My Cousin Dakota keeps it brief, but not simple. It feigns purposelessness with each short and intoxicating installment, and yet it bears the hallmarks of a carefully crafted and lovingly realised pet project. At times the series can feel like nothing more than a playground for Writer and Director Thomas John Hayes to experiment with cinematography, ambiance and sound within; at others, it simply feels like an elaborate vehicle to deliver clever jokes from. Regardless, the outcome is same. With My Cousin Dakota, Hayes has created a string of entertaining, if mystifying short vignettes about a girl named Dakota, who is presumably somebodies cousin.

My Cousin Dakota is an experimental comedy of repetition. Each episode is between 30 and 40 seconds long, and follows the same formula each time. Without any dialogue, build up or punchline, it manages to cultivate a comic situation through mise en scéne and audio alone.

At the start of each episode, we, the audience see Dakota doing something – whether it be sitting there fidgeting, looking at her laptop and typing, or simply smoking a cigar. The intimate and voyeuristic letterboxed framing creates a surreal atmosphere which is only enhanced by the dim lighting, minimal score and beautifully decadent, out-of-time decór surrounding Dakota. After acclimatising us to the strange sights and sounds, Hayes cuts to simple white text on black card, and on it we get a brief written statement which adds a layer of understanding to what we’ve just witnessed, almost serving the role of a twist. Finally, whatever passes for a punchline comes when we then cut back to Dakota, armed with a greater knowledge of the situation in front of us – the episode then ends with a 50′s commercial style jingle as the show’s title fades over the last few seconds of footage.

It’s an effective little loop. The teasing confusion, the cryptic reveal and familiar jingle… Each element of My Cousin Dakota works brilliantly in support of the show as a whole, and the way each episode reveals its secret begs for repeat views.

Written and directed by artist and designer Hayes, My Cousin Dakota is visually sumptuous. The lighting, cinematography and editing are all of an extremely high quality, and all contribute equally towards the off-beat and surprising humour. Its nuanced, often meandering structure might not be for everyone, but as a modern take on slapstick humour, My Cousin Dakota is a surrealist success.

If you loved Jenny Slate’s “Catherine” and want something else along those lines, give Dakota a shot.

You can watch at YouTube, and follow and Facebook and Twitter @mycousindakota.