On May 30, 2021, Bo Burnham released his third Netflix special, shocking the world. Its themes and emotions are more relevant than ever in this increasingly divided and dissonant world. After releasing his last special called Make Happy, he quit comedy and instead focused on working behind the camera, directing. He wrote and directed a movie called Eighth Grade which is about a young girl about to go into high school and trying to wrap up her terrible year of middle school. This return documents his time dealing with the Coronavirus lockdowns and how he used the special to keep him distracted.

  The special opens with him walking into the room where the entire thing will take place and closing the door. We do not see him leave until the end of the special, which is almost an hour and a half long. The song “Content” begins the special,  where he explains how the COVID lockdowns have affected him and how they have pushed him to try and make some content for everyone else watching at home.

  One of the most interesting things about this special is that it is broken into two parts. The first part is more upbeat, silly, and comedic, while the second part is more cynical. Part one focuses on social commentary and quirky human behavior with songs like “How the World Works” and “White Woman’s Instagram.” These songs are more in line with Burnham’s older works.

  Part two begins after the song “30,” where Burnham reflects on his age and how things were when he was young. After this point, the special gets more introspective and personal with Burnham getting more in-depth with his feelings and mental health. Songs like “All Time Low” and “That Funny Feeling” are more serious and tackle complex issues like Burnham’s declining mental health and the feeling of disassociation. 

  This sadness culminates in the song “All Eyes On Me”, a ballad that won Burnham a Grammy. The song delves into feelings of dread and hopelessness for the future while commentating on what retirement was like for Burnham. After being in a downward spiral, Burnham worked on himself and got better, but  right when he was about to return to live comedy, the COVID-19 lockdowns started.

  The two most popular songs in this special are “Bezos I” and “Welcome to the Internet”. In “Bezos I” Burnham mocks Amazon CEO and current third richest person in the world, Jeff Bezos. In a satirical way, he mimics people’s obsession and glorification of the wealthy elite. He denounces the other CEOs and billionaires, saying those amateurs can suck it.

  “Welcome to the Internet” is a delightful-sounding song that devolves into something more sinister. Burnham seems to play the part of the Internet itself introducing a newcomer to the wonderful world of the online space. He brings up things about the internet like conspiracy theories and BuzzFeed quizzes. But after the bombastic chorus, it slows down. He talks about what the internet used to be before it grew and how he’s been waiting for the next generation to come, this one fully enveloped in the internet, glued to it, dependent on it. He laughs maniacally revealing the true evil of this character. The internet is eager for the next generation to run the world while being bonded to it.

  It’s also worth mentioning that Bo Burnham released the Inside Outtakes the year after this came out. This second special is full of unused songs, sketches, and behind-the-scenes footage that was cut from Inside. It was almost as incredible as its predecessor.