Welcome back to Web series Royale! This week we have two new web series going head to head for your approval, kind of like what Kate Hudson and Jennifer Aniston do on a regular basis! A pretty good analogy, since this week is all about spoofs of affluent, white celebrities.

In one corner we have Elaine Carroll’s epic and intricate chronicle of one-half of the Olson twins in Very Mary Kate. In the other, there’s Drew Droege’s inspired and wacky take on forever It-girl Chloe Sevigny. Which web series best pins their alternative, fashionista celeb the best? Let the games begin!

Chloe

Good evening, America! Droege’s short form spin on the infamously hip actress details caricature down to a literal science. Each episode features Droege in drag as the starlet, as the character delivers a monologue about her latest obsession (always uttered in a pretentious pronunciation) which commonly require brands, designers, fashions, abstract theories and celebrities to be named in threes.

For example, the above video delivers how Chloe makes “to-ast”, which incorporates her memories of Sweet Hawaiian bread, phone calls with Charlotte Rampling, and how to not smear your Opening Ceremony mock-bonnet with cardamom butter. This structure is repeated in every episode, so Chloe always delivers exactly what you expect. What really carries the series, beyond its writing, is Droege’s performance, which at the same time inhabits the real life eccentrics of Sevigny, while also making her into a character. Droege’s Chloe is at once a indie queen and a Mad Hatter, and the line between each is blurred.

Very Mary Kate

While Chloe can be possibly referred to as a refined, albeit repetitive joke, Very Mary Kate, which explores the day to day antics of an Olson twin, has created an entire universe to become lost in. Elaine Carroll has populated this world with reoccurring characters and jokes, which are not limited to MK’s bff and bodyguard, aptly named Bodyguard, a “fat professor” attempting to keep his messy NYU class in check (where Mary Kate is majoring in Unicorns), and even an “Evil Dragon”  that persistently springs up due to her hallucinatory drug experiences.

Carroll’s VMK world is like American Psycho by way of a little girl’s diary, manic and sleek, but cheerful and frivolous. In the episode above we see the general themes and characterizations of the series, as MK gives a presentation on war which dissolves into the establishment of her own army, which includes pyrotechnics and a “Ask/Tell” policy. Mary Kate floats through these vignettes on her own illogical knowing of the world, like Popeye’s baby skips through a construction site, barely missing a falling beam or piano.  In fact, the nuances of Carroll’s performance is what keeps you coming back: She has the true call of a comedienne.

The Verdict: Chloe‘s to the point execution of the same joke has gotten a lot of milage out of the typical life span of a meme, where as Very Mary Kate continues to grow at fifty eight episodes strong. Besides, the latter not only inspired “burrr” as a legit catch phrase, but has also incorporated a special episode called “Very Maggie Smith.” Done deal.