Started from YouTube now we’re here: A Review of Issa Rae’s Insecure

After going through what seemed like a Divine Nine pledge process, Issa Rae’s Insecure finally crossed HBO’s burning sands. And we all rejoiced. The creator of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, brings us a comedic series loosely based on her life. Kicking off with Kendrick Lamar’s “We Gon’ Be Alright,” the show instantaneously expressed to me that this show is for the people.

The series opens with her taking many of us down an all too familiar road of self-discovery and broken vaginas. We’ve all been there. And if not, take notes, and ready yourself for the journey.

It’s Issa’s 29th birthday where she realizes, like the majority of us, that her life isn’t at all where she thought it would be. Employed at a job she hates and burdened with a build-a-bear relationship, she has finally hit her breaking point. I mean once your boyfriend of five years suggests a Redbox night for your birthday, there’s no where to go except up. Realizing she’s hit rock bottom, Issa decides that now is the time for change.

The first episode sets the tone of the series and reals you in and ends leaving you with a sense of heightened curiosity. If adulthood came with after school specials, Insecure would be one of them. The show brings a unique and genuine perspective to the plight of young adults struggling to figure out what it means to be “grown.”

During this quest for introspection, Issa is joined by best friend Molly, played by Yvonne Orji. Molly is one of those characters loved by people of all races and creeds. But despite all this incoming love we find Molly living a real-life version of the “Heartbreak Hotel” video (sans the fur coats on the beach). If you’ve ever felt like God is conspiring to keep you single, you’re not alone. Molly is right alongside you.

After encountering this series, you’ll start contemplating which one of your friends texted your life struggles to Issa. If everyone’s getting engaged, and you’re ordering pizza, mentally prepare to watch your life in HD. With every scene there is a sense of relatability that forces you to start the process of life reevaluation. Do I really want to be in this relationship? Should I quit my job? Is my p**** truly broken? All appropriate questions that you’ll start trying to seek answers for.

If chicken soup for the melanin-filled millennial soul had a face, it would be Insecure.