Ladies. I am a GUY. I do not know your experience. I can only talk about what I see based on my perspectives and my privileges as a man. With that being said, if there is anything that you do not agree with after this sentence please feel free to let me know below in a non-death stare, this dude is a pig type of way. Thank you.
Insecure is one of the best shows on television right now. I didn’t watch season 1 until about 4-5 months after it came out, and then subsequently told everyone I could to rectify their mistake if they weren’t sure about the show. Season 1 was the most realistic representation of the complications that work, love, and friendship bring to life. It was also a portrayal of African-American culture that hasn’t been seen in entertainment, probably ever. We usually see extreme depictions, like the gritty nature of all-time great The Wire or the navigation of life after success seen in presently great Blackish. What Insecure shows is what most of us (black, white, brown… yellow, Puerto Rican, or Haitian) experience on a day-to-day basis: all of it at once.
Issa (Issa Rae) is living check-to-check at a pretty decent job. Her best friend Molly (Yvonne Orji) is a highly successful lawyer. Her ex-boyfriend Lawrence (Jay Ellis) is working at a dream job, fresh off of being damn-near unemployed and struggling to get his start-up off the ground. All of the show’s characters are at different levels of social standing but never make mention of it. The show focuses instead on how no matter where you are in life, steering your way through it is difficult and awkward as all hell. It’s that awkwardness that makes the show hilarious, endearing, and wince-inducing. The scenes where Issa raps is the show in a nutshell. Every time she raps to herself in the mirror, the audience can’t help but connect to every word she says. Every cringe-worthy, “oh my gosh this is so uncomfortable but I can’t look away” word. We can’t look away because the mirror is reflecting her and ourselves at the same time. It reflects our worries, our flaws, and our own… insecurities (sorry).
Season 1 introduced us to the parts of ourselves we don’t want to see. Season 2 went full blown “there is no way in the world I would do something so damn stu….nope, nope, nope, naw, hell naw, aww dayum”. Every single character on the show has flaws: Issa (I’ll get to her later), Molly (open or not, YOU. ARE. THE. SIDEPIECE. You smarter than that!), the seemingly perfect (but everyone knows they ain’t) Derek and Tiffany. All of them! Daniel was close to being a character who doesn’t have his flaws dictate his actions. Then he went said the absolute worst thing he could after doing THAT thing (the face tho?). Kelli (Natasha Rothwell) is the closest thing to “together” in Insecure because she fully embraces and works with her imperfections. She may be loud, blunt, and filterless, but she knows it, loves it, and lives life how she wants because of it.
Then there’s Lawrence. ,Oh, Lawrence. #LAWRENCEHIVE is alive and well. Season 1 Lawrence was the good guy on hard times that was faithful to his woman just trying to find work that made him feel fulfilled and important. The reactions to the parting shot heard round the world at the end of last season were priceless:
Season 2 Lawrence Hive might have gone through this progression of emotion:
All season, Jay Ellis played his role to perfection. Lawrence was hurt to the core at the end of season 1. Ellis took that hurt and showcased what a man with new life, new time, and new possibilities usually does: wander aimlessly without a damn clue of what comes next. From episode to episode, Lawrence was a ping pong ball bouncing off of other people’s thoughts and lives. All his decisions seemed to come from a place of not wanting to put his whole self into anything anymore. He went with the flow of whatever was in front of him, had some MAJOR highs, and HELLA lows. But no matter the choices made, The Blue Best Buy Shirt will forever be a symbol for men everywhere to stay strong and keep it moving. This is the emotion and connection that Insecure creates in its audience. We all have the best intentions moving through life, but sometimes the crap thrown at you can move you off your path. You were hurt, it felt good at the time, you were caught up in the moment. Whatever the reason, a lot of us have been there. These characters embody the good and stupid in us all.
Now to Issa, a character trying to live the life she wants after seemingly ruining the life she had. Plenty of us have made major mistakes we regret and have had to find ways to deal with those choices. Issa decides that she is going to embrace the newly-single life with full force. Thus, the Hotation begins!
Issa took every opportunity she could to fill an emotional void with physical pleasure. But as she tried to take control of her life, it seemed to be taking control of her. The party scene early in the season mirrored Issa’s journey: loud, exciting, hilarious, cool and crazy (or is it bool and brazy?) until everyone is gone and she’s staring at a wall wondering what the hell just happened. Even so, she had every right to make decisions about how to move forward with her pain. No matter how much she wanted Molly to “teach her how to Ho”, it is not a justification to be embarrassed and disrespected in any way. Whether intentional or not, that ONE scene was something that no one should ever experience without their full consent.
BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT, when you make that dive into Ho-dom (pronounced like kingdom but put Ho there) you gotta be ready for what comes with being a Ho (do we add an e here or naw? Is it Christmas or are we gardening?). What comes are a whole lot of Ho consequences. Men deservedly get it when they run around town like a jack rabbit (being a baby daddy instead of a father, good women leaving them, being labeled a fuckboy). So, when it’s a woman embracing her sexuality there is still no immunity. With great Ho powers come great Ho responsibilities; and it is your responsibility to know the gamut of possible Ho like outcomes coming your way.
Issa didn’t seem to see them coming (shoot neither did Lawrence for that matter), and with every bump in the road you could see her resolve slowly slip away until she couldn’t hold it in anymore. The greatness of this show lies in making us all laugh at these excruciatingly humiliating experiences, while still feeling the hurt and sadness that exudes from the actors, AND YET concurrently feel a sense of strength and beauty. This contrast seen in the characters are amazingly paralleled by the dichotomous backdrop of LA (I-wood? Really?) and the ebb and flow pace of the season.
After 7 episodes of twists and turns for both main characters (and I haven’t even touched on Molly’s season, which would need its own whole review it was so good) the season finale was a refreshing shift in mood. Episodes 1-7 were one hilariously ridiculous moment after another. Episode 8 was a Sunday relaxing at home after a weekend of partying. Your head may hurt, but the rest and relaxation slows the pace of the day down so you can clear your vision and thoughts enough to plan and see the week ahead. All of the characters’ issues from the season may or may not have been resolved (THANK YOU ISSA FOR COMING TO YOUR SENSES AT YOUR JOB. You should have seen the blinders you had on when Freida gave you the side eye. FREIDA!!!! *also a great secondary character btw*). It looks to set up an interesting season 3. Insecure Season 2 gets a 9/10.
P.S. (SPOILER ALERT SLIGHTLY) Was it me or did they leave us hanging on whatever that call was that Molly got after being with ol’ dude during episode 8? Please let me know if I missed something.