![]() ![]() Then, thirty minutes into the special he not only brings up his wife, he accomplishes something in his set that I feel has been a decade in the making. The elephant in the theater feels palpable, will he mention his wife? Perhaps I’m projecting, but having watched it multiple times I look at the opening shot of the crowd applauding for him and I see some stony, sad faces. ![]() I bring it up, not simply because there is material in the set about this, but because knowing about it completely changes the opening. “Annihilation” is Patton Oswalt’s first comedy special with new material written after the sudden death of his wife Michelle Eileen McNamara in 2016. Most specials use the introduction as either a masturbatory demonstration in a comedian thinking they’re also great skit writers or as a way to show a comedian getting pumped up for a massive crowd of loyal fans. Instead, we are given a silent but beautiful crane shot of the Athenaeum Theater’s neon marquee, followed by a shot of Oswalt walking down a dark hallway, pausing to wait for his introduction. The usual unfunny opening skit most stand-up specials have is gone. With his newest Netflix special “Annihilation,” Patton Oswalt delivers a stand-up set that transcends mere jokes, becoming a narrative journey of emotion, grief, and comedy.įrom the opening shot, things feel different. Gavin Gaddis, Opinion Editor | October 18, 2017 ![]()
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