8:46

Anyone who doesn't understand his point of view and what is going on in the United States 🇺🇸 right now, should not provide comment. It's a matter of a man seeing another man brutally treated-not for the first time, not for the 1000th time, but as common practice. From the emasculation and beating of slaves, to the group lynching to modern Commonplace violence - all because the person exists has a different skin??? How can you not be upset, how can you not understand, at a minimum how can you not empathize. Thanks Dave for telling the truth.

In this brief COVID-lockdown era special Dave dials down the jokes and dials up the anger. It's not a comedian on stage foaming at the mouth, but you can see the anger in his face and hear it in his voice. It comes from a good place though because "8:46" is representative of the eight minutes and forty-six seconds Derek Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd's neck (we now know that the time was above nine minutes). A visibly shaken Dave wanted to address the issue while throwing in a joke or two. Was it as funny as other stuff of his? No, and I'm not mad.

You have been warned. If you like that sort of thing...Enjoy!

I'm not sure what the other reviewers who gave this one star were expecting to hear from Dave Chappelle so close to the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests around the world, I really have no idea! But personally, I was expecting something powerful and full of passion, and that's what Chappelle gave us.

Anyone expecting comedy from Dave Chappelle right now hasn't been paying attention to who he is!

Released on YouTube by Netflix Is A Joke - the streamer's comedy and stand-up "brand" - the audience could be misled into thinking this was another installment of Chappelle's latest run of hilarious stand-up specials, like Sticks and Stones.

The name 8:46, inspired by how long the police officer who killed George Floyd's knelt on his neck, should give viewers an indication that this half-hour shouldn't be as filled with laughs as other times Chappelle got up on a stage. The brief description -

"Normally I wouldn't show you something so unrefined, I hope you understand"

• is another clue.

From the pandemic-compliant live audience sitting meters apart of each other and with masks, to the use of a notebook to the keep the comedian on track, 8:46 is definitely raw. That helps to make it much closer to a podcast or a personal essay than to a fully rehearsed stand-up routine.

But 8:46 is a captivating watch.

Chappelle's takes you on a journey by narrating through many events in his life that are tied to violence against or involving the African-American community.

It is true, the laughs are few and far in between. The distance between audience members also makes each joke harder to land. But you still get glimpses of quintessential Chappelle in this 30-minute long "special", including a reference to the famous "Where's Ja Rule?" joke.

In fact, what makes 8:46 bewitching is Chappelle's command of his own tone and enunciation.

8:46 is not a hilarious watch, no.

But if you are at all interested in the current social unrest in the US and the (latest) events that triggered it, watching a personal essay by Dave Chappelle - an African-American comedy legend who always spoke on the issue of race - should be very high up on your list.