Lowkey Losin’ It – Insecure Season 4, Episode 4 Recap

This post is in partnership with HBO. As always, thoughts and opinions are my own.

Not the Time – Issa is working hard on the Block Party and excited that Schoolboy Q is headlining. Just then, Trina knocks on her door with what seems like the whole building of tenants behind her. Their beef? Their water stopped running. There is no water in her apartment too, and they rush in to give her all the smoke.

Someone knocks on Molly’s door, and it’s Asian Bae. She’s been swamped working hard on a case, but it’s been a bit since they saw each other so he dropped in on her. She says she is all about them that night, but as he kisses her, she’s distracted with the work she still has to complete. She tells him to give her a little time to finish, as he’s all shirtless in bed. When she is done, it’s 1:42 a.m. Sh*t. He’s passed clean out, and she wakes him for some sex.

Issa gets a call from the printers, who need her to send final notes by 5 p.m. Condola was supposed to handle it, and when Issa calls her, it goes straight to voicemail.

Insecure Season 4 HBO

The Blow Off – Molly’s working late at the office with two other coworkers. Bennett, a young, new associate asks them if they need anything. The two women think they detect some chemistry between him and Molly, but she denies anything saying she mentors him. Besides, he only goes for the Beckys. Felicia says she’s leaving so she can go feed her kids. The other woman says she can stay because her jumpoff can be rescheduled. Molly says she can stay too, blowing off the listening party she was supposed to go to with Andrew.

Issa and Molly pull up at the same time to the DuBois Residence. Their attempts to park their cars is as awkward as their friendship is at the moment. Issa acquiesces and drives around the block so Molly can park in the spot. She checks her VM and it’s a blast from the recent past, Nathan, wishing her well on the Block Party. After parking, the besties banter back and forth and it’s full of unspoken tension. Issa apologizes for missing the last few weekends of their #SelfcareSunday and Molly says she’s been working too hard to even mind. They agree that they still want to do it, but judging by how high pitch their voices get, the lie detector says that’s not true.

Derek is asking Lawrence if he wants to hold the baby (welcome to the world, Simone!) but that’s a nope. You not gon’ drop a burrito and then try to hold a newborn. We ain’t doing that. Derek is reflecting on how he’s afraid because men hurt the hell out of women, like he has, and now he has a baby girl who will probably one day get hurt by a f*ckboy. Lawrence assures him they’ll be great parents. But life is full of surprises, like this baby. Him and Tiffany weren’t even planning on having a kid for a couple more years. Now, their plans of traveling the world and all this other stuff are on hold, but that’s okay. “If it’s worth it, make that sh*t work.”

Real Partnership – The girls are encouraging Tiffany in her post-partum bad mood. She talks about how childbirth is gross and how she hasn’t even showered in three days. They’re helping her fold clothes (because real friends). Tiffany’s tired of just talking to other moms, because she said they’re shallow. Hey Pot, stop shading the kettle.

Insecure Season 4 HBO

Issa gets the final proof of the Block Party flyer and it looks damn good. She goes back to listening to her friend give props to her husband for being a good father to their new daughter. Turns out, Tiffany had a traumatic childbirth experience, as doctors didn’t listen to her talk about her pain, and there was a blood clot. Same thing that happened to Serena Williams, because the medical system does not listen to Black women, nor does it prioritize our well-being. Thankfully, Derek advocated for Tiffany in her delivery room. Molly affirms the value of great partnerships and gives props to Andrew for being with her during this really busy time she’s having. Issa responds with “I see you out here Red Table Talking.” God damn it, the shade. The girls laugh and Molly takes it to heart.

Issa’s phone rings and it’s “Do not answer.” She finds an excuse to get up by putting the clothes away, but Molly reminds her that she missed the right place since she wasn’t present the last time they visited Tiffany. OOP. It’s getting spicy. The baby starts crying, so Molly and Tiffany go to her room.

Miscommunication – Issa asks Kelli if Molly has talked to her about anything relating to her. Kelli, in all her constant foolery glory, assumes Issa messed with Andrew. Sis, no. But ohhh the drama that would bring. But no. Issa says it feels like Molly’s been coming hard at her lately. Kelli says maybe she’s just taking things out on her. Lawrence steps into the dining room and Issa steps out into the backyard with him. Molly judges the hell out of it, watching it from the baby room on the 2^nd floor. Right then, Andrew sends her a text confirming their movie night, but she tells him she needs a rain check because she still has to catch up on work. Sis… no.

Molly holds Simone and she’s a natural. Tiffany says her and Asian Bae would have some really cute babies. Molly asks Tiffany the same thing Issa asked Kelli, because she feels like her bestie has been on her lately about whether she keeps self-sabotaging. Tiffany says maybe they’re just having communication issues.

Insecure Season 4 HBO

Outside, Issa and Lawrence are talking about the baby. Who does she look like? PLOT TWIST: Kelli! He asks her how she’s doing, and she says she’s stressed about the Block Party, plus she hasn’t heard from Condola. He tells her he actually wants to talk to her about that, when her phone rings. She finds out Schoolboy Q just dropped out. All the flyers just got printed. Sh*t. Lawrence says what he has to talk to her about can wait.

Issa walks in on the girls in the kitchen and says she has to go. Molly sees Lawrence leaving and gets all judgey, because she thinks Issa is going wherever he is.

New Plans – At home, Issa gives herself a mirror rap, but her reflection isn’t even feeling it. Her reflection is in a bad mood. Issa is scrolling through Instagram looking for a new headliner. She even almost DMs Beyoncé. She starts making phone calls left and right. It ain’t going well.

Molly and Andrew are at dinner, and she apologizes for being so busy lately. She’s excited for the evening, which she wants to end with an X-rated night cap. Andrew got plans, doe. Poker with his boys. Ouch. Why did he plan that when it’s date night? Well, he assumed she’d have work to do later on, so he made other plans, understandably. Asian Bae doesn’t know where he fits into her schedule but offers to cancel his boy’s night. She tells him he doesn’t have to. Salty.

Issa is still looking for a headliner as she grabs food for a hot dog truck. She calls Molly at work, who begrudgingly picks up the phone. When she does, she starts going on about how rough her week has been to Issa. Issa says she’s calling because she found someone she wants to ask to headline and they’re repped by Live Nation. Andrew works for Live Nation. Molly asks what happened to her headliner, and if Issa did something on her side to break that contract. Issa asks her to ask Andrew and Molly begrudgingly agrees and hangs up. Whew. So much wrong with what just happened.

Self-Care – Molly shows up at Andrew’s place to talk about the night before. He says their honeymoon phase is done, and their schedules are nuts, which is concerning. She tells him he’s priority and they will figure it out.

Insecure Season 4 HBO

Issa gets home and Molly calls her. She says she didn’t ask him and won’t. She wants to separate church and state. She doesn’t want to ask him for this favor because she wants to keep her relationship straight. Issa is taken back and gets off the phone. All she wants is to take a shower and let the day wash off her, but when she opens her faucet, it looks like a Coca-Cola vending machine. No Bueno.

There is a lot to unpack with what’s happening here, with the breakdown of Molly and Issa, and there are no clear villains. Both of them are aggravating the hell out of each other, and each action generates a reaction that than adds another crack into their flailing relationship.

Issa’s been MIA from her friends’ lives because she’s swamped with this thing, she’s passionate about, which seems to be failing. The one person who’s been helping her with it, Condola, has gone MIA too, so now she’s on her own. Her friends have their own lives, so they haven’t volunteered to help her. She’s crazy stressed.

Molly has no work-life balance as her job demands all her time. She isn’t even giving time to the one person who she considers priority. All of that combined, means neither of them is in a place where they can give energy to those around them. It means when Issa called Molly at work and her friend told her that she’s had a rough week, all she could focus on was HER own need of a headliner. It was a clear moment of a bid that went unreceived.

Now, I think Issa was wrong for asking Molly to ask Andrew for the plug with the artist she wanted to have headline for her. Sis, you’ve been shading this friend and her budding relationship, and then you ask her to ask her dude for a hook up? Nah, son. Out of pocket and uncouth. I don’t blame Molly for not doing it, especially since she’s trying to repair her and Andrew’s bond at the moment. Asking him for a professional favor might create more of a rift.

To be clear, Issa has not been a good friend recently. To either of her friends, it looks like. Tiffany’s a new mom and Issa doesn’t even give her undivided attention when visiting.

Both of them are operating from places of hurt, and it’s widening the rift that’s building. There is a straw that is going to break the camel’s back, and it’s going to feel paper thin. But I see it coming. Will the foursome be split up because of it? Let’s see.