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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Jerrod Carmichael is back with another standup special after five years. Rothaniel is the comedian’s third standup comedy special for HBO, the first being Love at the Store in 2014 followed by 8 in 2017. The special is written and performed by Carmichael and directed by Bo Burnham (Eighth Grade, Inside), who previously directed 8. It is executive produced by Carmichael, Burnham, Eli Bush, Matthew Vaughan, and Josh Senior.
According to a press release from WarnerMedia, “The special was taped in February before a live audience at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City.”
Please read ahead at your own discretion to avoid any huge revelations.
Discussion
The Premise of Rothaniel
For 55 minutes and 20 seconds, including the brief introductory credits and the end credits, Jerrod Carmichael talks about secrets, of which — in this special — he reveals three. The first is his first name; spoiler alert: yes, it is Rothaniel. The other two secrets comprise the build-up to the revelation. Here is a taste of his act:
I’m trying to paint a picture of a world before Destiny’s Child where women got cheated on… Things that exist but don’t exist, it’s things that are right there, hiding in plain sight.
Jerrod Carmichael in his HBO special, ‘Rothaniel’
Two Genres, Not One
Let me explain why I categorized and tagged this special not just under “Comedy” but under “Drama” as well. The jazzy musical scoring at the beginning sets us into the mood of uncertainty. If this is your first time watching, you won’t know what to expect. Carmichael enters the tenebrous room of the club and walks on stage, where the brightest light shines on him. Infidelity and sexuality are two topics of conversation, with Christianity playing a key factor in both. The comic invokes comedy as levity to ease the discomfort of his past; it is almost as if to suggest that things could be okay (emphasis is on “could”).
A balance is established as he progresses through the act. In one segment, he discusses getting high off of marijuana and watching a children’s film with kids that are not his, namely, his sibling’s offspring. He straightaway uses this happenstance to compare his mother to the eponymous characters in a Trolls movie; suddenly, the room is not chiming in with laughter but filled halfway with solemn silence. I have not seen this in a Carmichael special before, and so his constant jumping back and forth between comedy and drama stirs up emotions until he tells the audience what he really wanted to say.
As a result, the window peeking into the room by the end of the special brings a picturesque outlook on life, not just Jerrod Carmichael’s but ours as well. Here, the resumption of jazz with the gradual zooming out of the scene provides us with the insight that life is, in this way, like a motion picture. The images and the enveloping space are not necessarily stagnant, but developmental steps are taken in increments. Allow me to break it down further.
Jerrod Carmichael’s Performance
Part of understanding stand-up comedy (or just stand-up, in general) is knowing rhetoric; in other words, the art of persuasion — a key element to oratory, or speech. In a way, it is not totally comedy, and from watching the special itself, it is definitely not a stand-up.
Modes of Appeal
Carmichael showcases his shame and guilt, permitting the viewer to empathize with his pathos and ethos. He tells the audience the type of child he grew up as, that he doesn’t favor being a secret-keeper and would rather convey the truth, and how this has ultimately affected his familial environment. He also confesses his fear of his parents dying as unchanged human beings, a feeling that I personally relate with. Three-fifths into the special, he steers into more dramatic territory, albeit not one of melodrama.
He then tries to make sense of the given facts, such as the roles to which his older relatives have socially subjected themselves, more specifically his mother being a sweet and kind woman. He brings up psychosocial and psychosexual norms of both the previous century and the current one. However, not every component possesses a sense of logic, and not all the pieces fit the puzzle. At the end of the act, he tries to cite some adages and Bible verses but finds difficulty in keeping them fully suited to the discourse.
The comic often pauses to come up with the words, not only in the context of the act but the events that surround it. He reminds the audience that his circumstances are still happening in real-time, which explains why the special ends in a cliffhanger. This is his attempt at kairos, but also invention — the first canon of rhetoric — which go hand-in-hand together.
Canons
Jerrod Carmichael arranges the act in a certain organization, that is, from infidelity to sexuality to race and gender roles to religion.
His style and memory of his performance prove feasible at times; however, he struggles with delivery due to delays of the kairos and the invention/ discovery of the words. The timing is not perfect, but he makes up for it with the way he weaves together the events of his life.
In the end, the comic maintains an audience-performer relationship so as to not evolve the rapport between receiver and orator into something more. This, too, becomes a challenge, and the overall act becomes a moment or point in time that has yet to move forward to proper closure.
The Crew
The special is also edited by Burnham. Sam Levy serves as the director of photography.
Sam Lisenco serves as the production designer. Marc Janowitz serves as the lighting designer, while Kendall Anderson serves as the set decorator. Jon D’Uva is the sound mixer.
Final Thoughts on Jerrod Carmichael’s Rothaniel
Frankly, I have not seen Rothaniel Jerrod Carmichael in a lot of work. However, when I do, I can see much truth in his words. In this special, he utilizes the audience to break through invisible walls into a space of catharsis, although he still has a long journey ahead.
After a few watches, Rothaniel is imperfect, which is the point of his humanity. It is not merely that he longs to be accepted but hopes that those around him can be accepting. I find this to be the hardest part about our current state of living, that we have been so conditioned by society throughout history that the very thought of change seems impossible.
Perhaps taking the baby steps is what is necessary. The effort that the comedian puts in is worthwhile. In his special, not only does he achieve at obtaining laughter from his guests; he also gains their curiosity, shock, and wonder. This is something I had always believed should happen in stand-up or that alone, that it isn’t just about comedy anymore but genres beyond it, and for that, I must commend him.
Rothaniel airs on HBO and is streaming via HBO Max this weekend!
Have you seen Carmichael’s stand-up special? If so, then what are your thoughts on it so far? Let us know! For more comedy and drama-related news and reviews visit and follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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