You're the Worst: The Final Season
April 9, 2019 12:39 AM - Season 5 (Full Season) - Subscribe
Jimmy and Gretchen's story wraps up in the final season
Such a great final season.
It's been such a fantastic foil to Crazy Ex Girlfriend. Crazy Ex Girlfriend was about learning to take care of yourself, and how destructive the social norms of Romantic Love can distract you from doing the work. And You're The Worst was about continually meeting people where they are, and that people fundamentally deserve to be seen and loved. When they are finally safe, they are capable of growth.
I loved that Edgar was ultimately both right and wrong. That he identified the problematic aspects of Jimmy and Gretchen's relationship, but came to a solution that was ultimately about himself. That he needed to stop caretaking and give himself a fresh start.
I loved that Gretchen and Jimmy had a daughter. She always wanted children, and society has always told her she doesn't deserve children. And there's a lot of dangerous ethics about how much trauma you give to your children. Especially if you know that you suffer from chronic suicidal ideation. But isolation and denial and stigma are all terrible and created these traumatized barely functional adults. So I'm all for rejecting those solutions.
My favorite moment was at the bridal dress fitting with Gretchen's mother. And Gretchen finally tests the mythology that her mother didn't help her because her mother didn't know she was struggling. And instead she finds out her mother saw her distress all too clearly, but didn't help because she thought being miserable was just part of the deal to being alive. So she felt betrayed by Gretchen's attempts to be less miserable.
It struck home every time I try to mention my therapy and struggles with my family.
It will be missed. Or rewatched a dozen times. One of the two.
posted by politikitty at 12:19 PM on April 10, 2019 [6 favorites]
It's been such a fantastic foil to Crazy Ex Girlfriend. Crazy Ex Girlfriend was about learning to take care of yourself, and how destructive the social norms of Romantic Love can distract you from doing the work. And You're The Worst was about continually meeting people where they are, and that people fundamentally deserve to be seen and loved. When they are finally safe, they are capable of growth.
I loved that Edgar was ultimately both right and wrong. That he identified the problematic aspects of Jimmy and Gretchen's relationship, but came to a solution that was ultimately about himself. That he needed to stop caretaking and give himself a fresh start.
I loved that Gretchen and Jimmy had a daughter. She always wanted children, and society has always told her she doesn't deserve children. And there's a lot of dangerous ethics about how much trauma you give to your children. Especially if you know that you suffer from chronic suicidal ideation. But isolation and denial and stigma are all terrible and created these traumatized barely functional adults. So I'm all for rejecting those solutions.
My favorite moment was at the bridal dress fitting with Gretchen's mother. And Gretchen finally tests the mythology that her mother didn't help her because her mother didn't know she was struggling. And instead she finds out her mother saw her distress all too clearly, but didn't help because she thought being miserable was just part of the deal to being alive. So she felt betrayed by Gretchen's attempts to be less miserable.
It struck home every time I try to mention my therapy and struggles with my family.
It will be missed. Or rewatched a dozen times. One of the two.
posted by politikitty at 12:19 PM on April 10, 2019 [6 favorites]
I have to admit, I really came to like Edgar this season, a whole lot more than I had in prior seasons. He seemed to really become centered in his life.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:35 PM on April 10, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 2:35 PM on April 10, 2019 [3 favorites]
While no one episode (even the finale) was singularly better than my favorite (S3E6's "The Last Sunday Funday" -- that scene with Edgar and the fireworks is still I think the best moment I have ever seen on television), I thoroughly enjoyed this season, and the finale was [chef's kiss] absolutely perfect (a perfect finale, not a perfect episode). In my opinion, just as good as season 2, which was transcendent and destroyed what I thought this show could do.
One thing that was relieving was that It earned the twist with the flash forwards (I was genuinely worried it would not stick that landing). The main couple's ending was exactly what it should have been, and every hint did lead to that, even while it may have suggested any number of sub-par alternatives.
If I have one gripe, I'd say that I don't think it really did earn the Lindsay-Paul second wedding. It did successfully edge that way and show the potential trajectory, but we really missed any kind of satisfying reason for it. "She grew up and realized that the things that made her miserable about him now make her happy" is the best reason they gave, but it's a superficial explanation and this show is better than that.
That said, I'm still wrecked and I'm going to miss the hell out of this show.
(Can you believe that the network wasn't going to let them cast Aya Cash in that role? I can't imagine a single living actor who could have sold her combination of swagger and debilitating vulnerability even close to as well as she did.)
posted by General Malaise at 3:55 PM on April 11, 2019 [4 favorites]
One thing that was relieving was that It earned the twist with the flash forwards (I was genuinely worried it would not stick that landing). The main couple's ending was exactly what it should have been, and every hint did lead to that, even while it may have suggested any number of sub-par alternatives.
If I have one gripe, I'd say that I don't think it really did earn the Lindsay-Paul second wedding. It did successfully edge that way and show the potential trajectory, but we really missed any kind of satisfying reason for it. "She grew up and realized that the things that made her miserable about him now make her happy" is the best reason they gave, but it's a superficial explanation and this show is better than that.
That said, I'm still wrecked and I'm going to miss the hell out of this show.
(Can you believe that the network wasn't going to let them cast Aya Cash in that role? I can't imagine a single living actor who could have sold her combination of swagger and debilitating vulnerability even close to as well as she did.)
posted by General Malaise at 3:55 PM on April 11, 2019 [4 favorites]
I'll miss this show so much. I loved the symmetry that the show started with G&J bailing on Becca's wedding and ended with them bailing on their own—and then epilogued with them happy enough with themselves to stick around at Lindsay's wedding.
Amidst a very funny (and sad) season, the part that made me laugh the hardest was when Lindsay played Gretchen's mother in a practice phone call, and how completely sucked into it both of them got. "YOU'VE BEEN DEAD WEIGHT SINCE I CUT YOU OUT OF MY WOMB!"
posted by ejs at 6:36 PM on April 11, 2019 [2 favorites]
Amidst a very funny (and sad) season, the part that made me laugh the hardest was when Lindsay played Gretchen's mother in a practice phone call, and how completely sucked into it both of them got. "YOU'VE BEEN DEAD WEIGHT SINCE I CUT YOU OUT OF MY WOMB!"
posted by ejs at 6:36 PM on April 11, 2019 [2 favorites]
I have to admit, I really came to like Edgar this season, a whole lot more than I had in prior seasons. He seemed to really become centered in his life.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:35 PM on April 10
Oh god, that whole storyline where he befriended that hipster douchebag and became a (profligately spendthrift) hipster douchebag himself—I felt so bad for him, but at the same time I didn't even want to see him again until he'd gotten past that.
posted by ejs at 6:39 PM on April 11, 2019
posted by Thorzdad at 5:35 PM on April 10
Oh god, that whole storyline where he befriended that hipster douchebag and became a (profligately spendthrift) hipster douchebag himself—I felt so bad for him, but at the same time I didn't even want to see him again until he'd gotten past that.
posted by ejs at 6:39 PM on April 11, 2019
Can you believe that the network wasn't going to let them cast Aya Cash in that role?
Whaaaa? I never heard that one before. What was their issue with Cash?
posted by Thorzdad at 4:45 AM on April 12, 2019
Whaaaa? I never heard that one before. What was their issue with Cash?
posted by Thorzdad at 4:45 AM on April 12, 2019
Weird, I can't find where I originally read it (I'll keep looking), but in this interview he mentions having to go back and fight FX to cast her:
Aya was not accepted by FX at the beginning and they passed on her officially. I had to go back to [FX Networks and FX Productions chairman John] Landgraf and his team and say, “I think you guys are missing something. Let me re-tape her. I think I can convince you.”posted by General Malaise at 7:48 AM on April 12, 2019
How did Paul F. Tompkins get on the show?
> Did Paul F. Tompkins literally tweet his way into a recurring role on the final season of You’re the Worst? According to series creator Stephen Falk, yep, that’s exactly what happened.
He livetweeted episode 9. It was hilarious to see him playing against type.
posted by Pronoiac at 9:29 PM on June 13, 2022
> Did Paul F. Tompkins literally tweet his way into a recurring role on the final season of You’re the Worst? According to series creator Stephen Falk, yep, that’s exactly what happened.
He livetweeted episode 9. It was hilarious to see him playing against type.
posted by Pronoiac at 9:29 PM on June 13, 2022
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I’ll miss the show, but I’m also glad it ended before it faded.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:53 PM on April 9, 2019 [3 favorites]