The 5th episode of Insecure’s Season 3 ‘High-like,’ easily the best episode of the season thus far, sees the return of Lawrence, Issa’s ex. This episode featured an adventure-filled-girls-trip-type weekend, involving a few too many drinks, one too many pills, and quite possibly the spiciest induction into the mile high club I have ever watched (HBO has to get that sex scene one way or another).
It is only at the very end of the episode that we find out that we have been bamboozled. Our dreams of seeing an ex actually disappear forever (and to have #LawrenceHive finally shut up) have died a sudden death. While she is at a 7-eleven, Issa bumps into Lawrence, who shares the same look of befuddlement as her. If you, like me, are still wondering how you did not see it coming, I’m here to confirm that you actually just ignored all the signs. After frantically rewinding through the episodes, here are 5 clues the writers of Insecure left to hint at Lawrence’s return:
1. The first clue is in the 4th episode of Season 3 when Molly is helping Issa get rid of past memorabilia in the spirit of a fresh start. There is mention of CDs mixes featuring Adele that Lawrence made for Issa after their first date. This is the first time in a long time we hear his name.
2. The second is the bench with Chad’s face on it that Issa and Nathan stumble upon whilst they were on their impromptu date. This serves as a hint because Chad’s only relevance in Issa’s life (and the show) is his friendship with Lawrence.
3. Thirdly, we see Issa, who is getting the hang of being a Lyft driver, coincidentally picking up her old Blood neighbour. I admit that this one might be a bit of a reach but it came off as a hint because he was their neighbour at the apartment, in which Issa spent most of her tenancy in a relationship with Lawrence.
4. And then there is the one that was actually an attack on our comprehension skills. When asked about whether Lawrence would return or not, Issa Rae responded that her character was "taking a break from Lawrence.” The keyword there is ‘break’, which insinuates that he would eventually return, not permanently leave the show like many of us assumed.
5. Lastly, and perhaps the most obvious clue is simply that we had a full episode with Issa making good decisions. She moved out of Daniel’s place and into her new apartment and she quit her unfulfilling job. She also spent time with someone new, Nathan (her partner in mile-high crime). Things were starting to look up for her.
As little of a fan I am of Lawrence, it would be remiss of me not to admit that this was a fantastic move on the writers’ part. If art indeed imitates life, the return of an ex when you least expect is the most realistic, and quite frankly entertaining turn Issa’s storyline could take. In the next few episodes, it will be interesting to see what Lawrence’s life has been like and how it will change after their encounter, and how his return might affect Issa’s current trajectory, if at all.