Simon Amstell: Set Free

There are plenty of well-written lines and strong wordlplay to keep the viewer entertained. The subjects he discusses are sometimes more personal than his previous shows, but where he normally has the ability of making the personal universal, he gets a bit self-indulgent at points and I couldn't relate to some of his material at all.

The segues are a little clunky and he jumps from musings on sex, to the royal family, to LA gurus, without much grace. While interesting, it comes across as a little incoherent and lacking in thematic reinforcement, which was a strong point in his other shows. It is loosely framed by his relationship with his father, but this doesn't really go anywhere interesting.

At least there are jokes - which is not to be underestimated. It sags in the middle where he gets a bit derailed by his own opinions and there are various takes on religion/mysticism which feel undercooked, but just as he starts to get preachy, he resolves the bit with a decent punchline or skit. Then it fizzles out towards the end.

So it's a bit all over the place and he's capable of much more refinement, but it's certainly not terrible or boring. It's a decent show, but I think I was expecting a more mature product from a seasoned comedian.