deerstalker

It's been a week since it was officially announced that Jay Ellis' character, Lawrence, won't be returning to season three of Issa Rae's HBO hit sitcom Insecure and fans still have something to say about the news. On Monday, the Emmy-nominated actress and show creator shared a few of her thoughts and feelings about a petition circulating on the internet to bring the fictional character back to the screen when the show returns in August for Season 3.  [brightcove id=5530870210001] "Sign our petition to HBO pleading for Jay Ellis to return as Lawrence--then SHARE far and wide so that everyone who loves Lawrence can have their voice heard," wrote a fan for an actual website, WHERESLAWRENCE.com. "We want Lawrence back!" The post, which was sponsored on Facebook, was brought to Rae's attention and her response was of course, hilarious.  "Wow. A sponsored post, though? Like... money was spent?," the 33-year-old said.  Other Insecure stars chimed in on the hilarity of the Where's Lawrence campaign, including fellow actress Yvonne Orji and showrunner Prentice Penny.  "Funds. (And a website)." #WeLoveLawrenceToo," wrote Orji who stars opposite Rae's character as her best friend Molly, while Penny facetiously responded, "I got five on it."  Rae confirmed to Vulture in July that Ellis wouldn't be returning to the show after their characters shared a heartbreaking post-breakup goodbye at the end of season two. That goodbye, Rae said, was final--and for good reason.  "We want to stay as true to life as possible. They had a great conversation at the end of season two and it was just about like, hey, she’s moving on Daniel, sometimes we have those conversations," she said. "You never see the exes again. And it’s okay! You gotta explore life without Lawrence." Sorry, #LawrenceHive, the powers that be have spoken...again. ​​​​​​Insecure returns for season three on HBO, August 12. 

Writer: Cullen Bunn // Artist: Mark Bagley & John Dell // MARVEL

Don’t Care About The Price Tag

I’d hate to be that “stereotypical” English major but let me tell you I was being so extra while reading this comic. Me shouting at Deadpool Assassin #4:“THIS IS MORE THAN JUST A PRICE TAG METAPHOR! IT’S DEADPOOL’S STRUGGLE BETWEEN REALIZING SELF-WORTH, BEING A TARGET IN THE CAPITALISTIC AGENDA, AND SEEING DEATH AND MONEY AS A SCAPEGOAT DUE TO DESENSITIZATION”! (In all, capitalism is the enemy.) This issue feels different than the other three. The usage of money is usually something hilarious that happens in television/movies (or in the mind of Julius in Everybody Hates Chris).

This was more like a redemption for our protagonist. I loved each and every moment. The price tags didn’t feel separate from the story. It merged well visually and narratively across previous issues in the series. Each panel was like a snapshot of the character’s greatest adventures right before the climax. The best parts of the comic were the moments you were expecting. It didn’t take away from the “oh sh*t” factor. If anything, I was even more excited to see what would happen next.

The humor was still there, yet it was subtle. We still get our good ol’ fourth wall breaking like every Wade tale. The difference here is that we get the joke bucket of price tags. What I consistently keep going back to is the relationship with money from the beginning of the comic to this current issue. I love that Bunn did not have to sacrifice humor to get to the grit of the situation. What does Wade gain at the end of this?

Sharpen That Pencil

Phew, if there was anything that heightened the excitement in this comic, it was the artwork. Bagley made it swish this time. Because the colors were bright and hyperactive, I felt my heart-rate pickup. The gore was still present, but the focus went on vibrant colors and action scenes. I knew what was at stake, and it felt like there was a timer associated with Deadpool’s death and his relationships. What lacked in immediate humor, provided itself in the coloring. I never felt separated from the page, and this is one of the rare moments where I found the art played an even stronger role in determining the protagonist’s personality when the words weren’t always available.

9.8 Stacked Bank Accounts out of 10

Reading Deadpool Assassin #4? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.

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Ever since Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl premiered on YouTube in 2011—well before Insecure landed on HBO and became a huge hit in 2016—Issa Rae has been showcasing a different kind of Black women on screen.   Now, she wants to change the way darker-skinned women are portrayed specifically. In a recent interview with Teen Vogue, Rae said darker-skinned Black women in Hollywood are still relegated to stereotypical roles far too often. "Dark-skinned women still portray a certain archetype and I want to change that," she told Teen Vogue at Insecure Fest. "They're either super strong, emotionless, robotic — or hyper-sexual, and you don't get the in-between very much." [brightcove id=4764673241001] On Insecure, Rae is already widening the opportunities for nuanced, complicated roles for darker-skinned Black women, allowing them to showcase a range of human experiences and emotions from being in love and killing it at work, to making mistakes. On Insecure, there's no one way to be a Black woman, and that's one reason fans love the show so much. Yvonne Orji, who plays Molly on the popular HBO series, agrees with Rae's mission to broaden the scope of how darker-skinned women are seen. "I want the portrayal of dark-skinned women to evolve in such a way that you see us as multifaceted," she told Teen Vogue. "We are more than just the sassy friend or the maid. We're so dynamic. We can be the leads." While Hollywood still has a long way to go before darker-skin actors are cast at similar rates and in similar roles as their lighter-skinned counterparts, with projects like Black Panther and Insecure enjoying massive success, it’s clear audiences are hungry for more.