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2 • April 19 - 25, 2020 • Brainerd Dispatch By Dana Simpson TV Media G earing up for another year of tur- moil and wit after a year-and-a- half-long hiatus, HBO's sassiest dramedy, "Insecure," kicked off its fourth season this month, and fans are eager to see more from its power- ful leading ladies. A new episode of the acclaimed series airs Sunday, April 19, on HBO. Returning viewers got a taste of the new season with the release of its first episode, "Lowkey Feelin' My- self," last Sunday. While past sea- sons have included episode titles such as "Hella Disrespectful" and "Ghost-like," and have lived up to their names, there is good reason to believe the current installment of the "Insecure" saga will be anything but lowkey. The 10-episode season focuses on returning main characters, Issa (Issa Rae, "The Misadventures of Awk- ward Black Girl") and her best friend, Molly (Yvonne Orji, "Nightschool," 2018), who have been through, well, let's face it, a veritable plague of dra- ma over the past three years. From the burdens of singledom to the dreaded return-of-the-ex(es), as well as boredom with stagnant jobs and long-term, dead-end relationships, Issa and Molly have captured the at- tention of "Insecure" viewers by way of raw honesty and, at times, deli- ciously savage behavior, which begs the question: What's in store for Sea- son 4? Will Nathan (Kendrick Sampson, "How to Get Away With Murder") get past Molly and finally appeal to Issa directly? Will Molly be able to handle her first committed relation- ship now that she finally has one? Will "Insecure" garner further atten- tion and receive Golden Globe or Emmy nominations? Let's slow down and look at the tangibles be- fore getting too carried away with the questions. For starters, Issa is without a job and without a man — a situation that may be hauntingly relat- able for any single person temporari- ly out of work during these strange times of social isolation. But for Issa, as she openly ad- mits in the Season 4 trailer, "All of this sounds bad, but it's actually really good." And while she seems excited about the opportunity that this free- dom could bring her, there is no de- nying that it won't be all sunshine and rainbows for her this season — OK, there maybe sunshine, it is Cali- fornia after all, but you get the point. In Season 4, the consequences of the past three seasons are surfacing. This means that we can expect to see the fallout of three seasons' worth of reckless decision-making, heart- breaking mistakes and exes who, like Nathan, threaten to return when they sense their former paramour's growing happiness and emo- tional stability (if that's why he even came back). At the end of Season 3, which aired all the way back in September 2018, Issa cele- brated her birth- day and joined the ranks of the dirty 30s club. She also finally left the job that continu- ously underappreciated her and made her (and everyone else around her) miserable. Now that Issa is free of her metaphorical shackles, she is happily navigating a (perhaps ill-con- ceived) passion project. All the while, Issa's ex-boyfriend, Lawrence (Jay El- lis, "Mrs. America"), realizes he wants a solid, lifelong partnership like that of his parents (although he still seems unsure of how to get it or what, exactly, that relationship means for him), and Molly finally got her first, long-sought-after exclusive relationship (but is still trying to fig- ure out the best way to manage it). To top it all off, Tiffany's (Amanda Seales, "My Brother and Me") new baby threatens to change the whole dynamic of the friend group. The season will include many rela- tionship-testing circumstances, and not strictly relationships in the ro- mantic sense. Issa and Condola (Christina Elmore, "The Last Ship") are likely to see a strain on both their friendship and their current work sit- uation as a direct result of their per- sonal lives. Meanwhile, Molly will be working hard at improving her crum- bling workplace relations, and Issa and Molly discover and explore an entirely new layer of their friendship. No man, no job, no problem 'Insecure' comes through in uncertain times Cover Story this week Yvonne Orji in "Insecure" A Little Late With Lilly Singh After a day of signing things, I feel like I have carpal tunnel — the only person with a [more] sore wrist is a 13-year-old boy who just got internet. I wouldn't spend $20 on a sponge, even if it lived in a pineapple under the sea! The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon We have college students here from local schools, and this is very cool, we actually have something in common: You got into these great schools, and I was rejected by all of them! Bernie Sanders' campaign is in complete disarray. Campaign workers say it's unorganized and total chaos. Basically, if the campaign were a person, it would look like Bernie Sanders. The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Yes, "break glass" is always a sure sign that everything is A-OK! That's why public buildings have axes on the wall with signs that say, "Break glass if everything is hunky dory." CNN was on top of all the most important news, like, "As the trial began today, Sen. Mitt Romney was spotted with a glass of chocolate milk on his desk — then the president's lawyer said something about impeachable offenses, but I didn't catch most of it because I was working on my sources to find out if Romney's milk was whole or 2%." Late Laughs Providing auto body repair in Brainerd, MN since 1996. Our company is an I-Car Gold Class Member, ASE Certified and Sikkens Waterbourne Certified. Our team is committed to 100% customer satisfaction. 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