Sam Jay is comfortable with being uncomfortable. In her new Netflix special, “3 In the Morning,” the comedian — a masculine-presenting Black queer woman — wrestles with hard questions, gray areas, and difficult truths. Her one-hour set, filmed at The Masquerade in Atlanta, covers everything from the “audacity” of white supremacy to her fear of flying. Throughout “3 In the Morning,” Jay’s comedy is laced with exasperation, weariness, and mischief. She appears to enjoy provoking her audience, perhaps because she believes forcing people to have tough conversations is a prerequisite for progress. Whatever her philosophy, Jay pulls off a tough feat in her special: she unpacks the complexities of human nature and social justice, delivering laughs without ever punching down.
The core argument of “3 In the Morning” comes in Jay’s discussion about the LGBTQ community. She acknowledges that confusion is not necessarily an attack, and that what is considered acceptable behavior is always evolving, but draws a clear line when it comes to hatred. Expecting her, one person who also happens to be a lesbian, to be some sort of encyclopedia of queer issues is ridiculous. Saying trans women aren’t “real” women is despicable. But wondering what to do at the prospect of domestic violence in the queer community — that’s necessary. No one has all the answers, Jay stresses in her set, and that’s okay. But we’ll never have any answers if we don’t recognize the need for conversation.
Jay wades into heavy, murky territory in her special but believe me, her comedy is neither didactic nor pretentious. Instead, she’s bemused. She’s rightfully angry about topics like mainstream feminism’s dismissal of women of color’s needs and the United States’ trash political establishment, but she’s also a little bit entertained. We’re all complicit in the mess that is modern life — laughing at our situation also means laughing at ourselves, and vice versa. Maybe that’s the only way we’ll be able to own our failures and move forward.
“Sam Jay: 3 In The Morning” is now streaming on Netflix.
