S05.E01: Reunited, Okay?!

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

At her ten-year college reunion, Issa's self-doubt quickly surfaces, while Molly struggles to get out of her own head.

Original air date 2021.10.24

[Lois Sandborne]

I see what the naming convention for this last season is, but I just rewatched the whole series, and I really need the finale to be titled "You Good?"

[heatherchandler]

Did we know she went to Stanford?  

[funnygirl]

What's the point of breaking up with Lawrence (again!), if they're just going to end up back together at the end of the season/series? (assuming that's the case, going by the promo) The back and forth is tiresome at this point. 

"Prenny's Preguntas" as the name of Kelli's podcast is so good. 

[Empress1]

33 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

Did we know she went to Stanford?  

I don’t think so. I always assumed the core 4 were college friends but I don’t think we knew where they went. Issa Rae went to Stanford so I guess she took that from her own life.

I was surprised Issa tried for two months with Lawrence. I assumed her “this is too much” at the end of last season was a breakup.

I hope they look more at Kelli being the funny friend who isn’t taken seriously.

[SHD]

1 hour ago, heatherchandler said:

Did we know she went to Stanford?  

I did not, but I tend to forget little details like that if it was mentioned in the past.

I love episodes that revolve around the girls spending time together.

I had to rewatch with closed captioning - they talk so fast sometimes that I miss some of the jokes.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

I was so overwhelmingly happy to have this show back.  I too am glad they started with an episode where they all interacted. They play off of each other so well.  

My heart broke for Kelli this episode.  At first she found it funny that the school listed her as dead, then reality sank in about how she was remembered.  This show is such a great mix of flat out hysterically funny and poignant.  The relationships seem real and messy, which real relationships are.  Then someone you knew in college robs you at gunpoint for your money, purse, Molly's shoes, but not Issa's shoes.  

If I had known they were filming at Stanford, I would have been a groupie hanging out nearby for a sighting.  It's such a great cast.  

[DearEvette]

Molly's shoes were super cute, tho.

I liked that it took the being scared-to-death in a armed robbery attempt to get Issa and Molly back on track.  It would have been too easy given the intensity and vitriol of their fight to fix it so easily.  But a life and death situation puts a lot into perspective.

I think we were supposed to know they all went to Stanford.  Hilariously, there is actually a We Got Yall website where the 'staff' bios has Issa Dee being a Stanford alum.  

What I found especially cool on the meta front is that Issa (the character) goes back to Stanford as an outwardly successful alum while Issa (the creator) did the same thing by being allowed to film there.

The bigger question I had (a lot of people apparently on twitter) is if Amanda Seales (Tiffany) really is an AKA?  Cuz she was rockin' the colors and the letters.  And usually that is a huge no-no unless you are actually in the sorority.  But being an AKA is very on brand for Tiffany.

I don't know how I feel about Issa breaking up with Lawrence.  I am not surprised, but I guess we'll wait and see.

As far as Kelli, well it is obvious whoever put the in memoriam together didn't actually talk to anyone who knew her.  Her BFFs were all surprised she was considered dead.  So it is no wonder her 'remembrances' were so shallow.  Also, I don't know about Stanford, but at my alma mater get an in  memoriam included in our various alumni newsletters that come out periodically throughout the year.

Derek brought the funny with his tree.  LOL.

[Boofish]

Molly's shoes were Amina Muaddi and retail for around $900 and up.  So their friend who robbed them has a good eye and great taste because she also got Issa's Telfar bag; could be months before she can get another one LOL

[crimsongrl]

56 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

The bigger question I had (a lot of people apparently on twitter) is if Amanda Seales (Tiffany) really is an AKA?  Cuz she was rockin' the colors and the letters.  And usually that is a huge no-no unless you are actually in the sorority.  But being an AKA is very on brand for Tiffany.

She's not and she had to post a video about it so people would leave her alone.

I hope Issa really truly moves on from Lawrence!

Loving the music as always.

[DearEvette]

24 minutes ago, crimsongrl said:

She's not and she had to post a video about it so people would leave her alone.

That's too bad people were bothering her.  I know it is not an issue of legality (unless they used any of the trademarked symbols and got it cleared and I didn't see them using the actual shield/pearls) but the colors and letters, imo are fair use.  But I know how peoples can get....  and as soon as I saw it, I knew it would be an issue.  I think it is rather a compliment to include it in such a high profile show. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Did we know before now that all them went to Stanford? Seems like a retcon to me.

🎶Drop that baby off!🎶

So Asian Bae Andrew is really, most sincerely gone? 😕

Boy, that was a long con. Chey, how are you going to rob your girls from college? And at gunpoint? I wonder if the guy she was with really would've shot them.

A tree. Outside. In the dirt.

I guess Lawrence moved back to LA because of the baby. Poor Issa.

HBO must've thrown a lot of money at this show. Not a mask in sight, no weird forced perspective or obvious social distancing between characters or the extras. The safety protocols for this episode could not have been cheap.

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I think it is rather a compliment to include it in such a high profile show.

AKA has a soror in White House now. (Or White House adjacent, technically.) You can't get much higher profile than that in the US.

[Sheenieb]

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I hope they look more at Kelli being the funny friend who isn’t taken seriously.

Kelli should have an interesting arc this season. It was all fun and games in the beginning, but she got in her feelings later in the episode. Kelli always reminded me of Roger Sterling from Mad Men. The comic relief. I thought about when Lucky Strike fired Sterling Cooper and Bert told Roger that Lee Garner never took Roger seriously because Roger never took himself seriously. That's the vibe I always got from Kelli. So being "killed off" and no one thinking much about it, tracks. 

I liked Issa's answer about not knowing if you're making the right decision. She could've finessed it better, but, you know, it's Issa, so of course it was going to be awkward, but it was an honest answer. 

I still can't believe Molly ruined it with Andrew. I'm glad that she's still in therapy, though.

Lawrence and his child will be a package deal, so I'm not mad at Issa for leaving since she's uncomfortable with the situation.  

[SHD]

One joke I caught only on CC was when Issa and Molly took the beers from the 40 year reunion get together and Issa said something like “If we get caught, I’m gonna claim their class. Black don’t crack. They don’t know.” Like anyone would believe Issa and Molly were just well preserved 61 year olds!

[heatherchandler]

6 hours ago, crimsongrl said:

She's not and she had to post a video about it so people would leave her alone.

 

That’s insane that she had to post a video.

I was in a sorority and yeah people not in the sorority are never “allowed” to wear the letters but hello, she’s playing a character!  It’s a costume.  Also wearing the colors, that’s fair game, green and pink just go together.

[Hera]

15 hours ago, Sheenieb said:

I liked Issa's answer about not knowing if you're making the right decision. She could've finessed it better, but, you know, it's Issa, so of course it was going to be awkward, but it was an honest answer. 

I did too. One thing I find incredibly relatable about Issa is the specific way in which she's bad at faking confidence. But if she had had a more polished answer to that question, I bet at least one of the other panelists would have agreed with her.

22 hours ago, funnygirl said:

What's the point of breaking up with Lawrence (again!), if they're just going to end up back together at the end of the season/series? (assuming that's the case, going by the promo) The back and forth is tiresome at this point. 

Yeah, I didn't get that either. I thought they were over at the end of Season 4. If they wanted to signal that he's still around and leave the door open for a Lawrence/Issa storyline, just have them run into each other once Issa's back in LA. I think Jay Ellis is hot, so I'm never going to be sad that he's on my screen, but I agree that in real life, Issa and Lawrence would have moved on from each other by now, for a variety reasons. Let Issa find someone new and be in a functional relationship with him. Or have her decide she actively doesn't want to date.

I'm also a little disappointed that the time jump means that we don't see Molly give Issa the unqualified apology she owes her. I don't mind them being friends again, but I do want some of Molly's unreasonable behavior from last season to be addressed directly. That said, it was nice to see Issa and Molly interacting as friends (or trying to).

[Crashcourse]

On 10/25/2021 at 11:39 AM, SHD said:

I had to rewatch with closed captioning - they talk so fast sometimes that I miss some of the jokes.

That's been my main issue with this show.  They talk so fast--especially Molly--that sometimes I can't even understand what they're saying.

[tennisgurl]

RIP Kelli. She always carried a purse. 

I figured that the girls were college friends but I don't remember them being at Stanford, that's a pretty big deal, its weird that I don't remember it being mentioned. Especially when Issa was working her dead end job, I would think people would ask why someone with a degree from Stanford was working at that job, I remember it being a pretty small place she was at. I am glad that we started off the last season with all of the girls together, I always love episodes with everyone bantering together and hanging out. 

The previously on reminded me of how awful Molly was to Issa, I wish we had seen her give a big real apology. I will miss Andrew but I cant blame her for not wanting to be with Molly anymore, she was an absolute mess last season. At least she's trying to be better now.

I really liked the plot with Kelli, everyone thinking she was dead was funny at first but I felt really bad for her as she realized that people didn't remember and that no one was taking her seriously.

Molly's shoes really were amazing, no wonder their supposed friend wanted to steal them. 

Edited October 26, 2021 by tennisgurl

[RealReality]

I have been listening to stanky legg all day.  Alexa must be judging me so hard. 

I wish my obit said I did the best stanky Legg.  I only heard that song once in a club setting and I had no idea it was an actual dance so whatever my legs were doing it was not stanky.  

So glad this show is back.  At first I wasn't into the episode but by the end I was so into it again.  

I know I'm wrong but i kinda wish new Molly would find her way back to Andrew.  

[JohnnyGilda]

44 minutes ago, RealReality said:

I know I'm wrong but i kinda wish new Molly would find her way back to Andrew.

Not just you. It's hard to quit some of the men on this show.

[aghst]

10-year college reunion to evaluate where she’s been, where she hopes to go.

maybe she was walking on eggshells around Lawrence like she was around Molly, because he seemed to know that she wasn’t feeling so strong about them getting back together after learning he was having a child with another woman.

But as noted the previews make it appear he’s not out of the picture.

I’m trying to remember whether they used the device of Issa having convos with her alter egos since the first season.  From the previews it appear they will use it a lot this season.

it wasn’t just the sense of danger which draws Issa and Molly close together again.  They shared laughs about the robbers not wanting Issa’s shoes and the male accomplice being fine.  Being back at school where they became BFFs probably helped too.

But I wonder if their fight will be completely forgotten, that is if it will crop up during this season.  They may not always remember or think about it but the things they said are hard to take back or pretend the words were never uttered.

[LuvMyShows]

Just now starting the season, and I'm not buying the new thaw with Molly and Issa.  Maybe it's just me, but if I were Issa, every time Molly opened her mouth, all I would hear is "You're just a selfish bitch like you've always been," (or whatever the exact words were) and I don't see how you move past that, regardless of the crazy robbery, college nostalgia, and whatever, without an apology from Molly.  Molly didn't just insult Issa in the present; she insulted her for how she's always been, and it was far, far worse than the initial 'offense' of Issa asking Andrew for the festival help.

Also, I find it hard to believe that with all of the alums for Stanford to choose from, Issa would have been asked to be on that panel, on the basis basically of having organized one, albeit very successful, neighborhood festival and formed a company that no one has ever heard of.  How did Stanford even know about it, given how far away LA is from Stanford, and how not-nationally-famous-let-alone-regionally-famous her company is?