[In season two, Peacocks weird and funny satire "Killing It"
carves up the myth of the American dream]
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PORTSIDE CULTURE

KILLING IT IS A PERFECT COMEDIC TAKEDOWN OF LATE-STAGE CAPITALISM  
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Saloni Gajjar
August 30, 2023
AV Club
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_ In season two, Peacock's weird and funny satire "Killing It" carves
up the myth of the American dream _

Claudia O’Doherty and Craig Robinson in Killing It. , Photo: Trae
Patton/Peacock/UTV/USG

 

_Killing It_
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setup in season one: Serial entrepreneurial hustler Craig (Craig
Robinson
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and his one-time Uber driver, Jillian (_Love_
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team up to kill snakes in Florida
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a $20,000 contest. If they win, he can finally open his farm, and she
can pay a lawyer to solve her visa problems. Their basic goal is to
stop being card-carrying members of the gig economy. For a situational
comedy, it doesn’t get more bizarre than a Florida python challenge
to bring random people together. This eccentric launching point
isn’t just used for laughs, of which plenty exist. Peacock
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series offers layered commentary about late-stage capitalism and how
it thrives by completely screwing over regular people. (Yeah, the
snakes are both real _and _metaphorical here.)

The show walks a tightrope of genres. It’s a meta-comedy, a gripping
thriller, and often an emotional saga. But what makes _Killing
It_ stand out is that it’s a scathing encapsulation of today’s
society. The writing attempts to unpack the rotten roots of an economy
that consistently favors the rich while the common man is left behind
in the muck—quite literally, in this case, as Craig and Jillian
stomp around marshy wetlands in an attempt to make their dreams come
true. Their dangerous reptile-hunting is novel, but their need for
survival is universal. Their ambitions and frustrations send them on a
rat race to emerge triumphant, even if it means defeating others like
them.

_Killing It_’s absurd gimmick mines meaningful stories (and subtle
humor) about overcoming bureaucracy and red tape, a hurdle most of us
face (maybe minus the jokes in real life). A poisonous serpent is
pointedly the least of Craig and Jillian’s worries. Who has time to
fear reptiles when a scary government is making life far more
miserable? To drive home that point, season one is set around election
time in 2016. (The voting-themed sixth episode is a highlight. If
you’ve ever stood in a long line to cast your ballot, you’ll
relate.)

Craig and Jillian’s main problems range from being unable to secure
a loan to facing homelessness to financial troubles that don’t seem
to have a long-term solution, no matter how hard they work. Resorting
to slightly_ _illegal options feels like the only way out. The duo
also gets caught up in the shenanigans of Craig’s con-artist
brother, Isaiah (Rell Battle), and his wealthy employer, Rodney
LaMonca (Tim Heidecker). Now, Rodney is a grade-A schemer masquerading
as—ugh—a sensible, motivational CEO. Ah, corporate greed: the
other big villain of our current socioeconomic climate.

Killing It | Season 2 | Official Trailer | Peacock Original

While it offers a moving and sharp critique of the American
dream, _Killing It _is a little rough around the edges in season one
when it comes to dealing with these issues. But in season two, which
dropped on August 17, the show comes fully alive. The eight tightly
paced, binge-worthy episodes follow Craig and Jillian in a
post-competition era. (Yes, it means no more snakes for now, if that
helps those with phobias.) Robinson and O’Doherty have perfected
their crackling chemistry, with their characters’ clashing
personalities developing organically. Craig and Jillian have finally
opened a saw palmetto berry farm. The sweet taste of success is
practically on their lips. So, of course, that’s when the state’s
Agriculture Department shuts down the entire operation, with the agent
in charge derailing and delaying a routine inspection and possible
reopening.

To make matters worse, Craig and Jillian get roped into more of Isaiah
and Rodney’s scams, while also dealing with a silly, local mafia
family called the Boones. Nothing is black and white; the matriarch,
Jackie Boone (Dot-Marie Jones), is only blackmailing them into hiring
her clan as legit farm workers so they can afford health insurance.
And—mild spoiler alert—when she gets a life-threatening diagnosis
later, she’s glad to be in jail because the government has to pay
for her treatment. So what if it means spending years behind bars to
get it? It would be a hilarious gag if it wasn’t so damn tragic.

The show utilizes its supporting characters to enhance its thesis on
late-stage capitalism: The daily grind comes for everyone, even lowly
criminals. Only a rare few escape intact, like Rodney. In season two,
he makes a huge fuss about wanting to fight a shark in front of an
audience to promote a new pharmaceutical product—then he pays a
stuntman $300 to do it instead. Weirdly, this was probably filmed
before Meta and X’s CEOs declared their wish to battle each other
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a cage fight. So yes, clearly _Killing It _taps into real life even
more than it could’ve imagined.

Co-created by _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_
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and Luke Del Tredici, _Killing It _harbors a similar comedic vibe,
in part because of its talented ensemble. The show is less of a
generic sitcom and more of a biting satire, fitting nicely alongside
other edgy Peacock half-hour shows
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to Netflix), _Rutherford Falls_
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and _Paul T. Goldman_
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underrated gem
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And in a sea of comedies that are under-promoted or canceled too
soon, _Killing It_ stands out: The streaming platform dropped
the first three episodes of season one on TikTok
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racking up massive numbers. However, don’t think it’s only meant
to be watched on your phone. _Killing It_, at its core, is a
methodical takedown of the capitalist era we’re living in right
now—and it deserves to be appreciated accordingly.

* killing it
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* late stage capitalism
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* peacock
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* precarity
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* precarious work
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* Inequality
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