Dave Burd Explains The Core Theme Of Dave Season 3
The autofictional series centering around comedy-rapper Lil Dicky (a.k.a. Dave Burd) is finally returning for a third season and it promises to take on a totally new perspective.
The first season of "Dave" followed Burd's rise up the lower rungs of hip-hop popularity as he scored his first record deal. The following season explored Lil Dicky's writer's block and his inability to appreciate his success. The rapper's ungrateful attitude began to poison his close friendships and his dating life, but it ended on a high note.
Season 3 finds Lil Dicky at the top of his game and will continue to explore his unquenchable quest for success. This time, though, Dave will seek outward — rather than inward — for answers.
It's only natural that the previous seasons have focused most heavily on the show's namesake, even shifting into total subjectivity at times and climbing inside Dave's head. Still, the series has always played with competing perspectives, like the season 2 episode "Ad Man" that shifts between Dave and Emma's points of view. The series creator hopes to explore other characters more closely in season 3.
"I'm making a show about my perspective," he explained to Consequence. "So at the end of the day, I certainly wanted to reflect my [POV], but I also feel like there are other characters that I want to reflect."
Fame is Dave's new focus
While season 2 explores Lil Dicky on a "psychological level" — as Dave Burd pointed out, "it literally climaxes with me talking to my own innermost enlightened version of myself" — season 3 will be more "observational," focusing on Dave's outer world.
Despite this shift, "Dave" will remain a "reflection" of Burd's own viewpoint. "I think I'm in a position where what do I know better than my own perspective?" he explained. "So I try to stick to that because that's really the one thing I am an expert at, is my own thoughts."
In the finale of season 2, GaTa joins Lil Dicky onstage in a moment of "catharsis" after a season of "inner personal strife" and "buil[t] up angst and opposition," as Burd put it. Dave is finally no longer at odds with his closest friend, but that doesn't mean that conflict has left his life.
Season 3 will dive into some unprecedented territory for the series, but one key concept will guide the entire season. "We're going on to these different places, but I think this season, I think that the core theme is fame," Burd revealed, "my character's and GaTa's character's quest for it and what it means, and how everyone wants fame."
It might seem like a familiar idea, but just because it's popular doesn't mean that it's been thoroughly examined. Fame has come to mean something entirely new in the past decade or two, and there's plenty of room for new art that takes a unique crack at the quest for popularity in the age of social media. "We live in a time now where I feel, with social media, everyone wants to be famous, and it's like, why?" Burd asked.
Dave is looking for love on tour
Lil Dicky's unquenchable thirst for acclaim will continue to play into his existing conflicts with GaTa and Emma in season 3, as well as any new people that might enter his life. This is based on elements of Dave Burd's real personality but is emphasized for dramatic effect.
"It all stems from a kernel — deep down, I know I am inherently a selfish person," he explained. "And I think we take that nugget and we hyperbolize it a little bit for the sake of plot and everything." As Dave gets more famous, it stands to reason that he will only grow more and more selfish.
The series creator is particularly interested in "exploring the power dynamics of fame as it pertains to dating." The first season found Dave in a long-term relationship with Ally, while season 2 saw him dip his toe into the dating world. His attempt to court Doja Cat in episode 6 is a taste of the dynamics that might come into play in season 3, but perhaps with a bit of role reversal given Dave's newfound fame.
"[T]his season, my character is very much looking for love, trying to meet his wife on tour, wherever I can find her," Burd revealed. "Just a lonely guy trying to meet her, a hopeless romantic. So, there's a lot to play around with, like gender norms as they pertain to dating. And I think we do some surprising cool stuff."
So, there you have it "Dave" fans: this season promises a search for love on the road to fame. With Lil Dicky finally finding success as a musician, will he set his sights on a celebrity girlfriend to link and build with, or will he start to reject his fame in favor of more humble romantic ambitions?