Issa Rae talks about creating Insecure and its characters; Credits: Indiewire

Insecure has been running for five great years and catapulted Issa Rae to become one of the most well-known names from the Hollywood industry. The director is already speculative of what reviews the series will bring in with its one last time-traveling episode. But given that the series is going to have a not-so-expected ending, fans might have a few different things to say. Rae said, “I know people will have a lot to say, but I’m looking forward to not reading it.”

While the series has already faced some of the most surprising reviews where the audience did not expect a few turns in events or characters, the series is already on a rise and will soon become a phenomenal sensation as more and more people discover it. However, one key reaction from the audience that the show makers did not anticipate was the audience not being so keen on Nathan. Rae shared, “The fans rejecting Nathan immediately. Kendrick is the best, and I love Nathan so much, but people were just not seeing it for Issa and Nathan.”

The same aspect played when the audience was quick to forgive Molly, in fact, much quicker than the creators would have thought. Her friendship with the character must be one of the reasons that she got such easy forgiveness. Rae elaborated, “Yvonne laughs at it now and calls the audience very petty for accepting Molly almost immediately, but I’m really happy that people see it for their friendship." 

And yet, the show had many more sticky runs where decision-making was not always an easy task. The show creators and Issa Rae had embarked on the journey knowing that they will be there for five years only. But still, goodbyes are never easy, and neither are the decisions leading to farewells. 

The creators had previously decided that they would let Issa Dee and Molly take on a trip to Morocco, which would be set five years in the future but with only two weeks to spare from the finale, Rae thought of shaking up the scheme. Apparently, the director did not agree with how things were turning out and needed something else from her narrative. She shared, “It just wasn’t right. It was fun, but it just wasn’t the proper send-off to L.A., and it just wasn’t the story that we wanted to tell, the story that we’ve been telling this season and with the series.”

Hence, Rae managed to scrape off the entire script for a new one and construct a different future for Issa. Rae told Variety, “It was so important for Prentice and I to look at places that were important to shaping Issa and sending off the locations that were so central to her own journey.” The final season of the series will hence play for a longer run time as opposed to its usual run time of 30 minutes. The longer duration will, of course, come as a late Christmas gift for the fans who have always been demanding long episodes.

The writer shared, “We really tried to give a full hour and then when you give these cuts to the HBO team, they’re like “OK, let’s trim this, maybe don’t need this …” and so that’s how we ended up with 41 minutes.” Still, the team did try to comply with their fans, and the audience everywhere will appreciate the sentiment. “It’s out of our hands. But yes, wanted to pass the time a little bit.”

Adding to the reasons why the series make such a good watch is the birthday plots that the series take after, especially in the last season. The writer said that her main focus was to highlight how far her characters have come along the years and how that entrails their personalities to "poetic justice." 

Sharing how she originally came up with the idea, she detailed, "I have friends that I’ve had since high school, and we’ve gone from kicking it every Friday guaranteed, to growing up and dealing with families, life, loss, and all of those things. Sometimes the only guarantee that we’ll actually be able to hang out is birthdays, and I think there’s a sadness to that, but also just the reality of getting older and into your 30s."

The same went for Issa and Molly and how they take on their specific journeys. The producer said, "And I think there is a naivete of thinking, “We’re always gonna be friends, and we’re always going to kick it,” but that doesn’t always happen and telling Issa and Molly’s last moments before we see that — and the four girls — just really spoke to that."

While the writer has already snuffed all hopes of a Season 6, there is still hope to know that the characters will continue with their life. Rae carried on, "If we were to continue to Season 6, there are stories to tell with all of these characters still. There are so many new things that they’re exploring — Molly and Kelli (played by Natasha Rothwell) start a firm together."

This includes "Kelli’s own personal developments in life and probably new marriage; Issa’s decision to stay with Lawrence (portrayed by Jay Ellis), and does that mean that there’s a relationship there with Elijah; and, of course, Tiffany ( played by Amanda Seales ) being in Denver and having a second child."

Issa Rae created believable characters for Insecure; Credits: Harpers Bazaar

The 3D rendered characters of the series really put life into the narrative, making it a must-watch for anyone who wants to have a good time.