Zerocalcare's 'Due Spicci' Review: Anti-Epic Fails to Deliver Third Act

A critical review of Zerocalcare's Netflix series 'Due Spicci' argues that the author's signature anti-epic approach, which avoids catharsis and resolution, ultimately undermines the narrative. The series builds tension through grim settings in Rebibbia and threats from loan sharks and crime families, but resolves conflicts too easily, leaving characters unchanged. The review highlights a scene where the protagonist proudly shows a bald spot, only for it to disappear from subsequent drawings, symbolizing the refusal to age or grow. Female characters are poorly developed, serving as narrative functions rather than people. However, the animation is praised for its freedom and quality, particularly a flashback of domestic cruelty. The character Armadillo, voiced by Valerio Mastandrea, is noted as the best-written. The review concludes that Zerocalcare, one of Italy's most brilliant cartoonists, lacks the courage for a third act.