Insecure
“Hella Great”
Season 2, Episode 1
Dick on E. Bank account on E. Life on E.
Insecure is such a good, good show. It’s a darn shame the ratings don’t prove otherwise. Nor is the Issa Rae starrer pulling any kind of press. When it comes to television, there’s just too much to watch. And Insecure happened to premiere in a season where Donald Glover’s Atlanta also came to the airwaves. The two shows are almost similar. Both are created by talented black actors. Both talk about the black experience. But only one is going to get the recognition for the topics at hand. Of course, Insecure would fall to a show that a). is on a regular cable network (read: not premium cable) and b). has black James Franco (song reference!).
Where does that leave Rae’s Insecure? With about 200-300,000 viewers per episode. Yes, anyone can purchase the show online or watch it on HBONOW but today’s age of television is about immediacy. If someone doesn’t watch the show the day it premieres, that show is probably not going to get watched until it’s available in its entirety and it’s been off the air for years. This blows because Insecure is one of the most genuine, charismatic shows on television – doing so without pandering to its audience or utilizing an often needless auteur vision.
Season two starts off days or weeks after the finale. Lawrence and Issa have officially split up with only one of them reeling for the affection the two once shared. He’s banging around with the girl from the bank and she’s trying out dating apps. Lawrence is a weird guy. He doesn’t aspire for much; just to have a girl and a place to call home. During a dinner scene with the bank girl, he notes Chad’s wife’s growing disdain of him sleeping on an air mattress in their home. Chad actually shows his frustration too as he shuts off a movie starring Regina Hall as a chamber maid. Lawrence says he’s looking but still hasn’t found the right place. In the aforementioned dinner scene, there’s a twinge of hope from his date that he’d ask to move in with her. She obviously has a deep passion for the guy. This is especially shown after their sex scene where she asks why he’s leaving after having spent the weekend together. It’s a special touch of writing from Rae and acting from both actors that really shows off the power of the awkwardness the two are dancing around.
Issa, in contrast, is scouring dating apps to find the right man. The opening scene has her doing the most with dating clichés. “Why are you on X app?” “Why are you still single?” It all feels like a producer is off camera feeding lines to the guys. This is real dating. And it sucks. Issa agrees as she freely compares every guy with to Lawrence, initially imagining the first guy as her ex. Not only is dating proving hard for her, but so is work. Issa and Frieda can’t seem to get inside the heads of the children they’re reaching out to. All they want is snacks and whatever’s on their cell phones. The scenes in the schools are particularly dreadful as even the teachers are misplaced and uncaring. As the subhead illuminates, life has basically come to a stop for Issa.
The same can be said for Molly who isn’t getting the respect she deserves at work. After finding out a white male coworker makes more than her (having started the same time as her), she can’t find the aptitude to ask for a raise. As independent she believed she was last season, Molly is having trouble coming into her own. This is in part being handled by a therapist as she takes Issa’s advice on how to fix herself.
While the story is pushed to the back in the third act, there’s a pivotal moment where Issa – believing she’s on top – is brought back to reality. Issa and Molly throw a “plus one” party in hopes the single ladies can find a mate (Issa secretly plots to win back Lawrence). Bloods show up, one does a choreographed dance and a fire shuts everything down. The escalation is hysterically sad but what follows is even worse. Lawrence shows up – post part, post clean up – to collect his stuff. Issa’s imagination wants them to reconcile (in a VERY sexual way) only for the two to say goodbye once again.
Should you watch “Hella Great?”
The episode is quiet as it tries to map out the character growth for the season. Issa is going to have to find another way to get over Lawrence while maintaining a way to get kids interested in her after school program. Molly needs to find that thing inside of her to make herself the person she thinks she is. And Lawrence needs to make a life of his own. This is a great start to an ambitious, funnier season.
Issa’s hair game level for this episode: 6/10.