We begin this week right where we left the last — Issa staring across a hospital hallway at Lawrence and his beautiful little family, Condola and Eli. Issa asks if they can pretend it isn’t awkward, to Condolad and Lawrence’s relief. Sentimental music kicks in as Condola and Lawrence look on as Issa holds Eli. Then Issa yeets the baby, yells “Fuck them kids!†and kicks Condola in the chest before she walks off, cackling maniacally.
It’s a hell of a way to end a fantasy sequence, especially one with such an emotionally loaded setup. But it’s what Issa needed — that was supposed to be her life with Lawrence. Back home, she looks Lawrence up on Instagram and finds out Lawrence moved back to L.A. and never bothered to tell her. It’s not information she’s owed, given that it’s been more than a year since their breakup and she’s dating someone new herself. But the news clearly shakes her. This is probably not the end of those two.
Later, during sex with Nathan, Issa tries to get him to say that he loves her, but he doesn’t take the hint. Afterward, while they’re cuddling, she tries again, but Nathan is either extremely oblivious or very intentionally refusing to say those three little words. Issa, on the other hand, seems to be nearing the end of her rope.
At the Clips, the top barber Shug is late and all his clients are waiting. This is common for Shug, but Aric (Curtis Hamilton) points out that Shug’s celebrity clients are why the shop is blowing up. But when one of the men begs for a haircut, Nathan commits the Black Man Cardinal Sin™ of cutting another barber’s client. Expect blowback for this one, Nathan!
Back at the hospital, Issa brings lunch to Molly’s family, who are still sitting vigil at the hospital for her mom. Molly calls her from a work retreat to check-in and confesses that she feels guilty for not being at the hospital. She’s worried her mother will never wake up and she’ll miss her last moments.
Later, Issa and Quoia celebrate that Los Angeles magazine included the Blocc’s Art Walk in their calendar of events. They pitch to a group they want to join the event, saying how enthusiastic NBW is to sponsor them. But they decide the Blocc’s event isn’t for them because of Issa’s beef with Crenshawn. It seems that their little Twitter tiff is having lasting repercussions on Issa’s reputation.
Molly is distracted at a semi-casual cocktail hour at her work retreat, waiting for updates about her mom. They coax her from her phone and talk about how Molly has come a long way from when she started. The next morning, Molly wakes up late, hungover, half-dressed, and confused with a stranger’s watch in her bed. It turns out the watch is Taurean’s. They didn’t sleep together, but Molly did have a wild night. They pull out a video of her going absolutely buck wild. They don’t seem to be holding it against her, but she’s mortified.
Issa apologizes to Crenshawn (with a pan of brownies??), but frames their falling out as more of a mutual misstep. Crenshawn isn’t having it and points out that he was upset because she cared more about her relationship with NBW than about supporting his artistic vision. Issa doesn’t take this well and says that she isn’t wrong for taking opportunities to focus on her passion instead of splitting her time between weekend projects and driving Lyft. But Crenshawn reminds her that the purpose of the Blocc wasn’t supposed to be about money. It was supposed to be about elevating Black culture. She inspired him to participate then left him high and dry when the check was threatened. He tells her that she made a choice to abandon him, and she should own it. He then shows her the new sweatshirt she inspired — a red and blue ombré crewneck with “Integrity†emblazoned across the chest in gold thread. Issa’s understandably defensive, but Crenshawn is right that she acted out of fear instead of principle, even if it felt like the right decision at the time.
Back at the Clips, Shug finally shows his face — late as usual — as the barbers pay their booth rent. When Aric asks for his cut, Shug says that Nathan will cover his portion since he’s so comfortable stealing his clients. They argue about it until Shug threatens to take his famous clients elsewhere, and when Nathan essentially tells him to make sure the door doesn’t hit him on the way out, Shug confronts him and calls him crazy because of his bipolar diagnosis.
As Molly and Taurean begin their marketing presentation, Curtis starts blowing up her phone. She flubs the presentation, but Taurean swoops in to cover. It’s the kind of thing that would have made her resentful when she first joined the firm, but that she’s grateful for now. Later that evening, they catch a drink and Taurean asks if she’s okay. And in a rare moment of vulnerability, Molly tells him the truth. Taurean marvels that she was even able to work at all given her family emergency but admits that he’d been through something similar. He tells her that work can’t take precedence over their lives and that he’s always there to back her up if she needs it.
Issa has another fantasy: She waits in line for food when Condola walks up and thanks her for leaving Lawrence. She taunts her, telling Issa that she and Lawrence are back together, engaged and happy, and that his dick grew two inches after getting a new job that pays him a billion dollars. Condola’s parting words, “Own your choices,†make it clear that Issa is still mulling over her conversation with Crenshawn earlier that day. It’s almost as if her behavior is … a pattern?
Later, Curtis calls Molly with good news, their mom is finally awake and can leave the hospital tomorrow. As usual, her first instinct is to fly into action, but Curtis assures her that they’ll be fine. Tearing up as she hangs up the phone, Molly finally unclenches and releases all the pent-up tension she’s been carrying around. Just then, Taurean knocks on her hotel room door to bring her a swag bag from the partners. When she opens the door, Molly hugs him tightly in relief, but it lingers just a little too long. It feels safe to predict that this pairing might be of the “the right guy was under her nose all along†variety.
When Issa gets to Nathan’s place with dinner, he tells her that he might be done at the Clips and that he’s not sure if L.A. is the right fit for him at all. Issa balks then … somehow makes it about Nathan not saying “I love you†back. She says that she feels like she made a choice to commit to him, but he hasn’t done the same for her. Nathan points out that her affections have been inconsistent. They went from weepy sex to taking it slow to being in love in a matter of weeks, and he can’t keep up. They drop it and eat dinner in silence.
There are only four episodes left of the final season and lots of story ground to cover. But there are only so many ways things can end as the chess pieces move across the board. What will the future bring?
Week’s Best Woot Woots
• “I swear I saw somebody walking a coyote on my way over here. White people be trying to make pets outta everything.†— Nathan
• “I didn’t know I wasn’t ugly until you became my barber.†— Nathan’s client
• “Dr. Sebi said cow cheese is toxic. White people know.†— Jerome
• “Your mom knows you love her. And your family don’t even miss you. Your dad was like, ‘Who’s Molly?’ And I was like ‘Your daughter!’†— Issa
• “It was just trust falls. William dropped Patrice again.†“She ain’t never gon’ trust nobody.†— Co-worker/Molly
• “Wow, I didn’t even notice! You still managed to keep it all together and still be rude as shit.†— Molly
• “Yeah, we’re engaged. Oh, and it’s not the mall ring he bought you. It’s bigger.†— Condola
• “She still ain’t speaking yet, but her eyes said ‘Molly is a disappointment.’†— Curtis