I remember in 2016, I was first introduced to Issa Rae. Her new show on HBO titled Insecure was out and I'm pretty sure my mom was the one that told me about her Youtube channel. I cracked tf up watching all of her Youtube videos. Specifically her Awkward Black Girl Series. It was just what I needed that year. To Be honest 2016 really was a great year for many different reasons. Let's talk about it for a sec. We got Beyonce's Lemonade album plus the film/visual album to make things even more special when it premiered on HBO on April 23, 2016.
This album sparked so many conversations and had everyone speculating if Jay- Z really was foolish enough to cheat on Bey? We all know what came of that but this was a turning point in Beyonce's career for sure. Before this history was made when our other favorite dropped her critically acclaimed album Anti that February.
Rihanna already had us in her chokehold and only let us out of it to allow us to eat from the palm of her hand because we were nothing but fed by her in 2016. I know you can hear this year. Just imagine "Work" ,"One Dance" and "Controlla" playing on the radio. I can name many other things from that year but I think you catch my drift. It was just a good year content and music wise. Insecure premiered and changed the game that November. According to IMDb the show has been nominated for 108 awards and won 28. The show was first nominated for an Emmy in 2018 but they didn't take one home until 2020 when they then won the Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series award. Many do feel the show and Issa Rae were snubbed because they truly deserved to win more. Issa will be in the running for a Golden Globe in 2022 for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy award. I do hope that she wins and gets the recognition that she deserves. For the relatable, hilarious and unforgettable experience she has provided to us through Insecure, I am forever grateful and happy I experienced it from the beginning. One thing that I love about the show is there are different writers and different directors for each episode which is nice because it's not just the same one brain creating and writing the material. It's a group of people who have worked together to make every episode something special. Regardless of the number of contributors, the show is Issa Rae's baby so I think it's perfect that she is the writer of the final episode.
OMG! The final episode was beautiful. The 40 minute long episode time traveled through the main characters lives showing us exactly how things turned out for them. Nathan and Issa ended up calling it quits after that big fight between him and Lawrence. They were able to come to terms with the fact that they had no regrets and ending things on good terms. Nathan was not end game and we all knew it deep down. Some didn't have to look deep because they just felt in their spirit he was not the one. They were cute for what it was but Nathan and Issa just did not top Issa and Lawrence. During the Wine down, Issa expressed how at first she wasn't going to end the season with Lawrence and Issa together. Not a surprise to me since I had a feeling that's the way things would end up going. (I was a bit nervous I will admit.) Issa knew that would not be doing the story any justice. This is ultimately a love story. It represents the different things that can happen to really tear people apart. From Issa cheating on Lawrence, to Molly and Issa's relationship deteriorating over time, we saw how the journey can get tough. The decisions you are forced to make and the choices you doubt as you have to decide what's right for you and what's not, all lead us to our final destination. It brings us to the point in life where we can look around and say "This is what I've been working towards." In the episode we also get to finally see Kelli with a serious love interest and to our surprise she announces a pregnancy. It's great to see Kelli get a happy ending. Molly's mother passed and I think some would say they saw that coming. The good thing is we get to see Molly happy in the end. She got her beautiful wedding and a father daughter dance that her mother always wanted her to experience. This episode like many others demonstrated how quickly time can pass. Time waits for none of us and while we are trying to figure things out and decide if we should or shouldn't, time is passing. People's lives are still going about regardless of what we are unsure of. We can't pause time. So while Issa was worried about looking like a "dumb bitch" for staying with Lawrence, life was still happening for everyone around her. In these last few episodes we saw how on several occasions, Issa and Lawrence just was on bad timing. Issa didn't reach out to Lawrence right away after that situation between him and Nathan so by the time she decides to reach out he's dating someone. Lawrence reached out to Issa right before she was about to get dicked down. Just bad timing all around because they let time go by. Time going by isn't always a negative though. You can learn things about yourself. You can mature and grow. Molly and Issas' relationship this season has been the real highlight. It has been consistent love shown through out the season. We started with them figuring things out very awkwardly but they quickly got it together and never left each other's side. They are #friendshipgoals without a doubt. I'm happy we got to see them be the real friends we knew they could be. Whatever is meant to be will be. Lawrence dated other women. Issa dated other men but in the end Issa realized that what she wanted more than anything was to be with Lawrence. It has always been Lawrence because he was just right for her. They went through it all together and apart. Issa eventually accepted that she had to be ok with not knowing for sure how things will go. You just have to decide what you want, live and find out. We end the season with Lawrence, Issa and Jah celebrating Issa's birthday. I love that for her and what a beautiful way to end this story. Life is really what you make it and as long as it makes sense to you that's all that matters. I'm satisfied but I'm truly going to miss this show. Well done Issa.
