You’re the Worst Review: Bad News: Dude’s Dead (Season 3 Episode 3)
After last week’s dramatic ending, You’re the Worst Season 3 Episode 3, “Bad News: Dude’s Dead” opens surprisingly light-heartedly, keeping in mind that the previous episode ended with Gretchen finding out that Jimmy’s father has passed away.
Gretchen follows her therapist to a coffee shop and it is quickly established that she is ready to do pretty much anything to get rid of the responsibility of being the bearer of bad news.
The dynamic between Gretchen and her therapist, played by the wonderful Samira Wiley is something You’re the Worst hopefully digs into more as the season develops. Their exchanges are funny, but there is something else there that catches interest, too, mainly Gretchen’s expectations towards therapy.
As seen in the previous episode, Gretchen seems to be looking for a magic cure. She is ready to take the pills, but is she ready to talk the talk?
When Gretchen doesn’t get the kind of answer she is looking for from her therapist, she turns to Lindsay, because obviously, going to Lindsay for advice is the smart and sensible thing to do. (I bet you can sense the sarcasm).
As expected, Lindsay is able to provide Gretchen with the kind of advice she is looking for, and Gretchen becomes more and more determined that her telling the news to Jimmy could be catastrophic for their relationship.
While Gretchen might seem nonchalant and uncaring, she knows that if she is the one who delivers the bad news, there is a possibility that Jimmy’s perception of her will change.
Edgar, probably the only character in the show who actually knows what telling someone their family member has passed away feels like, seems to be falling deeper and deeper into his own problems. The season started with Edgar neglecting his medication, and while watching “Bad News: Dude’s Dead,” it is quite easy to see that his situation is escalating.
Once Gretchen and Lindsay’s plan to delegate Edgar to deliver the news to Jimmy fails, Gretchen decides to throw a party and force the guests to deliver the truth bomb.
The party that takes place, in many ways, parallels the party from Season 2 Episode 7, “There is Currently not a Problem” which ended with Gretchen telling Jimmy that she’s had depression for years. Like in “There is Currently Not a Problem,” Gretchen has something to tell Jimmy, and she cannot be sure of how he’ll react.
Anxiety about the repercussions is something the viewer can certainly feel too.
Jimmy ends up being surprised by the party, and while he knows he should be working on his book, he cannot disappoint the party goers, who he thinks are there to celebrate the success of his new book deal.
At this point, everyone else at the party knows… except Jimmy.
Once the party starts to wind down, Jimmy begins to think his friends don’t want him to succeed. While looking for perfect insults from his heckle box, slightly drunken Jimmy comes to the realization that his father is his “true enemy” and that he is the one who should be heckled.
The problematic nature of the relationship between Jimmy and his father became clear on Season 2 Episode 10, “A Right Proper Story.” But despite the problems, Jimmy’s father felt pride in his son’s career, which makes the very last moments of Jimmy’s oblivion about the state of his father so damn heartbreaking.
The phone message Jimmy leaves for his father, calling him “daddy” in a childlike voice and telling him he has sold his second book is a beautiful, bittersweet moment. The episode takes just the perfect amount of time to prolong the delivery of the news to Jimmy — it doesn’t do it too quickly but neither turns it into a super melodramatic multi-episode arc.
Once Gretchen finally tells Jimmy, seeing his shock feels like a kick to the stomach.
The decision to leave the aftermath for the next episode is a smart move. The quiet intensity of Jimmy’s reaction definitely leaves us wondering what will happen next.
Considering the parallels with “There is Currently Not a Problem,” it is possible that like Gretchen’s confession about her depression, the news of Jimmy’s father’s passing will work as a catalyst for darker storylines, not only for Jimmy but also for the other characters, like Edgar, who by the end of the episode admits to needing help.
Stray observations:
- Gretchen’s obsession with cruises and Instagram accounts for pets. Hopefully, these both are focused more on in future episodes.
- The exchanges between Lindsay and Becca continue to be absolutely hilarious. Vernon is also always funnier when Becca is around.
- Lindsay is determined to make herself believe that she is in love with Paul, and while it seems like she succeeds to some extent, it will be interesting to see how long that love lasts this time around.
What did you think of this episode of You’re the Worst? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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You’re the Worst airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on FXX.
Milka Väinämö
Milka is a Master of Arts with degrees in Film, Theatre, and Media Studies. She is obsessed with American sitcoms, ice hockey, pizza, coffee, and all things true crime. Her favorite shows include Parks and Recreation, The Office, Community, Arrested Development, Seinfeld, and The Gilmore Girls.