No man, no job, no problem
‘Insecure’ comes through in uncertain times
Gearing up for another year of turmoil and wit after a yearand-a-half-long hiatus, HBO’s sassiest dramedy, “Insecure,” kicked off its fourth season this month, and fans are eager to see more from its powerful leading ladies. A new episode of the acclaimed series airs Sunday, April 19, on HBO.
Returning viewers got a taste of the new season with the release of its first episode, “Lowkey Feelin’ Myself,” last Sunday. While past seasons have included episode titles such as “Hella Disrespectful” and “Ghost-like,” and have lived up to their names, there is good reason to believe the current installment of the “Insecure” saga will be anything but lowkey.
The 10-episode season focuses on returning main characters, Issa (Issa Rae, “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl”) and her best friend, Molly (Yvonne Orji, “Nightschool,” 2018), who have been through, well, let’s face it, a veritable plague of drama over the past three years. From the burdens of singledom to the dreaded return-of-the-ex(es), as well as boredom with stagnant jobs and longterm, dead-end relationships, Issa and Molly have captured the attention of “Insecure” viewers by way of raw honesty and, at times, deliciously savage behavior, which begs the question: What’s in store for Season 4?
Will Nathan (Kendrick Sampson, “How to Get Away With Murder”) get past Molly and finally appeal to Issa directly? Will Molly be able to handle her first committed relationship now that she finally has one? Will “Insecure” garner further attention and receive Golden Globe or Emmy nominations? Let’s slow down and look at the tangibles before getting too carried away with the questions.
For starters, Issa is without a job and without a man — a situation that may be hauntingly relatable for any single person temporarily out of work during these strange times of social isolation. But for Issa, as she openly admits in the Season 4 trailer, “All of this sounds bad, but it’s actually really good.”
And while she seems excited about the opportunity that this freedom could bring her, there is no denying that it won’t be all sunshine and rainbows for her this season — OK, there maybe sunshine, it is California after all, but you get the point. In Season 4, the consequences of the past three seasons are surfacing. This means that we can expect to see the fallout of three seasons’ worth of reckless decision-making, heartbreaking mistakes and exes who, like Nathan, threaten to return when they sense their former paramour’s growing happiness and emotional stability (if that’s why he even came back).
At the end of Season 3, which aired all the way back in September 2018, Issa celebrated her birthday and joined the ranks of the dirty 30s club. She also finally left the job that continuously underappreciated her and made her (and everyone else around her) miserable. Now that Issa is free of her metaphorical shackles, she is happily navigating a (perhaps ill-conceived) passion project. All the while, Issa’s ex-boyfriend, Lawrence (Jay Ellis, “Mrs. America”), realizes he wants a solid, lifelong partnership like that of his parents (although he still seems unsure of how to get it or what, exactly, that relationship means for him), and Molly finally got her first, longsought-after exclusive relationship (but is still trying to figure out the best way to manage it). To top it all off, Tiffany’s (Amanda Seales, “My Brother and Me”) new baby threatens to change the whole dynamic of the friend group.
The season will include many relationship-testing circumstances, and not strictly relationships in the romantic sense. Issa and Condola (Christina
Elmore, “The Last Ship”) are likely to see a strain on both their friendship and their current work situation as a direct result of their personal lives. Meanwhile, Molly will be working hard at improving her crumbling workplace relations, and Issa and Molly discover and explore an entirely new layer of their friendship.
Creators Issa Rae (yes, that Issa) and Larry Wilmore (“The Daily Show”) have a lot of surprises in store this season, and there are many fan theories and hopes swirling about already. From suspicions that the show will take on a more mental health-oriented approach, to rumors of a dream-worthy roster of guest directors, the diversity and vision of the “Insecure” writers are sure to deliver. And if, for some reason, they don’t,
Rae isn’t going to lose any sleep over it.
In March of this year, the co-creator and lead actress told female-forward media company Refinery29 that she is most concerned with telling the story that she wants to tell: “There’s nothing I can do about what people say about the show or what they think about the show,” Rae said. “All I can do is just tell the story that I want to tell. If it’s not for you, then it’s just not for you. Move on.”
With all of the comedy-infused drama that Season 4 of “Insecure” promises, there is one fact that truly is secure: No fan of the show will be bored during social isolation this month.
The next episode of the season, titled “Lowkey Distant,” airs Sunday, April 19, on HBO.