Checkout out Insecure Episode 3 Season 8 “Ghost-Like” Recap! SPOILERS!

If you didn’t already know, Insecure is back. The show follows late 20-something-year-old Issa, the namesake of real-life show creator and writer Issa Rae, as she tries to maneuver complicated relationships, challenging friendships, and a fizzling career in rapidly gentrifying Southern Los Angeles. Last night’s episode, written by Issa Rae and Natasha Rothwell and directed by three-time Emmy winner Regina King, was the final one of the season so it was only right that our favorite characters got to party! Episode 8, “Ghost-Like” felt like a celebration. Over the course of 30 minutes, we saw the culmination of a season’s length of missteps, false starts, and complicated relationships wrap up into one joyous finale.

This season of #InsecureHBO was incredibly accurate with 25-34 life changes. Babies, break ups to make ups, ghosting, self sabotage, career moves, friendships in jeopardy, & understanding/processing growth in interpersonal relationships.

— 6'5"🎙📻🎚🎛 (@therealsix5) October 1, 2018

The episode opens with Issa back on track to throw a community block party in her current neighborhood, Inglewood. She goes around to a bunch of local businesses seeking sponsorship and contributions, but to no avail. A lot of doors are slammed in homegirl’s face. Eventually, she ends up confiding to Molly that the block party seems too impossible to tackle and that she is back to sending out resumes in search of a new job. One of these resumes lands at The Beat Crew, the organization we were first introduced to in episode 3 dedicated to art, music, and dance education for underprivileged youth. In episode 3, Issa was presented with the chance to apply for a job at The Beat Crew but quickly turned it down. She was still working in nonprofit at We Got Y’all, and still denying that she hated it. Although it took some time for this interview to come around, I was absolutely thrilled to see this opportunity come back into Issa’s life. Like the block party endeavor, pursuing a position at The Beat Crew is an example of Issa trying to align her personal values and passions to her work. In all of her determination to change her lifestyle and become more financially stable, she is no longer denying herself the chance to work on something she is really passionate about. Stepping out on faith like this and entering a new career path can be extremely scary, but it’s also the first step we all have to take towards curating the fantastic lives we want to live.

Read Every Insecure Season 3 Recap

One of the reasons Issa is more serious than ever about getting her life together is because she turned the big 3-0! To celebrate, Molly brings all the girls to an outdoor screening of The Last Dragon for a fun-filled night under the stars. The fun is quickly derailed when the crew runs into Lawrence and his best friend Chad who are also at the screening, as well as one of Molly’s exes, a man named Jared. While Molly and Jared awkwardly avoid each other, Issa and Lawrence are completely in their groove-he even brings her favorite candy as a birthday treat. As I’ve made clear throughout these recaps, I do not want to see Issa and Lawrence resume their relationship, but I am so thrilled to see how much growth they have managed to accomplish on their own. Post-breakup, Lawrence has a great job, is dating around, going to church, and doing what he can to support his friends. Issa is pursuing a new career, is committed to making smarter choices in every aspect of her life, and is putting the finishing touches upon her new home. For reference, season 2’s finale ended with Issa showing up on her ex-lover Daniel’s doorstep with hopes of crashing on the couch.

The last season finale Issa was moving into Daniel crib. This finale she was fixing her life and in her own crib. #InsecureHBO pic.twitter.com/QzLLL9O5to

— badgyalari (@ariannalexus) October 1, 2018

Although it can be absolutely heartbreaking, relationships can get stale. They can get stagnant and predictable and make you feel like you’re not moving forward in life. The same thing can happen with a job, friendship, or city-but when it happens in a relationship we tend to blame the other human being who is a part of it. This can make breakups particularly difficult because you may still have all the love in the world for him or her, but none left for the relationship. Sometimes, time apart is exactly what each partner needs in order to assess what went wrong. Afterward, it is much easier to rebuild the connection that started everything off in the first place.

Lawrence and Issa 2.0 shows what’s possible when there’s respectful closure to a relationship. #insecureHBO

— Natasha S. Alford 🇺🇸+🇵🇷✊🏾👩🏾‍💻🎥 (@NatashaSAlford) October 1, 2018

Insecure will have you sitting there analyzing past relationships, current relationships, your friendships, and your life within 30 mins. #InsecureHBO

— Alejandra (@alejandra9769) October 1, 2018

Speaking of relationships, this episode finally saw the return of the great ghoster, Nathan. The day of Issa’s birthday shenanigans, Nathan shows up on Issa’s doorstep with flowers and an apology. Unfortunately for him, he runs into Molly first who quickly shoos him away in an attempt to keep Issa’s big day “drama-free.” This decision, which Issa later finds out and is extremely angry about, actually sets up one of the most delicate and honest moments of the episode. Nathan claims he has been MIA because he went back to his hometown, Houston, and cut himself off from everyone around him. He had his own personal issues to deal with and did not want to bring Issa, or anybody for that matter, into the mix. Although it was not clear just what battle Nathan was facing, his tentative speech and nervousness almost made it appear as if he had a mental breakdown.

I honestly think Nathan had a depressive episode and if that’s the case im glad they’re bringing this into the show men’s mental health matters #InsecureHBO pic.twitter.com/ZxbgVgXUB4

— Bri (@ItsyagirlBri_17) October 1, 2018

Back on Issa’s doorstep (sans Molly), Nathan tells Issa that he is back in California for good and wants to pick up where things left off. Issa says she needs time before she can be vulnerable with him again. Then, she walks away and steps inside her home. And instead of running back to him or shedding a tear as we so often see of female characters, Issa keeps that door shut. She puts on a record and finishes unboxing her new home. She pours herself some wine, plops down on her own couch, and gives us a knowing look. She’s gonna be alright.