TV Retrospective: "You're the Worst" - Season 4

Scene from You're the Worst
When You're the Worst ended its third season, it managed to mix a spectacular array of fireworks with a heavy, ambiguous sorrow between main couple Jimmy (Chris Geere) and Gretchen (Aya Cash). With Jimmy driving off after bailing on a marriage proposal, what was there left for Gretchen to do? It's the question that season four not only answered, but chose to explore how separating these characters would destroy the unique compatibility that they had built up. For Gretchen, that would be living in Lindsay's (Kether Donohue) apartment) while Jimmy disappeared into a trailer far away. When they returned to Los Angeles for redemption, it produced one of their rockiest seasons since the first year. With that said, You're the Worst's fourth season managed to explore the emotional capacities of its supporting cast, and in the process discovering that the issues long held to be just Jimmy and Gretchen's problems are more universal than one would expect. 
The genius of season four was the decision to make the ending an almost happier version of season three's finale. With the couple reunited, there was plenty to celebrate as they planned their wedding in between yelling at angry traffic behind them. As the season would suggest, they need each other. It's always been the gist of the series. However, this is the first year where that has been extremely apparent, in part because the show has explored loneliness - but it has never done the loneliness of a person scorned by rejection on a deeply personal level. With Lindsay and Edgar (Desmin Borges) seeming to have great lives, the choice to have Gretchen and Jimmy essentially helpless created new matters. The comedy was still there, but the sadness underneath was more present in even the small decisions that were made.
Jimmy got a book published, though it was misleadingly sold as a historical erotic novel. Gretchen turned to a father/daughter couple that she felt would convey her sense of maturity. However, it wasn't enough. Gretchen's affair always felt shallow and more as an excuse to act childish. Jimmy would try to move on, but nobody would put up with his brazen mentality quite like Gretchen. Even as they intersected occasionally to ruin each other's lives, they became aware of why they kept doing it. They were obnoxious people who could get chased by angry joggers. They needed that back-up.
The show has never avoided sad topics. It has even been some of the biggest highlights so far with Gretchen's famous depression episode, or Edgar's PTSD episode from the following year. The issue here is that season four didn't have that standout moment. In some ways, it was aimless with a purpose. Going to Lindsay's divorce party reflected the contradictory nature of this joyous occasion. She was alone, even if being away from Paul (Alan McLeod) would inevitably be good for her. Even the revelation that her and Becca (Janet Varney) had a mother that neglected them only added to how much the world felt like it was ignoring them. Everyone experiences some form of invalidation this season, and it comes to a head in the finale where even Paul gets an emotional revelation that he joined men's rights activists solely because he misunderstood their cause and wanted to relate to someone else being picked on.
The season was a series of failures to move on and form a new life in the face of last season's rude divorce of characters. In a lot of ways, it's the type of trick that only the best shows can get away with after building up confidence. Creator Stephen Falk and crew definitely have earned that trust by creating a series that can go to dark places while still having great cameos by Ben Folds or Zosia Mamet. There are still revelations within the comedy, such as when Gretchen's high school friend Heidi (Mamet) suggests that everyone pitied her in high school. It's among the bleaker years, in part because the validation doesn't come until the end, and that's after loose canon Vernon (Todd Robert Anderson) falls asleep during a surgery that causes a very unpleasant catastrophe for his patient. It's hilarious because Vernon refuses to take responsibility, but also because he runs away from his problems in a way that mirrors Jimmy.
So, does Jimmy botch the surgery of his life with Gretchen? The season finale is not without great poignancy and revelations. The cast is game to explore conflicts related to depression and second chances, even as Jimmy's car becomes crisped by an arsonist who may or may not be Gretchen. As a whole, the series continues to do a great job of exploring tough topics within the guise of contemporary comedy. It's long been established that every character here has an unpleasant tic. What season four suggests is that sometimes the only way to be accepted is to forget about it and look at the person for who they are. They make some serious mistakes, but they're still people you want around in times of need.
In the week leading up to You're the Worst's finale, it was announced that next season would be their last. All things considered, it's a miracle that this show has lasted this long. The early episodes, meant to establish the balance of awfulness and heart, could be off-putting for people over antagonist programming. Still, the show evolved from a satire of romantic comedies to a series about the everyday struggle of individuals who want love, but don't know how to give it. Its fourth season had all the hallmarks of the show's brilliance, though maybe in darker doses. Even then, there's something heartwarming about a finale as simple as two people yelling at a honking car. In situations like that, you'll want someone to back you up. Thankfully for Gretchen and Jimmy, they have each other. Will they last through the marriage? Only season five will tell.


Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

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