Review: Daniel Sloss, “X” on HBO

Daniel Sloss has made a name for himself throughout his 20s for making audiences uncomfortable, while always letting us know he’s actually a good guy in whatever story he tells. No matter how offensive it may get.

For his HBO debut in 2019, Sloss made waves not only by exploring toxic masculinity, but also his part in not knowing how bad it really was out there for women. And I compared him to Hannah Gadsby in using tension to his advantage.

As I wrote in Decider:

Like Gadsby, Sloss wants to focus our attention on toxic masculinity; unlike Gadsby, of course, Sloss is forced to recognize his own toxicity. At first, he plays it off, suggesting: “I’m not going to change, but at least I’m self-aware. And that’s half the battle. But not the half that matters.”

The problem with men, he explains, is that men still haven’t quite shed their caveman sensibilities, despite all of humanity’s other adaptations and evolution. Men learn early and all too often not to embrace all over their emotions. Getting in touch with his emotions in his late 20s now, Sloss jokes: “It’s not like having a superpower, but it is like having every other man’s kryptonite. Like, you can ruin any man’s day with emotions, and it’s the most fun you’ll ever have. Women, I finally understand your games.”

Sloss’s personal evolution climaxes in a 15-minute section devoted to how the #MeToo movement was brought home to him via two women close to him.

Because of this story, the folks at HBO included this graphic for viewers who may feel compelled to share.

Read my full review in Decider.com.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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