The Best Joke in Difficult People (So Far)

One line and then I was hooked.
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Two minutes into the second episode of Difficult People, the sitcom's savage duo Julie and Billy (played by Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner) get abruptly shushed after they bombed their act about being stuck in an elevator with Katherine McPhee.

Billy stares at the husher like she’s an overgrown grade school bully and implores, “Who have you been stuck in an elevator with?”

“Nobody!” Julie hisses.

Before to this moment, the intense banter was hummingbird-quick and fun, but this line served up the pathetic undercurrent that made me lean in. As comedians and media obsessives, Billy and Julie don’t have conversations so much as discursive vehicles for reference-drunk zingers. Their codependent, shared insanity has created a secret society of two between Julie and Billy, and while they wouldn't let anyone in, they're very mad that people don't even want to join. Their world of two is one where being stuck in an elevator with a former American Idol is the pinnacle of success. They don't understand why your world is different.

Watching Difficult People in chronological order isn't crucial; episode-hopping is okay. It's actually just like people-watching two speedy nutballs in a broken elevator. It's overwhelming and frustrating, but it's not boring at all. Also, you're no Katherine McPhee, so who are you to judge.

