Insecure S3 Finale Gave Us The Feels & Started Conversations
(Photo credit: HBO)
If you've had the pleasure of following us on Twitter since Insecure's third season kicked off, you know that we have been on a rollercoaster of emotions since the opening shot of episode 1. (And if you're not following us...fix your life and follow us @culturallywild_)
Issa Rae and her dynamic writing team have been known to push the envelope with taking on controversial topics such as open marriages, stagnant relationships that stifled both creativity and other potential growth and more recently, ghosting and the after effects.
*SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD*
While we fell in love with Nathan from the moment he sat in the backseat of Issa's Lyft and watched as their relationship blossomed (occasionally with the help of narcotics), there was obviously a breakdown in communication because at the end of episode 6, Nathan was gone. For my fellow #NathanNavy members, we were not only shocked but heartbroken.
Issa resorted to some unconventional, but completely warranted, tactics to try and track him down all the way down to trying to break into his laptop. No sooner than Molly shook her back into reality, Issa realized that she was still that b**** and decided to do some ghosting on the ghoster.
Nathan was all but an afterthought until the season finale when he popped up on Issa's birthday with flowers.
Now before we jump into the beauty of two important points of the episode, can we just swoon over Kendrick Sampson one more time? How can you stay mad at that man?!
Anyway, Molly shoos him away while Nathan insists on talking to Issa about what happened. Granted, I know Molly had the best of intentions HOWEVER, as a friend you should step back and allow her to make her own judgement call on whether or not she would let Nathan back into her life.
Which she did in the end.
Issa made the decision to have a real conversation with Nathan about what his problem seems to be because no one asked him to come into our lives, giving our girl the best sex on a ferris wheel and support her dreams but I digress...
Can we just appreciate the growth that is taking place within this 5-minute conversation?!
Nathan's explanation did not seem like much on the surface but for someone who suffers from anxiety or other mental health issues, we know this conversation all too well. Trying to tell someone everything but inadvertently holding back important details in fears that they won't understand or that they'll leave after you essentially bared your soul.
While I don't excuse Nathan for ghosting Issa for A MONTH (Yeah, I was shocked too) but my heart goes out to him. He admitted that he was wrong for ghosting and that he was here to stay now but Issa was not buying what he was selling. Insecure fans were torn between canceling Nathan completely and allowing him back into our hearts flaws and all.
I'm interested to see how and if Issa starts things back up with Nathan and I applaud him for admitting that he had a problem and that he was scared; that's something of a lost art form in the male community. I didn't get a sense of the door closing for Issa and Nathan but I'd understand if she deals with him with a long ended spoon.
Issa Dee has had her share of trials and tribulations at the beginning and end of each season but the finale of this season might be her biggest glow up yet.
She went from slumming it on Daniel's couch in the beginning of season 3 to having her own place BY HERSELF and putting herself first.
At the end of S3, Issa finally unpacking, settling into her new place and both metaphorically and literally settling into her purpose. She finally mustered up the courage to quit a job that she hated and focus her energies on her passions (even if it was only for a moment)
I don't know about you guys but Issa Rae always motivates me to want to go and quit my job tomorrow but I still haven't found the balls to do it. However, both instances have caused me to look inward on how my life is going, both professionally and mentally. I've been candid about my issues with anxiety (which you can read about in Let's Talk About Your New Worst Friend to your right) and I'm still a work in progress.
One day, I'll stand wholeheartedly in my truth without anyone else's help but until then, I'm going to keep following Insecure and get inspiration from both fictional Issa and actual Issa!
Now the question is what the hell is Issa gonna do about Nathan?!
We'll just have to wait until next summer and try to stalk their social media for clues.