| Translate This News In |
|---|
Warning: this contains a spoiler. Details from HBO’s “Insecure” season finale are included below.
Natasha Rothwell is penning many more stories as the “Insecure” chapter of her life comes to an end. She stood out amid “The White Lotus’ excellent ensemble cast,” penned a romantic comedy with herself in mind as the lead, and signed a huge deal with ABC Signature to create new television projects. She also started filming “Wonka” in London, alongside Timothée Chalamet, Olivia Colman, and Sally Hawkins, on a clandestine, big-budget project. In the year 2021, all of this will be accomplished. 22nd of December
The famous wedding refrain goes, “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.”
“Insecure’s” fifth season and series finale unravels the conventional rhyme with some atypical aspects – since yes, two characters marry – and gives its characters a send-off with many birthday celebrations as it questions whether “Everything Gonna Be, Okay?!”
The episode, helmed by showrunner Prentice Penny, is about Issa (Issa Rae), Molly (Yvonne Orji), Kelli (Natasha Rothwell), and Tiffany (Amanda Seales) getting together for each other’s birthdays.
Following Lawrence’s (Jay Ellis) and Nathan’s (Kendrick Sampson) struggle over Issa, we pick up right where the previous episode left off, with Issa and Nathan sharing a tense, silent car journey. Lawrence confronted Issa in a desperate attempt to save their relationship, which Issa ended in the season opener after Lawrence fathered a kid with Condola (Christina Elmore).
“I was mistaken,” Nathan admits to Issa. “This isn’t healthy for me.” He describes the night as “embarrassing” and admits to “ignoring this sensation I’ve had all along.”
Is it for the best? Issa gets out of the car and walks into her apartment despondently before receiving a text from Lawrence: “I apologise profusely for tonight. That’s not how I had hoped things would turn out “He’s a writer.
“All I want to do is fast forward to a time in my life when everything is fine,” Issa says to herself in the mirror the next day.
And the show skips about a lot, describing where the four girlfriends end up. First up, the group gets together to celebrate Molly’s birthday. Tiffany returns after her move to Denver and Kelli has a new boyfriend. Molly ultimately lets herself feel the love she deserves when she emerges in a room full of friends, her mother, and her new love interest Taurean, in a light tearjerker moment (Leonard Robinson). Growth.
Then, without Tiffany, they surprise Issa on her birthday. Nathan appears, giving Issa a gift of a donation to her new firm, The Blocc, as well as the gift of closure.
Then it’s a rapid transition to Lawrence, whose mother sings him “Happy Birthday” through FaceTime but is interrupted by a phone call: It’s Issa, who is startled that he actually answered the phone. As they bumble through an awkward chat, the air between them becomes thick, and Lawrence declines Issa’s invitation to celebrate his birthday. When his doorbell rings, it’s a woman kissing him and wishing him a happy birthday.
The other friends and their men attend Kelli’s birthday dinner party without Molly, and there’s a surprising surprise: Kelli’s pregnant! She claims that she would only want to have children with her partner Desmond. When Kelli talks about reevaluating priorities, Issa’s face says it all, and Mirror isn’t far behind. Issa is wondering if her dinner date Nasir is the one. Lawrence’s phone call goes unanswered, adding to the puzzle.
Is Issa certain that things will work out? Lawrence poses the question, which is laced with subtle references to their relationship. Issa says she’ll find out, and the two kiss passionately (cue the #LawrenceHive shouts). Something old has made a comeback.
Wedding preparations are underway at a lovely property one year later.
And what about the joyful couple, who are celebrating something new? Taurean Jackson, Mr. and Mrs.! Taurean and Molly are married. Molly’s fans will be moved to see her as a blushing bride, especially as she dances with her father beside a table with an homage to her late mother Carol. Issa looks to be on her own at first, but Lawrence shows up as her date.
“Insecure” has been a cultural touchstone for many, particularly for Black women who have seen themselves reflected in the unpacking of the beauty, messiness, and complexities of young adulthood and relationships.
Viewers of “Insecure” have formed a bond. On Sunday nights, Twitter is full with hot takes, cringes and chuckles at awkward moments, and a sense of community. With her Raedio record label and Hoorae production firm, creator and star Rae has built a full-fledged empire.
Something blue is most likely the solution for the series’ viewers, as the show’s fifth season (aptly dubbed “Season Byeve”) comes to a close. Everything will be fine; things will happen, and life will continue on. But, in the end, everything will be fine for its characters.
