Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Katt Williams: World War III’ On Netflix, Where The Comedian’s Two Half-Hours Feel At War With Each Other – Decider

Four years removed from his first Netflix comedy special, Katt Williams returns to find a world at warwith whom or what, though? The stand-up comedian who became famous for his Pimp Chronicles now wants to break down our inner conflict between lies and the truth. But how much can we trust Williams to lead us to the right destination?

The Gist: Katt Williams filmed this special in Las Vegas at Dolby Live as part of his World War III tour in January of this year, as the Omicron variant of the COVID pandemic raged across America. A wild time to perform indoors for several thousand fans, but that only fed into the themes of his new hour.

Because the war hes talking about isnt a geopolitical one Russia hadnt yet invaded Ukraine in January. Nor is it about Americas War on Drugs, although Williams does have jokes about that, too. No. The war that finds Williams fighting the frontlines on involves a battle between lies and the truth.

What Comedy Specials Will It Remind You Of?: Is there any comedian quite like Katt Williams? I dont know if Williams himself would even point to anyone else. If you had to compare him and this special in particular to anyone, then perhaps Eddie Griffin, who considers himself a truth-teller of sorts and calls Las Vegas home, might be as close as you could find. Although in terms of a special that contains two distinct and disparate themes, Williams World War III also shares that in common with Chris Rocks Tamborine.

Memorable Jokes: When Williams reveals his take on vaccines, that hell get whatever shots his dog gets. Why? Im as likely to bite somebody as he is. He knows what most audiences make of him.

He also knows how to pull you in with a premise as simple as equating chicken wings to the end of the world. Taco Bell selling chicken wings in 2022? Thats straight out of the Book of Revelation, he crows! Williams keeps our focus on wings to develop a larger point about how were being lied to. Case in point: The so-called chicken wing shortage.

Theres more where that clip came from.

Williams has equally memorable bits about President Biden (despite just saying a minute or two earlier that hes done joking about politics), about Americas tangled relationship with drug use and abuse, and even about what he believes came from God versus what came from science. He believes in both, by the way.

Our Take: The first half-hour? Technically brilliant!

The way Williams lays out the difference between liars and the truth, noting that its in fact the truth-tellers who need to have proper respect for their opposition. The way Williams defends Biden as an old man doing the best he can, all the while adding another preposterous year to Bidens age, first calling him 96, then 97, then 98, then 99 each time he defends the president. The way Williams points out how law enforcement no longer mentions their war on drugs because the dealer is your doctor, and how he knows that zero Black people have anything to do with fentanyl. How many other comedians do you know who are even joking about fentanyl, let alone attempting to score serious points about it?

In all of these cases, Williams puts himself between us and the liars, casting himself as the truth-teller we can count on. They lie to us because sometimes the truth is uglysometimes the truth is painful.

So what to make of the second half-hour from Williams, where he uses the Biblical Garden of Eden story as a jumping-off point for his extended thoughts about female genitalia?

Aside from a clever bit of wordplay setting up his premise that water and pussy are Gods creations, joking how we know the recipe for water (H to the 2 to the O) yet cannot duplicate it, culminating in the line: You can lead a HO to water but she aint gonna make none. Aside from that, its all below the belt from here on it.

Suddenly, Williams stops being extraordinary and becomes merely ordinary.

Even if dirty sex jokes, much like poop jokes, will always generate laughs. Thats what makes closing with such material all too ordinary. Which is not what weve come to know and love about Williams. We want him to be at his most extra.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Id suggest watching the first half-hour, then clicking away and SKIP the rest, so you can marinate and/or debate his viewpoints on the world. Unless you really want to know what Williams looks for in a woman underneath her panties.

Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat for his own digital newspaper,The Comics Comic; before that, for actual newspapers. Based in NYC but will travel anywhere for the scoop: Ice cream or news. He also tweets@thecomicscomicand podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories:The Comics Comic Presents Last Things First.

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Stream It Or Skip It: 'Katt Williams: World War III' On Netflix, Where The Comedian's Two Half-Hours Feel At War With Each Other - Decider