What I’m Watching: You’re the Worst

You’re the Worst: Season 4, Episode 9 “Dad-Not-Dad” (B+)

I’m not sure where to start here. Maybe it’s worth addressing Edgar first, since his purchase of a car that he couldn’t afford was the weakest of the episode’s plotlines. He’s gotten better over the years as a character, but it’s still hard to find him the most compelling when he’s surrounded by those who make truly self-destructive decisions. It was uncomfortable to watch Jimmy embarrassing Katherine in front of her friends, but that’s the nature of this show, and he didn’t seem fazed at all by the fact that his behavior was completely objectionable. Coining the phrase “statutory grape” was a low, and feigning claustrophobia to “escape them” from the room was less offensive but a supreme example of ruining the fun for everyone. His belief that there should be a special circle of hell for people who say “we need to talk” instead of just talking makes total sense, and he didn’t get much relief on that front in this episode. After Boone bragged about his ability to get free stuff, Gretchen succeeded at scoring a lunch date with Anne Dudek’s Whitney, and even managed to temper herself so that Whitney seemed like the crazy one. It seems that Gretchen isn’t totally in control of all the terrible things she does, and she did literally the only bad thing she could have done with Boone’s ex, something he’s sure to find out about soon. I love that Lou Diamond Phillips guest-starred as himself since I’ve only seen him in a far more serious role on “Longmire” the past few years, and that he remembered everything about Becca and Lindsay, who got some closure even if their mother still can’t recognize how irresponsible a parent she was.