"Thanksgiving" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American comedy-drama

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...

series ''

Master of None ''Master of None'' is an American comedy-drama streaming television series, which was released for streaming on November 6, 2015, on Netflix. The series was created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, with the first two seasons starring Ansari in the ...

''. The episode was released on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

on May 12, 2017, along with the rest of the second season. It was written by series creator

Aziz Ansari Aziz Ismail Ansari (; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for his role as Tom Haverford on the NBC series '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015) and as creator and star of the Netflix series '' Mas ...

and

Lena Waithe Lena Waithe (born May 17, 1984) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series ''The Chi'' (2018–present) and the BET comedy series ''Boomerang'' (2019–20) and '' Twenties'' (2020–pres ...

, who star as Dev Shah and Denise. Melina Matsoukas served as the episode's director. The episode follows Dev celebrating

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

with Denise's family throughout the years, as Dev's family doesn't celebrate the holiday. The episode details Denise's coming out as a lesbian throughout the years and their growing, yet resistant acceptance. The episode received widespread acclaim from critics. "Thanksgiving" won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, making Waithe the first African-American woman ever to win such award.

Plot

As Dev's family does not celebrate Thanksgiving, he has spent it with Denise's family for years, the two being childhood friends. On Thanksgiving in 1995, 12-year-old Denise begins to realize she is attracted to women. On Thanksgiving 1999, she comes out to Dev. When he asks why she is nervous to tell her family, she says LGBT issues are touchy in black families. On Thanksgiving in 2006, Denise comes out to her mother Catherine ( Angela Bassett). Catherine asks her sister Joyce (

Kym Whitley Kym Elizabeth Whitley is an American comedian and actress. She is best known for her roles on television sitcoms, such as '' My Brother and Me'', '' Sparks'', ''Animal Practice'', '' The Boondocks'', ''Young & Hungry'', ''The Parkers'', ...

) if this is her fault. On Thanksgiving in 2015, Denise brings her girlfriend Michelle ( Ebony Obsidian). Catherine and Joyce are obviously annoyed, and attempt to hide the fact that Denise is gay from her grandma, Ernestine (

Venida Evans Venida Evans is an American television, film, stage and commercial actress. Evans is perhaps best known to audiences for her role as " The Muse" in a series of IKEA television commercials in the United States beginning in 2008. Personal life Ev ...

). The next year, Denise brings home a superficial girl named Nikki (

Erica Mena Erica Jasmin Mena (born November 8, 1987) is an American television personality, model, and video vixen. She is best known for her appearances on '' Love & Hip Hop: New York'' and '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'', appearing in the franchise since 2011 ...

). After dinner, Dev talks with Catherine and Joyce. Catherine admits that while she does struggle with embracing her daughter's sexuality, she still wishes for Denise to end up with a nice woman, and misses Michelle. Finally, on Thanksgiving in 2017, Denise and Michelle are dating again. Joyce and Ernestine are happy to see her. Michelle and Catherine talk alone, and Catherine admits to Denise she is happy the two of them are together. Denise, Catherine, Joyce, Ernestine, Dev, and Michelle have a wonderful dinner, and happily say grace together.

Production and development

The episode was partially based on co-writer Waithe's own life.

Reception

In 2018, ''TV Guide'' listed "Thanksgiving" as number 10 in their "TV Guide's 65 Best Episodes of the 21st Century" issue. Upon winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, Waithe became the first African-American woman to win an Emmy Award in that category. The episode also won the

GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode The GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode is one of the annual GLAAD Media Awards which is offered to the best LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the ...

References

{{GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode 2017 American television episodes American LGBT-related television episodes Emmy Award-winning episodes Thanksgiving television episodes