SPOILER ALERT:This interview contains spoilers from Wisconsin, the April 19 episode ofFXXsDave, now streaming on Hulu.
Breaking up is never easy, but on television its especially difficult and moreso if audiences fall in love with both parties involved. In Season 1 of FXXs Dave, the relationship between aspiring rapper Lil Dicky (Dave Burd) and his kindergarten teacher girlfriend Ally (Taylor Misiak) offered an essential window not just into who the series title character is, but why viewers should love him despite his often deeply narcissistic worldview. After Daves failed overture to reconcile with her in Season 2, Ally joins him in Season 3 to capitalize on his Looking For Love Tour by embracing her single girl era and finding love for herself if shes ready for it.
Ahead of episode four, Allys return to the show, Misiak spoke to Variety about the relationship her character has with Dave now that theyre both seeking romances with other people. As she discussed the hook-up that brought her back into Daves orbit, she also examined how her character serves as a two-way mirror not just reflecting on the choices that he makes, but some of Allys as well.
Traditionally when two people break up, they go separate ways and they dont see each other. What were your concerns or your goals when Ally was brought back for Season 3?
I always had this duality, as a person and an actor, of wanting to be in every minute of the show possible because I thank every star every day that Im even a small part of it. But then also, this other side of me that was like, I hope that we continue to make really smart decisions that really justify why Ally is there and doesnt feel forced, because I think the show is incredibly honest. And before I knew anything about Season 3, I remember thinking, I hope if we go down this path of Dave really dating other people that it becomes this really interesting choice for Ally and we get to see Ally deal with that. The writers were like, why dont we see Ally dating? Why dont we see Ally as this full person realizing her own shit instead of just constantly dealing with Daves? So that answered both of my prayers in the best way possible.
Theres much more joy and camaraderie in Season 3 than in Season 2. Is Ally a part of the esprit de corps of the raucousness and fun this time or is she more of an observer as everything unfolds?
Theres many, many moments throughout the season that are just about doing what Dave does best, which is just really great comedy. However, I always get these really nice texts from Dave or from the writers about how much they love that I can act. Theyre like, What a little actor we have! Because they work with so many artists, musicians and comedians, and theyre like, Taylor is just an actor. And there are a couple of scenes this season where they really flexed on that where theyre like, what if everyone is having fun, but Ally is having a mental breakdown? That doesnt seem like I get to be as much involved in the party, but the drama or tension is coming from the expectations in Allys life not going as planned and her grappling with that.
You describe yourself as an actor, but this show is so much of an interrogation of hip-hop, of the hype-beast mentality a lot of things that are outside of acting. How much has that helped you portray Ally more authentically?
Ive had to learn some things and unlearn some things. Ive also brought in a lot of skills from having a background in just straight-up acting. Ive learned so much from getting to work with people who are coming from the music side theres just a fun spark that comes from people who come on our show and play themselves. Theyre like, youre going to do this scene with Kourtney Kardashian.
Given how much of this is driven by the real Daves relationships, what conversations did you have about how comfortable Ally and Dave can honestly be with one another as they transition into a friendship?
Weve always talked about Ally being a vehicle for the audience to have permission to love Dave at some of his most unlovable moments. Hes a deeply flawed character I think its part of what makes the show so interesting. And this real heart that Ally brings, we have to figure out a way to keep it in the universe of the show without always making it this will-they-wont-they. While I agree with you its uncommon that exes have this sort of friendship, Dave has an uncommon life and uncommon relationships and is going to lean into the unexpected. Ally has this undeniable love for him, and he does for her, and I think that they anchor each other in different ways. Ally is one of the only characters that doesnt benefit directly from Daves success, and their relationship should be really complicated. But in a way, its sometimes less complicated than his relationship with the rest of the ensemble because she does genuinely want happiness for him.
Is the uncertainty of her current relationship more painful than the seeming certainty of her past relationship with Dave?
I think the whole episode plays with expectations and hopes. We see Ally in Season 2 really sorting out her relationship with Dave, which is this huge category of her life. She still has this career. She is a successful gal. Were looking at this person who is like, This is going to be my single girl era, and then Im going to meet the love of my life. And in that way, shes also really similar to Dave they joke about Daves Looking for Love Tour, but Allys on a looking for love tour. She just doesnt call it that, and thinks that shes more grounded and realistic. But in reality, her expectations are just as off as Daves. Not only does she deeply not have her shit together, but shes disappointed that she thought she did.
This whole episode feels like a bit of a dialectic between Daves experiences and Allys, where hes not seeking the romantic situation that he ends up in, and shes actively seeking one and it goes wrong. How was the episode written on the page to indicate that shes gotten the experience that she said she wants, but realizes that it isnt?
We played that confrontation scene at the end a handful of ways. And it does come down to the injustice of this moment that there is a complete lack of recognition of her being honest. He is so not getting it. He just sort of exemplifies everything thats wrong with every guy that shes dated and that all of her friends are dating no, actually its not about you all the time. Not everybody wants to be your girlfriend all the time, and youre not listening. I am giving you the gift of being open and honest, and instead, you are going to get defensive? So it got to this place where he became this symbol of her anger at the whole dating process. We talked about her getting a little frustrated and disappointed in herself that she boiled down herself to this, Im going to have a hot girl moment. I am going to go out and Im going to be fuckboy for once, and realize thats not the situation she should have put herself in and she needs to be a better friend to herself in those moments. Like, how can you expect this sort of behavior from a person when youre playing a character?
It also feels like a mirror of the Harrison Ave episode, where Dave goes back to this person who was his first true love and it ends up not only blowing up, but also teaching him something about himself.
Were seeing Dave be like, I know I want a relationship. And then Allys like, what I should do right now is get a hook-up and she cant even form that sentence grammatically right! Shes disappointed and frustrated in herself that it is not what she wanted, and then that this guy also ends up being just a total douche, which she should have known. It is a lot of that revisiting it going, Im feeling kind of lost because if the answer is I am not a casual sex girl and I do want intimacy and Im ready for love as well and Dave just has this dream girl fall into his lap? Ally just gets her feelings crushed by this douche whos not as good as her, but she doesnt know that.
At the end of the episode, GaTa comes in with a bunch of groupies for Dave to choose from. Is Ally still in the midst of her failed hot girl moment? Or when she hears this, is she thinking shes not quite ready to move on?
My first instinct as Taylor was that its kind of wild that Ally goes to visit him on tour and then skips his show. That seems kind of crazy. Im the girl who will never be late to an event. That seems so rude and Allys so nice. And then I was reading it and Im like, oh, shes not ready to admit that she might not be in a place to be able to see Daves show. This is a girl who is so supportive of him. I think there is so much she is okay with, but I think it leads to her throwing herself into this moment with this guy and not wanting to face that she might not be so ready to see Dave in this light.
So, by the time they have the conversation in the pool theres a lot that comes with that Allys not ready to deal with, but I know now its what I want. Im talking to this guy who I, in so many ways, am still in love with, and hes going to go have anonymous sex wearing a Scroguard with some groupie. By that time, I think shes realized that shes more sensitive to it than she might have thought. That just speaks to the real love and connection that they do have that if youre going to choose to be friends, stuff like that is going to come up.
To be honest with you, it was hard to not laugh at GaTa every time he came in because he said a new line every time and man, they were so funny every time. I was like, GaTa, Im supposed to be sad!
I think a strength of the show is that it is not judging her choice to be a hot girl. Her own internal journey is not creating a double standard between Daves tour life and her life now that shes on the tour with him.
From the first draft, which was written by Emma Wisdom shes so great, probably no one knows our show better weve used Ally as this way a lens for the audience to see his relationship with Ally and have this love with Ally that is so pure and good. Were now just using her in this different way where were seeing that Dave acts like he is not a misogynist, and Dave acts like he puts women on a pedestal, nobody could treat women better, but in reality, theres a lot of problems with the expectations that he has with women that hes meeting on tour. The reality of dating for women is so much harsher than he thinks.
Were not always going to find ways for Ally and Dave to be in the same room together, especially in this time right after their breakup. The dream is that they arrived to this place where maybe theyre back together or maybe theyre not, but were in the same room without it always being about the breakup.