What I’m Watching: Insecure (Season Premiere)

Insecure: Season 2, Episode 1 “Hella Great” (B+)

I had forgotten how good this show was, and this season premiere did a formidable job of reminding me of its quality. When Rae failed to win a Golden Globe as I and others had predicted that she would and then didn’t even get nominated for an Emmy, she was listed as one of the most egregious snubs, and for good reason. The opening scene of this episode is a great example of why she’s so terrific, presenting a look at just how bad the dating pool is, especially when you’re not really invested. The biggest problem is that she’s not over Lawrence at all, throwing a big party so that she could seem busy and cool when he stopped by to pick up his jury duty summons. While he’s looking for a place, he’s spending an awful lot of time in with his new girlfriend, although, as pointed out to him, they aren’t doing anything in public. Though he missed the party, he caused some major fireworks when he stopped by Issa’s place later, with one hell of a passionate if not all that friendly sexual encounter which left Issa unsure of how to react and then sort of smiling as the episode faded to black. Issa’s work exploits aren’t going all that much better either, with her trying to commit to something that’s not going particularly smoothly. The kids running in so that they could steali all the snacks while they distracted Issa and Frieda was a particular discouraging highlight.