Nothing Is Messier Than Issa And Lawrence’s Relationship

Cory Townes: Lawrence Walker became a bad boyfriend. Let’s get that out the way. I’m not saying he’s always been a bad boyfriend, I’m not saying he can’t be a good boyfriend, but when it came to his relationship with Issa Dee — he fumbled. There’s no excuse for forgetting your girlfriend’s birthday, let alone not going into overdrive trying to fix that mistake. I’ve seen theories on social media speculating how Lawrence’s career issues could’ve caused some depression, making his absence in his relationship somewhat understandable, but we’re gonna go with what the show runners are giving us. He fucked up.

When you look at the issues that Lawrence was going through, his mental, physical, and emotional lapses essentially turned his girlfriend away. There was a lot for him to work on, but he showed some signs of wanting to fix things — by cooking dinner, being there for Issa, and generally stepping his shit up. But all of this effort came too little, too late. Even as he was trying to make things right — and as much as Issa wanted Lawrence to tighten up — her infatuation with her old work Daniel led her to putting herself in a position to get her boots smoked on the studio couch. He wanted to make it work with his girlfriend. She cheated on him.

One of the main reasons we all watch Insecure every Sunday is the relatability of its characters. For every #IssaHive, there’s a #LawrenceHive, a #TashaHive, hell, even a #ThugYodaHive. We can see ourselves or someone else in all of the characters Issa has created and that’s where the battle lines are drawn. Yes, I’m an advocate of the #LawrenceHive because in some way, shape, or form, I’ve been Lawrence. There’s a lot of other men out there that watch the show that see parts of themselves in Lawrence, too. So yeah, seeing our protagonist living his best life with his dream job, hooking up with the fine girl who saw what Issa lost sight in? That’s a success story to us. We raise our glasses of Hennessy to you, Lawrence Walker. Continue to shine until Tasha pops the “So what are we?” question and now you’re screwed because you still want Issa back. Trust us. We been there, too. Is it right? Nah, not really. But it is real.

Juliana Pache: Lawrence was a boy in season one, and he’s a man-boy in season two. Lawrence was a lazy lover; he did the bare minimum in his relationship with Issa, and although he did kinda sort of try, it really just wasn’t enough.

Issa is no saint, either. She holds grudges. She’s passive-aggressive and avoids confrontation at all costs. It’s why she couldn’t be honest with herself or her man about her desire to end their relationship.

Although they had good times and seemed to really love each other, I’m not completely sure why Issa wants Lawrence back. Issa was wrong for cheating, but she wasn’t wrong for wanting to get out of her relationship. It’s possible all the guilt and shame she’s feeling about her infidelity is clouding her judgement. Maybe she wants to make up for her fuck up so bad that she’s forgotten how unfulfilling her relationship was in the first place.

Let’s not forget Issa helped build Lawrence with both emotional and financial support. He was a work in progress for a very long time and Issa had to carry the weight of the work in that relationship. Now Lawrence is (kind of) with Tasha, and it is ultimately Issa’s fault that their relationship ended, but I mean — good riddance! Lawrence can be Tasha’s project now.

The shittiest part of watching the conclusion of Issa and Lawrence’s relationship is the fact that Issa worked so hard to motivate him and get him to pursue his passions, and now that he’s doing just that, their relationship is over because Issa fucked up. Tasha gets to enjoy Lawrence’s free time and fat paychecks, even though Issa is the one who invested all that time in him.

What Issa really needs to do now is work on being happy and single. While Issa is out here planning elaborate schemes to make Lawrence want her back, he’s at Tasha’s house hitting it from the back on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. You better let go and get yours, boo.