For whatever reason, my pandemic TV-watching has involved rewatching a lot of dramas I’ve never seen before and checking out a lot of sitcoms for the first time. One of those is Insecure, an excellent millennial bildungsroman in the vein of other great series like Shrill and Ramy.
Like so many 20-somethings edging toward 30, Issa is trying to get her life together. From her career to her love life, she’s trying to avoid her old “messy” decisions and figure out what she truly wants for herself. Along the way, she’s joined by her high-achieving best friend Molly who, in contrast, has very specific ideas about what she wants but still struggles to get there.
I’m really loving this show, and I wish I’d finally jumped on board just before its fourth season aired instead of right after, so I could’ve been forced to spread out the most recent season a little more. I just caught up with all the episodes and I’m already looking ahead for the show’s return, which will be at least a year out (and with COVID-19, who knows?) Like the other shows I mentioned, it does a great job of hitting that really relatable cusp-of-30 space of, “Oh man, I thought I had all this time to figure things out, but I should’ve been a real adult by now!” I love the contrast in that journey between the very haphazard Issa and the very type-A Molly, along with other characters in the show who are going through a similar thing.
Also, it’s weird for me to highlight this, aromantic asexual that I am, but I appreciate how well-done the major love interests for both Issa and Molly are. Whoever’s in the picture at any given time, I can see exactly why the character likes him as well as, often, the likely reason why things are probably going to blow up eventually. I’ve watched plenty of shows where major ships leave me going, “Him, really?” or, “Her, why?”, which is annoying because ships can of course take up such a huge part of a show. But with Insecure, regardless of whichever relationship I might be inclined to root for, I always understand why Issa and Molly go for the guys they do. Additionally, I like how much time and energy is devoted to their friendship as well, along with the other women in their friend group. Romances matter, but friendships matter too, deeply.
And the show is just hilarious. Every episode has multiple laugh-out-loud lines, reaction shots, or gags. I especially love the recurring joke of the made-up TV show everyone is obsessed with every season – my favorites are the Antebellum drama in season 2 (“Bitch, let the bitch read!”) and the true-crime docuseries in season 4 (“They never find us!”)
Plenty of excellent acting, mostly from actors I wasn’t familiar with. I’d seen Issa Rae before in a few smaller roles, but I mainly just knew her because I was aware that she created and starred in this show. She’s a delight here, passionate and awkward and messy all at once, not quite sure what she wants but always reaching for it. As Molly, Yvonne Orji’s tightly-wound “this isn’t going according to the plan!!” energy serves as an excellent foil to Rae. Molly is the best type of frustrating character because, as often as she makes me face palm and go, “Why, Molly, why?”, I often see exactly where she’s coming from at the same time. I’ll also highlight Jay Ellis, who’s understatedly effective as Issa’s longtime boyfriend Lawrence and the excellent supporting/recurring cast members who make up the rest of the larger friend group.
Warnings
Lots of sexual content (we’re on HBO, people!), language (including the N-word,) drinking/smoking/drug use, scenes of violence, and strong thematic elements.
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