You're the Worst: From The Beginning, I Was Screwed
November 9, 2017 5:50 AM - Season 4, Episode 11 - Subscribe
Edgar tells his story, Gretchen goes French, Jimmy goes on the radio, Lindsay bails out her ex, and Ben Folds plays the table.
I've been pretty disappointed with this season. As an exercise, my spouse and I identified each story thread for this ep as it appeared and tried to predict the rough outcome. We didn't miss a single one. It was all pretty by the numbers.
Keeping Jimmy and Gretchen apart has been a terrible decision for the show's health, even if, in terms of them as characters, it made sense. The heart of the show is love between two terrible people. It's about small bits of kindness, commitment, empathy, and regard between two people nearly incapable of any of those things with anyone else finding them in a clumsy, fucked-up way for each other. I'm talking about moments like the "I love you" bit on the stairs or Jimmy's blanket fort. And even in the reverse of these, where a relationship called for something more and one or both of them totally choked, like Jimmy "It's not about me? What a relief!" initial take on Gretchen's sobbing in cars alone.
I almost wonder if, after the acclaim for how they handled Gretchen's depression and Edgar's PTSD, they sort of let themselves forget that the actual engine driving this show is a romantic relationship.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:20 AM on November 10, 2017
Keeping Jimmy and Gretchen apart has been a terrible decision for the show's health, even if, in terms of them as characters, it made sense. The heart of the show is love between two terrible people. It's about small bits of kindness, commitment, empathy, and regard between two people nearly incapable of any of those things with anyone else finding them in a clumsy, fucked-up way for each other. I'm talking about moments like the "I love you" bit on the stairs or Jimmy's blanket fort. And even in the reverse of these, where a relationship called for something more and one or both of them totally choked, like Jimmy "It's not about me? What a relief!" initial take on Gretchen's sobbing in cars alone.
I almost wonder if, after the acclaim for how they handled Gretchen's depression and Edgar's PTSD, they sort of let themselves forget that the actual engine driving this show is a romantic relationship.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:20 AM on November 10, 2017
I almost wonder if, after the acclaim for how they handled Gretchen's depression and Edgar's PTSD, they sort of let themselves forget that the actual engine driving this show is a romantic relationship.
My issue is that, after broaching the subjects (depression, PTSD) in an open and serious manner (which really helped ground the show) they seem to have degraded the issues down to comedy bits and asides. For me, those "real" moments are what made the characters believable and worth my interest. They were great foils to all the comedy.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:51 AM on November 10, 2017
My issue is that, after broaching the subjects (depression, PTSD) in an open and serious manner (which really helped ground the show) they seem to have degraded the issues down to comedy bits and asides. For me, those "real" moments are what made the characters believable and worth my interest. They were great foils to all the comedy.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:51 AM on November 10, 2017
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Also: Season finale next week.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:56 AM on November 9, 2017