Irrelevant But Awesome

Chris:  So I guess I’ll go ahead and point out that the woman with Jimmy in the opening flash forward was the florist which is indicative of how this episode turns out because Jimmy never seems to notice anything going on with Gretchen until someone else points it out. I think the heart of what Edgar was trying to explain to Jimmy is that Jimmy still thinks of himself as a guy on his own that just so happens to also be marrying someone. It all goes back to Jimmy refusing to change, he so desperately wants to be the same selfish guy but that’s not going to do any favors in his relationship with Gretchen. Clearly something hasn’t been right with Gretchen in the last few episodes but Jimmy refuses to acknowledge it , hence why he hasn’t confronted her over the pill situation. The closer we get to the wedding (and Gretchen’s growing ambivalence towards it) the more the wedding seems to be doomed. Alexa: The flash forward of Jimmy picking up the florist for what looks very much...

Chris:  This was by far my favorite episode from this season so far and I’m hoping this is a sign that the show will reign everything in before the show wraps up in a few short episodes. This episode felt like the first time everyone was actually playing their characters rather than caricatures of what everyone expects their characters to be. We get to se e the reaction of the group finding out about the 3-way and how it upsets Lindsey which leads to possibly the most reasonable discussion she has had with Paul since the end of their marriage in season 3. The meat of the episode seems to address how much Jimmy despises change which might explain why he hasn’t progressed as much over the course of the show compared to the rest of the main cast. Not to excuse what he’s done but this might explain why he messes up so often, he is either consciously or subconsciously sabotaging himself anytime it feels like anything is changing (i.e. the florist situation because he felt like he...

Chris:  I don't even know where to start with this episode. On one hand, I could use a break on the main storyline with Jimmy and Gretchen. On the other hand, this episode really does come out of the blue and feels apropos of nothing. This hasn't felt like the final season of a show that is trying to get things done but instead feels like it's stalling. Show likes to jump from zero to 60 but Paul, Vernon, and Becca having a close relationship just doesn't feel like it fits with anything we've seen in the previous episodes. And even if they do have a close relationship now, all of this is only happening so that Vernon and Becca can still get paid for the whole surrogacy thing. This episode would make more sense if the outcome was a ploy by Vernon and Becca rather than three of them having actual feelings as the ending alludes to. Alexa: I didn’t need a Paul and Vernon bottle episode back in season three, and I certainly didn’t need another one (plus Becca th...

Chris: This season seems to have gone out of it's way to undo all the progress the main characters have made. Jimmy is still trying to fix everything that he probably should leave alone, even when he's the one that created the problem in the first place and, as we saw in the end, Gretchen is sneaking around at night to take Edgar's medication which harkens back to season 2 when she would sneak out at night to cry in her car. By the end, even though the matter is seemingly resolved and they go back to what they consider to be normal, there's still a feeling of uneasiness that's lingering as if nothing got resolved at all and the melancholy of the flash forwards over the last few episodes seem to solidify that feeling. Alexa:  We’re officially halfway through the final episodes now and something about this season’s overall tone strikes me as disjointed. The character arcs are all over the place, if they’re existent at all. Jimmy and Gretchen keep ricocheting...

Chris: For all the positive steps Jimmy may have taken,and Gretchen for that matter, they still tend to fall into their same traps. This episode harks back to season one when Jimmy and Gretchen were obsessed with being even when it comes to sexual partners outside of their relationship. However, Jimmy exploits that mindset when he knows he messed up and thought he could get away with it if he can get Gretchen to get even. Also, This Brief Fermata very much felt like the writers went "oh man, we can say the f-word now" and did so to an almost annoying extent. I've never been one to care about strong language but this episode felt like a kid who is away from their parents for the weekend and wants to cram as much swearing in as they can. Alexa:  Remember when I said Jimmy is the responsible one now? Yeah, I take that back. After some significant character growth, he takes several big steps back this episode. If he just owned up to Gretchen about the blowjob from t...

Chris:  “A Very Good Boy” is the continuation of something we’ve seen throughout the show since the beginning, Jimmy’s reluctance to any personal growth despite all the evidence to the contrary. Jimmy has taken many strides on a variety of subject personally, most of which seem to have happened without him actually noticing it but as soon as someone points it out, he rejects the claim and become obsessively determined to prove them wrong and often leads to him both making a huge mistake (getting a BJ from the florist) and having a revelation that he’s okay with the progress he’s made. It’s like a few steps forward while taking a step or two back at the same time and, of course, Jimmy is more than likely going to justify it by saying something along the lines of “it’s okay because it made me realize…” as if it excuses the mistakes he’s made. This is ultimately why Gretchen and Jimmy are likely doomed because after a while, both of them are going to grow tired of the same repeat...

Chris:  You’re the Worst just can’t give us a happy moment and leave it there, whether it be a fading smile or an ominous flash forward, the show never lets a feel good moment linger. For all of the show’s absurdities, they always find a way to bring it crashing down to reality and give us a realistic ending to most of these stories. Of course things don’t go forever smoothly for Jimmy and Gretchen beyond the show’s ending, look at all the trials and drama they have both experienced and created in the last five years. While I’m not predicting the couple’s ultimate demise in the future, it does make you wonder how long Jimmy and Gretchen will have the energy to deal with all of their continuing issues and new issues that might arise. How long will Jimmy be willing to deal with Gretchen’s irresponsible money issues especially since she’s shown no desire to fix said issues? Is Jimmy going to have to worry anytime he’s gets a new check for a large amount of money? And of course, t...

Chris:  So I would’ve expected some punchline where Gretchen got a promotion simply because she got a new office but weirdly enough, I guess the show just assumed we all knew that information and skipped right past it. Now it can be frustrating that so much of the episode was dedicated to Gretchen “interviewing” a slew of women with one actually fitting into Gretchen’s ludicrous criteria only for Gretchen to toss it all away and give it to Lindsay in a throw-away mention at the end. However, this seems like the most on-brand response Gretchen could’ve had to this whole situation which includes her showing some bravery in calling her mom only to allow her mom to believe she’s marrying Boone. And on Jimmy’s side of things, we see the complicated relationship he has with success when he finds out his (Edgar’s) pitch was accepted but doesn’t want the responsibility of having to actually write the script. Finally, I know there were jokes in previous seasons that Paul F. Tompkins wa...

Chris:  This episode was a good return to form, as Joel mentions in his review, as this is the first “normal” episode featuring all four main characters together without a huge rift between them since season 3. It’s interesting that both Jimmy and Gretchen have agreed to elope because it seems as if that’s what people would expect of them. Jimmy and Gretchen like to appear as if they’re above all the normal couple stuff or it doesn’t “fit” their aloof attitude when it comes to love and relationships that they’ve tried to maintain since the first episode. However, as we’ve seen time and time again, this attitude is a thin, unconvincing layer that isn’t fooling anyone as both Jimmy and Gretchen do care and that they both do want a wedding on some level and knowing them, they’re going to suddenly be so enthusiastic about it that we’re going to end up with a chaotic mess. Alexa: Jimmy and Gretchen are so un-traditional yet also unexpectedly traditional, so it’s no surprise tha...

Chris:  Clearly, this episode was written immediately after the writers had watched episodes of Black Mirror. I’m not declaring that’s necessarily a bad thing but it does throw the audience for a loop when they’re expecting to see how the wedding planning is going (or isn’t going). This episode could be possible affirming that either Jimmy and Gretchen are insecure in their own love story or they’re purposely putting off wedding plans for whatever reason. I believe it might be the second option by the way they both had long already decided that these wedding planners weren’t for them but was elongating their story for the free champagne. The Intransigence of Love is proof that the You’re the Worst writing staff has an immense amount of talent that goes beyond their usual genre. Alexa: I have to admit for the first half of this episode I was super confused and a little peeved. I thought it must be some sort of bottle episode and wasn’t sure why the season would begin this ...