Talk about an Emmy snub! While Bo Burnham took away three awards in the Emmys including directing and writing his hit Netflix special, Inside, he didn’t win the one he truly deserved. The category in question, Outstanding Variety Special, went to Disney+’s Hamilton instead, which hit the platform last year.
And, as one might expect, Bo Burnham’s fanbase is disappointed. After all, Inside is an original, satirical work – some may say ‘art’ – while Hamilton is a decidedly unoriginal stage adaptation of a historical figure. And you know what? I completely agree with them.
A Little Bit of Everything
So, why, why is Bo Burnham’s Inside more deserving of an Outstanding Variety Special than the show that won?
To illustrate this, just think about the range of ‘bits’ in the special. One moment Burnham is satirizing the stereotypes of white female instagrammers. In another skit, he plays a digital marketer while making a profound observation that perhaps the digital world we use every day is more real than the flesh-and-blood one we all know and tolerate. Near the end of the special, we have the mind-blowingly awesome ‘All Eyes On Me’ which not only expresses Burnham’s struggles with anxiety but also shows his ability to write catchy anthems.
So, Inside has everything. And it only becomes more impressive when you realize Burnham wrote, directed, and performed it all himself. This special is the only good thing to come out of this pandemic.
Underlying Narrative
Despite the range of musical styles, there are prevalent themes throughout Inside. These include depression, anxiety, alienation, and the negative consequences of the internet. The big irony of the special is despite its serious subject matter, many of the songs are upbeat and contradict their dark lyrical content.
But perhaps the special’s biggest strength is how it captures the way people felt during the lockdown. The special’s setting is Burnham’s spare room in his house. It’s seldom decorated – in fact, the walls are plain white and the room itself feels as empty as Burnham’s protagonist. Many of the song’s videos are performed in the darkness (i.e. White Woman’s Instagram, FaceTiming With My Mom, and All Eyes On Me). This, combined with the characterless room creates a feeling of claustrophobia unique to Inside. The setting itself oozes the alienation and depression experienced by many during the lockdown.
Welcome to the Internet
Get Back Inside
All in all Inside remains relevant even several months after its release. It chronicles a young man’s depression and anxiety as he isolates himself at home. Starting with the energetic ‘Content’ and ending with the anthemic ‘All Eyes On Me’ and the sorrowful ‘This is How It Ends’, the special is quite simply a masterpiece from start to finish. It fully captures the alienation and anxiety of Millenials and Gen Z while exploring how our society is changing due to the Internet.
Now, Hamilton is brilliant – and I highly suggest you go watch it. But in my opinion, Inside wins easily when it comes to Outstanding Variety Special. No comedy special – heck, no feature – has depicted the pains of living in the modern world more than Burnham’s latest work. No feature has perfectly condensed the range of human emotion so well in an hour and 16 minutes. And, quite frankly, no feature has such a damn good collection of songs.
Because while Hamilton depicts the past, Bo Burnham’s Emmy-worthy Inside depicts the present and where we are going. And in a world full of uncertainty and alienation, we could use a lot more of that right now.
