Composer:
Raphael SaadiqCast:
Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Y'lan Noel, Natasha Rothwell, Catherine Curtin, Lisa Joyce, Neil Brown Jr., Heather Mazur, Maya Erskine, Veronica Mannion (more)VOD (1)
Seasons(5) / Episodes(44)
Plots(1)
Creator/writer/star Issa Rae brings her fresh voice to HBO with this painfully funny new comedy series, which follows best friends Issa (Rae) and Molly (Yvonne Orji) as they navigate the tricky professional and personal terrain of Los Angeles, while facing the challenges of being two black women who defy all stereotypes. Though Issa fancies herself a badass rapper when she's alone in front of the mirror, her day-to-day life as the "token black girl" at an educational non-profit is far less empowering. With 30 looming large, Issa starts to reconsider a five-year relationship with unemployed boyfriend Lawrence (Jay Ellis), which is going nowhere fast. Struggling just the same is Issa's BFF Molly, whose professional success as a high-paid lawyer stands in stark contrast to her dismal dating life. After an unexpected performance at an open-mic night, Issa decides to embrace a better and bolder side, but learns that, despite the confidence of her razor-sharp rhymes, being less insecure in everyday life isn't quite as easy. Over the course of eight Season 1 episodes, INSECURE explores the black female experience in a subtle, witty and authentic way, as Issa and Molly stumble their way towards pulling their lives together, while trying their hardest to never settle for less. (HBO Europe)
(more)Reviews (1)
In the 4th episode of the series, the (black) protagonist Molly complains about how annoying loud black people are, and you will likely agree with her. In Issa Rae's work, everything revolves not only around two inseparable friends, but above all around the racial identity of the African-American minority and their struggles, problems, and desires. African Americans logically form the target audience in the eyes of the creators. While with "white" television and film creators, I feel that their characters are defined as part of professional and social groups, bearers of certain political stances (I am a lawyer, a liberal, a Protestant, a parent, etc.), in Issa Rae's world, skin color becomes the link that plays a crucial role in communication, work, partner selection, and elsewhere. The series aims to be informal and politically incorrect, so both friends curse like there's no tomorrow, and it reeks of being a pose. Although Issa tries to write differently and initially wants to introduce new topics, gradually another series comes out of this promising concept, where both actors "deal with" the problem of finding the perfect partner in a world of limitless offers of global social networks and unlimited possibilities of modern communication technologies. The first season earns an honest three stars from me, and I probably wouldn't recommend following the fates of the two girls any further. Overall impression: 60%.
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