I've been a fan of the Aunty Donna boys since late 2014. I don't follow them nearly as avidly as I once did, but watching this show (produced by the ABC) felt like I was finally seeing something they'd always wanted to make, in a place they'd always wanted to put it. It transported me back to their roots and why I originally fell in love with their work, the style I feel they'll always been best at, honed and refined through their years of dedication and hard work producing for stage and screen. I strongly feel episodes 2-5 of this show is some of the best work they've produced, with the Noughts and Crosses and Hit n Run Arcade sketches perhaps being the best examples of their work ever put to screen. There was one moment in Episode 2 that had me laughing harder than I have in quite a long time.
Their absurdism has always been a tough sell for some folks, and this show definitely isn't for everyone. The rough edges of the final episode still betray their lack of finesse when it comes to longer narratives, and their occasionally too-heavy reliance on improv, and some of the jokes are definitely overplayed (cake), but the three main performers have a far better performing ability now than they've ever had. Zach in particular was stealing scenes left and right, while each performer were still given moments to shine. Mark in episode 2 was exquisite, and the way side characters are given smaller stories too really Helps everybody feel involved and included. Just like most of AD's work, there's no ego in the show, an absolute sense of open vulnerability in their ridiculousness that makes them so easy to invest it. The amount of sketches within the constraints of the show is astounding. There's so much solid gold comedy in here and it's all so damn perfectly delivered so much of the time and so easy to have fun with.
All in all, there's no question these six guys know what they're doing and who they're trying to reach. Their mastery of this particular style is unmatched right now, a brand fully their own, and that Australian television has finally given them the space they deserve (and have deserved for years) to show what they can do is a treat to see for a fan like me, even if I'm not blind to the shortcomings of their work or the somewhat divisive appeal. An enourmous congratulations to them for creating some dense, hilarious television that's full of the same naughty, endearing energy that they've always had. I admire how they've never strayed from that same core approach and style - it really won my heart back in the day and provides much needed solace today as well.
