I've been curious about You're the Worst pretty much since FX and its related networks began running commercials for it. After a couple recommendations from friends and a clutch Twitter suggestion regarding how to watch it on the cheap (read: free), I was set to binge the first couple seasons and catch up to the third, which just wrapped up last week. I've had mixed reactions to the shows I've decided to pick up on a whim this year, but You're the Worst was a thoroughly rewarding experience.
You're the Worst is set in Los Angeles and follows Jimmy Shive-Overly (Chris Geere), a British writer whose arrogance and self-serving behavior would be downright horrible to encounter in real life, but is thoroughly amusing to watch on screen. In the first episode, Jimmy encounters a kindred spirit in Gretchen Cutler (Aya Cash) after being thrown out of a wedding. On the surface, the two are a near-perfect match in their crass dealings with other human beings. They wind up hooking up repeatedly and at least initially insist to one another that they have no desire for a relationship; each supposedly always has "one foot out the door". Fittingly, the only lyric of the show's theme song is "I'm gonna leave you anyway."
Jimmy lives with Edgar Quintero (Desmin Borges), the only of the four main characters who seems like anything resembling a good person. He's a war veteran but doesn't have much of a means to support himself, so he lives with Jimmy and repays him by performing household tasks. The core cast is rounded out by Gretchen's best friend Lindsay Jillian (Kether Donohue), an intellectually-challenged woman who's married to her nerdy husband Paul. Lindsay is dissatisfied with her marriage and spends most of the show oscillating between half-trying to be happy with Paul and seeking out sex with other men. Jimmy and Gretchen are the oft-selfish assholes from whom the show's title was coined, but Lindsay might really be "the worst".
At first, the show's humor is built around Jimmy and Gretchen's complete disregard for social convention and courtesy. It's a lot of fun to watch them troll around Los Angeles and be truly awful to everyone they encounter (Geere's British accent greatly enhances the comedic effect). However, it's tough to get three seasons of a good show out of just that premise, so You're the Worst is most effective when it begins to delve into the show's interpersonal relationships and serious issues that face the characters. If we've learned anything from the movies No Strings Attached and Friends with Benefits (which were both released in 2011 and are the same movie), it's that it's difficult for fictional characters to continually hook up with one another without emotional attachment. Yes, Jimmy and Gretchen grow closer and develop a need for each other's emotional support, but that development is more complex than the predictable "happily ever after" from the Kutcher/Portman and Timberlake/Kunis relationships. These are two deeply screwed up individuals and even though each learns to (sometimes) put the other person before themselves, you rarely get the sense that they're on solid footing because of everything that's happened in their lives and who they are at their cores.
Much of You're the Worst is lighthearted fun, but the show also tackles serious issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (the "Edgar episode" in Season Three is fantastic), depression, and the fallout of awful parental relationships. I think that BoJack Horseman is probably the closest comparable show I can think of in terms of quick wit meeting dark emotions. Much like the animated show I've spilled far too many words reviewing, You're the Worst sucks you in with lighter episodes with clever banter before bringing out all the feels. Yet no matter how serious the subject matter gets, the show never loses its sense of humor.
Part of that sense of humor are the show's excellent running gags, which are used sparingly and subtly enough to avoid feeling gimmicky. For those who have seen the show already, Vernon's trash juice (Vernon is the stealth MVP of the show) and Jimmy stealing alcohol are two of my favorites. While not technically a running gag, I chuckle on the inside whenever I think of Jimmy's obsession with his "car booze" and "bed booze".
I've heard friends of mine say that Season Three is "over the top" and that the show loses itself, but I fully disagree with that, despite a shark-jumpy moment that takes place early in the season. "Twenty Two", "Seventh Layer" and "The Inherent, Unsullied, Qualitative Value of Anything" (penultimate episodes rule) are three of the series' best installments. If you called it quits early in Season Three, keep going. It's worth it.
There's so much more to discuss about this show, but I don't want to spoil anything in an overview post. I may have to write another at some point discussing the Season Three finale because there was just so much to take in. For those who haven't seen it, this is a really easy show to get into. Give it a try. Since you're reading this, I know you're not doing anything else important, so you don't have much of an excuse.
Season One Grade: A-
Season Two Grade: A
Season Three Grade: A
