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Insecure

Insecure finished out its first brilliant, 8-episode season this week on HBO, and it brought all the feelings along with it. While the series followed the excitement and monotony of Issa’s (Issa Rae) love life, her romantic (and sexual) relationships were never the key to Insecure’s success. That lies within her female friendships.
Issa and Molly (Yvonne Orji) were, for most of the season, a BFF match made in heaven. The two were never shy about telling each other the truth, pointing out what the other was thinking but not saying, and respecting the other for doing so. Until they didn’t. In episode 7, “Real as Fuck”, Issa suggests that therapy might not be such a bad thing for Molly, who does not see the advice as constructive. The two have a screaming match after Issa’s fancy fundraising event in a fight that will turn your stomach into tighter knots than earlier in the episode when Issa’s boyfriend Lawrence (Jay Ellis) speaks to the man she cheated on him with, Daniel (Y’lan Noel). But OMG how intense was that?
Issa’s love life has been rocky the entire first season. From avoiding Lawrence, to trying to work it out, to cheating, to being all in, to running out of the jewelry shop after trying on one engagement ring, that relationship has never come across as a sturdy, sure thing. It doesn’t help Lawrence’s case either that Issa’s steamy hookup with Daniel in the studio was Hot. As. Hell.

So when Lawrence found out about Daniel and left, it was a bummer, but we all knew Issa would be ok. When Molly was super short with her on the phone though? Now, that was tense and scary. How could these two not make up already? They’ve been through brunch and the trenches of dressing rooms together. Surely this can’t be the end for them?

Which brings us to the final episode of the season, “Broken as Fuck”. Seeing the tension between Issa and Molly, and feeling it through the screen, hurt! You could’ve been home on the couch under a blanket in your pajamas and you’d still feel uncomfortable at every eye roll. Leave it to the hot tub to provide some relaxation for viewers…maybe a little less so for the characters themselves.

When Issa comes to Molly’s defense against their other gal pals in the hot tub, she fought harder for her than we’ve seen her fight for any man this season. Probably because it was easy to do! Issa has always believed in her friend, the super-accomplished lawyer who just might be a little picky about the men in her life. Lawrence gave her less to believe in, when it came to himself and his ambition, as well as their relationship. Molly offering to drive Issa home to talk to Lawrence, well, that’s the friendship equivalent of a knight in shining armor galloping up. In fact, that action made viewers swell with hope for what was about to happen between Issa and Lawrence…
…Only to have a hole punched directly through our racing hearts to discover that Lawrence had indeed packed his shit and left. At first, this shocked and hurt me in my soul. He said he wanted to talk! But ending the season on the shot of Molly, Issa and a bottle of wine on that deteriorating mustard couch outside was perfect, and entirely sums up this wonderful series.
Any scenes between Issa and Molly, even the fighting ones, proved infinitely more interesting than ones between them and the men of their lives. This is not to slag on the men: they have app ideas and Ty Dolla $ign songs to produce and potentially bisexual past experiences in life. It’s not that they aren’t interesting dudes. It’s that they aren’t as unique and compelling as the women, and that’s a great thing that these characters are aware of.

After a short drought when it comes to women’s programming, Insecure has flooded the dam. No matter how much Issa, Molly, and their fellow female cohorts do or don’t have their shit together, they remain sophisticated, intelligent, hilarious and role model-worthy women. I know this because I am quick to excuse their less than exemplary behaviors, such as judging the men they are juggling, and of course, that cheating moment, which, come on, we’re all still fanning ourselves from.
If we were rooting for Issa and Lawrence (or Issa and Daniel, for the bad girls) we were rooting harder for Issa and Molly. Maybe romantically Issa’s story left us feeling sad and that there was a major loss. But the fact that she and Molly ended up ok is the ending that matters. That is a relationship with deep love, solid communication, and a true understanding of the other person, at their best and especially at their worst. Season 1 of Insecure confirmed many things, but most important, is that the real cure for a broken pussy remains your best girl friend. They know to bring a bottle of wine.
[Watch Insecure on HBO Go]