King of Uncouth

Rodrigo Marques spends nearly the entirety of his second Netflix special constructing a single, massive anecdote about a trip to the Fernando de Noronha archipelago. For seventy-five minutes, the Recife-born comedian structures his set around the bizarre details of his island vacation, most notably an unexpected encounter where he was targeted by an aggressive dolphin. The stage design leans into the theme, styled with beach-themed decor and featuring front-row VIP guests seated in beach chairs.

The special was recorded in November 2021 at the Tom Brasil theater in São Paulo and released globally on Netflix in September 2022. At the time of its release, Marques was experiencing a significant career surge, touring Europe and representing Brazilian comedy at the Netflix Is a Joke festival in Los Angeles. He was also the first comedian from Pernambuco to land a global solo release on the streaming platform.

Sticking to a single narrative for over an hour is a risky structural choice. Marques breaks up the central vacation monologue with quick crowd work, including a moment where he spots an underage child in the crowd and warns them that their future science classes are about to get weird. Some viewers found that stretching one trip across seventy-five minutes ran thin, but the show remains a unique experiment in commitment to a premise.