Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
A lot happened in episode three of Insecure, Season Two (“Hella Open”): Issa Rae explored her ho phase, which started awkward and included her sleeping with a neighbor (who loves Gossip Girl) and Molly met a man (played by Sterling K. Brown) that mirrors the reflection of her old self. But, there was one moment specifically–by far one of the best moments of this season– that made this episode memorable and that was when Tasha calls Lawrence out for being a fuck boy disguised as a good guy.
Let’s not act like we didn’t know him being told about himself wasn’t coming. Lawrence has been playing Tasha since day one. It’s been a casual thing with her, and yet he’s been pretending–in order to keep up with the good guy perception–that it is, or could be, more.
When invited to a family BBQ by Tasha in Episode 2, Lawrence agrees to attend even though it was obvious he didn’t really feel comfortable doing so. (Why not say that, I don’t know…) After minutes of arriving, and helping out, Lawrence runs away to a work event, he knew was happening at the same time, but didn’t mention to Tasha that it was. He hid there the entire night. Again, why not say that? You can avoid being the asshole if you’re honest about your feelings and push away the ego. Lawrence can’t seem to own up to his feelings, let alone say them out loud.
By the end of the BBQ, Tasha calls Lawrence to see where he’s been: “If you didn’t want to come you should’ve just told me that…” Lawrence responds cowardly now that someone’s making him own up to his real feelings (or lack thereof): “It’s not that it’s just that I…Honestly, I’m just not looking to get into anything serious. I just got out of a relationship…”
And here comes the best moment of the night, courtesy of Tasha:
“Quit acting like you give a fuck about what you want? You didn’t think I knew what this was? I knew it was nothing serious. But see you fronted like it was. Apologizing for shit you wasn’t even sorry for… You a fuck ni—a. No, you know what? You worse than a fuck ni—a. You a fuck ni—a who thinks he’s a good dude.”
To those who can’t own up to their own feelings especially those of wanting to be single and, instead, lie by omission, as Monique Judge (@thejournalista) put it on Twitter, so perfectly:
“Instead of being honest, you dress your indecision up in relationship clothes and go out and fuck with someone knowing you aren’t sure. Stop doing that shit. It’s unnecessary. Own your feelings. Be up front. Stop shoplifting the pussy with your bad intentions…So in summation, be clear in your intuitions. State what you want up front. State what you are here for. Then let us decide. The end.”
Erika Ramirez–born in San Jose, CA and based in Los Angeles, CA–is a writer, editor, and producer. She’s the founder of digital magazine, ILY, which is about love. She’s also currently the Artist Marketing Manager (Content) at Red Bull. She’s held editorial positions and written for various outlets as Billboard, ROOKIE, NPR, VOGUE, ELLE, Pitchfork, and more. Follow her on Twitter: @3rika
