Insecure: Halfway through the season, how far have Molly and Issa come?

Molly

Season 3: Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji. Photo: Merie W. Wallace/HBO

Molly’s new job at an all-Black law firm has undoubtedly gotten off to a rocky start, but it’s still unclear whether the issue is the firm or Molly.

Don’t get me wrong, the office absolutely needs work. Untimely messengers, Molly’s office doubling as a closet and meetings that don’t start on time are all absolutely red flags, but Molly isn’t totally blameless either. In “Fresh-Like,” Molly seems more hung up on the fact that she hasn’t immediately ascended the ranks of a team of lawyers she just joined. Molly needs to take her therapist’s advice and focus less on where she should rank and more on where she can help. As I said before, most, if not all, of the things Molly finds frustrating about her firm are things she could easily change, if she’s willing to stick things out and not write off her new job as simply being on the struggle bus. Unfortunately, with Molly’s new alliance with Torian placing her at odds with her female colleagues, making a change might be easier said than done.

Molly’s dating life hasn’t gotten much attention since episode one of the season, but we do learn in “Fresh-Like,” that she cut Dro off. To that I say, “good for you, Molly!” Anyone who only gives you part of them but feels so entitled that they let themselves into your apartment without permission deserves a one-way ticket straight to the island of forgotten men. Molly, like Issa, seems to be focusing on herself more this season and it can only help her if she really commits to being self-critical and self-aware.

To review:

• New job = good.
• Coming ready with ideas = great
• Feeling entitled to star status after only a couple weeks = not great
• Teaming up with the office loudmouth = ???

Molly’s mid-season “Do Better” grade

As we still have four episodes to go this season, will the show’s main characters keep improving, or fall back into bad habits?