Better-Like: Insecure Season 3, Episode 1 Recap

This post is in partnership with HBO. As always, thoughts and opinions are my own.

When we left the ladies of Insecure, they were picking up the pieces of their lives and feelings. Issa, after getting the closure she needed from her last relationship with Lawrence, was at Daniel’s doorstep, looking for a couch to crash on as she figures out what’s next. Molly was opening her door as Dro was on the other side. What was to come for both of them? Season 3 is here so let’s find out!

Not You – Daniel is putting in WORK like he is getting paid for it to show the girl in his bed a good time. Meanwhile, Issa is on the couch doing her best not to hear the bed rocking and the glorious grunts coming from the bedroom. When their noise gets too much, she grabs her keys and goes out on her first trip as a Lyft driver. That ends terribly when the first person she picks up vomits in her car. Throw the whole night away!

The next morning, she is in the bathroom and things are so bad that she can’t even do her mirror rap. Why? Because being the hapless bachelor that he is, Daniel’s bathroom cabinet is missing the mirror. It’s also missing a lock cuz he opens the door right before she could even use the handheld mirror.

Doing Better – At work, things aren’t looking much brighter. Issa is stuck with the boring assignment of calling schools to see if they will have “We Got Y’all” back. Her former coworker, now boss, Frieda does the Becky thing of not wanting to rock the boat to help Issa, who is looking to be back in the field.

Molly’s been living her best life on an island vacation but she’s back in LA. Issa picks her up from the airport (cuz: real friends) and they go grab food to eat and catch up. Issa tells her girl that her roommate is banging anything that moves and says it doesn’t bother her. Yeah aight. Molly offers her the couch at her place but Issa declines because of an incident regarding a vase from 2005. Sometimes, you cannot room with your bestie, for the sake of everybody. Right then, Dro pops up on Molly’s phone but she sends it to voicemail. She says she is on her “know better, do better shit.” Ok, GROWTH! *Kelly voice*

Backing Out – At home, Daniel is tryna make some music when Issa walks in. He’s been drinking so she asks for some, and after some small talk, he goes in to kiss her. Our girl does the Matrix backbend out the way and says they shouldn’t do that because they “know better.” So why did she choose to crash at his place? Because his place is close to work, and she was just staying there as a friend. She does, however, want him to warn her when he has company, so she doesn’t have to be subjected to the soundtrack of their moans. Then she backs out, literally and figuratively.

Gray Space – Over at Molly’s, Dro is basically making his favorite snack. The next day, they wake up next to each other, cuddling and he talks about making them pancakes. They’re interrupted by a call from Candice, Dro’s wife. He actually SAYS he’s at Molly’s and hangs up. Yup, open relationship indeed but this doesn’t make Molly any more comfortable with this arrangement. She decides that they need to draw some lines and boundaries, because this “act like a couple” thing ain’t it. Either they just use each other for sex, or they use each other for friendship. No in-betweens and no gray areas. Her suggestion is that they just do the wham, bam, thank you sir thing with none of the cutesy and none of the calls. He begrudgingly agrees, and she kicks him outta bed. Booty Baes don’t hang around.

Heads Up – At work, Issa is calling schools to see if they’ll have “We Got Yall” back and the answer from everyone she calls is a resounding no. One principal tells her their logo is racist and another tells her that the org is white AF and they’re not here for that. She takes the feedback and tells her white lady boss Joanne. MANNN LISTEN. She goes IN on Issa and says SHE is the problem, lighting into her with such disdain that it shocks Frieda, who is sitting there (but says nothing). Issa is stunned and she walks out the office to a text from Daniel that says “heads up” which is his new speak for, “My hoeshit is on for the day. Make yourself scarce.”

Molly is getting her feet done when Dro calls her to know how her salary negotiations went with the new law firm she’s going to be working with. Annoyed about him breaking the “no calls” rules, she says they accepted all her terms. He says he wants to take her out as just friends to celebrate this win and she begrudgingly accepts.

Party Car – Molly’s getting ready for her non-date (yeah ok) when Issa calls her and forces her to come along as she drives Lyft for the evening. She says she can only hang for a bit because she has somewhere to be. The besties dub their ride the “Party Car” and the first ride are two women going clubbing. That goes smoothly. The next ride is a cutie named Nathan, who tells them he is on their time! They are in no rush to drop him off either when Dro hits up Molly via text. She says she’s on her way to him but will be late.

They pick up another ride. A not so small dude, who squeezes in next to Nathan and is geeked to hear this is the “party car.” He takes 2 of Issa’s Capri Suns and then rolls a blunt. They told him to put it out and he calls them “bitches” which rubs Nathan the wrong way. He takes the blunt from Hugey Smalls’ mouth and throws it out the window. All hell breaks loose, as they begin to rumble in the back seat. Issa screams and pulls over. Nathan runs out and the not so small dude is “not good” according to Molly.

The Truth – Issa gets back to Daniel’s place and finds him on the couch. She appreciates how much he’s done for her, but she admits that she has feelings for him so all this sex he’s having while she’s in earshot got her feeling some type of way. He’s all confused because he thought she crashed at his place because she truly needed a place to stay, not to get closer to him. She turns the table and says he is purposefully being a slutbucket with other girls in front of her, and he does the equivalent of replying to a long heartfelt text with the letter “k.” He goes into his room and closes the door and I said a loud “ouch” for Issa’s ego.

Keys – At home, Molly walks in her living room and sees Dro sitting there. He let himself in since she didn’t answer her phone and my side-eye is instantly activated. The two start kissing and she stops to ask for her apartment key back. He asks where it’s coming from. DUDE WE AIN’T A COUPLE. WE HAVE SEX. YOU DON’T NEED A KEY. He gives it back after huffing and puffing and says he’s gonna go. She agrees that he should.

Issa is sitting on the couch when she sees Nathan (from the other night) gave her a $50 tip. He might be the best Lyft rider of all time. After beating up a fool who smoked without permission in her car, he then gives Issa a GIANT tip. I ship this.

Daniel sits on the couch but doesn’t say much. Shortly after, he gets up and tells her she got the place to herself for the night. That emphasis on “ROOMMATE” felt like shade, doe. Either to keep her at bay or to let her know they ain’t baes. At all. As he’s about to leave, she thanks him for everything. She picks up her keys and leaves too.

Listen. Bless Issa’s heart. Cuz she know damn well showing up at Daniel’s door was not a great decision. Yes, she needed a place to crash but pick one of your girls before the guy who you cheated on your ex with and couldn’t ever figure out anything with. At best, it is awkward to be a vagrant on his couch and at worst, it is a constant stab to your heart when you realize you wish you were the one moaning in his bed every night. I think she should take Molly up on that offer and go crash on her much better, much more spacious couch and in her doper apartment. Daniel’s place ain’t even got a mirror for her to do her “pump myself up” raps. For shame.

And Molly. She talmbout she’s trying to do better. Her doing better would be not messing with Dro AT ALL because she ain’t built for this “share my man on purpose” life. And that is okay but to thine own self be true. Know what you want and know your limits. Meanwhile, here’s what I need to know. How in the world is Dro all dumbfounded that Molly would want her key back? That whole exchange had me flabbergasted because he seems to think he is supposed to have a key to her apartment, when all they are is booty buddies. Bruh, you don’t pay rent here and we ain’t in a relationship. He shouldn’t have even asked why she wanted them back.

This just ain’t gon end well. There are no scenarios in which Molly isn’t going to get her heart broken by Dro and I want her to realize that sooner than later.

Issa and Molly. Y’all gotta do better for real.

Check out HBO.com/insecure for more content around the show!