1 hour ago
3
Riz Ahmed is mostly known for being a “serious” actor as well as a filmmaker (he won an Oscar for the short film The Long Goodbye). But he’s done comedy here and there, as well, and now he’s at the Prime Video series Bait, about an actor who puts himself into a whirlwind of viral rumors and racism when he floats his name out there in relation to being cast in an iconic role.
BAIT: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: A man in a tuxedo enters a darkened room. He goes through a monologue while a woman points a gun at him. It’s a tense scene until he yells out “Line!”
The Gist: It turns out that this tense scene is actually an elaborate audition, with actor Shah Latif (Riz Ahmed) having been brought in by the director of the scene to try out for an illustrious part: James Bond. The director is annoyed that he seems to be blowing the same line for six takes in a row, and when he uses fasting for Ramadan as an excuse, she ends the audtion.
In the dressing room, he curses himself out and calls himself a “stupid Paki” without realizing his microphone was still clipped on him. He’s taken out of a side exit at the studio in order to avoid paparazzi, but decides to go out the front on purpose, knowing his picture will be taken. As he walks away from the studio, a passer-by notices him and tells him he’s a great actor… then confuses him with Dev Patel.
Shah is picked up by his brother Zulfi (Guz Khan), who runs a Muslim rideshare service. He takes them to their parents’ house because Shah hasn’t seen them in a couple of months. There, his mom Tahira (Sheeba Chaddha) dotes on him and his dad Parvez (Sajid Hasan) tells him that he never sees Shah on TV, which is an indicator that his career isn’t going well.
Then his cousin Q (Aasiya Shah) sees the rumor about him being considered for Bond on her phone, which makes everyone automatically proud of Shah. He tries to play it humble, saying it’s only an audition, but everyone is happy about the news.
Shah hopes this rumor juices his career, especially because he’s broke. His agent Felicia (Weruche Opia) says that the producers of the Bond film might give him another audition because of the buzz. He’s concerned that some of his old rap videos might come back to haunt him, but decides to keep his name out there by doing a set at a club where he used to perform.
When he gets there he runs into his ex, Yasmin (Ritu Arya), then lets the negative comments about the prospects of a Pakistani being James Bond get to him, sending him off the stage and into the alley.
Photo: Courtesy of PrimeWhat Shows Will It Remind You Of? Bait feels a bit like The Comeback crossed with Ramy.
Our Take: Ahmed created Bait and is the showrunner along with comedy veteran Ben Karlin, and it certainly feels at least a little bit autobiographical. At the very least, the family elements of Shah’s life are likely familiar to him, as are the struggles of being an established actor who is not getting steady work.
It’s interesting that Ahmed, Karlin and their writers are combining Shah’s self-doubt and insecurity about his acting career with the phenomenon of becoming a viral sensation for a few days and the inevitable racist backlash that comes with it. Shah has to deal with all of this in the days leading up to his second audition, and it’ll be fun to see if he can compartmentalize or fall completely apart (we’re betting it’s the latter).
Shah’s insecurity is the key to this story, though, and Ahmed does a good job of showing exactly why he’s so insecure. He’s at least a decade into a career that has had some success but not enough to keep him from needing to sell a watch he got as a best newcomer award from a film festival in 2015. He gets a big opportunity like the Bond audition and self-sabotages. No one in his family seems to be impressed with his accomplishments until they get the whiff of that rumor that he could be the next Bond.
It’s certainly the kind of stuff that would give any guy a complex, but especially one that is constantly in an uphill battle due to being Pakistani. And that will all come to a head (pun intended… see below) because he decided to put himself in the spotlight for the first time in his life.
Photo: Courtesy of PrimePerformance Worth Watching: Ahmed is funny as the always-put-upon Shah, though we wish we saw him rap in the first episode.
Sex And Skin: None in the first episode.
Parting Shot: Someone throws a bloody pig’s head through the window of Shah’s parents’ home, with a nasty note related to the Bond rumor attached. It’s then that Shah gets a text from his agent that he is getting that second audition for Bond.
Sleeper Star: Guz Khan is a good comic foil to Ahmed as Shah’s brother Zulfi.
Most Pilot-y Line: Shah’s agent says that his old, politically-charged music that can be found online makes him “The edgy POC candidate.”
Our Call: STREAM IT. Bait is a mostly-funny show about a guy that finds out what it’s like when he makes himself go viral in order to advance his career, with a funny performance by Riz Ahmed.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.
English (US)