In Insecure’s Season 3 finale Sunday, Issa wanted one thing and one thing only: a drama-free and happy birthday. But, considering the way she’d just been ghosted by Nathan and the way she’d been sparking anew with ex-boyfriend Lawrence, who in turn was sparking with church lady Deniese, was that really a possibility? Read on and find out. ‘HOW MANY BITCHES GONNA BE THERE?’ | As “Ghost-Like” began, Issa was trying valiantly to round up support for her block party. Not succeeding, mind you, but trying. Later, she admitted to Molly that, given how impossible the block party seemed, she’d begun sending out resumés again. She also advised Molly to get over her own work dilemma by sitting down with Taurean rather than letting their issues fester. From there, we cut to Lawrence having coffee with his dad, who was curious about his and Issa’s relationship status. “I just wanna meet a woman without any baggage,” Lawrence said. No such thing, Pop replied. Lawrence would have to work at making a happy ending for himself. At the office, Molly learned that the firm had gotten a big case. What’s more, that case was going to her… and Taurean. Awkward. In other work news, Issa interviewed with the Beat Crew, whose leader Eli was interested enough to send her application upstairs immediately. Next thing we knew, it was Issa’s birthday. When Molly arrived to pick up her girl, she found Nathan strolling down the block with flowers. Uh-uh, no. “You’re not about to f— [her birthday] up,” Molly told him. So off he went, tail between his legs. Next, we tagged along with Molly, Issa and Kelli to the birthday girl’s surprise: an outdoor screening of The Last Dragon. Who should also be there but Lawrence, who was meeting Chad and another buddy. Popular on TVLine ‘IF I WANTED A KID, I’D’VE KEPT THE LAST ONE’ | Celebrating Issa’s big three-oh, Kelli revealed that she’d been made Tiffany’s baby’s godmother, and Molly revealed that Andrew was dead. Just to her, not actually dead-dead, she had to make clear for Kelli’s sake. Nearby, Lawrence was surprised to find out from Chad that he’d been forgiven by the ex he’d cheated on. How’d he pull that off? “I had to watch so much Project Runway,” he said, “I could sew an A-line skirt.” Later, in line at the concession stand, Molly ran into her ex, Jared. “Are you a judge yet?” he asked sweetly. At first, there seemed to be leftover chemistry. But she soon discovered that he was at the movie with a guy. “I knew it!” Molly told Issa. “My instincts [that he’s gay] were right the whole time.” During the flick, Lawrence treated Issa to her favorite candy and sat by her side for a while. “The [block-party] event’s kind of on hold,” she admitted to him. “It just seemed like it wasn’t gonna work out.” After the movie, Jared came up to the ladies with the guy he was with — who turned out to be his brother — and their girlfriends. Oh, Molly. So much for your instincts! Issa approached the event organizer, whom she’d met at Tiffany’s baby shower, to marvel at her accomplishment. Afterwards, a newly inspired Issa told a skeptical Molly that she was gonna give the block party another chance. By and by, Molly confessed that Nathan had come by, so she’d turned him away. Why?!? Issa wanted to know. “You said you didn’t want no drama on your 30th,” Molly replied. ‘THAT’S NOT YOU… THAT’S NEVER BEEN YOU’ | In nanoseconds, the gal pals were on the verge of a fight over Molly’s recent negativity. But she had to be that way, the lawyer argued. The next day, Molly approached Taurean about their case, and he told her that he was no longer on it. When she appeared to be nervous about not having a co-lead, he advised her to, as she had when making their presentation without him, just tell the boss she got it. Over coffee with the organizer of movie night, Issa was delighted to see her block-party idea catching fire at last. Returning home, she found a bouquet of flowers on her doorstep. From Nathan? Presumably. But we didn’t get to read the card. Shortly, Molly phoned Andrew, who was pretty over her BS. But she persevered, admitting that her last relationship had burned her more than she’d realized. So it looked like he might be giving her another chance. As the episode drew to a close, Issa’s new friend, movie-night-organizer lady, arrived for a date with — oh no! — Lawrence. Meanwhile, at Issa’s, Nathan apologized for ghosting her and said he hoped she liked the flowers. (OK, so they were from him.) Turned out, he’d gotten in a negative headspace and gone back to Houston for a while. “I wish I had a better explanation,” he said. Yeah, I wish he did, too. Issa wasn’t ready to forgive him. But at least she didn’t shut the door on their romance altogether. And it seemed important that “I’m back here now,” he promised. “For good.” So, what did you think of the Season 3 finale? Grade it in the poll below, then hit the comments.<doc-sep>Season 3, Episode 8, ‘Ghost-Like’ Early into the Season 3 run of “Insecure,” the creator and star Issa Rae told Harper’s Bazaar that she has no interest in fan service. “When exes have left, you know, I barely see them,” she said of others’ concerns about Lawrence’s absence from the new season. “I strongly believe that so many of them pop up when you’re doing great, but for the most part, I don’t keep in touch,” she continued. “I like to move forward not backward, so we wanted the work to reflect that.” Now that Season 3 has ended, Lawrence’s midseason return reflects an odd tension between Ms. Rae’s statement and how his story line has been worked back into the narrative. If his character is truly back for good, as the last three episodes have suggested, his narrative arc is a disappointment. In Sunday’s season finale, Lawrence meets up for lunch with his father and laments his inability to find a woman without any “baggage,” a relationship as “easy” as his parents’ — of course, his father chuckles and insists that his marriage is the product of hard work, something young people these days don’t seem to want to do. Later, he’s shocked to learn that bad boy Chad and his fiancé are back together after she forgave his cheating. It seems to dawn on Lawrence that maybe his rose-colored view of what love can be is hindering his dating life.<doc-sep>Later, Molly arrives at her office and her assistant tells her Taurean and the partners are waiting for her in a conference room. It turns out that they’re not reprimanding her for being shady, they’re rewarding her with more responsibility. She and Taurean are going to serve as lead counsel on a huge new client. She’s ecstatic that her risky move worked out, but Taurean is not. Before the meeting ends, he tersely tells the partners he’s excited to have “a teammate as aggressive as Molly.” *Sniff, sniff* Is that trouble we smell? (Yep.) Lawrence meets up with his dad to help him set up his new phone. His dad asks if he’s dating at all and if he’s seen Issa. Lawrence says he and Issa have been hanging out but that it’s not like that. He’s been dating but is discouraged because everyone seems to have baggage. His dad opens up about the mutual baggage he and Lawrence’s mom brought to their relationship but explains that they unpacked it together. This message hits Lawrence hard and leaves us wishing, hoping and dreaming he’s thinking about Issa. Meanwhile, Issa is sticking to her word and taking interviews at other non-profits. She visits with the dude from The Beat Crew (remember that music foundation that caught her eye at the job fair in episode three?) The interview goes well, and he promises to pass her resume along. TBH, she really needed that win leading up to her birthday. Speaking of…Molly shows up at Issa’s house later to pick her up for her birthday celebration. Just as she’s about to text Issa, saying her chariot awaits, Molly sees Nathan walking up to Issa’s building with flowers. Molly isn’t having it and in hopes of keeping Issa’s birthday drama-free, gets out of her car and tells him to get lost so he doesn’t ruin the day.<doc-sep>
Season 3, Episode 6, ‘Ready-Like’ The bombshell at the end of the last episode — Issa bumping into Lawrence in a convenience store after the Coachella madness — gave way to this week’s “Ready-Like,” a surprisingly mature (for the most part) step forward for everyone involved. Lawrence’s return makes for an interesting midseason twist, though it’s not entirely clear whether this is a brief cameo (he’s nowhere to be found in the preview for next week’s episode) or an extended stay. My gut tells me that our brief glimpse into the present-day life of Issa’s ex was just a way for the writers to give her some additional closure, a chance to drop in on one of the show’s most polarizing characters before allowing them all to move on. Again. Was this necessary after the Season 2 finale, which so beautifully and devastatingly wrapped things up between them in a very honest conversation about how they each let the other down in the relationship? Not really. But I guess it was kind of funny to watch Lawrence call a woman (one of many) to warn her that she should get tested for chlamydia, only to learn that they did not actually have sex, and have her refer to him as “the worst.” Issa Apparently Issa is trying to get into the event planning business, and wants to throw a block party in her neighborhood so she can give back to the community — but she’s coming up against some roadblocks; specifically, pages and pages of permits and other paper work. She’s not completely discouraged, however, thanks to a supportive Nathan. And while it’s strange that she hasn’t tried to reach out to The Beat Crew, that musical education program she learned about at the job fair a little while back (and that seemed perfectly suited to her talents and sensibilities), at least she’s feeling creatively inspired again.