Netflix"/>Before talking about the possibility of Season 2 of Flaked, perhaps it is worth talking about whether or not it really needs one. Season 1 had a very slow start, which honestly, is missing from a lot of series. Most shows think that viewers will turn off anything that doesn't hook them right away, but fail to realize the art of a slow beginning. The first episode is deliberately slow as the audience is introduced to Chip (Will Arnett), who is some man who helps out other alcoholics like he was before.
Now, the show's synopsis on imdb describes Chip as "a self-help guru", but when I think that, I think about someone who writes books, does public engagements, but Will Arnett's character is none of that. In fact, Chip has no money, yet somehow has a house and stool shop in Venice, California, as it is no doubt the main character of the show. There really isn't anything that explains how Chip obtained these things on the first episode. The one thing that is known about Chip is that ten years ago, he had one too many and killed someone behind the wheel.
The first episode introduces us not only to Chip, but to his best friend Dennis (David Sullivan). These two are having issues because they both are attracted to the same girl, London (Ruth Kearney). At first, this seems to be a romantic comedy, but with a Seinfeld "show about nothing" feel. That is, the events of the show just happen like life happens, with no apparent purpose, at least on the outset.
Then the twists begin to occur. This is where I am going to spoil the show, but if you want to watch all eight episodes and read this later, please do. It will only take four hours, and you might be entertained.
Note how I say might be entertained. Netflix has a good track record when it comes to its shows, and the Marvel shows (Daredevil and Jessica Jones), Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, and Love are a testament to that. However, Flaked has only receive a 35 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Granted, Fuller House has a 32 percent rating and has panned by critics, but it will have a Season 2.
Vox states that the "stupid plot twists" ruin this Netflix comedy. I found that most of the plot twists happen later in the story of Season 1 of Flaked and, if anything, they pulled me in. The problem was once I thought about these twists, the less sense that they made.
The first plot twist takes place on the first episode, and probably put there to add at least a little bit of interest of this deliberately slow-paced show. It is shown several times on the show that Chip drinks from a special waterbottle, and then it is revealed that the liquid is wine. Not only that, it is wine that is stolen from Dennis. This does make it interesting, as Chip now becomes a big hypocrite. However, at no point in time does the audience see him drunk or doing anything rash, and I'll explain why later.
What happens with Chip getting together with London seems to happen quite quickly. Then it is revealed that London is really the sister of the man who Chip killed. Yes, this is unexpected, and the reason why is because it is that London is throwing herself at Chip constantly. One would think that this type of relationship would result in the opposite response. At least the show didn't do a dumb plotline of London attempting some kind of personal revenge.
Then comes a final twist is that Chip didn't kill that person that he said he killed. In fact, it is his ex-wife Tilly (Heather Graham) who did it, and Chip just took the fall. So this makes Chip's drinking "okay". Yes, this twist sort of untwisted the first twist, didn't it?
In fact, the biggest issue that Flaked has comes from its creator, Will Arnett. Arnett is probably most famous for his role as Gob Bluth on Arrested Development, and the creator for that show, Mitchell Hurwitz, is the executive producer for Flaked. Arnett is a definite character actor, and he has landed some good movie roles after Arrested Development, but he is one of those TV actors has done some mediocre shows with Running Wilde and Up All Night. He already has a hit show with Bojack Horseman, plays Lego Batman, and is in the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series as well.
In other words, does Arnett need this role? The issue with this character that Arnett plays is that Chip seems to be constantly liked by everyone, and I've already explained that the fact that London likes him seems very unrealistic. Also, when Dennis finds out that Chip has been drinking his wine, at $1,000 per bottle, he is not as mad as he really should be. By the end of the show, Chip is known as the "Mayor of Venice". In short, he feels like what many refer to as a "Mary Sue", a character who saves the day through unrealistic abilities.
Of course, this isn't to say that Chip feels frustration, which Arnett is very good at conveying. It is pretty clear by the end of Season 1 that there is more that can be done on this show, and I enjoyed peering into the life of this man. Flaked is all about finding the strength to try when it is just easier to just quit, but I felt that Chip needed to try a bit harder before much of the resolution occurred.
So far, Netflix has not given any indicator on whether Chip, Dennis, and the gang will return. However, Netflix can be slow to report when their shows get another season, but if I had to guess, Flaked will probably receive a Season 2 due to Arnett just being Arnett. If it doesn't, then Arnett is just going to find other roles that he might be able to play much better.
