TV and Movies

Lowkey Happy – Insecure Season 4, Episode 8 Recap

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

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Face Plant – Lawrence is at a bar waiting, when Issa walks in playing her part as the stunning Lady in Red. Sis got her shoulders out and is looking FAHN AF. She sees him and walks towards him but face plants right in the middle of the place! LMAO because she is always awkward. It’s the type of fall that hurts your dignity more than your knees.

Changes – When she finally gets up, Lawrence has her fave drink waiting for her: Prosecco. She tells him she actually takes it with vodka now. But, ain’t no glass of Prosecco going to waste here.

So, they catch up. He couldn’t be at the Block Party because he was in San Francisco doing a series of meetings and interviews. Might our boy move? Issa brings up Condola, and he tells her it’s a subject they ain’t gotta broach.

He mentions his encounter with Molly at the airport, which felt awkward, and she says it’s because they are no longer friends. At first, he thought she was joking, but she clearly isn’t. He tries to get the explanation, but the bar gets really crowded and the music gets loud. They decide to leave and go elsewhere. He asks if she wants to go to a Spanish restaurant, they used to say they wanted to try out, and she’s down for it.

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Black Love – Lawrence calls a Lyft Black. OH OK, DEN!!! We doing black cars now? I see you, Best Buy Bae! Their Lyft driver is chatty AF, which Issa dreads (I feel you, sis), but I dare you to not have a conversation with Auntie if she’s the one at the wheel. Hey Marla Gibbs!

Lyft driver starts asking them about Black Love, and if they’re on their first date. Lawrence says no. So, she says well if they’ve been at this for a while, they should get married. Lawrence jokes and says he got a ring, as they get to their destination.

This Spanish spot? Issa’s actually been there. He asks if she went there on a date and she says, “Let’s not do the tip toe sh*t tonight.” What does he really want to talk about? Lawrence is dragging out whatever it is, but they get a table and it’s outside, under the lights. This looks mad romantic and cute!

Taking Control – They’re looking at the menu and Lawrence doesn’t know what to get. When the waitress comes, Issa says she got it and places their whole order, including the whiskey Lawrence likes as his signature drink. She’s so confident and assured as she does all this and you can tell our boy really likes it!

She asks him again about what he wanted to tell her.

Well, he’s been thinking about them, and how their relationship ended. “What would have happened if we stayed together?” She admits that she wished he hadn’t given up so easily on them.

He asks, “Why Daniel?” She said it was because he gave her the attention she wasn’t getting at home and how he made her feel wanted in a way Lawrence didn’t. This surprises Lawrence because he didn’t know how bad things had gotten between them that drove her to cheat.

She admits that she was heartbroken when they broke up, because he didn’t want her. He tells her it’s not that. He gets really vulnerable about how hapless he was feeling at that point because his career was not it and seeing her go to work every day made him feel resentful. “When everything went down with us, it was easier to blame you.”

COME ON, VULNERABILITY!!! YES!

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The Ring – So she asked him if he was really kidding in the Lyft or did he actually buy a ring at some point. YUP. He had. Whew, that made this all come back for her. She excuses herself to go to the bathroom and says “I really wasn’t sh*t. But I’m the sh*t now.” I love it. And she is.

Lawrence pulls out his phone and there’s a text from Condola. He replies that he’s out at the moment and can’t talk.

After dinner, Issa and Lawrence go for a walk when they here “BRAH BRAH.” It’s TSA bae (Calvin), who’s with a woman named Mazda. He asks if she got the prawns at the Spanish spot. Ahh, so this is who she first came with. Lawrence asks how they know each other, and he is not shy about saying they used to get down. HA!!! Bye, Calvin!

Grown Walk – Issa asks if Lawrence wants to go to Art Walk and he pulls out his phone and says he gotta bounce. He kisses her on the cheek and leaves her looking slightly stunned. But, 5 seconds later, he comes back cuz he was playing.

The Art Walk is lovely, and they have a really good time. They talk about happiness and she digs into how she’s been doing the work to figure out what happiness looks like for her. Is he happy? Yes, because he’s realizing that he doesn’t NEED to start anything of his own. He likes being a builder and team player. And when she talks about doing more events, he tells her she got this! In the words of Kelli, “this is what I call… GROWTH.” AAWWWWW matured Issa and Lawrence are outchea!

Issa Lawrence Art Walk Insecure 408

His phone rings and it’s Condola but he doesn’t pick up. He tells Issa that him and his ex have been talking, but he’s not sure what will happen between them.

They pick up a few pieces of art (because; grown) and they decide to share a Lyft. Turns out they’re neighbors, and what she calls his bachelor pad isn’t far from her place at all. Bachelor pad, huh? He tells her he’s much too grown for that. In fact, leave the Lyft running and come check it out right quick.

Shameless – When Issa steps into Lawrence’s apartment, it speaks to his growth. There’s pics on the walls, actual décor, and it’s clean! Homeboy said he got a housekeeper now. She sees that green couch they used to own together. Aww. Best Buy Bae has grown up for real.

Issa excuses herself to go into the bathroom. Lawrence steps outside and calls Condola, telling her he’s wrapping up his night and he might be able to see her that night. When he hangs up and goes back in, Issa is by the door. She heard it all. Sh*t. He tries to apologize, and she says it’s cool but as she’s leaving, she turns around. “What if I wanted to stay?” She tells him she’s not ready for the night to end and that he makes her happy.

Then they kiss and make all the sex! HEY NOW!

The next morning, they both wake up looking happy in Lawrence’s “got good thread count” sheets. She asks about San Francisco. Is he really gonna go? Who knows? Smiling, she gets up and puts on clothes. She’s gonna walk home, and her walk has no shame. YES.

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I want to sing a song of praise, because this beautiful episode showed us the power of growth and vulnerability, without pretense. Everything about how things unfolded and about the evening spoke to all of those things. There were several points in Issa and Lawrence’s conversations where if one person took the route of pride, it would have shut down any forward movement or depth in the rest of the evening.

Issa falling flat on her face is some sort of metaphor, and it definitely broke the ice for the evening. After you physically fall on your face, what is there to even have pretense about? But whatever it was that allowed both of them to open up to each other about their mistakes and faults in their breakup was a bomb. They both owned up to the parts they played, bragged on their growth and showed that change can be good. Honesty is sexy AF.

At the end of the night, when Issa could have chosen to be upset about Lawrence calling Condola back before she even left, she chose to speak about what she was feeling, and risk being rejected. And it worked out. Again: lessons in vulnerability.

What I loved most of how they left each other. They promised nothing, expected nothing and reveled in the fact that the evening could not have gone any better.

And about the ring issue. The fact that Lawrence had bought a ring speaks to how deeply he loved Issa, but that Lawrence from back then was in no shape to be a husband. Neither was Issa ready to be a wife. IF they end up back together, he’s probably gonna need to find her a new ring, since she’s changed. He’s changed too.

This might be my favorite episode of the season so far. It felt like one big win.

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14 Comments

  1. June 1, 2020 at 1:13 pm

    I loved all of this episode. The honesty, love, and vulnerability shined like a diamond! Both Issa and Lawrence have grown so much. I’m rooting for them!!!

  2. June 1, 2020 at 1:35 pm

    This episode was BEAUTIFUL in all forms and fashion. And I agree, there were so many metaphors. When she fell she didn’t need anyone to pick her up. When she fell Lawrence was there but he allowed her to do it on her own. And the fact that he likes being on a t am when Issa is now leading says a lot. Whew! Black Love!

    On another note, I want to point out how gorgeous Issa Rae and Jay Ellis are. Their smiles made this episode even more amazing. And props to Natasha Rothwell for writing such a beautiful story.

  3. June 1, 2020 at 2:44 pm

    You spoke my exact words. ‘This is my favorite episode of the season”. It was so beautiful I watched it three times in one night.

    I am wondering though, why Condola was messaging him so much! I feel a PLOT TWIST coming on.

    • Nichole
      June 2, 2020 at 1:55 am

      I’m hoping she’s not pregnant. That would be too much.

      • MissusMax
        June 3, 2020 at 9:35 am

        I think she is. I hope not, but it wouldn’t surprise me.

  4. Lidia
    June 1, 2020 at 6:17 pm

    Yes, the Best Episode. It gave me all the feels of Love Jones and I’m here for Lawrence and Issa living in the moment with no strings attached. They are a movement by themselves but a force together. Yes, they make each other better. I want to see more of this but I know Condola and Molly won’t let them be great.

  5. Leni Uddyback
    June 1, 2020 at 10:48 pm

    I don’t know what the next two episodes will bring, but this is definitely my favorite this season.

  6. Jamille G
    June 2, 2020 at 2:57 am

    Did I miss the part where she had that change of clothes?? LOL!!

    • Cindy
      June 2, 2020 at 5:24 am

      She bought the shirt at the Art Walk. She wore the jeans the night before

    • Maci
      June 2, 2020 at 1:00 pm

      She purchased the sweatshirt the night before while they were out. She was carrying a bag as they walked through the art show to leave. The jeans she wore with her super cute and sexy RED top.

  7. Yamoah
    June 2, 2020 at 12:03 pm

    This episode was an enjoyable emotional rollercoaster. Issa and Lawrence had THE long overdue conversation\s that they needed. Their banter and ribbing was effortless and sweet. They really understand each other. Clearly their communication was easier than before because of the time that has gone by and their respective life experiences. Condola, TSA Bae, Lawrences dates and the progress he has made in his life. The Block Party etc They were honest, open and vulnerable and this encouraged the other to continue to be honest, candid and vulnerable, They didn’t have sex, they made love and the morning smiles confirm that it was right.
    I think it would be too easy for them to get back together and since Insecure likes to give us twists and turns, something crazy will happen in the finale.
    This was all round a beautiful depiction of a relationship between a young black man and a young black woman. We (hubs and I} love to see it.

  8. Pamela A
    June 2, 2020 at 1:55 pm

    Definitely one of my favorite episodes ever! Rooting for them 🙂

  9. Crystal Velasquez
    June 4, 2020 at 9:22 pm

    Just rewatched this episode and caught something I missed the first time. Right after Issa falls in the beginning, when she stands up a woman bumps into her then says to her friend, “I’m gonna break up with him right the f**k now,” and the friend says she’d like to see that. Callback to season 1 when Issa says almost that exact thing to Molly about Lawrence! Nice full-circle moment, like a glimpse into the past right as we’re seeing Issa and Lawrence of the future.

  10. Peter
    June 9, 2020 at 2:14 am

    I loved the patience and pacing in this episode. I think it’s my favorite in a long while. Thanks for calling out who the Left driver was – Marla Gibbs? – because I didn’t see her name in the credits.