Why You Should Binge Watch “You're The Worst” This Weekend

Season 4 of FXX’s You're The Worst has just premiered, and its episode-a-week format gives you the chance to catch up if you've missed the first three. Even if you're all caught up, I recommend going back and rewatching some of the most iconic episodes. If you can’t access You're The Worst because of regional restrictions, consider using a VPN (there are those that work even when your school’s blocked VPNs).

As you can tell, I absolutely love You're The Worst. I was initially drawn to it by Chris Geere’s portrayal of Jimmy, a British author living in the States. Now I’m hooked, and genuinely consider it to be the best half-hour-episode series on TV.

Here are a few reasons why.

Its portrayal of British people

Jimmy is one of the most complete portrayals of a Brit I’ve ever seen in a U.S. show. He has the snark, the misanthropy, the superiority complex, the pretentious vocabulary. All while being totally insufferable. He plays brilliantly off Gretchen (Aya Cash), his American girlfriend who is just as awful as he is, if not worse.

American series have the tendency to caricature us, but Jimmy escapes that treatment. While he has some of the worst (and most endearing) attributes of our culture, he remains sympathetic – by fully encapsulating what it means to be human.

It is hilarious

There are so many brilliant lines in every episode. My personal favourite is Lindsay explaining why she doesn’t wear pajamas: “What am I? An Old?”

There are a number of hilarious characters who people You're The Worst, and they work off each other’s quirks, especially when they throw us an unlikely pairing, like Paul and Vernon road-tripping.

It accurately portrays mental illness

Despite being extremely funny, You're The Worst also manages to portray mental illness better than almost anything else on TV. Gretchen’s depression in Season 2 is incredibly real, along with Jimmy’s helpless but well-intentioned reaction. Jimmy plays the emotional beats of losing his dad with aplomb. And Season 3’s focus on Edgar’s PTSD is incredibly important in a world where soldiers come home heroes, only to go on to become society’s discarded.

There’s never an easy resolution

And yet, with so much conflict and unhealthiness to go around, they never give us easy answers. Gretchen’s depression doesn’t go away, even with medication and therapy. Jimmy doesn't become a better person to accommodate Gretchen in his life. Their relationship still does not look like it could ever work, and an eventual happy ending is all but impossible. Yes 

Instead of reflecting the relationships portrayed by popular media, with conflicts leading to growth, or toxic relationships ending before you can root for them, You're The Worst gives us something that we know will never work but will happen anyway. A relationship that goes on without resolutions or conclusions, and without ever approaching contentment.

It’s not what you expect of a comedy, because it’s as dark as real life. But the best comedy shines a light on real life rather than distracting us from it. It lets us laugh at what we can’t control, while reminding us that we’re not alone in our everyday battles with life’s twists and turns.