S01.E03: Racist as F**k

[formerlyfreedom]

Issa and Lawrence try to move past their issues at home, as she deals with her colleagues’ doubts and he gets a reality check from a head hunter. Molly introduces Jared to her friends, and later struggles to give words of wisdom to a new summer associate at work.

 

[Amethyst]

Molly is going to regret giving Jared the slip.  They were definitely feeling each other at the party.  She could have told Jared that she wanted to date casually, instead of dumping him outright by using the "just friends" card.  How quickly she forgot about the guy who did the same thing to her in the pilot.  Watch her get burned by one of the suit-and-tie dudes.  

Issa and Lawrence are both at fault in their relationship.  Issa needs to tell Lawrence what she really thinks instead of acting so passive-aggressive, and Lawrence just needs to be a grown up and do something entry level until he can get the dream job.  Best Buy isn't glamorous, but it pays the bills and it's better than unemployment.

Loved Issa just passing over the cooler to her fake employee trying to take credit for the beach day.  She deserved that, after that texting crap she did on the bus.

LOL @ "bouch."

[Sheenieb]

10 hours ago, Amethyst said:

Molly is going to regret giving Jared the slip.  They were definitely feeling each other at the party.  She could have told Jared that she wanted to date casually, instead of dumping him outright by using the "just friends" card.  How quickly she forgot about the guy who did the same thing to her in the pilot.  Watch her get burned by one of the suit-and-tie dudes.  

Issa and Lawrence are both at fault in their relationship.  Issa needs to tell Lawrence what she really thinks instead of acting so passive-aggressive, and Lawrence just needs to be a grown up and do something entry level until he can get the dream job.  Best Buy isn't glamorous, but it pays the bills and it's better than unemployment.

Loved Issa just passing over the cooler to her fake employee trying to take credit for the beach day.  She deserved that, after that texting crap she did on the bus.

LOL @ "bouch."

Agree on all counts. Molly's totally going to be back at square one with the suit and tie guys. Sometimes, when guys like that become successful, they don't check for black women. We don't know much about Jared, yet, but on paper, he seemed like a good dude. He was actually interested in pursuing something, but Molly let her bougie friends get in her head. Though I do think if you unpack it, while Jared's cool, I can't say I blame her for wanting someone "on her level" financially and academically.

Lawrence is trying, I'll give him that. Issa was next level passive-aggressive and I'm glad that he called her out on it. They're long overdue for a conversation. Either come up with a plan to work things out, or end it. No half measures. 

[Keepitmoving]

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Molly is going to regret giving Jared the slip.  They were definitely feeling each other at the party.  She could have told Jared that she wanted to date casually, instead of dumping him outright by using the "just friends" card.  How quickly she forgot about the guy who did the same thing to her in the pilot.  Watch her get burned by one of the suit-and-tie dudes.  

Yeah, he seems like a nice guy. She could have given him a chance. It didn't seem like she had conversations with him as to what his plans may have been for the future. Instead she's probably going to run into a lot of those guys she described at the party, the ones who smell themselves and think they are doing specifically black women a favor by even dating them because they are black men with degrees and high paying jobs. I guess it would serve her right since that's how she's pretty much treated Jared, except she was probably a lot more polite doing it than the guys she's going to meet are going to be toward her. 

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Though I do think if you unpack it, while Jared's cool, I can't say I blame her for wanting someone "on her level" financially and academically.

On the other hand, I do agree with this somewhat, especially when it comes to woman being higher up on that ladder than the man. Usually men can't take it, especially black men. But yeah, you have to have compatibility, all I'm saying is she didn't even give it a chance. Maybe we missed a date or two in between, but I'm getting the impression that they didn't hang out enough to really get to know one another. 

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Issa and Lawrence are both at fault in their relationship.  Issa needs to tell Lawrence what she really thinks instead of acting so passive-aggressive, and Lawrence just needs to be a grown up and do something entry level until he can get the dream job.  Best Buy isn't glamorous, but it pays the bills and it's better than unemployment.

I liked how this finally got resolved, with a little discussion.  He's a nice guy, he seemed depressed, but glad he realized he had to take the job he didn't want so he can carry some of the load in his household. And yes, Issa's passive-aggressive behavior is childish especially when you come home and your significant other has made you a home cooked meal and wants to sit down and talk. That's effort on his part. But no, you take your plate to the couch and still resist sitting down at the table across from him after he ask you to sit with him.  Not good. You gotta get over yourself and do the work, stop playing.

Edited October 24, 2016 by Keepitmoving

[Suck It Trebek]

Love this show! It's quickly becoming one of my fall favorites.

[Empress1]

The girl to whom Issa handed the cooler played Cici on "The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl." They were best friends! Kinda sad to see them not getting along.

9 hours ago, Sheenieb said:

Agree on all counts. Molly's totally going to be back at square one with the suit and tie guys. Sometimes, when guys like that become successful, they don't check for black women. We don't know much about Jared, yet, but on paper, he seemed like a good dude. He was actually interested in pursuing something, but Molly let her bougie friends get in her head. Though I do think if you unpack it, while Jared's cool, I can't say I blame her for wanting someone "on her level" financially and academically.

Lawrence is trying, I'll give him that. Issa was next level passive-aggressive and I'm glad that he called her out on it. They're long overdue for a conversation. Either come up with a plan to work things out, or end it. No half measures. 

Yeah, I don't blame her either, but I do think she's going to meet a lot of assholes in "The League." And it does seem dumb to dismiss Jared out of hand rather than continuing to date him casually - she could still date League guys.

Edited October 25, 2016 by Empress1

[Amethyst]

6 hours ago, Keepitmoving said:

On the other hand, I do agree with this somewhat, especially when it comes to woman being higher up on that ladder than the man. Usually men can't take it, especially black men. But yeah, you have to have compatibility, all I'm saying is she didn't even give it a chance. Maybe we missed a date or two in between, but I'm getting the impression that they didn't hang out enough to really get to know one another. 

The weird thing is that it's implied that Molly and Jared have gone out a few times, so I'm surprised that she didn't already know he didn't go to college.  She seems like the type to vet someone thoroughly before she really gets involved.  And I'm pretty sure Molly only cared about that once her friends (really just two of them) poo-poohed it.  

I was also impressed with how Jared handled that confrontation.  He didn't disregard the concept of college, nor insult the people who did attend.  He just said it wasn't something for him and kept the conversation going.  That spoke more positively about him than Molly's bougie friends, who did go to college, but aren't the nicest people to be around.  

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

Yeah, I don't blame her either, but I do think she's going to meet a lot of assholes in "The League." And it does seem dumb to dismiss Jared out of hand rather than continuing to date him casually - she could still date League guys.

That's my fear as well.  It's fine for Molly to date guys who live up to her financial/educational standards, but it doesn't mean they'll vibe well.  Meanwhile, she dumps the guy who she actually liked and got along with.  It sounds pretty sitcommy.

Edited October 25, 2016 by Amethyst

[DrivingSideways]

Jared is so cute and chill, and he's got a job... I understand Molly's choice but I hope and assume she will circle back to him.  They kind of remind me of Steve and Miranda on SATC.

What did y'all think of Molly's new black coworker and their interaction?

[scrb]

Molly tried to get Rasheeda to "switch it up" and was rebuffed.

Looks like in the previews, the firm wants her to have the talk with Rasheeda that she already had.

It is a good look at young professional black adults.

But do they just "switch it up" at the office and the rest of the time Issa and Molly are "real" with each other?

Or does "switching it up" start to take over the conversations that these professionals have away from the office as well?

I'm not talking just about this show but in general.  I know black comics sometimes mock black people who talk like white people, because it's bland and devoid of personality -- according to them.

[Sheenieb]

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But do they just "switch it up" at the office and the rest of the time Issa and Molly are "real" with each other?

Or does "switching it up" start to take over the conversations that these professionals have away from the office as well?

I'd say it's more the former than the latter. We all code switch on some level. When you're in the office, you don't speak slang and you're more buttoned up. But when you're with your friends/family, you're in a safe space with your people, so you can relax.

[huahaha]

15 hours ago, DrivingSideways said:

What did y'all think of Molly's new black coworker and their interaction?

I loved it because that's a room I normally couldn't be in. On the other hand, I have had conversations with older (white) women, who've tried to coach me, and I've sneered (politely) like Molly's coworker did. When you're just starting out, you want to believe that power structures aren't going to affect you, that things have changed, that your work is the most important thing, la la la. One day, the new generation has to be right, right? 

As much as I love Issa, Molly is my favorite character. I want much more of her.

[Ohwell]

I have to chime in and agree with those who think Molly has made a mistake in drop-kicking Jared so soon.  I think she should have given the relationship more of a chance, and she's too grown to worry about what her bougie friends think about it.  I have a college degree, my guy doesn't, but he's worked in IT for years, took the relevant training courses, and over the years has made way much more money than my degreed ass, lol.  It didn't matter that he didn't have a degree because I knew he was intelligent and driven and we had great conversations.  Being fine didn't hurt either.

[withanaich]

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Maybe we missed a date or two in between, but I'm getting the impression that they didn't hang out enough to really get to know one another. 

The reason I thought her dumping him was a particularly shitty thing to do is that I didn't get the sense that Jared was lazy, or had different values (e.g. content to drift through life rather than being upwardly mobile, mocks people who get a formal education, etc.). Maybe he's an artist or thinking about doing something else with his life, but he has a day job in the meantime. How can you fault somebody for that? They got along. They clicked. And he got along with her friends, even the obnoxious petty ones. Molly liked him, but dumped him the instant the vague promise of something (she thinks is) better came along. What kind of person does that?

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What did y'all think of Molly's new black coworker and their interaction?

Oh, lord. So cringeworthy. I knew exactly what was going to happen the second she opened her mouth. I can't say I've really been in that position, but I know people who have. I know I wouldn't be trying to correct anyone, even gently, unless I was the one who had hired them. I don't have kids, I don't need to be telling people how to behave at work, and 99.9999% of the time it is not going to be taken well. 

[tenativelyyours]

In a lot of ways this is a rather straightforward show.  You get the motives and reactions right up front.  And yet it packs so much nuance in character that seeing this the same night as Divorce is incredibly jarring.  Well until I decided life was too short to continue to watch Divorce.  I have paint that has dried but I can still sit awhile to make sure (from an early spring remodel) that is a more enjoyable way to spend my time than that piece of crap.

This keeps getting better each week. 

Did anyone else think there was a bit of a nudge in compare to Lawrence and Jared and how it reflects on Molly?  Lawrence has the education and yet has to experience a little shame (note he even goes to the flirty teller who he knows and I suspect savors the little flirty approach she has with him over going to the other teller that he might not be so keen to put an employment check on the counter) and a bigger loss of the relationship with Issa before he gets up off the couch and gets a job.  A service job.  Jared, with no college education is already in a service job.  But I also go the sense that when Jared calls Molly he is not only shown in a service job but perhaps a stable one.  There was a tone just to his scene at the end of his work day where he might be with a franchise, but he is the boss.  He isn't Lawrence having to "Settle".   I just got the sense that Jared's job is not glamorous or cocktail party banter brag worthy, but isn't something to be ashamed of; and serves as a reminder that while Lawrence was holding out for the perfect job, Jared chose a path that suited him and paid the bills and is already several steps ahead of Lawrence simply in the bill paying stage of life.  I wonder of Jared lives somewhere a bit nicer than Lawrence and Issa do?  I suspect he does.

It was also interesting to see that Jared comes out from meeting the friends actually accepting Molly in spite their initial attitudes, proves himself (not that he should need to) to them -- I think all them actually end up respecting while Molly projects it back onto herself and the seed in planted in her for her later decision.  Molly comes out subconsciously thinking he has failed the "test" when it fact the real test was Jared still finding her someone he is interested in despite hanging with some pretty shallow people.

And to cap it off we see Molly do exactly what she and her friend where so scathing about during the party.  The League, I'm betting, is exactly the type of agency full of black men who are "deigning".  They know exactly what it promises and how can men who are in this dating service, not take advantage of the fact they are being defined by the agency itself as these "chosen" men.  Molly is in for a world of hurt.

I liked the juxtaposition of the two co-workers.  Molly sees a protegee and makes the wrong move.  Issa sees someone she thinks is not willing to see her as being on the same level and finds out that maybe she is and worth having drinks with and getting to know better and there is room on both sides for a little give and take and mistakes can be made that aren't fatal to forming a healthy co-worker relationship.

And that there are still bitches that need to be handed the cooler.

[Stardancer Supreme]

My favorite part remains when the white boy co-worker comes up to Issa to ask "Why don't more of them swim?" "Slavery." I cackled every time I rewound the scene.  That was the perfect answer.

[Empress1]

That scene did not disappoint. It's the delivery. And the white guy's "[gulp]" was good too.

[withanaich]

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My favorite part remains when the white boy co-worker comes up to Issa to ask "Why don't more of them swim?" "Slavery." I cackled every time I rewound the scene.  That was the perfect answer.

THAT is the kind of stuff I tuned in for. So perfect and funny.  

[Xander]

On 10/24/2016 at 8:33 PM, Amethyst said:

The weird thing is that it's implied that Molly and Jared have gone out a few times, so I'm surprised that she didn't already know he didn't go to college.  She seems like the type to vet someone thoroughly before she really gets involved.  And I'm pretty sure Molly only cared about that once her friends (really just two of them) poo-poohed it.  

I'm pretty sure she knew because when she told Issa she'd gotten into The League, Issa reminded her that she previously didn't care that Jared didn't have a degree. 

[Juliegirlj]

I love this show! Anyone else think Lawrence is so sexy ??! Love Issa, but, I kinda want to see Lawrence and Tasha the teller hook up. She gave him all the support he wanted and needed and didn't get from Issa. 

Love the parallel of Issa and Lawrence putting their old couch on the tree lawn, and the challenges in their relationship. 

[tricknasty]

On 10/24/2016 at 7:19 PM, Empress1 said:

The girl to whom Issa handed the cooler played Cici on "The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl." They were best friends! Kinda sad to see them not getting along.

Yeah, I don't blame her either, but I do think she's going to meet a lot of assholes in "The League." And it does seem dumb to dismiss Jared out of hand rather than continuing to date him casually - she could still date League guys.

I miss Awkward Black Girl and was hoping this show would be a continuation of it. It's not as funny either. Oh well. I'm just happy that Issa has made it to prime time. Was that Darius (baby voiced nigga) that played the Blood dude with the young daughter? I miss White Jay, lol

[Ohwell]

You mean White Josh?

[withanaich]

That was indeed Baby-Voiced Darius (aka Tristen Winger) playing Thug Yoda. I wish the show had more stuff like that. I don't need Issa to be playing the same character she did on ABG, but this show just seems like it's had too many (corporate) cooks in the kitchen, if you know what I mean. It's pretty disappointing, but I'm still glad more young black creators are getting their content on the air.

[aradia22]

White Josh!

It was nice to see Molly reach out to Rasheeda but not in an overly ingratiating mentor way. And her being kind of thrown off by Da-da's response was interesting. I'm getting used to the show and I guess part of it is just going to be highly the discomfort but not having any definitive answer one way or the other about how to feel or deal with things. 

For some reason, out of Issa's co-workers, the one with the glasses annoys me the most. The one with the curly hair who's her partner is growing on me. 

"Secret white emails" and "too soon" were great. Also, Issa calling Jared "rent-a-boo" because he works at Enterprise. 

I liked Molly just casually joking with the taco truck guy. As of right now, she seems like such an awesome, put together character aside from her love life... which is not really her fault. 

I feel like sometimes Molly and Issa are just reciting their problems. Again, very Real Housewives. But I liked that little nonverbal interaction when she gave her approval of Jared before heading out. 

The whole conversation with Molly and her friends felt like something too intense to drag someone you just started dating to. But "bitch, imma call bell hooks on you" was hilarious.

I liked how Issa almost got to the kids with "mixed company" until the one loud mouth with the braids. I remember her from episode 1. Is a teaching moment coming?

Oooh, Tasha with that cleavage and ego-massaging. Are we headed for an affair storyline?

I felt mild panic at how spread out all the kids were at the beach. There were not enough adults to supervise. 

The swimming/slavery joke was great but even better was how he just walked away after it. 

I feel conflict brewing between "didn't go to college Jared" and Molly getting into "The League." 

I'm torn on Molly talking to Rasheeda about "switching it up." On the one hand, it's not really your place to police someone else's behavior. On the other hand, she was being really loud at work and she's new. 

LOL, at Issa's rap about her other co-worker. "Bitch, you ain't my friend just because you brown." So much to say... 

The couch montage was a good moment. I feel like a lot of this show doesn't have a strong directorial vision but I liked that sequence. 

I feel like at some point they need to tell us what the hell Lawrence's business plan was. It annoys me when people talk about shows like Girls or Crazy Ex-Girlfriend that have female protagonists and all they can talk about is how much they love the male characters but I do think that they could potentially build up the Lawrence character. His perspective is interesting because he's trying to make it professionally in a way Molly and Issa really aren't. 

[aradia22]

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Agree on all counts. Molly's totally going to be back at square one with the suit and tie guys. Sometimes, when guys like that become successful, they don't check for black women. We don't know much about Jared, yet, but on paper, he seemed like a good dude. He was actually interested in pursuing something, but Molly let her bougie friends get in her head. Though I do think if you unpack it, while Jared's cool, I can't say I blame her for wanting someone "on her level" financially and academically.

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On the other hand, I do agree with this somewhat, especially when it comes to woman being higher up on that ladder than the man. Usually men can't take it, especially black men. But yeah, you have to have compatibility, all I'm saying is she didn't even give it a chance. Maybe we missed a date or two in between, but I'm getting the impression that they didn't hang out enough to really get to know one another. 

 

I mean, I've watched TV and movies before. I know she's probably going to regret telling Jared she just wanted to be friends. But at the same time, I didn't get that invested in their relationship and I'm not sure how much Molly did either. Sure, she wanted to see what Issa thought of him but that was because she was feeling kind of unsure about it. I think she called him dodgy or something. I don't see it as her friends getting in her head as much as her realizing she didn't know that much about him and not being that invested in this casual interaction. It seemed like she liked him but not like she was really feeling butterflies so it was easy to break it off when it seemed like she could find a sure thing. They've been a little casual about it but from some tossed off comments, it sounds like Molly is kind of religious and I can see her really wanting to settle down with all that entails. I don't think it's just that she's envious of other people doing the whole wedding thing. 

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The weird thing is that it's implied that Molly and Jared have gone out a few times, so I'm surprised that she didn't already know he didn't go to college.  She seems like the type to vet someone thoroughly before she really gets involved.

See, to me this is the kind of evidence that she was never taking it that seriously. 

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But do they just "switch it up" at the office and the rest of the time Issa and Molly are "real" with each other?

Or does "switching it up" start to take over the conversations that these professionals have away from the office as well?

I'd say it's more the former than the latter. We all code switch on some level. When you're in the office, you don't speak slang and you're more buttoned up. But when you're with your friends/family, you're in a safe space with your people, so you can relax.

I think it's different across different ethnicities and for each individual but for me, I don't feel like I have a "real" self. I am all the parts of myself but I activate some parts more than others depending on who I'm with. I do sometimes make a show of "whiteness," particularly in speech but that's more of a power thing. It can be a sign of dominance and it's something I have to put on more consciously.