Image via Complex
Before we get started, let's just say this: it's cool to chill inside while the world tries to figure itself out. We don't need to be out just because someone says it's cool to be out. Find different things to do—hell, watch some dope TV!
While some of us are watching (or rewatching) The Sopranos from the beginning, there are new shows that you can dive into as well. This week, Billions made its return while The Clone Wars made its exit. Sandwiched in the middle? Newest latest from Issa Rae's Insecure. And that's not to mention shows we haven't dug into like the second season of Dead to Me. [Ed note: We will rectify that this weekend, promise.]
You know the routine; we watch the shows and let you know which ones were the dopest. You set aside some time (of which you clearly have a lot of right now) and enjoy some dope new TV. You're welcome.
Insecure – "Lowkey Losin’ It" (Season 4 Episode 4)
Where to Watch: HBO Now
With some wins there sometimes come a few losses. This week’s episode of Insecure opens with Issa nabbing ScHoolboy Q but immediately gets a knock on her door from her multiple tenants, complaining about the water shutting off. In typical Issa fashion, she gets one thing right but is set back by something else.
Meanwhile, Molly and Andrew’s relationship is growing steadily. They’re officially exclusive if you don’t count Molly’s marriage to work. She even thinks about finishing up work while she’s getting it on with Andrew. He understands her schedule and let’s her do her thing, almost too easily. After having dinner together, she wants him to spend the night but he tells her that he made plans with his friends, thinking that she was going to bail on him for work again. A little rattled, she tells him not to cancel his plans. We all know this is simply a test for men to see if they’ll actually pull through on showing their commitment. But, alas, he still plans to see his boys for some poker later.
There’s also the mysterious disappearance of Condola. Granted, this is the only episode in which we haven’t seen her but it still feels off. We know that she and Lawrence had their first major argument because of his current dynamic with Issa. It may have been too much for Condola to accept—or maybe she just doesn’t have her phone on her…you know how it is.
In a seismic plot moment that feels a little too underplayed, Tiffany gives birth to her new daughter, making her and Derek first-time parents. On their way to see the couple, we see Issa and Molly having the most non-aggressive-yet-still aggressive tiff over a parking spot. The perfect way to show that the two of them are just not vibing these days. We also get a (sort-of) cameo from Nathan, who leaves Issa a voicemail telling her that he knows about the block party and is happy for her that she’s making big moves. If this is a teaser for Nathan’s seasonal appearance, the show writers better have a bulletproof explanation as to why he needs to be there.
Right then, Issa and Molly have a little moment prior to entering the couple’s house. They both apologize for bailing on their Self Care Sundays for the past few weekends, blaming their overwhelming schedules. Their attempt to raincheck is awkward and forced. Deep down, they’re avoiding each other.
Not so coincidentally, Lawrence also happens to be a Tiffany and Derek’s to see their newborn. He chats it up with Issa and things are good. We see that Lawrence wants to tell her something—probably about Condola. Right when Lawrence is about to tell Issa some personal news, Issa gets a call telling her that her headliner for the block party dropped out. Understandably, she momentarily loses her shit. Lawrence decides to not tell her so we’re also left hanging. Did he and Condola break up after their Issa-fueled Thanksgiving feud? Does her want her back? As of yet, we don’t know but let’s pray that Season 4 is a not a just makeup season in which the two of them rekindle their love for each other.
At the same time, Molly is scornfully observing their conversation from the second-floor window. It’s clear that she disapproves of their friendship, which is somewhat understandable but maybe stems more from resentment towards Issa rather than concern that she may be swimming in dangerous waters. It’s clear that Issa and Molly haven’t had the heart-to-heart conversation that they had planned on Thanksgiving and there’s still some beef that needs to be squashed.
As Issa tries to salvage the block party without Condola’s help, she reaches out to Molly about asking Andrew to use flex his connections at LiveNation, where he works, to book Issa a replacement. Molly, on the other hand, feels as if Issa is using her and skipping out on her role of being a best friend to her. She’s not wrong, but there’s also a disconnect on both sides at this point. Both of them are going through shit but are too stressed to understand that about each other in the moment. Eventually, Molly tells Issa that she doesn’t want to ask Andrew to help her out because she wants to preserve her first serious relationship. And now, we have the first tangible catalyst to their eventual dissolution as friends.
It’s impossible to imagine an Insecure without Molly. If anything, this series is about growth. We’ve seen plenty of growth and setbacks from both Issa and Molly but, with Molly, we follow her life as she navigates through the messes (most of which she creates for herself) as if we, too, were her best friend. We scream at her from afar when she does something so Molly-esque but now we’re carefully rooting for her as she’s trying to create a balance to lead to actual happiness. It would be criminal if this season signaled the end of Molly. Their friendship may come to an end but we still want –need—to see how she’ll move on from Issa as well. —Andie Park
'Billions' - "The New Decas" (Season 5, Episode 1)
Where to Watch: Showtime
The bad boys of stocks are finally back, as Billions returned for its fifth season, bringing with it a revitalized sense of purpose. Season 4, while still wildly enjoyable, felt like it was missing a bit of its special sauce by positioning Chuck (Paul Giamatti) and Axe (Damian Lewis) as compatriots instead of foes. Acute viewers knew the treaty was simply a means to an end and so the season premiere, titled “The New Decas,” more or less picks up right in the immediate aftermath of the end of their rad bromance—quickly establishing the new rules of combat.
Most season premieres would be content to just establish the new status quo, lingering in its aftermath for a few episodes. Yet Billions seems to revel in constantly setting and resetting theirs, killing its darlings when it comes to plot and story without having events seem too far afield. Not to give too much away, the premiere accelerates the fight by having both Chuck and Axe realize they’re being played. From the show’s very beginning, the duo has been well-established as alpha predators in their respective fields, making them oblivious to the machinations of one another just doesn’t fly for their characters. The result sets up a new status quo at the end of the episode that has me giddy for what comes next.
Of course, Billions is also the show that can start off with two of its characters knee-deep in an Ayahuasca trip and also feature a cameo from WWE superstar Becky Lynch while managing to make it so neither feels out of place. If that’s not enough, there’s also a major new character who promises to shake things up, that writers (and co-creators) Brian Koppelman and David Levien manage to seamlessly integrate as if he’s been a part of our characters’ world for ages: billionaire Mike Prince, played by the always game Corey Stoll. The twists and turns are always part of the game when it comes to Billions and during a time in which so many of the world’s events feel so surreal, it’s comforting to have a show this absurd, and absurdly entertaining, back on my screen. —William Goodman
'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' - "Victory and Death" (Season 7, Episode 12)
Where to Watch: Disney+
After 12 years, three different networks, and an entire regime change, Star Wars: The Clones Wars has finally ended. The animated series serves as the last remaining vestige of George Lucas’ direct influence on the Star Wars saga—but we almost didn’t get to see how it all unfolded. Showrun by Dave Filoni (who was handpicked by Lucas to manage the show before going on to create Star Wars Rebels and manage The Mandalorian with Jon Favreau), the series had many lives over the course of its run, starting first on Cartoon Network before heading to Netflix and then eventually over to Disney+ as a platform exclusive for the new streaming service.
Broken into three separate arcs—one for Clone Commander Rex, one for fallen Jedi and Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice Ashoka Tano, and a final story bringing the two together—the quality of the seventh and final season ebbed and flowed as much as tug of (literal) war depicted throughout the series; Rex’s arc paired him with a set of ‘reject’ clone troopers, dubbed the “Bad Batch,” and served as a war story the show has always told well. Meanwhile, Ahsoka’s arc focused on her life in the aftermath of leaving the Jedi Order and offered insight into how the Clone War was affecting the day-to-day lives of normal citizens. While important from a narrative perspective, the Ashoka-focused tale dragged as most fans eagerly anticipated what was considered to be the real meat of the show’s finale season: The Siege of Mandalore.
Long spoken of, but never seen, the expectations around Siege of Mandalore were nothing short of lofty. Taking place alongside the events seen in Revenge of the Sith, viewers knew the battle over the home planet of the Mandalorians would culminate in the infamous Order 66. The arc served as a micro-encapsulation of what Clone Wars did so well in the macro: Filoni’s—and by extension, the show’s—strength was how it squeezed tension out of and shaded in the moments in-between the moments; just because we know the destination doesn’t make the trip less impactful.
Sure enough, the final arc delivered on its promise. The assault tethered (the Sith formally known as) Darth Maul and Ahsoka together, positioning the two as opposing sides of the same coin. Long forsaken by the institutions they previously trusted, the two nevertheless find themselves confronting one another at the precipice of change fighting a battle soon to be marked meaningless in the new galactic order of the Emperor. The entire four-episode stretch works extremely well even if you haven’t seen the rest of the series, but is even richer if you’ve been long invested in these characters.
The finale, “Victory and Death,” picks up in the immediate aftermath of Order 66 and sees Ahsoka, Rex, and Maul raging against the dying of the light. While the whys and wherefores are better left experienced, the series ends on a deeply impactful conclusion. The last third of the episode is entirely lacking in dialogue, further accentuating the devasting loss of both the Jedi Order and of Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side. Bolstered by an especially resonate epilogue, the finale is decidedly somber—especially for a show considered by many to be a cartoon for kids—while providing an ending far more satisfying and meaningful than...whatever the ending of The Rise of Skywalker was.
While Clone Wars was originally tied to a much-maligned set of prequels even the most diehard of fans would like to forget, the show ultimately transcended those shackles by providing depth, breadth, and richness that’s seemingly been lost in recent Star Wars projects (The Last Jedi notwithstanding). It’s fitting that “Victory and Death” lived up to its title, marking both parts in an equally satisfying measure. —William Goodman