What I’m Watching: You’re the Worst (Season Premiere)

You’re the Worst: Season 4, Episode 1 “It’s Been” (B+)

I’m a big fan of this show and was eager for its early return, especially on the heels of that whopper of a season three finale. I didn’t love this double-decker opener all that much, but I do still recognize that it was a solid hour or so of television. I thought I recognized Raymond J. Barry, best known for recent appearances on “Justified” and “Ray Donovan,” as Burt, Jimmy’s new friend in the retirement trailer park, and I do think that was a great bit of casting. Jimmy seemed to be turning over a new leaf, being nice to people while still not accomplishing much with his life. The excitement he got when he realized that he could mess with the natural order of things, however, demonstrated that he hasn’t evolved at all. It’s good that he left to return to normal life, and it’s interesting to see that Burt was more than happy to settle down with a woman he realized was just looking out for him, whereas such mundane pleasures are too much for Jimmy to bear. Gretchen is a mess, putting enormous effort into deceptive video-conferencing with her clients and her therapist to make it seem like she’s doing well, and learning that she hasn’t left Lindsay’s apartment for three months was quite alarming. It’s weird to see Lindsay and Edgar as the successful ones, and of course they would pretend to be Gretchen and Jimmy and then have sex, realizing that they’ve switched places. I’m glad that Kathleen Rose Perkins, one of the standout parts of “Episodes,” has found another role as Priscilla, though I’m not sure it’s quite as good a showcase for her since it’s Lindsay is supposed to be the crazy one in their business relationship. After this expository start, I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the season shapes up.