BINGE IT!: HBO Max’s ‘Insecure’ finds confidence in its final season

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) -Bingers, though we like to hide behind movie and television characters, sometimes reality can make you feel really insecure.

HBO Max’s “Insecure” paints the picture of how complicated life can be when you’re still figuring everything out. The series mixes love, friendship, and professional life with the modern-day Black experience.

Created by and starring Issa Rae, the series takes a look at the friendship and relationships of two Los Angeles women as they are forced to face their own flaws and insecurities while dealing with endless awkward situations. The show is also based on Rae’s popular web series, Awkward Black Girl.

Now with the series being in its fifth and final season, the situations are getting intense with the latest episodes delivering a bold storyline.

Since the comedy/drama aired in October 2016, it has won several awards such as three NAACP Image Awards, a Satellite Award, and a Peabody Award. Insecure has also been nominated for a Primetime Emmy 11 times, winning one in 2020 for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series.

Rotten Tomatoes gave the series 97% on the average Tomatometer with critics saying, “it’s bold, smart, wildly entertaining, and unapologetic.”

Insecure is perfect for young adults struggling to find themselves in this world. The series is rated TV-MA for nudity, language, alcohol and drinking.

So let’s sit back and take a cruise down the streets of L.A. while we get into it.

Best friends, Issa Dee and Molly Carter have been side-by-side since college, sticking beside each other when things go bad.

Leaving your 20s and stepping into your 30s feeling unprepared can bring some struggle and sometimes unnecessary drama.

At the time, Issa hates her job and feels tired of being the provider in a long-term relationship that’s going nowhere. And Molly is balancing trying to be a part of the “boys club” at her law firm while also finding love. But it seems she’s looking in all the wrong places or it could be that her standards are way too high.

Being burnt out on life led Issa to find interest in other places, later making a mistake causing Lawrence, her boyfriend, to break up with her.

Sulking in a sea of regrets sends Issa into a web of more bad decisions, involving trying to find a new love through dating apps while also still hung up on Lawrence.

For Molly, things are still not going the way she feels they should go, eventually driving her to therapy. But she soon realizes therapy only works when you actually tell the whole story.

And not only is Issa feeling the pain from the breakup and her unsatisfying job, but she also has to make a move due to the gentrification of their South Los Angeles neighborhood. This happens as Molly decides that she may be better off at another law firm that understands her worth as a Black lawyer.

After a series of hits and misses between the two, personally and professionally, it starts to cause a noticeable strain on their friendship making the two disagree more than usual.

By this time, Issa begins a new project that focuses on community involvement, a block party. The block party plans start off rocky but come together with the help of Lawrence’s new girlfriend. Though the girls got close, it gets awkward after some time.

The block party ends up being a success but the night ends terribly as Issa and Molly’s friendship is torn apart.

Over time, both women start to connect with other people in their life. Molly finally feels she found the one, while Issa rekindles with an old flame which leads to more drama.

But can a 10-year college reunion save Issa and Molly’s friendship? Can years of overcoming struggle and drama bring true confidence to your life?

You have to watch to see how this all plays out.

Kim’s rating system is simple and straight to the point:

• 1 – Hard to finish: It may be new but it’s not good. Definitely hard to finish the season.
• 2 – Boring: I finished the season, but it wasn’t that exciting or engaging.
• 3 – At least the storyline was decent: It was good, but the show didn’t pull me in.
• 4 – It was good: The show was engaging and interesting.
• 5 – I was hooked: I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.

Insecure received a perfect rating in our Binge It! series.

The main thing I love about this show is the writing. Issa Rae dedicated the storylines and creativity of the scenes based on the real-world experience of a Black woman, which relates significantly to my reality. The series is raw, funny, original, with bold yet awkward situations that continue to draw you in. Another great element in Insecure is the music. Every season’s soundtrack help carries the storyline and fits perfectly within all the drama. Not only does the series display the weaker side of the characters, but through the seasons, you can see the growth and progression of each character. Though the show is still in the final season, you can see the insecurity fading and true confidence taking over for Issa Dee. I love everything about Insecure and I think it’s a show that will continue to be talked about years from now.

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