“Insecure” delivered for the Lawrence and Issa Couple Hive (a separate contingent from the Lawrence Hive) with “Lowkey Happy,” an episode that put forth the most polished version of Lawrence we’ve seen since the series launched in 2016.
Show runner Prentice Penny has pointed out season four episode’s Nos. 1-3 were written from the point of view of characters Issa Dee (Issa Rae), Molly Carter (Yvone Orji) and Lawrence Walker (Jay Ellis) and it appears the show has returned to that format with the latest trio of episodes. In episode six, the focus is on a post-block party Issa; in episode seven, it’s all about Molly in Mexico and this week, Lawrence reconnects with his most significant love relationship.
@natasharothwell wrote one of my favorite episodes of the series and it was beautifully directed by our long time cinematographer, Ava Berkofsky, her first episode of TV. Thank you all for everything. Sending you much love.
— Issa Rae (@IssaRae) June 1, 2020
Written by Natasha Rothwell and directed by Ava Berkofsky, the entire gorgeously shot episode feels like a movie and whether you like Issa and Lawrence as a couple, it’s hard not to be seduced by the beauty of their very real chemistry and playful exchanges even if it all feels as permanent as the clouds that surround them at the Downtown Art Walk.
Still, while the episode is filled with sweet moments that draw in the viewer, the episode also includes subtle messaging that add a layer of tension to Issa and Lawrence’s happy reunion.
Entering the bar to meet Lawrence, Issa is dressed in a red jacket (a color often used to foreshadow passion or danger) by South African label Thebe Magugu and falls flat on her face. As she makes her way to the bar, she overhears a woman loudly telling her friend, “You know what, I’m going to break up with his ass right now!” to which her friend replies, “I would like to see it.”
Flash back to season one, episode one when Issa tells Molly following her 29th birthday dinner, “I’m breaking up with him tonight!” Just like the stranger in the bar, Molly is not convinced and tells Issa, “Bitch, no you’re not.”
The show then begins to reveal subtle differences where the two characters are in terms of post breakup progress with their drink choices. Issa has moved on to a new favorite drink while Lawrence’s favorite cocktail remains the same as it ever was. Still, Lawrence is now capable of paying for both drinks, a drastic change from when they were a couple and he was utterly broke.
More important than drink choices is what takes place when they begin to discuss Condola Hayes (Christina Elmore). Lawrence mentions potentially moving on from his job at Los Angeles-based tech company Meridian and adds, “I don’t want to be afraid to move on from shit.” The statement spurs Issa to say, “I heard about Condola,” a reference to the block party where Condola told Issa she had broken up with Lawrence.
“Why are men great until they gotta be great?”
— Feelin Good As Hell (@lizzo) October 14, 2017
Meaning: men hold the highest seats of power on the planet. They’re constantly appointed greatness and yet cannot seem to do any good with it. #truthhurts https://t.co/eViNtMl1uo
Lawrence reacts with surprise, but is quick to shut down the conversation and never confirms they’re broken up. It’s at the moment that the line “Why men great ’til they gotta be great” from Lizzo‘s “Truth Hurts” single blasts from the speakers. The entire song is a take down of a male partner who falls short and according to Lizzo herself, the line is a reference to men who hold great power but fail to use it to do good.
The introduction of the Lizzo song is followed by the couple physically being separated by an over enthusiastic customer. It’s the first time in the episode the couple are symbolically parted, but it won’t be the last. Immediately after Lawrence and Issa exit the bar to find some relief from the noise, they stand side-by-side in front of a facade composed of square-shaped, black window frames. As the frame draws back, the lines from the frames serve to separate them.
When Lawrence and Issa arrive at Dama, a restaurant located in City Market South, an over-sized luminous light is positioned between and over them, foreshadowing the coming of their open and honest “no eggshells” conversation.
Referencing the episode’s “Lowkey Happy” title, their server’s name is Joy, who creates a physical separation between the couple when she approaches the table. At the same time she stands under the same illuminating light perhaps messaging that bringing things into the light will not only set you free but bring you joy. That said, after Joy leaves the table, the camera pulls back and shows two individuals sitting at the bar who once again create an on screen physical separation between Lawrence and Issa.
Adding to the intensity of their one-on-one, brutally honest exchange the camera stays focused on each characters’ face, no distraction or backdrop separation symbolic or otherwise.
As the conversation winds down, Issa attempts to find out whether or not Lawrence had bought her an engagement ring as he claimed in the cab on the way to the restaurant. Once again, Lawrence doesn’t provide any concrete answers and Issa is left back on her heels when he jokingly describes her as “ain’t shit.”
When Issa exits stage right to go to the bathroom (perhaps to check in with her mirror buddy), Condola makes her first appearance in the episode with a text reading, “Hey I know we said Tuesday but any chance you’re free tonight?” Without referencing his dinner date, Lawrence, responds, “Hey I’m out right now, but I’ll hit you when I’m done.”
While it’s a comedic moment that speaks to Rothwell’s stated love of a good romantic comedy, when Lawrence and Issa leave the restaurant their cute coupledom is interrupted with a reminder from Issa’s past in the form of Issa’s ex Calvin aka TSA Bae (Reggie Conquest)…brrrrrrrat brrrrrrrat! Based on his familiarity with the restaurant’s menu, one has to conclude he is the date Issa referenced when Lawrence asked whether her first time at the restaurant was with a love interest.
In a widely-celebrated scene shot at the Art Walk, Lawrence and Issa face off in front of an illuminated piece of art work (above) split into red and blue vertical tubes. In addition to the the lines that stand between them, once again there’s prominent use of the color red, again signaling either heightened emotions or the demise of something. Showing a lack of coordination, while Issa’s red jacket syncs up perfectly with the red lights behind Lawrence, his hounds tooth jacket is at odds with the blue light backing Issa.
Immediately following the scene, Condola once again inserts herself between the couple with a phone call Lawrence chooses not to answer. Issa sees her name on his screen, forcing Lawrence to fess up that they’re still talking to each other and he admits to Issa, “I’m not really sure what’s going to happen to us.”
In a back and forth mating dance, the couple share a Lyft home from the art event that ends with Lawrence inviting Issa inside, ostensibly to prove to her he’s made substantial changes and is now living like a mature adult. They’re force to confront their own history when Issa spies the infamous blue couch in Lawrence’s living. The couch is meaningful because it was purchased in season one during a time when they tried and failed to repair their crumbling relationship.
Commenting on the use of the couch as a device, Rothwell told the Los Angeles Times, “I think by calling it out, it takes away its power. They’re not out running from the past; they’re accepting it and reincorporating it into what could be a future, or the potential to at least try.”
Following the exchange over the couch, Issa takes another trip to the bathroom, and once again Condola calls wondering why she hasn’t heard back from Lawrence about meeting up. Even with Issa in his home, he tells her, “I can still try and make it tonight.” It’s a telling moment not only because he chose to answer her call but also because he expressed an interest in making a late night visit to her home.
Even in the face of multiple interruptions from a woman who’s place in Lawrence’s life is unclear, Issa with the expanse of the room between them puts her heart on the line and asks Lawrence, “What if I want to stay?” While he at first hesitates, in a pivotal exchange he tells her, “Tonight made me happy” to which Issa affirms, “You make me happy.”
Putting aside words and space, the couple make a clear sexual connection and for the first time in the history of the series we see them have a satisfying sexual experience expressing the depth of their years together.
Commenting on the scene, Rothwell explained, “We have moments with Issa smiling and Lawrence smiling as they’re having sex, that is deliberate, thoughtful love-making, where they really see each other, accept each other and express how the other makes them happy. We don’t get to see people of color make love that way often on screen, and it was very true to them in that moment.”
Issa walking through a neighborhood that’s changing as she’s changing is no accident. #InsecureHBO
— Natasha Rothwell (@natasharothwell) June 1, 2020
While the potential for awkwardness was sky high, Lawrence and Issa greet each other like old friends when they awaken in bed together the next day. Issa turns down Lawrence’s offer to drive her home and she walks in the sunshine through an array of different neighborhoods that ends with an uphill walk.
Far from a walk of shame, Issa holds her head high expressing the satisfaction that comes from experiencing a degree of closure however temporary it may be. The walk and the changing landscape she encounters, according to Rothwell, is also meant to express Issa’s own ongoing journey. In a Tweet she explained, “Issa walking through a neighborhood that’s changing as she’s changing is no accident.”
Issa walking through a neighborhood that’s changing as she’s changing is no accident. #InsecureHBO
— Natasha Rothwell (@natasharothwell) June 1, 2020
And while both characters have returned to each other as more evolved and better versions of their former selves, the episode provided plenty of symbolic references indicating their happily ever after might not be in the cards.
Hinting that the couple may not be made for prime time, Rothwell adds, “My hope is that this episode will at least allow audiences to consider him a contender. And, much like real life, when it’s just you and your partner, it’s great; when you introduce your job and your friends and the rest of the world, who knows what’s gonna happen outside this capsule-episode bubble?”
Check out a preview of episode nine below.
