The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, September 13, 2017 — 5
Arts

FXX

‘You’re the Worst’ returns for it’s fourth season
‘You’re the Worst’ deals 
with post-breakup woes

FXX show returns for its fourth season with its signature dark 
comedy delivering laughs with a few stumbles along the way

One 
of 
the 
defining 

characteristics 
of 
“You’re 

the Worst,” Stephen Falk’s 
brilliantly 
underrated 
anti-

rom-com, is that it embraces 
and subverts conventions at the 
same time. The story’s central 
protagonists — arrogant British 
novelist Jimmy (Chris Geere, 
“After 
Earth”) 
and 
selfish 

music rep Gretchen (Aya Cash, 
“Easy”) — are essentially the 
antithesis of a gung-ho healthy 
relationship. And yet, with 
their toxic personalities and 
regressive 
attitudes, 
they’re 

made for one another.

Throughout the series — now 

entering its fourth season — 
the two have reached almost 
every possible “normal couple” 
milestone: moving in together, 
declaring 
their 
love 
and 

proposing marriage. But with 
each milestone, Jimmy and 
Gretchen found themselves in 
quiet emotional turmoil, both 
uncertain 
for 

their 
future 

together 
and 
unable 

to 
properly 

communicate 
their anxieties. 
Given 
how 

Jimmy 
impulsively 
backtracked 
his proposal to 
Gretchen 
and 

abandoned her 
in last season’s 
(literal 
and 

figurative) 
cliffhanger 
finale, 
the 

prospect 
for 
their 

reconciliation 
looks 
dim. 

Fortunately, 
despite 
the 

abrupt 
end 

to 
their 

already fragile 
romance, there 
may be some compelling soul-
searching on the horizon for 
this season.

Unlike 
the 
chaotic, 

sometimes wayward season 
three, the newest season of 
“You’re the Worst” opens on 
a much more confident note. 
The premiere’s hour-long two-
parter, “It’s Been,” allows some 
breathing room for the show’s 
often fast-paced setup. Each 
part, both written and directed 
by Falk, cleverly splits time 
between Jimmy and Gretchen 
three 
months 
after 
their 

unexpected breakup, and how 
they’ve coped with the trauma 

of ending their relationship.

The 
stunning 
first 
half 

showcases 
a 
scruffy 
and 

laconic Jimmy adjusting to a 
completely new environment 
in upstate California. Squatting 
in a trailer park community for 
seniors, Jimmy has chosen a 
simpler life for himself, going so 
far as to completely 
disconnect 
from 

technology 
altogether. 
Even 

with his newfound 
bachelor lifestyle, 
he still projects an 
unfulfilled desire 
for connection onto 
Bert 
(Raymond 

J. 
Berry), 
a 

misanthropic 
local who would 
rather watch crime 
procedurals 
with 

Jimmy than get boba tea with 
his chummy neighbors.

During 
an 
entertaining 

subplot in which Jimmy helps 
Bert retrieve his stolen car keys, 
Jimmy finally sees just how 
reckless Bert can be on his own. 

He 
realizes 

he 
must 
not 

only 
re-enter 

civilization for 
the sake of his 
own sanity, but 
also 
confront 

the issues he 
left behind so 
he doesn’t grow 
into a detached 
hermit 
like 

Bert. 
This 

uneasiness 
is 
best 

exemplified 
when 
Jimmy 

decides 
to 

turn his dusty 
iPhone 
back 

on, 
only 
to 

be 
hit 
with 

an 
anxiety-

inducing 
symphony 
of 

text 
message 

and voicemail 
notifications 
from Gretchen.

While Jimmy comes to his 

senses, the second half of the 
episode finds Gretchen in a 
manic state. Her portion of 
the episode, though hilarious 
and equally harrowing, is not 
nearly as emotionally potent 
as 
the 
first 
part. 
Instead 

of 
shrinking 
back 
into 
a 

depression like in season two, 
Gretchen opts for a hyperactive 
persona, 
which 
includes 

speedily reciting ‘90s hits like 
the 
Cranberries’ 
“Zombie” 

and the Barenaked Ladies’ 
“One Week,” smoking a bowl 
of crack and drawing dinosaur 
murals to pass the time. The 

episode’s funniest scenes occur 
during Gretchen’s story, but 
Gretchen’s compulsive craving 
for stimulation falls somewhat 
flat in comparison to Jimmy’s 
dramatic plot. She ends up 
crawling back to her ex, Ty 
(Stephen 
Schneider, 
“Broad 

City”), making for a plausible 

yet 
predictable 

character 
development.

Most 
of 

the 
winning 

moments in this 
episode belong 
to 
the 
series’ 

incredible 
supporting 
players, 
the 

hedonistic 
Lindsay (Kether 
Donohue, “Pitch 
Perfect”) 
and 

the 
sincere, 
pot-smoking 

veteran 
Edgar 
(Desmin 

Borges, 
“Carrie 
Pilby”). 

In contrast to Jimmy and 
Gretchen’s 
individual 
and 

joint dysfunction, Lindsay and 
Edgar work well together and 
on their own, with Lindsay 
temping as a fashion assistant 
and Edgar as a sketch comedy 
writer. But after Lindsay and 
Edgar end up in bed together, 
the two inadvertently become 
friends 
with 
benefits, 
a 

deal that feels like a subtle 
foreshadowing of relationship 
problems 
ahead 
for 
these 

characters. But it’s good to see 
that Lindsay and Edgar have 
found some inner peace after 
going through some emotional 
turbulence in previous seasons.

“It’s 
Been” 
continues 
to 

display “You’re The Worst”’s 
trademark 
mix 
of 
black 

comedy and pathos, furthering 
Falk’s nuanced portrayal of 
modern romance and mental 
illness. It would have been 
nice 
if 
Gretchen 
had 
the 

ample plot that Jimmy had, 
especially 
since 
her 
story 

doesn’t hit as many strong 
emotional beats. Regardless of 
the episode’s slight imbalance, 
it conveys a solid illustration 
of the limitations of their 
post-breakup 
solitude. 
Like 

Jimmy and Gretchen, there’s 
a 
strong, 
lonesome 
heart 

beating underneath the show’s 
cynical, twisted shell. The 
characters are continuing to 
develop into complex people 
and veer away from the self-
destructive 
behavior 
that 

dictated their actions before. 
It’ll be hard to know how long 
the show will last, given how it 
primarily revolves around the 
fate of Jimmy and Gretchen’s 
relationship. But here’s hoping 
that “You’re the Worst” keeps 
being the best.

SAM ROSENBERG

Daily Arts Writer

TV REVIEW

SACRED BONES RECORDS

Zola Jesus. Yeah.
Zola Jesus’s ‘Okovi’ is 
intimate yet existential

Zola Jesus brings an expansive, dynamic sound to her fifth 
studio album in which she explores questions of fear and doubt

Cathedrals 
always 
seem 

to 
inspire 
awe 
in 
a 
way 

independent 
of 
religious 

affiliation. The infinite reach 
of 
soaring 
ceilings 
infuses 

grandeur into the air; curved 
arches cradle simple elegance 
in their graceful lines. A hush 
stretches indefinitely through 
the gaps of pews: a space for 
reverence and reflection.

“Doma,” the first track off 
 

Nika Roza Danilova’s (recording 
under the name Zola Jesus) fifth 
studio album, Okovi, ignites a 
similar sort of introspection. 
Compositionally, 
the 
track 

is sparse: the harmony of 
ambiguous vocals and white 
noise 
fades 
in 

and 
out. 
Yet, 

despite 
its 

uniformity, 
the 

song 
captivates. 

Its gossamer hum 
creates a space for 
Danilova’s voice 
to 
reverberate 

into 
towering 

points and lofty 
canopies — the 
faint outline of a 
cathedral begins 
to 
take 
shape. 

“Doma” 
flickers 

like a candle at 
the altar of Okovi, 
introducing 
a 

deeply personal album awash in 
unrestrained layers of emotion.

From “Doma,” Zola Jesus 

wastes no time developing its 
hazy form into a solid presence. 
The second track, “Exhumed,” 
pulls the original flat ambiance 
into a dynamic collision of 

cutting 
instrumentals 
and 

feverous 
beats. 
If 
“Doma” 

was the consistent gray of an 
overcast sky, “Exhumed” is a 
torrential 
downpour, 
primal 

and inhibited. In this sudden 
expansiveness, Danilova is a 
powerhouse: projecting, “Bury 
the tongue between the teeth 
/ Open the jaw and sink in 
deep” from the heavens with 
an intensity that splinters and 
a desperation that is almost 
overwhelming; 
a catharsis that 
threatens to wash 
away the earth.

“Exhumed” 

flows into “Soak,” 
a 
track 
that 

maintains 
the 

same 
forceful 

undercurrent of sincerity but 

mellows 
from 

the 
jagged 

explosiveness 
of 
“Exhumed.” 

Withdrawn 
tempos 
and 

controlled 
rhythms 
create a muted 
repetitiousness 
that 
forms 

a 
sense 
of 

disillusionment; 
deadweight 
hangs from every 
aspect of “Soak.” 
The 
overall 

lifelessness 
of 
the 
sound 

corresponds 
with 
the 

hopelessness 
of 
the 
lyrics 

themselves, 
exploring 
the 

futility of life.

It’s a bleak perspective; one 

that is quickly contested through 
songs “Witness” and “Siphon.” 
Both hold a more hopeful 

sentiment. The simple balance 
between 
Danilova’s 
vocals 

and the quiet instrumental 
background weaves a desire 
for others to see their own 
potential into the melody of 
“Witness;” 
the 
unyielding 

chorus of “‘Cause we’d rather 
clean the blood of a living man 
/ We’d rather lean over, hold 
your warm, warm hand / We’d 
love to clean the blood of a 
living man / We’d hate to see 

you give into those 
cold, dark nights 
inside your head” 
in “Siphon” fights 
against apathy and 
self-destruction. 
The dramatic shift 
in 
temperament 

between 
“Soak” 

and 
“Witness” 
or 
between 

“Siphon” 
and 
the 
darkly 

existential 
questionings 
of 

the song “Veka” is abrupt and 
unexplained. 

Zola 
Jesus 
seems 
to 

be 
debating 
with 
herself, 

ruminating on the meaning 
of life under the inevitability 
of death. Her songs offer no 
answers, 
only 
half-finished 

explorations 
of 
contrasting 

arguments.

The jumble of incongruity 

is difficult to keep up with, yet 
powerful all the same. 

More than anything, Okovi is 

an album created by Zola Jesus 
for herself. Rather than a concise 
narrative, it is a passionately 
pieced-together collection of 
intimate thoughts and past 
experiences. Fears, doubts and 
unanswerable questions come 
together to form a holy ground, 
a place where the shackles that 
burden Zola Jesus start to feel a 
little bit lighter. 

SHIMA SADAGHIYANI

Daily Arts Writer

SINGLE REVIEW

“You’re the 

Worst”

Season 4 
Premiere

Wednesdays at 

10 p.m.

FXX

“It’s Been” 
continues to 

display “You’re 
The Worst”’s 

trademark 
mix of black 

comedy 

and pathos, 
furthering 

Falk’s nuanced 

portrayal 
of modern 

romance and 
mental illness

ALBUM REVIEW

It’s been about three 

years since Sam Smith’s 
In 
the 
Lonely 
Hour 

debuted and the world 
was 
introduced 
to 
his 

somewhat 
cheesy 
(yet 

entirely 
beautiful) 
“Sad 

Boy” persona. Now, in 2017, 
Sam Smith is just as sad.

In the three years of 

his fame, Smith jumped 
between crooning about 
past 
relationships 
over 

soulful 
instrumentation 

and 
belting 
with 

Disclosure on the duo’s most popular tracks. 
On his new single “Too Good At Goodbyes,” 
Smith finds a happy medium between 
“Stay With Me” and “Latch.” Co-written 
with Stargate, the production duo behind 
everything from Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” 
to Rihanna’s “S&M,” the track has a slight 
R&B undertone. Smith opens with just his 
voice and piano, followed by a progressive 
layering of light strings and snaps. About 
1:15 in, a head-bobbing bass guitar comes in 
over a simple bass drum beat, showcasing 
Stargate’s R&B expertise. Smith’s voice 
sounds phenomenal and sheds light on his 
extensive range, despite a setback from vocal 
cord surgery. A friend of mine even compared 

his voice on “Too Good At Goodbyes” to a 
saxophone. That rings true, especially on the 
chorus.

Lyrically, “Too Good At Goodbyes” is 

classic Sam Smith. He describes how a past 
lover hurt him so many times that he’s now 
adept at moving on (essentially the motif of 
In the Lonely Hour). The single is nothing 
new in terms of content, but instrumentally 
Smith delivers a welcomed update to his 
usual, string-heavy production. He’s still 
sad, but sadness and Sam Smith are like 
Rihanna and sex-appeal – it’s just innate.

— DANNY MADION

Okovi 

Zola Jesus 

Sacred Bones 

Records 

The jumble of 
incongruity 
is difficult to 
keep up with, 
yet powerful 
all the same

CAPITAL

