You're the Worst S02E01: "The Sweater People" Some of television's greatest achievements started out as its best kept secrets. FXX's You're the Worst has seen an increase in visibility recently thanks to positive word of mouth on social media, praise from TV critics around the country, and the show's first season finally being available to stream on Hulu. But during its freshman season, the Aya Cash/Chris Geere comedy largely flew under the radar after its kind of raunchy pilot received mixed reviews and failed to predict the competent and hysterically funny series the show would become over the course of its first 10 episodes. But You're the Worst 's slow and mostly unmonitored ascent to the top of the comedy ladder is what makes its success as one of the strongest comedies on TV taste so sweet. Without the added pressure of expectations, the series was able to come into its own relatively quietly and without much fanfare, so that when it returned for its second season, it was ready for all the attention and praise being heaped upon it. At the outset, the series had the difficult challenge of crafting a likable product from the antics of two often unlikeable, self-centered, emotionally stunted people who didn't understand what they wanted or expected from life or from each other. With a premise like that it's no wonder viewers didn't immediately jump on the You're the Worst bandwagon. But somewhere in the middle of Season 1—probably around "Sunday Funday," when Jimmy attempted to convince Gretchen she should choose him over some fancy film director and the gang explored the wonderful playground of Los Angeles—viewers finally understood what the series was trying to say about contemporary relationships and the fear of being a successful adult. Eventually fans were able to connect to and understand the impulses of these characters and the series emerged as a strong and funny anti-rom-com about awful people you wanted to see together as much as they tried not to want it. In the very funny Season 2 premiere "The Sweater People," the show continued its caustic take on relationships, with Gretchen and Jimmy attempting to feel their way through the early stages of cohabitation. Fearing becoming complacent or boring after moving in together—i.e. the "sweater people" from which the episode draws its title—they partied every night, much to the dismay of Edgar, who's still working at the gym and stressing over his growing infatuation with Lindsay. But after nearly a week of partying until 5am, both Gretchen and Jimmy wanted a night in to relax and recharge, and instead of voicing this desire, they did what they always do: they ignored their problems and hoped they'd just go away. And it worked out about as well as you'd expect it to. If this were any other show, Gretchen and Jimmy's lack of communication regarding what they wanted—something as seemingly uncomplicated as taking a night off—would be frustrating, but here their unhealthy relationship and poor decision-making skills are exactly what viewers have come to expect and respect about the series. If its characters suddenly acted like functioning adults with reasonable reactions to situations, the series would stop being You're the Worst and become the clichéd romantic comedy it's mocking, and that's not what anyone wants. Being able to sympathize with and find entertainment in the stunted and broken existence of both Gretchen and Jimmy is what makes you love them and what makes the series so delightfully funny. But if you want to get deeper, it's also a commentary on the safety and security of loneliness and how terrifying it can be to open up to and let in another person. Both Gretchen and Jimmy are afraid of commitment and afraid of putting themselves in a position where they're not solely in control of their own lives—or what they think is control, because to suggest that either character actually has a grasp on life is woefully inaccurate. But they're also hardly the first people to feel this way or experience such problems. Just look at Lindsay. She had a relationship, but her selfishness led to her husband leaving her for a woman on the internet that he's never even met in real life, and now she's crying on the floor of her garage, eating lasagna with her hands in her wedding dress. Even if Paul was a dud, she's now dealing with his rejection, and thankfully Edgar, who's constantly battling his own isolation and loneliness as a result of his PTSD, was there to help. Every single character here is damaged in some way, and as darkly funny as the show is on a weekly basis, the world it presents is also a reflection of today's society and opens up for discussion how we all interact with one another in this broken world. In this setting, Gretchen and Jimmy's reluctance to have what some more well-adjusted folks might consider a normal and happy relationship is purposeful—and even understandable to an extent—but like their characters, the series also isn't willing to fully explore these issues head-on, because doing so would risk losing what makes the show what it is. And although there's the argument that at some point something resembling character growth will have to happen, hopefully that time is a long way off, because the comedic potential of Gretchen and Jimmy's continued hellish existence is too great. Because of their partying, Gretchen fell asleep at work and lost her rights to use "normal people phones" after she missed a meeting with Sam. Meanwhile, Jimmy passed out at the bar and sent Edgar an SOS text asking for him to rush over with Gatorade. Neither of these characters are responsible or even that respectable—and they're very unapologetic about that fact—and that's why you can't help but love them and love watching them fumble and make mistakes. For a brief second they'll appear to have figured it all out before choosing to ignore whatever lesson most shows would have them learn, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The fact of the matter is that You're the Worst is still the most successful when it's making viewers laugh at all the stupid shit its characters do, and the smash cuts to the "after" of Gretchen and Jimmy's partying are what truly made "The Sweater People" something great. Hell, I watched it three times and each time it only got funnier. After the two reluctantly took part in a night of cocaine (and probably butt stuff), they woke up on the floor of the living room and saw that they'd stolen and destroyed a DVD rental kiosk in their drug-fueled haze. We didn't even need to see what led up to that moment to find the humor in the situation. However, the reveal of how the couple came into possession of a stolen car after another night out was one of the funniest sequences I've seen on TV all year. Not wanting to be upstaged or outdone by the hipsters at their favorite bar, Gretchen and Jimmy took a new drug, ignored the warnings of what not to do while on it, and ended up stealing a Zoiddle Maps car. The entire sequence, which closed out the exceptional premiere, was seen from the perspective of a carry out's security camera and the images taken by the camera on the car. I'm laughing right now thinking about how Jimmy chased the car, pulled the driver out, attempted to elbow drop him, and drove off with Gretchen. Man, You're the Worst is simply just the best. BEST WORSTS – "Are you a little born-yesterday diaper face?" – "I'm having a blast. I mean, yeah, I'm peeing blood, and I briefly forgot the word for 'telephone,' but just because we're co-habitating does not mean that we're going to become disgusting normals." – "Has your hair always been so round?" – The show's definition of love honestly doesn't sound so wrong: "It's like, 'Hey, I love you. Smooch smooch. Now go make me some Bagel Bites.'" – Gretchen and Jimmy literally ran away from the idea of being a family when Gretchen considered getting a family plan after her cell phone received no service at the house.



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