What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T2 WHATS UP! August 19 - 25, 2018 BY KYLA BREWER TV Media A s young women navi- gate the ups and downs of modern life, it helps to have a crew of steadfast girlfriends along for the ride. Issa Dee (Issa Rae, "The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl") relies on her close friends in another eight-epi- sode season of the award-win- ning HBO series "Insecure," airing Sunday, Aug. 19. When the season opened the week before, Issa was living with her ex, Daniel (Y'Lan Noel, "The First Purge," 2018), and her precarious financial situa- tion means it would be unwise to move out. Meanwhile, her BFF, Molly (Yvonne Orji, "Night School," 2018), strug- gles to keep it together now that she's finally landed her dream job at a black-owned law firm. Created by Rae and loosely based on her hit web series "Awkward Black Girl," the se- ries offers viewers a glimpse into the lives of a tight-knit group of black women, who are often underrepresented in prime-time television. This season, the women strive to make the right decisions as they continue to evolve in their 30s. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Rae talked about how the charac- ters grow in season 3. "This season is about not acting like you're naive any- more or that you don't know better," Rae explained. "So it is about, what does it look like to know better and to do better?" Following their mantra to "know better, do better," Issa and her pals face the realities of their situations. Now that she's no longer with Lawrence ("Jay Ellis, "The Game"), Issa is conflicted about her compli- cated relationship with Dan- iel, her childhood friend and on-again, off-again lover. Pro- fessionally, she isn't sure about her future with the non- profit she's been working for, We Got Y'all. As for Daniel, he struggles to get his music career off the ground. While fans of Ellis, who played Issa's love interest in the first two seasons, are likely disappointed he isn't back, this season opens the door to explore a new side of African American culture through the eyes of Daniel. In a June interview with Vibe. com, Rae revealed one of this season's major themes. "I love black masculinity as it relates to black women," Rae said. "I think that's something interesting that we haven't gotten a chance to explore yet — and specifically toxic male black masculinity as it relates to black women. I'm trying to find a way to explore that and get a rounded storyline that isn't preachy." Issa and her relationship is- sues may take up a lot of time, but black female friendship is still at the core of "Insecure" in season 3. While Issa tries to figure out what to do about Daniel and her career, Molly deals with her own problems. She may be a successful cor- porate lawyer, but she hasn't been able to translate that kind of success into her ro- mantic pursuits. To make mat- ters worse, her hang-ups and insecurities could sabotage her newly secured dream job. Issa Rae and Yvonne Orji as seen in "Insecure" Fiercely funny females continued on page T10 TV FEATURE B/Health Initiatives Research 2 x 5 Have you or a loved one been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease? Agitation and insomnia are just two common symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease. If you are interested in learning more about current research and the management of symptoms, please give us a call at 479-575-9600. Call Health Initiatives Research 479-575-9600 to talk to our staff about current trials and more learning opportunities. ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE OR MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT? NOW ENROLLING IN CLINICAL TRIALS! Help us discover new treatment options! You might be able to help with clinical research studies looking at potential treatments for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment.