You're the Worst: Comedy That Digs Deep

You're the Worst didn't seem like a show that would be my cup of tea. It's about two horrible people who hate relationships and then decide to give each other a try after a one-night stand. They are mean to everyone they meet, and while the jokes are razor sharp and witty, you wonder how on earth a show can be sustained on such a thin premise. But as with all great comedies, over time the comedy deepens, the characters grow, and the stories become tinged with an unexpected soulfulness that hits you right in the gut.

Aya Cash and Chris Geere play the central couple, Gretchen and Jimmy. They are thirtysomethings living in Los Angeles, where Gretchen is a PR rep for a rap trio (composed of characters that ought to have their own hilarious spin-off) and Jimmy is a writer (of novels, not TV, as he would hasten to add). They meet at a wedding and spend a night having sex and telling each other the most horrible stories they can about things they've done. When they realize they both find these stories amusing rather than heinous, they decide to give this relationship a go. What's the worst that could happen?

In addition, we have Gretchen's best friend, Lindsay (Kether Donahue), who has recently married a man she doesn't like very much. She might be the most weirdly wonderful character you've seen on television, a dumb, selfish, yet bizarrely endearing oddball who is full of brilliant one-liners and terrible advice. On the flip side, we have Edgar (Desmin Borges), an Iraq War veteran who sold pot to Jimmy in college and then became his roommate when he returned from war. Edgar is suffering from PTSD and is struggling to get back on his feet, but he is a sweetheart, the one truly kind and gentle person in the core foursome that make up this show. As the show progresses, he slowly gets his life in order, while Lindsay's crumbles to the ground. The third season of the show premiered a few weeks ago and both characters are in interesting places right now, so I can't wait to see where they are headed.

Back to Jimmy and Gretchen. They are clearly meant for each other, and much of the show feels like a screwball comedy where the main couple trades wicked barbs that halfheartedly disguise their true feelings for each other. What elevates this relationship, however, is its second season. We are slowly presented with an unexpected revelation - Gretchen suffers from clinical depression. Her brand of illness waxes and wanes, so when she is suddenly overwhelmed by her sadness, Jimmy has no idea what to make of it. We get some truly excellent episodes where he tries the usual tactics of a concerned but clueless bystander - coordinating special events to cheer her up, demanding she be happy and snap out of it, and then finally, almost giving up, before he realizes that he is in too deep to quit on her now. Geere does a wonderful job portraying Jimmy as a man who is trying his best and struggling to be empathetic, a skill that does not come easy. But Aya Cash is a revelation, perfectly capturing the complexities of depression in all its stages - the snappiness, the sudden tears, the catatonic inability to do anything or go anywhere, and even the need to pretend to be fine so that other people will stop freaking out about your sadness. It is a powerhouse performance that should be required viewing for the world.

Season 3 is three episodes in, and while the tone is still fun and sarcastic, they are not shying away from exploring Gretchen's depression, Edgar's PTSD, and a host of other topics that one wouldn't normally associate with a sitcom. By packaging these topics into a comedy, You're the Worst is the best kind of show, one that highlights how you can mine the ups and downs of ordinary life for humor, compassion, and goodwill regardless of who you are and how you are feeling. The central characters started out as awful people, but rather than being one-dimensional villains, they have morphed into regular (albeit highly sarcastic and volatile) human beings, capable of moments of great love and warmth when one of their own is in trouble. Every episode of You're the Worst contains a brilliant joke or setup that will make you burst out laughing, but occasionally they feature a heartbreaking moment of truth that will turn your soul inside out. So find FXX on your cable line-up and watch You're the Worst. It is romantic, funny, and true.