Ahhhhhhhhh!!!
Okay. Whew. I’m staying on course. Focus, Kaylia.
First of all, let me say, wonderful job, Prentice. He wrote and directed this episode and it was *chef’s kiss*. What a way to end the season.
Mommy Blues
I can’t think of a show I’ve ever watched where they’ve been this honest about postpartum depression. Women normally just have the baby and we see them tired but conquering motherhood essentially and that’s not true for most moms. Because if this, women can feel shameful discussing how they really feel. Between not wanting to offend women who can’t have kids or the overall stigma of suffering from a mental illness, the world often doesn’t leave space for moms to be honest and open about their feelings and struggles. We only want to see the cute baby and family pictures, not hear how maybe they don’t feel like being around their baby or don’t even like their baby. Mommies usually have to run to Facebook groups to find support and community. I appreciated how they showed that Tiffany was still struggling and didn’t make it seem like something that just passed. Revisiting it made it more real and showed that it’s not resolved over night. The audience got to see something they otherwise wouldn’t make time to try to understand.
One of my friends also brought to my attention the struggle of being the only friend with a kid. While everyone is off living their lives, Tiffany probably felt alone. It’s no one’s fault because that’s life. We’re all caught up in our own lives but as a new mom, she probably felt isolated and that no one understood her, deepening her depression. I’m assuming here but I just thought that was interesting.
The Inevitable
Let me just step on my soap box to say: I TOLD Y’ALL. Molly and Andrew never gave off good vibes on screen. There was never any chemistry or anything that made us be like “okay, this makes sense.” As I said before, Molly just wanted the relationship to work. She didn’t want it fail because she hadn’t been there before. To her, she was simply achieving something, not building anything. Like Andy said, he was the one always compromising and she would complain and do the most until she got her way. Basically, Molly is insufferable and selfish. She got on Issa but she brought that same energy to her own relationship. She was very my way or nothing.
I didn’t get why she apologized for not going to the game with his brother. I totally understood that. While it get it was an extension of her ridiculousness, that was actually valid. But I guess, in hindsight, she really wanted things to work with them so figured she was wrong. I guess. Bottom line is: good riddens.
GIRL
Whew. Okay. While I expected this, it still caught me off guard. Insert the gif of that girl on that court show. Stuck, honey. All of their plans just crushed. Poof. Gone. They had done so much work, resolved old issues and slid back into this comfortability between each other that felt effortless and genuine. They were happy and planning for the future. Then came Condy. Girl.
Clearly, this is it. Turn HER bad Bryson Tiller down. Ain’t no we could’ve been no more. I don’t want to see Issa entertaining this man at all. Let him go. Write him off LOL. I would rather it be on some female empowerment type ish where she bosses up and becomes that girl in LA. I want her to continue her glow up and be happy. But I also realize that it’s television. They fell into the telenovela drama so I’m here for any of it. Also, ahem, I appreciate the fact that Lawrence is going to have to give up his dream job and woman and stay in a place he’s outgrown for his kid. Too often we see women giving up everything, her body, her career, her time, so many sacrifices while the woman goes off and lives his best life.
Reunited but does it feel good?
The last scene was Molly and Issa hopefully meeting for a long due conversation where they resolve their issues. I also think it’s interesting that it took the demise of their romantic relationships to bring them together because they should’ve been doing the work they were doing with those men, with each other. But I’m happy it’s happening. They had both gotten to a point where they needed each other. It’s hard to navigate life without a friend, especially your best friend, go-to and confidant. Because there’s so much they need to discuss, it makes sense that the audience doesn’t see it. All we need to know when the season comes back is that they worked it out and we can observe their growth. I think it’ll be funny if they came back as single women, back on the prowl. Regardless, I’m happy they’re talking again.
Taking it back to the title of the episode, Tiffany being lost was an actual metaphor for everyone else’s life. The season ended with them trying to figure out where do they go from there. How will they start over, specifically with each other? The worlds they knew and had spent all season crafting and perfecting have crumbled. But at least they can pick up the pieces together.
Yay for an amazing season 4! What we watching next? J/K. Back to irregularly scheduled blog posts.
Also, shout out to me for posting for 10 weeks straight!
Thanks for going on this journey with me guys. Hope you enjoyed.
Great recap! Thanks for honing in on Tiff’s postpartum depression. That was REAL to watch and I love how they showed the depth behind what some moms go through. They even showed her without her weave which was even more powerful for her as in no more facade, “I’m hurting and I need to escape everyone and everything”.
Ok. I might have an unpopular opinion with Issa and Lawrence, but I’m not sharing because I need enough space to defend my point lol.
The postpartum depression emphasis was great! I loved how Tiffany didn’t even have an answer for her actions, because in a situation like that you don’t! These are also the signs family and friends should pay attention to because ignoring something like this leads to traumatic incidents like abuse of children, suicide, or murder-suicide.
Great recap.
This was an amazing recap! I love your writing style and tone too! I’m glad you said the heavy stuff about postpartum depression. The women who experience definitely feel silenced for fear of offending and being judged. It shouldn’t take away from women who love their own kids or women who desire to have kids for another woman to express she is going through this. And yes to seeing a man have to sacrifice like women do all the time! I didn’t even think of that but wow it’s so true. He has to put this child first and this is really good to see from a males POV. My favorite quote of yours was that Molly was too busy “achieving and not building” her relationship. Facts! This episode had us all SHOOK with the news. I’m not a fan of Molly and Issa rekindling. Molly was not really putting in effort to work it out when she thought her life was straight. But, we shall see.