You’re The Worst Recap: S3E6 “The Last Sunday Funday”
By Emily Scott
This week’s episode of You’re the Worst features fireworks, ragtime music, a scavenger hunt, and the last Sunday Funday.
After last week’s completely triumphant Edgar-focused episode, I was really worried about the direction You’re the Worst would go after. Would the show return to the lackluster of the first few episodes of the season? Or would “Twenty-Two” signal a ramp up into the excellence that the show is capable of?
Fortunately, this week’s episode tends toward the latter. While last week’s episode displayed how well YTW can do intensity, empathy, and humanism, “The Last Sunday Funday” showcases the opposite end of its spectrum of strengths. The comedy in this episode is rooted in deeply recognizable observations and strong characterization, rather than old, overused tropes.
You’re the Worst, Screencap via FXX
True to the word of showrunner Stephen Falk, the gang notices the growing prevalence of Sunday Funday. Other brunch groups are drinking mimosas and making lists of activities, and even the sign advertises Sunday Funday. Gretchen declares that Sunday Funday is dead, but they can do the scavenger hunt to find the speakeasy she’s been trying to convince them to go to. “There’s a bar in LA I can’t get into! That is unacceptable!”
It works. Jimmy rants about the dumbness of speakeasies and the pointlessness of scavenger hunts, but the group can’t even get off the ground with the first clue until he takes the reigns. At first, he feigns nonchalance as he answers the clues. But as the hunt progresses from the library all the way to the police station, his unfettered glee in solving the puzzle becomes evident. It’s completely reminiscent of Ron Swanson’s reluctant love of riddles and puzzles in Parks and Rec, and it’s wonderful.
At the end, when Jimmy proudly proclaims, “I found it for you,” to Gretchen. She responds, “We wanted each other to be happy.” It might be the first time that they have acknowledged their genuine feelings without trying to shirk or gaslight each other. Instead of being mean or weird with each other about their love, for once they let it be what it is. It’s a nice look on these self-proclaimed horrible people.
Aya Cash (Gretchen) and Chris Geere (Jimmy) (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Lindsay’s arc in this episode finally addresses her train wreck of a marriage. Throughout the scavenger hunt, she keeps mentioning Paul, saying he would know an answer or be able to figure it out. Eventually Gretchen calls him and invites him along, despite Lindsay’s protests. “You can either be with Paul for realsies, or you can dump him,” Gretchen tells her, speaking the truth on everyone’s mind.
Ultimately, Lindsay and Edgar have a really great talk about it. I’ve really missed scenes with these two. The chemistry between the characters is so fun to watch. Despite being vastly different, they can relate to each other in such a unique way. Edgar talks to her about taking responsibility for figuring out what works for him and his PTSD. He relates it to her by advising her to “try the thing you’re most afraid of.” She responds, immediately, “You mean ask Paul to accommodate my needs within the confines of my marriage?” YES, Lindsay. Do that!
Except, when she does, she doesn’t try to make their marriage work, necessarily. She tries to make it not-a-marriage. She tells Paul she wants to sleep with other guys. Now, I’m all for doing whatever makes two consenting adults happy. But despite Paul’s agreement, he’s clearly uncomfortable with the idea. “I wanna be a family,” Lindsay tells him, “But I also wanna be happy. Don’t you want me to be happy?” Oh, Lindsay. Guilt-tripping your husband into an open marriage isn’t what will make either of you happy. But at least Lindsay is beginning to grasp the concept of being honest about her needs. That’s a pretty major step up for her.
“I wanna be a family, but I also wanna be happy.” – Lindsay
Edgar, who got the intimate portrait episode last week, spends most of the adventure in a haze of marijuana smoke. After smoking pot with Sam at the recording studio, he realizes that it mellows him out and alleviates the symptoms of his PTSD. Later on, after realizing he’s been standing next to firecrackers without freaking out, he grabs some fireworks and gets the gang to shoot them at him for “immersion therapy.”
I love the idea that Edgar is looking for things that work for him, as he discussed at the end of the last episode. And the fireworks scene made for some pretty baller slow motion shots. But I worry that the show may start to treat both the weed and the “immersion therapy” as a cure-all for his disorder. The writers have built this incredible storyline about PTSD, a condition that has, up until now, been largely ignored in film and TV. I would hate to see it just dropped because Edgar found a few things that help. Fortunately, I don’t think that will happen. YTW represented Gretchen’s depression so realistically that I don’t think they’d regress that way. Also, about the marijuana, Edgar quips, “So, thats an illegal temporary fix.” Hopefully he’ll continue to work on getting better in addition to feeling better.
You’re the Worst, Screencap via FXX
Last week, You’re the Worst put out one of its best episodes. This week, they displayed one of its funniest. Jimmy’s insults were biting and on point. Sam called a magnifying glass a “big-ifier.” And I’m pretty sure I have never laughed harder at this show than when Lindsay described a period as, “when you get to the end of the thing and go ‘boop’ with your pen.”
Could every episode of this show be some version of this one or the last one? Either a deep and moving portrait of a human, or fast-paced, joke-heavy, and involving Sam’s hip hop trio? Or both! I can definitely get behind a mixture. Only time will tell, I suppose. But at the moment, You’re the Worst is really stepping up its game.
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If it really is the last Sunday Funday, at least it was a great one. But I’m still holding out hope for more.