From her stand-up specials Don Wong And Hard knock womanto her roles Always be my maybe And BeefAli Wong has made a name for himself as a comedian who isn’t afraid to “go there” (where “there” is often the dirtiest place possible).

But in her latest stand-up special on Netflix, Wong unfolds life after her divorce and her ongoing search for love in a way that is unusually gentle. Has the comedian lost her edge? Or has she taken the rare step of setting clear boundaries on what she will and will not discuss on stage?

Continue today Commotionfilm critics Rachel Ho and Rad Simonpillai, as well as comedian Cassie Cao, join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss what they respected – but perhaps didn’t like – about the Netflix comedy special Ali Wong: single lady.

We’ve included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, including the panel’s thoughts on the new Apple TV+ series Disclaimer and the upcoming Western film Rust, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favorite podcast player.

LOOK | Today’s episode on YouTube:

Elamine: Ali Wong is known for his raw, kind of in-your-face comedic style. What was she like in this new special?

Cassie: I liked it a lot. This is her fourth special. I think her first Baby cobrait is now (almost) 10 years old, and I would like to emphasize to everyone how difficult it is to maintain a level of consistency between specials over this long period of time. And how hard it is to write good stand-up when you’re successful and rich and you absolutely don’t have to do it anymore.

I think she’s really excellent. And the level of consistency: she delivers. She doesn’t joke about her audience. She doesn’t take out a notebook. She doesn’t go off the rails. She delivers what you paid for in your ticket, and I really appreciate that.

Elamine: What did you think of her vulnerability? Because that’s something I think we take for granted with Ali Wong: she goes to the vulnerable spot. For example, the jokes are raunchy and dirty, and then there’s a twist. There’s a twist in every Ali Wong joke; she turns it in a little bit, and that’s her genius. Did you feel like she was put in a vulnerable place in this special?

Cassie: I would say this is definitely not her most vulnerable special, but I understand it too. First of all, I consider her to be possibly the nastiest comic I can even think of. She keeps it back for her Netflix specials. She gives us most of the PG stuff she has in her joke book. I thought the one from before, Don Wongwas so dirty, and I thought she had gained enough trust with her audience to get even dirtier. And I was a little disappointed that it didn’t get dirtier. It did not become more fragile. She didn’t talk about her husband. That’s what I was waiting for, you know? But at the same time, I really respect Ali Wong for being such a big star, so successful, under so much pressure from the media and fans, and for guarding her boundaries. She says, if I’m not going to talk about it, we’re just not going to talk about it. And I think that’s a very powerful message.

Elamine: Rachel, you’re not a fan of Ali Wong’s comedy. I want to talk about this. That said, what did you think of the themes and issues she tries to tackle in the special?

Rachel: I want her to be successful, and I think it’s important that we support each other within these smaller communities. But I feel like she’s closer to a shock jock than anything else. Like, she says things to hype people up, and to me that’s not necessarily smart comedy. It’s not necessarily an intelligent comedy. It’s just saying something that people don’t expect you to say, like playing against type. I feel like that’s been her thing, and for me personally, it doesn’t feel that authentic.

I do like the themes she’s talking about in this one, though. I think it’s interesting. I mean, the idea of ​​being 40 and divorced and being a single mom and trying to date again and the openness with which she shares her journey is pretty cool to me. And I like that. We all know who she is dating at the moment, and so I understand why she might not go into it full throttle, considering he’s a pretty famous person himself. But I do think –

Elamine: I was like, we do that too all do you know? I mean, I don’t know if I know.

Cassie: We do.

Rachel: Bill Hader?

Cassie: And he could take a joke.

Rachel: He absolutely could. But I feel like she’s not just showing that there’s respect, right?

Cassie: Yes, I agree.

Rachel: There is respect between the two of them not to do it. And I don’t know, I respect her more than I like her. And I think the same can be said about this special. I respect it, but it’s not necessarily something that made me laugh all the time.

You can listen to the full discussion starting today’s show CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Panel produced by Ty Callender.