Insecure review: Issa, Daniel and Molly go backwards. Will they stay there?

In this episode of Insecure, we learn that backwards can be a good or bad thing, and sometimes, regression is really a disguise for a big step forward.

Issa and Daniel are sharing his bed “platonically” so Issa can get some relief from Daniel’s couch, but Daniel clearly wants Issa in his bed for more than just sleeping.

At work, Issa gets the chance to attend a job fair with Freida to increase the company’s Black talent pool. During the job fair, Issa is intrigued by another community outreach organization with a more diverse staff that uses the arts to reach teens.

Issa also interviews for the property manager opportunity but after Daniel lets her know he likes having her around she rethinks taking the job.

Meanwhile, Daniel finally collaborates with Khalil. Khalil promises to introduce him to Spyder, but Daniel is once again offended when Khalil changes the beat he made. At the studio, Daniel plays his original beat instead of the one he and Khalil made together. Though Spyder likes the beat, Daniel’s short-lived truce with Khalil comes to an end.

Molly reports for her first day at work and while she’s initially thrilled to be among her new colleagues, she finds herself frustrated by some of the tendencies of her new company. In particular, Molly is put off by the company’s lack of tech savvy (no Docusign?!) and punctuality and wonders why Black businesses always end up a step behind.

Issa decides to take the property management job and tells Daniel that she’ll be moving out of his place. Daniel is visibly upset and lashes out at Issa after she tries to give him advice about his situation with Khalil and Spyder. Back at home, Daniel apologizes to Issa and the two start to get intimate, but Issa stops Daniel saying it doesn’t feel right to sleep with him.

Issa takes a step back to move forward, Daniel just takes a step back

Okay, Issa! I see you learning from your mistakes. Issa taking the job managing the apartment and rebuffing Daniel show that she’s reaching a place where she doesn’t need to be with a man to feel secure. I’m excited about this new step in Issa’s journey where, at least for the first time in the history of the show, she is really on her own — especially since her relationship with Daniel continues to be less than stellar.

While it’s easy to get sucked into the cute moments of Issa and Daniel’s story, it’s important to keep things in perspective and recognize that Issa and Daniel need to work through a lot of toxicity.

It’s understandable that Daniel would feel frustrated and maybe a little hurt that Issa didn’t gas him up and tell him what he wanted to hear after the incident with Khalil. But his comment about always needing to save Issa was below the belt and, frankly, not true. Issa may be maturing but Daniel still hasn’t gotten past his need to always be the man on top. During the Insecure “Wine-Down,”  Y’lan Noel, the actor who plays Daniel, noted that because Daniel and Issa have so much history, they’ll always know which buttons to push on each other and how to hit where it hurts. At this point, there’s nothing to suggest that Issa and Daniel will get together, but if they do, they’re going to need to learn how to disagree and how to have a fight without going too far.

Will Molly’s new job go the way of her dating life?

Molly’s new job storyline didn’t get a lot of screen time, but what we did see has a lot of potential–just like Molly’s new law firm.

While Molly might be being a bit over critical of a job she just started, she does bring up some compelling points about how Black businesses tend to be a step behind other businesses whether it’s by their own doing or not.

As we’ve seen in her approach to relationships, Molly typically gives up on things the minute they fall short of her expectations. Like I said in my live stream, being on a more equal playing field gives her the chance to craft the career path she wants. It would show a huge amount of growth for Molly if, instead of writing this new gig off as behind the times, she works to change the things she feels could be improved.

Other Thoughts:

• Where are the episodes of Kev’yn? Have the characters just stopped watching television?
• Kelli really needs to do a better job of looking out for Issa. Was an apartment with a half bathroom and no shower really the best she could find?
• Seeing Tiffany go from being the queen bee of the friend group to being the odd one out because she’s pregnant is hilarious.
• Spyder may have liked it, but Daniel’s beat is still trash — Khalil’s touch up really was better.