And even though his material, too, is delicate, his sharp one-liners reward the attention.

There’s a distinctively bleak feel to the set, too, which only adds to its appeal. O’Connail’s pessimism and social awkwardness finds its outlet in world-weary jokes about suicide, the pain of love and the loneliness of existence.

It sounds depressing, but the fine, intelligent jokes that emerge from this stance are anything but.