Will Arnett is perhaps the most familiar with the Netflix model of the 2016 crop of new showrunners, having acted and been involved with Netflix’s originals Arrested Development and Bojack Horseman. Created by Arnett and The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret writer Mark Chappell, and developed by Arnett and fellow Arrested Development alum, Mitch Hurwitz, Flaked is a “serio-comic” story set in Venice, California, following a self-appointed “guru” who falls for the object of his best friend’s fascination as he tries to stay one step ahead of an elaborate web of lies and half-truths.
**Spoilers Ahead**
Episode 1
Flaked opens in the most subdued of manners, in which the audience is introduced to Chip, a relatively attractive Venetian (California) that initially seems like a drifter. Chip and his friend Dennis seem to live lives that provide them with little to no financial stability.
Later in the episode, we learn that the reason Chip, Dennis, and their other compatriot, Cooler, seem to be short of cash is due to the fact that at least Chip and Dennis are in AA. Luckily for them, life in Venice is perfectly manageable without a vehicle, and the two have been living a relatively opposition free life in the beachside town.
A recurring theme presents itself as Dennis mentions a beautiful young woman who recently moved to town and works at GJ, a trendy restaurant in town. Chip notices that Dennis is reading a Frida Kahlo biography, and asks why, to which Dennis explains this beautiful woman had dressed as Kahlo for Halloween one year.
We learn that Chip is bit of a father figure to the younger Venetians, who begin to opine about the influx of transplants and gentrifiers. One such young Venetian, Stefan, looks up to Chip more so than most, and leans on him when his anger gets the best of him when a flier is posted to the window of his new coffee shop, “Free Coffee.”
During the episode, the series also establishes one of its earliest strengths – its music supervision – as Kurt Vile’s “Pretty Pimpin” plays while Chip effectively does the rounds of the city he unofficially owns (in the least-wealthy way imagineable). Chip appears to have multiple relations with many women around Venice, a close knit community that allows word to spread easily, forcing Chip to deftly lie during most interactions.
The episode ends with Chip committing to one of his “flings,” Kara, to go to his friend Cooler’s comedy open mic. In the time leading up to the open mic, Chip learns that his landlord, Jerry, is appraising his store for sale and Chip becomes visibly shaken. He then flakes (hey! there’s the title!) on the open mic date, where we learn of the growing disdain for communal gentrification from non-Venetians like Cooler, who’s really from Mar Vista. The episode ends with another exceptional song choice – El Vy’s “Return to the Moon” – as Chip returns to his home and self-medicates with wine in lieu of facing his demons.
Episode Grade: C+; not necessarily the strongest of series opens. No real immediate magnetism from any of the characters, but hopefully things will come together in the following episodes. It appears as though the primary conflict in the series will be gentrification in Venice.
Episode 2
Motifs and themes continue to emerge as episode opens up with another AA meeting in which Chip seems to charm some lovely young women with his willingness to help them in their times of need. Things are still unclear in regards to Chip and Dennis’ sobriety, as the two leave the meeting to grab some free Free Coffee.
En route to Free Coffee, Dennis is still hounding Chip about addressing the whole store appraisal thing with Jerry, along with Dennis’ continued obsession with London. Chip doles out more platitudinous advice and in a fun stroke of self-awareness, Dennis tells him he has a “serious platitude problem.”
Once at Free Coffee, Chip runs into London, who’s considering moving out of Venice, and Chip opines about the rapid change in the city. In yet another exceptional music supervision choice, a HINDS song plays.
After getting his two free Free Coffees, Chip heads out, only to run into London again, thus loosing the coffee he picked up for Dennis. Chip offers London the studio apartment above his furniture store, and the two agree to tour the space in fifteen minutes.
Chip runs into Cooler, who digitized one of Dennis’ dogs while walking them, and uses the strange instance to get both Dennis and Cooler out of the store before London shows up. The two tour the P.O.S studio apartment, and both sort of express a mutual romantic interest, only to be weirded out, and go their separate ways.
More motifs surrounding gentrification’s affect on local populations continue, as Chip attempts to visit Jerry in regard to the furniture store, only to go home and drink the rest of the wine he had opened in episode one. Another incredibly visceral scene of moral devastation as Chip relapses once again. The drinking scenes are quickly becoming the series’ most evocative scenes.
Chip returns to the store and talks to Dennis about Cooler’s violation of his dogs, saying he had to take them to “the VD clinic,” to which Chip replies with the episode’s best line – “I don’t think you can get VD from a finger,” only to find out it was the Venice Dog clinic. London then shows up with belongings in tow, and Chip must concoct some sort of lie to satiate Dennis’ anger and accusations of “swooping” in on London.
After some prodding from Chip, Dennis asks London out, and Chip begrudgingly agrees to watch his dogs. While Dennis is on the date, Chip visits Jerry, who might be (Chip’s brother, uncle, or friend?) and yet another fantastic choice in music supervision – Youth Lagoon’s “Highway Patrol Stun Gun” adds emotional depth to the scene as Jerry tells Chip that he’s asking for $4 million in return for the furniture store. Chip runs into Dennis and London on their date – which had been going poorly – and unwittingly saves the date, but is devastated by the asking price for the furniture store. In turn, Chip chooses to self-medicate and visits Kara instead of figuring out how to tackle the furniture store situation.
Episode grade: B-; music supervision in the series seems promising, and the dynamic between Chip and Dennis has a solid depth to it. Cooler is the series’ only real comedic relief – which is totally fine – hopefully he’s the only purposefully one dimensional character in the series.
Episode 3
Episode three opens with Kara and Chip being openly affectionate toward each other outside of the building where AA meetings are held; safe to say the two got along just fine when Chip went to Kara in her time of need. We learn that its Kara’s one year sobriety anniversary, or as they refer to it, her “birthday.” George the Cop, Dennis, and Chip begin to talk about a celebration to commemorate the achievement, despite Kara’s insistence not to. Chip doles out some platitudinous advice about how important acknowledgement of milestones are in sobriety – advice we know Chip unfit to dole out.
Chip and Dennis double ride on Chip’s bike, and Chip explains to Dennis that he’s resolved the Jerry situation, stating that he’s going to meet a yet introduced character, Tilly. Dennis has his trepidations about the solution, and declines Chip’s offer for Dennis to drive him to Tilly’s, so Cooler is enlisted. As the two drive through Santa Monica, Cooler gushes over the massive homes, and explains his plan to one day make it as a world class comedian; dreams are something wholly alien to the ever jaded Chip. There are paparazzi lining the road as Cooler and Chip approach what we can assume to be Tilly’s home. While Chip heads inside, Cooler tries to talk to some of the paparazzi.
Chip enters a magnificent post-modernist home, and is greeted with a handful of people who appear to be assistants, trainers, nutritionists, etc. Tilly shows up, and we learn that not only is Tilly a famous actress who no longer needs to audition for roles, but also still technically married to Chip. They used to live in the dumpy studio apartment now occupied by London above the furniture store. We also learn that Chip had intended to make an emotional appeal to Tilly about the Jerry situation, since Tilly is Jerry’s estranged daughter. Chip then admits that the reason their divorce papers have yet to go through is because of his inability to pay a lawyer to sign the papers.
When Chip leaves Tilly’s home, he finds that Cooler left him, and so he hitches a ride from a landscaping crew back to Venice. Once back on his side of town, Chip is greeted by an irritated Kara, who has been waiting for Chip to show up for three hours. Once Kara leaves in a huff, London pops down to ask about the building’s wifi – another gentrification divide theme – to which Chip explains there is none, and that he doesn’t even have a cell phone. Recognizing the brief moment of one on one time with London, Chip tries to impress her with a SoCal Design Honorable Mention he received for one of his stools in 2008, however Dennis shows up and the moment has passed.
Chip and Dennis are back at their home, and we learn that Chip actually lives in Dennis’ mom’s house, where he has since his separation from Tilly, while Dennis lives in the guesthouse of his own home. Chip then leaves to allow Dennis some space for his upcoming second date with London, and gets a cake from George for Kara’s birthday. The cake exchange between George and Chip is one of the few moments of levity in the series’ most serious episode to date. After some meandering, Chip returns home where Dennis is setting up for his date, and Chip helps him create a scene within the home that makes Dennis appear more interesting than he is; or as he called it “subterfuge.”
The episode ends with two more examples of well utilized music supervision decisions – “Something Soon” by Car Seat Headrest and “Sarah” by Alex G – to properly close the episode in which Chip and Tilly seemingly rekindle their relationship, in turn ending Chip’s relationship with Kara, who throws Chip’s platitudinous advice back in his face. Chip returns to his store alone with the cake, and London shows up to eat some with him, and the episode ends.
Episode grade: A; The first truly “dramedic” episode of the series, the introduction of Tilly is a nice addition, though the dynamic between Chip and Tilly feel almost too casual for a separated couple. Hopefully there’s more expansion on George’s father-figure trope.
Episode 4
Another motif begins to emerge as the episode opens once again as an AA meeting lets out. Chip is waiting for Dennis, who hops on his new two-seater bike, which he offers for Chip to hop on, but Chip willingly declines. The two discuss the idea of taking a day trip somewhere outside of Venice, in order to gather their bearings. Dennis suggests Palm Springs, and Chip quickly realizes that Dennis wants someone to back him up when he visits his mother.
Initially, Chip is hesitant to road trip to Palm Springs, but eventually agrees once London asks to join on her day off. The hints of a strained relationship between Dennis and his mother, Jackie, throughout the first half of the series, and things are finally brought to light in the fourth episode. While stopped at a diner en route to Palm Springs, Dennis explains to London that his mother was a highly sexual woman, and struggled with relationships to the point of which Dennis was used from a young age to break off Jackie’s failing relationships.
As the trio returns to the road, things begin to look up as they take turns singing to songs on the radio, until Chip takes his turn at bringing dark secrets to the light. While lying about the Kara cake incident, Chip unintentionally winds up talking about his own upcoming anniversary. The audience knows that he’s not been sober this entire time, but we don’t know if Chip will end up exhibiting a rare moment of honesty. He does, however its much darker than expected – the 10 year anniversary of Chip killing someone in a drunk driving accident.
When the trio reaches their desitnation, they’re met enthusiastically by Jackie (Kirtstie Alley) who shows more interest in Chip and London than her own son. They then meet “Wild Bill,” Jackie’s current lover, who is a good natured, older gentleman that loves golf. Intent on not staying too long, Dennis informs his mother that the trio had plans to visit the “healing center,” and Jackie invites herself along. At the healing center, Jackie and Dennis get into it, when Jackie confesses that she wants to leave Wild Bill, who Dennis thinks is as good a fit for her as any.
Jackie then flirts with a staff member, which further infuriates Dennis, who blows up in front of everyone. Chip is forced to leave his intimate (platonic) moment with London, in order to calm Dennis down. This creates the first real powerful interaction between Chip and Dennis, whose straining relationship seems to strengthen as the two discuss their innermost thoughts driving back to Venice. Dennis begins to realize his mother is co-dependent of sorts, and it influences him, deciding he doesn’t see much prospect in dating London, who is asleep in the backseat of the car.
Upon arriving back in Venice, the appraiser has returned with some sort of contractor to further examine the store, forcing the three to leave as quietly as possible. The episode ends with Chip battling temptation once more, but this time pouring the remaining wine from the first episode down the drain.
Episode Grade: B; Kirstie Alley is an inspired choice as Dennis’ mother, but the character didn’t feel wholly fleshed out. The appraisal of the store is obviously going to be the major conflict that comes into play at the end of the season, however it doesn’t feel all that important, almost to the point of being glossed over.
Episode 5
Episode five opens with one of the most familiar faces of his generation – Christopher Mintz-Plasse aka McLovin of Superbad fame. Mintz-Plasse plays Topher, yet another Venice transplant/recovering alcoholic that is absolutely smitten with Chip. Topher approaches Chip about possibly being sponsored by the “Mayor of Venice,” to which Chip has some trepidations – primarily the fact that Chip only sponsors female AA members (because reasons) – but eventually overcomes his hesitation when he learns of Topher’s exceptional financial standing. As it turns out, Topher is a startup tycoon (whose business model/purpose is never quite revealed) who might be able to cover the $4 million needed to save Chip’s furniture store.
While Chip is wooing Topher under the guise of being his sponsor, Dennis is preparing for his first sommelier interview in years, with some support from Kara (whom he has grown close with). In the meantime, we learn that London may be harboring secrets yet unknown within the series.
As Chip is out courting Topher’s wallet, Kara gets in trouble with George for running into a local art installment by the artist “Uno,” and tries to get in contact with Chip, but due to Chip’s lack of a cell phone, Dennis is left to help. While Dennis works to work Kara out of a sticky situation, we learn that London – who is actually named “Claire” – has postponed a wedding and come to Venice for some unspecified reason.
The episode is wrought with the over arching themes of gentrification and its associated benefits and detriments, but now the series has its two representative entities of old and new Venice: Chip and Topher, whose seemingly friendly interactions are almost certainly bound to lead to conflict. The episode comes to a close with some more solid music supervision choices, as Junip’s “Line of Fire” ushers in the first real schism between Chip and Dennis. Chip admits to Dennis that he and London kissed, much to Dennis’ chagrin, and is further upset when Chip hesitates to state who initiated the kiss. The spat ends with Dennis calling Chip out for purposefully not having a cell phone, and in turn forcing Dennis to miss out on his sommelier interview to save Kara. Like clockwork, the new cell phone Topher bought for Chip goes off, and Dennis looses it. Chip is forced to crash at Cooler’s place in the interim.
Episode Grade: B-; felt primarily like a stepping stone episode, setting the scene for more dramatic things to come. Hopefully this is the end of the Chip/London “will they, won’t they nonsense.” The introduction of Topher feels a little late, as it seems he will play into the finale in a pivotal fashion.
Episode 6
The divergence between Chip and Dennis looks like its here to stay, as Dennis and Kara stick together outside the AA meeting as Chip tries to salvage the situation – ultimately for peace of mind – for his own benefit. The first real sign of product placement pops up as it seems everyone in Venice has spurned the California based Apple hive mind and opted for Microsoft Lumias.
Chip leaves the AA meeting to meet with Topher, once again hoping to foster some sort of financial relationship to work to his advantage. Topher – as he comically “boxercises” – begins to reveal his true color, as he expresses little to no interest in Chip’s stool store, and simply wants to enlist Chip to ask London out on Topher’s behalf. In relatively smooth reunion (set up by the ever-doltish Cooler), Chip and Dennis are brought together to discuss their differences over a game of paddle. Cooler tries his best to instill platitudes both of his friends have become so deft at doing themselves. This presents one of the more humorous exchanges as Dennis asserts his friendship with Chip is “90/10 when it should be 50/50,” to which Cooler tries to haggle with him by asking “Would you take 60/40?”
The episode cuts to George outside of a taco stand, where he notices London coming out of a laundromat and getting into a silver Honda that seems to be of some grave significance. George appears to be highly concerned over the connection, or suspicious of some aspect of London’s activity. In the meantime, Dennis and Kara go to pay reparations to “Uno” for the damages caused by Kara. Dennis brings some very expensive wine as an offering, only to find out Uno is one of many Venetians that have once slept with his mother.
Chip meets with London to ask her out on Topher’s behalf, only to run into Dennis and Kara as well, who are at there to get Kara some shifts to pay off her damages. Dennis becomes particularly prickly in his exchange with Chip, who leaves offers up his store to Cooler and the “SaVenice” initiative in order to avoid getting kicked off Cooler’s couch.
The series finally springs into its finest of dramatic sequences, as Topher arrives at the store to take London out and reveals to Chip that the only reason he put up money to save Chip’s store was to get to London. Chip refuses and London heard the whole exchange, and now the two are certifiably smitten. As London and Chip kanoodle, George is desperately searching for Chip, and runs into Dennis at his home to reveal to Dennis that London is the sister of the guy Chip killed ten years ago, and that she actually knows he killed her brother. George finally gets in contact with Chip, who is visibly devastated and asks London why she did it, to which her only reply is “I had to make sure the person who did it is suffering as much as I am.” The episode ends with Dennis and Chip once again able to lean on each other.
Episode Grade: A+; by far and away the most revelatory episode of the series, the first moment in the series that we truly feel for Chip. Arguably the best of the entire first season, though the series has two more episodes to try and prove that assertion wrong.
Episode 7
Another episode opening scene with an AA meeting establishing shot, George is seen waiting outside the door of the meeting, presumably looking for Chip, who is at home by himself. Dennis – ever the good friend – is making breakfast for the two of them as Chip has been in an emotional coma since finding out the true nature of London’s being. George busts through the front door with his gun drawn – jokingly – to scare the living hell out of Dennis and Chip, and later to discuss what the possible outcomes of London forcing her way into Chip’s life. Determining that it can’t possible be for monetary reparations, they decide its simply to haunt Chip.
Chip’s furniture store sells to Weiner & Kaufman realty, and adding insult to injury, Chip learns that Tilly is romantically involved with the aforementioned Weiner. Chip meets with Tilly’s agent and is surprisingly direct, stating that he wants a “new deal” with Tilly. Chip and Cooler go to the Weiner & Kaufman offices to deliver the 10,000+ “SaVenice” signatures gathered to stop the impending sale of the furniture store. Chip meets Weiner, who turns out to be Alicia Weiner, doubly revelatory to Chip, who once again stresses the seriousness of his desire to receive a “new deal.” Chip meets with Tilly and her agent, and presumably brokers a new deal, before going back to his store and confronting London.
As it turns out, London did want to haunt Chip initially, but when she saw that he was more broken than she could have possibly imagined, she decided she needed to “fix “ him. In the series’ most perplexing plot development, Chip and London begin to make out, in the furniture store. Cooler and the “SaVenice” folks who have triumphantly returned to the store to celebrate Weiner & Kaufman’s pulling out of the building sale, presumably part of the “new deal” Chip had stressed throughout the episode, quickly interrupt the two.
Episode Grade: C; the total one-eighty shift in regard to London within the span of an episode is a concerning notion within the series. Naturally, having between 32-35 minutes to flesh out – now considerably strong- plot points might require some hasty development, but the quick change between Chip and London, and Chip vs. Weiner & Kaufman is a little unsettling.
Episode 8
Well, here we have it – the season one finale. What initially started out as a series that felt mostly flat has morphed in to an incredibly stimulating character study of various people battling demons, coming to grips with their being, and trying to lead generally worthy existences.
The episode opens as every episode has, though this opening is different, with everyone at the AA meeting singing Chip’s praises as he managed to spearhead what many believe to be a major victory for Venice. Chip reveals to Dennis that the deal came about by officially divorcing Tilly, which was a long time coming. The episode then cuts to London and Chip kanoodling and appearing exceedingly happy, as a montage of intimacy rolls, including a seemingly purposeful shot of London reading the book The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler. Rather than dive into an explicit synopsis of the book, just know that the plot line of London’s search for her deceased brother’s killer resembles the story in The Little Sister.
We shift to Dennis, who finds empty bottles of his expensive sommelier wines in the garbage outside of his home, though its apparent he doesn’t necessarily know Chip is the culprit. Chip goes to his store to find Jerry there moving everything out, reason being that Chip robbed him of $4 million, so the vacation of the store had to be done. Later, Dennis walks into the newly barren store in search of Dennis, and is subsequently assaulted by some identified person.
The entire season will come to a head at the upcoming Venice Town Council meeting, in which Chip will inevitably be thrust into the spotlight and come to the aide of his city. Dennis realizes that Chip has been drinking this entire time, and confides in George. George then finds Chip on the streets of Venice, which leads to arguably one of the series’ saddest moments. George tries in earnest to get Chip to admit he’s spiraling out, only to have Chip rip George to shreds with barbs directed at George’s multiple divorces and fractured relationships with his children. George is visibly shaken, and Chip takes off, totally unaffected.
From this point on, those closest to Chip have become increasingly concerned, to the point of which Tilly shows up unannounced at Dennis and Chip’s home, where she accidentally reveals to Dennis that Chip didn’t kill anyone at all, in fact, it was Tilly who killed London’s brother, but Tilly’s promising television career wouldn’t be able to stand the scandal, so Chip took the fall. Dennis rushes to the town council meeting, where Chip is going to speak on the behalf of Topher – who has quickly become the most powerful real estate investor in all of Venice – though everyone at the meeting thinks he will be speaking against the increased development. Chip is so charismatic that no one in the town council meeting thinks twice about what Chip says. The episode ends with Dennis desperately trying to get Chip to admit that he never killed anyone, but Chip doesn’t, and Dennis is heart broken. The season ends with the two going their separate ways.
Episode Grade: A; for a series that took some time to materialize in terms of conflict and plot, everything is tied up nicely, as well as providing enough unresolved drama to lead to a second season just as, if not better than season one.
Season One Grade: B+; Overall, the series is a spectacular character study nothing like any of the other Netflix “dramadies.” Arnett has asserted himself as a hyper-realistic leading man whose ability to slip familiar Arrested Development snark into a largely serious series. The true revelation of the first season is the supporting cast, however – David Sullivan as Dennis provides the series’ moral compass, along with Robert Wisdom and George Basil as George and Cooler provide some strong role players to an exceptionally charged premise. The application of Venice for a stimulating setting is equally as surprising as the series’ overall emotional depth; a seemingly unaffected paradise just as affected by gentrification as any other setting imaginable.
Flaked is Netflix’s strongest comedy/drama hybrid, and hopefully the series will see considerable success in the future.
