While certain vignettes will always resonate more than others, early episodes of Season 4 prove that creators Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld still have plenty of stories to tell — some of them downright transcendent.

High Maintenance still hypnotizes, even as we've slipped from the delicate optimism of the early 2010s to the bulldozing nihilism of 2020s. In the terrific opening episodes of Season 4, we watch the masks go on and the masks come off. ... You never know what little delight you're going to find.

While High Maintenance potentially moves in more meta directions, there are still some familiar pleasures by way of The Guy. ... Sinclair continues to be one of the best actors on television in part because his natural charisma and compassion extends to a character who feels stuck out of time: a roving avatar of kindness that offers relief and concern for people just struggling to maintain.