Insecure: Lowkey Distant

April 20, 2020 7:38 AM - Season 4, Episode 2

Issa Rae's warm, naturalistic comedy/drama deepens the conflicts set up in the season premiere, with funny, smartly observed moments along the way. Molly pushes Andrew to open up beyond the great sex, Issa and Condola get past their weirdness by bonding over Lawrence, who's not very comfortable with the sharing and turns to his friends about what to do, and Molly watches Issa and Condola get closer.
posted by mediareport (2 comments total)

Such a great episode - as good as any they've done. I was worried after last week they'd be turning Molly into some sort of cartoon villain, but no, this week gives us a thoughtful, complex, human Molly whose distance from Issa is growing in small, believable steps, like those moments at the lunch and her deciding not to share Andrew's phone call at the end.

So much to like this week. It's so sharply edited, with short scenes that somehow manage to not feel rushed at all during a dense half hour, and the writing and acting were both so good. The naturalism of the dialogue - in the club, in the office, at home - feels so much more real to me than most other shows. The way Issa and Condola worked out their awkwardness over Lawrence was heartwarming, and the guy talk with Chad (one of the funniest Dumb Guy characters I've seen in forever) sharing his relationship advice cracked me up, just like the scene with the women in costume (Kelli!). The sex scenes continue to be realistic, hilarious *and* hot, and the music is used perfectly without being intrusive. I could go on but I think I'll rewatch instead.

(Anyone else wondering what a Taurean/Molly relationship would look like? He's kind of a jerk but humanizing him is just the kind of thing this show would do.)
posted by mediareport at 8:23 AM on April 20, 2020

During the guy talk, Derek's wistful, "Damn, I miss Dallas," got me. That entire conversation was hysterical, and Lawrence laying on the couch talking back to the tv, "They never find us." Thank god for the humor in this episode, because the Issa/Molly stuff breaks my heart.

They're both doing so well individually. Molly is direct with Andrew about what she wants, and she apologizes to Taurean. Well done, Molly! Then Issa maintains her friendship with Condola and has a nice conversation with Lawrence about boundaries. Yay, Issa! But their communication with each other sucks. Does this go all the way back to their fight in the first season?

Anyone else wondering what a Taurean/Molly relationship would look like? He's kind of a jerk but humanizing him is just the kind of thing this show would do.

I wasn't until he went into her office at the end, and then I thought maybe. I can't tell if he's a jerk, or if he's just ambitious and ruthless about work — does that make him a jerk anyway though?

We see Tiffany as Cleopatra, and we hear her say, "Derek, get your cape!" but we don't get to see Derek's costume? I mean, it had to be a couples costume, right? And, Kelli's, "She's got to learn!"
posted by gladly at 9:33 AM on April 20, 2020 [1 favorite]