You’re The Worst: Serious Comedy
After recently working my way through the entirety of the first season of FX’s You’re The Worst, I knew that I liked the show. The dialogue is sharp, the performances given by the leading characters are great — I think I’d watch Kether Donohue in anything and everything she does — and the central relationship is believable and engaging. But the thing that I found myself most impressed with the way in which the writers treat sensitive subjects and characters, something I wasn’t expecting from a half-hour romantic comedy.
Desmin Borges’ Edgar Quintero is a war-veteran who is suffering from PTSD having recently returned from Iraq. In a flashback episode, before Edgar becomes Jimmy’s house-mate/maid/chef, we see him struggling on the streets of L.A., left abandoned by the government who were supposed to support him and ease his process back into society. There are jokes made, sure — it’s to be expected in a comedy such as this, but Edgar himself isn’t condemned and poked fun at. There are ways to lure the comedy out of any situation without coming off as insensitive and insulting.
In another episode, we see Edgar attempting to get medicine to help tackle the sleepless nights that come as baggage with his PTSD. He arrives at the V.A. and has to deal with spiteful bureaucracy from the worker there. Although the scene is played out with a comedic tone, it also reads as a scathing condemnation of the American government’s failure to support returning troops. He isn’t the target of the jokes, the people who have failed him are.
Edgar’s problems are taken completely seriously even though they are in and amongst the outlandish antics which litter the rest of the show. His condition is one which truly effects him, one which affects his day-to-day life and the show doesn’t shy away from this, never glamorising the subject or playing off of it for a cheap laugh. It’s refreshing to see shows that take sensitive issues and treat them with total sincerity, especially in a medium of entertainment which is crammed with comedic exploitation of real and serious issues. I came to You’re The Worst expecting a run of the mill (500) Days Of Summer clone prime for binge-watching, and whilst that comparison isn’t far off, I just wasn’t expecting the delicate handling of troublesome social issues. It’s hugely rewarding when a TV show surprises you.
