Master of None
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The home is semi-empty, noticeably cleared out of half the life that lived there.
Artwork is missing and bookshelves are cleared.
Denise is truly in the house alone.
When relationships end, the instinct is to conduct a post-mortem.
Why did they fail?
But for Denise and Alicia, theres more of a reckoning.
Shes formal and polite but loses her temper when Denise insists they talk first.
She left because Denise made her into nothing more than a signifier of her own success.
She was a prop in her wifes life, and she was sick of being merely someone elses decoration.
Shed had her own dreams once, and she set them aside for Denise.
But now, shes exhausted, and she doesnt want to do it anymore.
Denise relents and signs the papers before Alicia storms out, freedom in hand.
Shes screwed it all up and she cant take it back.
In the episodes final frames, Denise packs up the house, then calls her mother for comfort.
Catherine (Angela Bassett) tells her that despite this low point, things will be okay.
After all, its just a valley.
She loves Alicia, but she didnt treat her like a partner or an equal.
She treated her, in some ways, like a child she was obligated to keep happy.
Alicias wants and needs were an inconvenience to her.
This is as good a time as any to talk about Waithes and Ackies performances.
Waithe relies on her physicality to convey the meat of Denises unintentional aloofness, but it works.
But Ackie plays Alicias well-earned rage like a dramatic violin trill.
Her accent English by way of the West Indies drips with scorn and condescension.
Being a trophy made her feel small.
And when she finally got what she wanted, it was tainted by her wifes glaring reluctance to participate.
In trying to keep the treadmill of her success going, Denise wore it out.
And she didnt even notice until things had already fallen apart.
Its a burden that feels unfair, but also necessary.
We met them when they were unhappy and initially only got to see how things disintegrated.
But eventually, we witnessed them reconnect and find happiness together.
They were older, more whole people.
As they hit their lowest point, its hard not to hope they get it.
