she returns to LA after spending six months in a psych ward for her struggles with bipolar disorder. Maria must learn to function in public again and rebuild the life she once had with the support of her stand-up comedy agent, Bruce Ben Bacharach, played by Fred Melamed.
Season one and two of Lady Dynamite received raving reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics describing the project as a “vibrant” and “courageous” metafictional ride. So it came as a surprise in 2018 when Netflix canceled the series without explanation. While season two did finish on a high note for Maria, that doesn’t mean we don’t need more Lady Dynamite. Here is why Maria Bamford’s critically acclaimed comeback deserves another chance.
Maria Bamford’s Surreal Setting and Atmosphere
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Lady Dynamite incorporates delightfully weird and colorful settings to illustrate the state of Maria’s psyche. The bright colors and Maria’s high energy are a good reflection of her real-life struggle with hypomania. A glaring example of this in the series is when Maria does an advert for the fictional company Checkpoint, in which she runs around an all-red set and continuously beams towards the camera. The surreal atmosphere here seems to not only communicate Maria’s perspective but also examine the boundaries between real and fake, between Maria’s bipolar and how she presents herself to the world.
Not only is the setting charmingly artistic and different but Lady Dynamite repeatedly breaks the fourth wall. In fact, the show begins with Maria turning toward the camera and exclaiming in disbelief “I have my own show?” It seems to be another boundary breaker between the mind and reality. Although there are other series now experimenting with color and the boundary between the mind and reality, Lady Dynamite was certainly one of the funniest examples of this.
The Female Perspective of Lady Dynamite
Today, there are lots of series that feature a female point-of-view but as Courtenay Lindley of Bustle says, the female perspective is “still underused in the realm of comedic TV.” Not only does Lady Dynamite focus on a woman’s perspective, but it also has primarily female characters played by other comedians like Ana Gasteyer, Bridgett Everett, and Lennon Parham. Their characters encounter uniquely female problems, struggles with aging, and weird humor, and it is funny.
In fact, Maria makes the point at the very beginning of the show that she is surprised that the perspective of a 45-year-old woman with “sun-damage” would earn a TV show, but this is the point the series makes. Lady Dynamite proves that the female perspective, old or young, matters and that it contains a plethora of rich comic material to mine from.
Lady Dynamite Features Mental Illness and Disorder
As mentioned previously, Lady Dynamite is one of the few shows so far that has prominently featured mental disorders, but in a relatable and light way. Mental illness is often portrayed in series and films through a dark perspective and stereotypes, but this series takes that old routine and flips it upside down. Bamford depicts the disorder as colorful and also reveals some truths about the condition.
In reality and in the show, Maria is diagnosed with bipolar II, which is a moderate version of bipolar I (which is more extreme), along with unwanted thoughts syndrome (which became the title of one of her comedy albums). Lady Dynamite explains to the audience that bipolar has a spectrum and also that the condition isn’t entirely difficult. Maria’s bipolar actually elevates her creativity and her passion for comedy.
In addition, the show demonstrates how someone like Maria manages relationships and how the people around her do, too. Lady Dynamite depicts Maria’s mood swings and her high-energy in relationships, as well as her low impulse control and high-risk for burn-out. The series certainly gives people with similar diagnoses something to relate to and maybe provides loved ones some incite into how their relative or friend responds to the world. That being said, it is a highly important project. If Lady Dynamite does not make a return, we certainly need more stories like it to both educate and entertain. Both seasons of Maria Bamford’s Lady Dynamite are available for streaming on Netflix.
