You're the Worst 2.13: "The Heart is a Dumb Dumb"

Chris: Well if there was ever a sentiment expressed in You’re the Worst that I can agree with, I can’t believe it came from Vernon when he said “Don’t see The Babadook.” I do love that this episode addresses what I originally thought was a huge plot hole and that was “Why doesn’t Gretchen just get the correct meds from a licensed professional?” And now that the show has given a very Gretchen-appropriate answer, I feel silly for ever wondering that in the first place. I enjoyed this episode because the stress of the season in the main plot had mostly already been resolved in the previous episode so I felt like I could sit back and enjoy the rest of the cast either resolve their arches or start new ones for next season. It’s interesting to see Lindsay, who has made improvements over the course of this season, get back together with Paul which is something she would’ve killed for earlier but now it’s like she instantly regrets it as soon as she has to sit “side-bitch.” Of course, next season Lindsay could instantly recognize the problem and deal with it like an adult or she can double-down and ignore that her and Paul don’t work as a couple. This episode was the first time I wasn’t thinking that Jimmy and Gretchen could break up at any second and it felt like as soon as they overcame the depression, they were finally on solid ground as a couple for the first time in the entire show. Let’s see how long that lasts.

Alexa: I would honestly be content if every season finale of “You’re the Worst” took place at one of Becca and Vernon’s parties. It’s the perfect setting for a season’s worth of shit to hit the fan, and a natural place for all of our favorite messed up characters to converge. Vernon completely losing it and confessing his many, many issues to everyone at the party was naturally a highlight, and a great way to inject some physical comedy into the episode. I cannot even begin to fathom Lindsay and Paul as parents and I’m so curious where this storyline is going. Lindsay has spent the majority of the season trying to win Paul back, but as she rides off in his side car, it couldn’t be more obvious that she doesn’t want him anymore. For whatever reason, I just can’t get invested in Edgar and Dorothy’s relationship. I love Edgar and I’m glad he’s found someone, but I just don’t find the Dorothy character particularly compelling. When she stormed out of the party I honestly thought she broke up with him too, and I just found myself looking forward to wherever his storyline takes him next season without her. But alas, Dorothy is still in the picture. With the Jimmy-Gretchen storyline weighing pretty heavily on the previous couple of episodes, it was nice to see the supporting characters take center stage here. Still, Jimmy’s stages of drunkenness were delightful to watch, and his first “I love you” with Gretchen was beyond perfect for the two of them. It was an emotionally tough season in a lot of ways, but the finale gave us satisfying closure while paving the way for what’s to come next.

Joel: Ok, real quick I have to gush about Aya Cash’s performance here one more time and I promise I’ll move on to the rest of the episode. In this episode, Gretchen is Gretchen again. And seeing her act like Gretchen underscores just how well she has been over this entire season depicting Gretchen struggling with depression. The changes from the “standard” Gretchen we know from the earlier episodes haven’t been jarring, or even all that noticeable. It’s only not that we have Gretchen acting like herself again, that you realize all the subtle adjustments the show and the actress have been doing to change the portrayal of the character. And yet at the same time, Gretchen doesn’t come across as quite the same as she did before. It’s not like a switch has been hit and we’re back to the same old Gretchen. It’s not easy to put your finger on exactly what’s different but the weight of the past several episodes is still there. Cash manages, in the opening scene, portray a character that we’re all familiar with at this point but did so in a way that didn’t erase the past several episodes.

Anyway, I don’t know if the plan is to conclude every season by ruining a Becca party (something I would be totally fine with) but this episode serves as sort of a sequel to the last season finale. With most of the season’s emotional weight being carried by the last episode, this one feels like a much more low stakes story, especially where the main relationship is involved. Instead we get to focus more of the relationships involving side characters like Lindsay and Edgar.

I’m not sure where we’re going with the storyline between Lindsay and Paul. Assuming that these characters are supposed to grow over the course of the show (as much as a character like Lindsay can grow), but I find it hard to believe that Lindsay can really do that if she continues to be with Paul. Lindsay’s biggest moment of character growth this season was signing her divorce papers, but this feels like it might be undoing that. We’ve gotten to the point where I’m ready to trust the show in whatever direction it wants to go, but I hope we don’t spend season three in the same spot we were in for most of season one with Lindsay unhappy in her marriage and just trying to avoid spending time with Paul as much as possible. It’s clear even in the final moments of this episode, that this isn’t the life she wants so I hope this is addressed quickly once we start season three.

As for Edgar, maybe it’s supposed to be a commentary on how breakups are portrayed on tv shows vs. how couples fight in real life, but I genuinely thought that Edgar and Dorothy were supposed to be broken up. Maybe it’s because the moment felt like a natural breakup moment, and I’m not sure if this relationship is supposed to work out long term. While I’ve enjoyed Edgar and Dorothy's relationship growing over this season, I don’t feel like Dorothy has really fallen in with the rest of the group in the show, even on a secondary character level. It feels like you can take any recurring character in the show and put them in an absurd situation and have a pretty great comedy episode of the show. (Lindsay and Vernon have to keep Becca from finding something out. Jimmy and Sam get stuck in an elevator together trying to see Gretchen for separate reasons.) Dorothy on the other hand, doesn’t feel like she fits in as naturally to the group as the rest of the characters do. There just doesn’t seem to be as much to mine from a Dorothy and Gretchen have to go shopping setup. Instead we get a lot of moments where Edgar feels separated from the rest of the group either spending time with Dorothy or her group of friends. I’m glad to see Edgar growing as a character, but I hope his dynamic with the group isn’t lost too much as we move forward into season three.

Also, can I say, in a show called You’re The Worst, that is about a group of people comprised of almost universally terrible people, I think Becca may in fact be the worst. It seems like every time she shows up we get another reason why she might be the most unlikable, unredeemable character on the whole show.

Finally, while Jimmy and Gretchen’s story is relatively conflict free in this episode seeing as what we’ve watched them go through this whole season, the final moments of the episode are obviously left for them. We get sweet moments for all of the couples in the show. Even Becca and Vernon have a weirdly sweet moment. For Gretchen and Jimmy, the final moments of the show are centered around Gretchen’s “I love you too” line. It’s a nice way to get this particular couple, who refuse to communicate,over the “I love you hurdle” but it’s the looks they both have that really make the moment. Both Jimmy and Gretchen try and look at each other and not look at each other at the same time. It’s such as sweet moment as both characters manage to convey excitement, confusion, trepidation, concern, apprehension, and maybe just a little bit of joy all at the same time. It’s a great final moment to close the season out on. We know the story isn’t over yet, but it’s a great, rewarding moment that makes a milestone feel like a genuine milestone for these characters and makes the moment feel well earned.