You're the Worst 2.2: Crevasses

Chris: When I saw the season one finale, I was all for Edgar and Lindsay getting together but it only took two episodes after that for it to be clear how bad of an idea that would be. Lindsay is emotionally stunted as it is and top that off with her obsession to get Paul back (even though it was painfully obvious how unhappy she was married to him). And with Edgar, he's too much of an emotionally dependent person hence why he's so willing to be used by Lindsay and do her bidding.
I was about to say that Jimmy and Gretchen make room for each other in more than one way but actually, Jimmy was the only one that actually did something to progress their relationship. Gretchen tried to buy stuff to be part of the house but loses her cool again and bails. Sure, she eventually brought over a cat poster but that hardly counts as moving in. It's like Jimmy moved on from what bugged the both of them last week but Gretchen is still stuck on not being in a normal committed relationship.

Alexa: Poor, poor Edgar. He already reminds me a bit of a sad puppy, and being smitten with Lindsay surely won’t end well for him. It’s fun watching him realize she’s using him with a little help from his new bar friends, but not as much fun as watching Lindsay decimate a plate of wings. Kether Donohue stole the show in the last episode and she does it again here. Her delivery is just impeccable. But this episode also provides some growth for Jimmy and Gretchen in a way that feels authentic. As vocal as they are about wanting to be fun and casual and as far from normal as possible, it couldn’t be more obvious that they love each other and want their relationship to progress. They just have to do it in their own way. Their agonizing over Gretchen buying her own stuff for the house is so true to character, from Gretchen shopping with a checklist for college freshmen to Jimmy’s pathetic attempt at assembling a nightstand. They get there in the end, but without any grand romantic gestures or emotional heart-to-hearts. As with everything Jimmy and Gretchen do, their relationship evolves on their own terms.

Joel: Quickly, before we get into the meat of this episode, I want to touch on the cold open, which relates to my point from the previous episode. The cold open involves Gretchen, Edgar and Lindsay playing a game of trivial pursuit, and realizing that their over the top incorrect answers are driving Jimmy crazy as he sits nearby. It’s a silly little bit, and one that I enjoyed, but again it showed our cast of four characters playing a boardgame, and one that’s traditionally associated with older people and/or simpler times. The characters all seem to be enjoying themselves, even before discovering that they can drive Jimmy crazy. Nobody is complaining that the game is boring or out of date. In fact, like the “Sunday Funday” activities, this is one of the few moments in the show so far, where this group of people are all partaking in the same activity and all seem to be having a genuinely good time. Despite their objections to the contrary, these people are born to be sweater people.

Anyway, on to the bulk of this episode. One of the recurring themes of You’re the Worst is the idea of what it means to be an adult. Several times characters will explicitly state this in conversation saying that they need to do this or that thing because that’s what adults do. These characters are all trying to repair or rebuild their lives in some way, and will often talk about what it means to actually be an adult in society (though, Lindsay will somehow get confused on the finer points between adulthood and feminism.) The thing is, adulthood is not a lightswitch that you can simply flip on when you decide you’re ready. So many stories about people trying to put their lives together will have all of the obstacles between the character and adulthood overcome in the timespan of a single montague.

In real life there are not only a ton of steps on the journey to being an adult, but you’re almost always going to have to deal with setbacks. (Gretchen finally starts to clean her trashbag of an apartment only to have it burn down. She also tries to adopt a healthier lifestyle with vegetable shakes and exercise, only to learn that these two healthy choices side by side is a bad idea.)  Gretchen is the best example here as she’s the character most focused on dragging her lifestyle, kicking and screaming, into adulthood. Even when you know exactly what, and exactly how to get there it’s not always easy. In this episode Gretchen has to go to the store and buy household items for her adult life. It’s a clear, straightforward task but that doesn’t make it an easy one. Gretchen’s challenges with getting her items mirror her struggles with adulthood as a whole. The store (adulthood) is right there, only a few steps away, and she still has trouble emotionally taking those few steps into the store. Once inside there's an overwhelming abundance of choice (again adulthood) to the point where she’s unable to make any forward progress, until she’s finally given a list (a direction or a goal). But even with a goal in mind, it’s still easy to get derailed, Things seem to be going great, Gretchen even has a new plan for her fancy bananas, but at the counter she’s asked a question and freezes (derailment). In the end Gretchen’s instincts kick in and she literally runs from the counter abandoning her cart and leaving all of her symbols of steps toward adulthood behind.

Anybody who’s tried to put their lives together and actually be an adult can tell you that it’s not easy. Derailments come out of nowhere all the time. Regression happens as you will succumb to your instincts to retreat back into the easier, safer, more familiar version of your life where you actively shun adulthood. But all is not lost. At the end of the episode, Gretchen hasn’t necessarily had a successful day at the mall, but she talks to Jimmy about living with him instead of living around him. Gretchen does lay down some roots in this episode, however small they may be. In the face of all the failure, sidetracks, detours and derailments on the road to adulthood, Gretchen finds a way to make a small step forward that sticks.