Sunday's episode was brilliant. I love the writers' way of showing the cascading effects of a single bad decision, and how friends, combined with immaturity force us into making decisions that eventually snowball out of control until we are finally confronted with disaster. I have so much to say about the episode but I will only discuss the two main characters for now. (Edit, I added Tasha as well since I really like the writing for her character).
Lawrence... The actor does a superb job in getting viewers to empathize with his conflicted nature.
He wants to go back and reclaim whats his,
but unfortunately, we live in the universe of GMB
and HOH
where that type of false bravado is championed
and simping and having emotions is frowned upon
. Caught in between these feelings, he makes a tragic decision to not only leave Issa, but to force a situation with Tasha based off feelings
when he knows deep inside that it is not the woman for him. In the scene where Lawrence tells Tasha about him sleeping with Issa, although he claims honesty, his guilt is clearly eating away at his consciousness
. If Lawrence were truly honest, he would have told Tasha the truth, which is the fact that he is still in love with Issa.
Him having sex with Issa is more than just sex, it's comfort in an uncomfortable world. I also like how they have Lawrence as this wandering man, stuck in a fog like haze of confusion. Letting others dictate his moves which he is incapable of because of the hurt and pain that is consuming his consciousness
. I am almost hoping that the writers place Tasha getting pregnant into the storyline to see the devastation Lawrence's decision has caused.
Issa...The actress does a wonderful job getting emotional responses from both her male and female viewers.
Issa is your typical selfish person who has comfortably lived an entire existence perched in her tree house of lies. Notice, her only conflict/un-comfort comes at the times when she looks at herself in the mirror.
Her "circle of friends" dictate her actions which are usually not well intentioned. "You are who your friends are", or "birds of a feather flock together". The writers do a pretty amazing job showing how the dynamics of poisonous or toxic friendships could affect the outcome of Issa's behavior. "We all have problems" as one of the friends said. Some hide it better than others,
some put it on a pedestal in a window display for the world to observe. How we address our problems is the crux of the issue and the scene with her friends in the museum showed that in her time of despair, her friends were less than honest with her.
Honesty is the foundation of any relationship. So now with dishonesty, the roots of Issa's tree house is beginning to rot
. Ignoring the signs, Issa will stay in the tree house, watering and nurturing bad decisions and relationships until she falls out of the tree. Out of the safety of the tree and right into the hands of predators waiting for prey
...
Tasha...In the scene where Lawrence plays the role of the pouty
, yet distant man in the situationship, she senses and recognizes a familiar form of distraction. She is well aware of her sexuality is not enough to hold a man and confronts the issue head on. Tasha sees this. She knows this. She has been there before. She recognizes the truth, which is why she abruptly asks him to leave
. In a way, I like how the writers portray Tasha. Of the characters, she lives in a world that is the most realistic due to her upbringing and profession. She knows struggle and success because she is exposed to the reality of peoples financial situations. She lives in her reality which is also why she was quick to offer him food because as most people who live in "reality" would say, life ain't so black and white
. Food is also a form of comfort for those who are distraught or going through hard times. I like the nurturing role that the writers created for that scene
. Hopefully, when she gives Lawrence his wings to fly again, he does right by her and maintains her dignity when he decides to let go. Many of the black women viewers identify with Issa's group of friends on the show, when in reality, they traditionally in one way or another were in the role of Tasha at some point in their lives.