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| Issa Rae |
Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
In a time of social unrest, there is something reassuring about the multitude of black shows on TV. Along with Black-ish, the 2016 Freshman line-up has already featured such impressive and diverse shows as Atlanta and Luke Cage. HBO now enters the game with Insecure: a show about Issa Dee (Issa Rae) as she deals with being a black woman in Southern California. The first episode plays as a simple introduction of Issa's world, from her non-profit job to attempting to get a boyfriend who treats her right. The first episode has the familiar Girls indie film vibe, but with more Kendrick Lamarr on the soundtrack. To say the least, it's one of the most striking and intriguing new shows on HBO's radar this fall, and it likely will service as a decent companion piece to Atlanta.
The episode opens with Issa talking to an inner city school about her cause. The conversation is quickly shifted into discourse about Issa's integrity. Why does her hair look different? Why does she dress funny? Her only response is that she thinks that black women shouldn't settle for less than what everyone else gets. She is met with ridicule, but the insecurity that comes with the title immediately shows in her demeanor. She wants to be accepted, but is the token black girl at her job who refuses to discuss black lingo with her peers. She wants respect, but doesn't entirely know how to get it.
What does help is how candid and unformed the show feels immediately. While the episode tells one coherent story, it does feel sporadic and at times entirely free form. The final stretch of the episode focuses on Issa going to a bar where she cryptically insults her friend (Yvonne Orji) and finds an old friend. The small moments of joy are counterattacked by arguments and frustrations of a single woman going through an identity crisis. She has just turned 29 and doesn't have anything figured out. It may sound a bit like the Lena Dunham model, but Girls never was this brash about female friendship. The show embraces casual vulgar language, and it only helps to add an authenticity to what's seen.
By the end, the show comes across as a scrapbook of one woman's life. Considering how rarely one has been the center of a show - or at least gotten to be this candid - it is refreshing evidence that TV needs to continue to expand its potential. Insecure may not have the flair of other niche intimate shows, but it does have a promising talent in Issa Rae. It is in the small moments that she's most able to find humanity and make a character that is worthy of watching. If nothing else, she's funny. The show makes good use of her and here's hoping that there will be continue to be intriguing stories to come from Insecure's quest to explore the young black woman's experience in America without pandering to network notes.
The episode opens with Issa talking to an inner city school about her cause. The conversation is quickly shifted into discourse about Issa's integrity. Why does her hair look different? Why does she dress funny? Her only response is that she thinks that black women shouldn't settle for less than what everyone else gets. She is met with ridicule, but the insecurity that comes with the title immediately shows in her demeanor. She wants to be accepted, but is the token black girl at her job who refuses to discuss black lingo with her peers. She wants respect, but doesn't entirely know how to get it.
What does help is how candid and unformed the show feels immediately. While the episode tells one coherent story, it does feel sporadic and at times entirely free form. The final stretch of the episode focuses on Issa going to a bar where she cryptically insults her friend (Yvonne Orji) and finds an old friend. The small moments of joy are counterattacked by arguments and frustrations of a single woman going through an identity crisis. She has just turned 29 and doesn't have anything figured out. It may sound a bit like the Lena Dunham model, but Girls never was this brash about female friendship. The show embraces casual vulgar language, and it only helps to add an authenticity to what's seen.
By the end, the show comes across as a scrapbook of one woman's life. Considering how rarely one has been the center of a show - or at least gotten to be this candid - it is refreshing evidence that TV needs to continue to expand its potential. Insecure may not have the flair of other niche intimate shows, but it does have a promising talent in Issa Rae. It is in the small moments that she's most able to find humanity and make a character that is worthy of watching. If nothing else, she's funny. The show makes good use of her and here's hoping that there will be continue to be intriguing stories to come from Insecure's quest to explore the young black woman's experience in America without pandering to network notes.
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