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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
After 18 months of a long wait, Issa Rae’s HBO comedy-drama series Insecure finally returns with its fourth season. The last time we’ve seen the protagonist Issa Dee, she has been trying hard to put together a block party for the people of Inglewood, California.
The Season 4 premiere episode is titled “Lowkey Feelin’ Myself;” it is directed by Kevin Bray (All About the Benjamins, Walking Tall, Black-ish), and written by series co-creator Issa Rae.
Some spoilers ahead for those who have not yet watched the episode or seen the show. If you haven’t done either, you should get to that now, then return to this article!
Issa’s story for this new season has taken a whole new direction as she plans the neighborhood block party four months ahead of the event date. Matters get a tad challenging when she discovers the woman she’s been working with, Condola, is dating her ex-boyfriend of 5 years, Lawrence Walker. Meanwhile, Issa’s friend Molly Carter seems to have feelings for her current fling, Andrew.
The season begins with a good soundtrack, great character development, and overall plot. Insecure cannot be Insecure without its music — which series creator Rae updates weekly — and in this episode, we have artists such as Tyler, the Creator and Thundercat.
Issa develops professionally (having resigned from her We Got Y’all job in the previous season), now reaching further to the people of her area. In a mixer for her block party, it’s clear that she “want[s] … to make [her] vision clear. We have so much talent and excellence right here, and I felt like we didn’t have enough spaces to showcase and celebrate that in this neighborhood.” She explains that with politics and other institutions shaping communities, we forget to listen to what the people think.
Additionally, the character develops in her life realm. Issa tries to be comfortable with Condola’s relationship with Lawrence, and this mindset creates tension with Molly’s, who believes Issa may be more comfortable with the messiness of the situation than the conflict itself. Complications arise and establish a foreshadowing of a falling out between Issa and Molly.
Overall, even the smallest details presented in this first episode promises that Season 4 is off to a good start, such as Issa’s getting discriminated by a white woman or Issa’s handling of the mixer. For what it’s worth, the characters continue to grow in their lives as adults and settle problems as such, and that makes the series worth watching. If anything, the “molly” that the protagonist has issues with (as teased at the beginning of the episode) might have been drugs that a TSA agent gave to her.
The Insecure Season 4 premiere brings new laughs, drama, and awkwardness to the table, hopefully, there’s more to get from this in later episodes.
What do you think? Have you seen this series? If not, do you plan to binge it sometime in the near future? Let us know! For more Insecure and HBO-related news and reviews follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_).
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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