‘Insecure’ Recap, Episode 7: “Real As F*ck”

Be careful what you wish for… It’s a trope common in popular culture, and one that resonated loudly in the seventh episode of Insecure when it came to one’s truth. And by one’s, I mean everyone’s.

Both Issa Rae and Molly confronted their truths, whether they liked it for not.

Molly bumps into an old friend on her way to work, who shares that she’s been feeling “centered” after having been attending therapy to talk through issues, one being self-love. Molly judges, and tells Issa, condescendingly, about their mutual friend going to therapy. But, it’s as if she tells Issa about therapy so she’d agree with her that it’s a crazy idea…but she doesn’t. Issa suggests Molly consider therapy as well.

Offended, Molly acts petty throughout the entire time she’s at Issa’s We Got Y’all fundraiser event. She calls out the lack of good looking men at the event, how weak the drinks are, even how smoggy the air is out. (It’s LA, when and where is it not?) She does though attend to Issa’s feelings, that being fear and paranoia, when they both notice Daniel at the event. Molly checks Daniel, but Issa, still paranoid, tells him to leave, seeing that Lawrence–who has no idea who Daniel is, let alone that he’s someone that Issa cheated on him with–is at the fundraiser supporting her.

“I’m confused. Why you acting like it wasn’t something?” Daniel asks Issa. “Why you been treating me like I’m some random ass ni—a?”

Daniel’s words don’t hurt this time around though, Issa does. “You were just an itch I needed to scratch,” she replies. And while she’s being honest, it almost makes the situation worse. As I mentioned before, Issa ironically fantasizes of Daniel, but not of a future with Daniel. If it was simply an itch to scratch, was it worth jeopardizing her relationship with Lawrence? Granted Lawrence wasn’t necessarily making steps to get his life, and in turn their life, together until Issa scared him when staying a few days at Molly’s, but… was it worth it?

It’s a question Lawrence asks when he finally finds out about Daniel. After catching them both talking from the balcony, and later seeing Daniel leaving distraught, Lawrence asks Issa who Daniel is. She tells him that they were high-school friends and he was in attendance because he had participated in Career Day.

“Did you fuck him?”

Issa looks down in disappointment, and Lawrence is filled with rage. She insists it was a mistake, and in his own words Lawrence asks if it was worth it; “you fucked up our shit for a ni—a that was a mistake?”

As Issa and Lawrence’s world comes crumbling down, Molly visits Jared, again, but talks down to him, by suggesting that she should’ve lowered her expectations. She fights against herself, but stumbles on her words seeing that she hardly believes herself. The thing is that Molly’s moves have been dictated by society’s views on dating and men. Does Molly have “unrealistic expectations?” Issa believes so, and let’s Molly know.

One of the craziest, impactful scenes of the seventh episode, even more so than Lawrence finding out Issa cheated, was when Molly and Issa told each other what they think of how they handle love and relationships. Molly tells Issa that she can’t commit, and throws it in her face that she “Fucked another man when he was fixing his shit for you.” Issa, in retaliation, tells Molly that she has “unrealistic expectations” and that she’s mad because she can “keep” a guy.

It hurt, but does it hurt because it’s the truth? Or because they put a mirror up against the other’s insecurities? Insecurities that they knew existed, but have been avoiding (intentionally or not).

[Watch Insecure, Episode 7, “Real as F**k” on HBO Now or HBO Go]

Erika Ramirez–born in San Jose, CA and based in Brooklyn, NY–is a freelance writer, editor, and producer. She’s the founder of digital magazine, ILY, which is about love. She’s held editorial positions and written for various outlets as Billboard, ROOKIE, NPR, Milk Studios and more. Follow her on Twitter: @3rika