Road to love is bumpy and funny in ‘Worst’
Review: Comically miserable pair fight inevitable ending
“You’re the Worst” ended its third season last year with what would be considered a cliffhanger for any other show.
Not for Stephen Falk’s hilarious creation about modern-day star-crossed lovers, though. The comedy, which began life on FX before moving to FXX, launches its fourth season on Wednesday, Sept. 6.
For three years, we have watched two people seemingly unsuitable for romantic longevity dance back and forth and all around each other, wary of commitment but clearly made for each other.
Last season ended with a sort-of proposal. Jimmy Shive Overly (Chris Geere) popped the question to Gretchen Cutler (Aya Cash), then freaked out and disappeared. Only neophytes were worried about the future of their relationship.
The miracle of the show is that we know the outcome and don’t really care. Sometimes Jimmy and Gretchen know it too, even if they can’t always admit that to themselves.
The fourth season opens with back-to-back episodes, but Gretchen and Jimmy aren’t in either of them together. First we catch up with Jimmy, who is holed up in a trailer park for senior citizens, way out in the desert, while Gretchen is still in Los Angeles. Both of them are miserable, but it almost goes without saying that they are humorously miserable.
Then we catch up with Gretchen, who is mooning around and doing even less work than usual for her one PR client, the rap trio of Sam Dresden (Brandon Mychal Smith), S—stain (Darrell Britt-Gibson) and Honeynutz (Allen Maldonado).
The irony at the base of “You’re the Worst” is that the people around Jimmy and Gretchen are in relationships where the phrase is actually true. Jimmy’s ex, Becca ( Janet Varney), is married to Vernon (Todd Robert Anderson), a far more stable man than Jimmy, and far more boring as well. She’s lost whatever love and respect she ever had for him.
Lindsay (Kether Donohue) married Paul (Allan McLeod) only for money and security, and is now embroiled in a bitter divorce.
The point of the series remains the same, whether we’re talking about Gretchen and Jimmy or any of their friends: Love may be messy, but it’s fundamental in any relationship.
That said, Lindsay, Becca and Jimmy’s friend Edgar (Desmin Borges) aren’t just hanging around to provide counterpoint to the central characters’ relationship: “You’re the Worst” is very much an ensemble show. The supporting characters are written with as much attention to detail as the main characters, and the performances are just as winning, especially those of Borges and Donohue.
“You’re the Worst” may feel like another example of snappy, snarky “new” sitcoms like “Difficult People” and “Casual,” but beneath its crisp dialogue beats the indefatigable heart of an old-fashioned romantic comedy.
Jimmy and Gretchen are not made for anyone but each other, but we’re not in any hurry for them to tie the knot. They’ll get there, and we’re happy to wait, laughing all the way.