Insecure Series Finale; The End of an Era

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Well, it is over. The end of an era. An era that filled a void in television for black women to see themselves, their friendships, conversations, relationships, and struggles portrayed in such an honest, vulnerable and forthright. For five years, Insecure invited us to congregate, gossip, laugh, cry, argue, and drink together as we delved into the trials and tribulations of Issa, Molly, Lawrence, Kelli, Tiffany and so many more. This show connected us as black women and maybe allowed others to understand us a little bit more. Tonight’s series finale was a moment we have all been waiting for as we wondered if we would get the answers to long-awaited questions.

After watching tonight’s finale, I will first say I have a bit of whiplash. This episode zoomed by faster than the length of Issa and Nasir’s relationship. Let’s be honest, this episode should have been at least 1.5 hours long in order to wrap up and explain five years of questions. And there were several things and people that we did not need…I am mainly referring to Nathan. This final season spent entirely too much time on Nathan. We did not need to meet his Jason Derulo crazed friends; we did not need to meet his cousin and his dead-end story line; and we did not need to see his coworker inappropriately calling him out on his mental health without some sort of follow up or breakdown from Nathan. Nathan took up too much screen time in this final season to ultimately do what he does best and that is leave/quit Issa. We could have spent more time on some of our favorites like Lawrence, hell it would have even made sense to bring Daniel back for another episode. Basically, anyone except Nathan. And since we did spend minutes and hours on Nathan, we scurried through the storylines of Molly, Kelli, and Tiffany. In one final episode we learned Kelli is pregnant, Tiffany is depressed and pregnant at Molly’s wedding, and Molly’s mom dies, and Molly gets married. We get no explanation as to how they got to these stages in their lives, which left several holes in their narratives and resulted in us guessing, assuming, and filling in the blanks of their lives.

Although I felt rushed, I am not upset because we got two things’ fans desperately needed for all to be right in the Insecure world…1) Molly and Issa are best friends and closer than ever and 2) Lawrence and Issa are officially a happy couple again and seemingly engaged! I know many fans speculated as to whether Issa and Lawrence would end up together in the finale. In my opinion, they had to be together. They had to make it work. It needed to make sense and we needed it as an audience. I personally have not been this invested in a couple since Melanie and Derwin from The Game. Now I know that many people wanted Issa to choose herself in the end…but she did. She chose what was best for her after truly taking the time and distance to make that decision. I believe when you make a decision that is best for you then you are choosing yourself. Many times, people believe that when you choose yourself that means you must be alone by yourself. There is power in choosing you; and when you make the decision to selfishly put yourself over everything else then that means choosing your heart’s desires as well. Issa’s whole body, mind, and spirit wanted Lawrence. He was always “the one” but now he is “the one” at the right time AND she was in the right place with herself.

Although Insecure is a fictional tale, it resonates with so many because the themes and narratives are so real. Each relationship in the friend group is different. Tiffany is the solid and stable couple that has been together for years. Kelli represents the friend that finds that relationship quickly and changes her life for love and sacrifice. Molly is the friend who is always chasing something in a relationship and then realizes that everything she wanted was always right in front of her. Perhaps the best part of this episode is the scene where Issa is driving through the neighborhood and passing by places that represent her old life. Rather than being passed by like the old “blood” neighbor or her coworker at “We Got Ya’ll” she is moving past “the past” due to growth, mindfulness, and fulfillment. For five years, we saw Issa live in a state of wonderment, always acting on the “what-ifs”. How many times have we seen Issa talk to Mirror Bitch or dream/image an alternate reality? But in this final episode we see it all come together and she is living and flourishing in the reality.

What I am taking from this finale is “fast but full circle”. Yes, this episode was hurried, and the timeline was unclear, but it was complete. As Issa drives down memory lane, she releases herself from fear, self-doubt, struggle, and wonderment and that freedom gives her the roadmap to her final destination: success in love, life, Lawrence and self.

xoxo Honestly Rach