‘Insecure’ Helps Me Understand My Parents’ Imperfect Love Story
Issa Rae’s creation makes space for flawed relationships
On mornings when I was younger, I would slide out of my bed and tiptoe down the hallway. If I was lucky and quiet enough, I could climb on top of the sofa and peer outside the window to our front porch to find my mother and father sharing a moment, both unaware of my looking.
In the dew and dull light, they’d whisper about something I’m sure I didn’t care about at the time, and eventually, my father would pull my mother toward him as she wrapped her hands around his back. They would stay like this for a while, holding each other close, their eyes trained on each other. This is how I first witnessed romance; I saw what it looked like when two Black people were in love.
There is a magnificent and particular kind of magic that occurs when Black people get to watch other Black people fall in love, fail, and then fall in love again on television. We get to imagine ourselves in similar situations.
Even though I grew up seeing love in my home, it took many years to see it on screen. HBO’s Insecure is, of course, a wickedly funny show, and it truly excels at storytelling. Issa Rae’s ability to craft whole, layered Black characters makes its storylines worthwhile. The series’ ensemble runs deep with complexity: Each character is eager and somewhat clumsy in their efforts to achieve what they think will make them happy, whether it’s success, independence, or even each other.
There is a magnificent and particular kind of magic that occurs when Black people get to watch other Black people fall in love, fail, and then fall in love again on television. We get to imagine ourselves in similar situations. I watch Molly (Yvonne Orji) stumble and triumph through her dating life, and I turn to a homie watching with me and notice her wide eyes glued to the screen. She tells me she’s never seen herself quite like this before. I watch Issa (Issa Rae) and Lawrence (Jay Ellis) love and hurt each other within the same minute, and it feels familiar.
