Issa Rae made waves with her hit series like Kelli Prenny are more likable than others. However, nearly every person in Issa's life has funny moments.
The show presents humor with its characters, but it also showcases running bits that appear and return throughout. Some running jokes are easy to identify, like Issa's mirror-bound alter ego. Others might be surprising to viewers.
Fantasy Scenarios
One of Insecure's running jokes that seems to continue to surprise audiences is Issa's fantasy or nightmare scenarios. A sequence will appear to showcase real events until it flies off the rails. Issa will act out of character in ways she wishes she could, or antagonists like Condola Hayes will be seen fulfilling Issa's greatest fears.
One of the most memorable fantasy scenarios comes when Issa imagines meeting Condola and Lawrence Walker's baby in the hospital. What's so funny about the gag is viewers are drawn into the sequence emotionally. It starts out sweet, with all parties acting cordially and Issa asking to hold the child. Then Issa tosses the baby out of frame, kicks Condola, and scares Lawrence, letting audiences know they've been hilariously duped.
Insecure Chad
Chad Kerr is Lawrence's good friend. Some say he is one of the smarter characters in Insecure but presents the show with hilarious moments. For the most part, Chad is incredibly confident. He speaks bluntly and gives Lawrence advice, even when it forces him to spell out harsh truths to his friend.
However, as confident and cool as Chad is, he sometimes crumbles into an insecure mess, giving the show one of its funniest running jokes. When he has issues with his partner, audiences see macho Chad bawl his eyes out at church. When the group gets together for a party in the final season, viewers see Chad express concern about staying in touch with Derek DuBois. Watching Chad's cool persona fade in these moments gives the show one of its funniest gags.
Shows Within The Show
Insecure presents several unique elements that underscore its integrity. One of the more impressive running jokes from the series comes with Issa and her friends' favorite fictional shows that pop up in the series.
Viewers might seeing stars like Regina Hall appearing in Due North, the drama Issa and her friends, as well as Lawrence and Chad, can't stay away from. The show also showcases other fake series like Conjugal Visits and Kev'yn. The people behind Insecure are able to present audiences with the highly-relatable discussion of viral series while showcasing tidbits of satire about popular dramas and comedies.
Trina
Issa Dee and her close friends make up some of the best characters in Insecure. However, Issa runs into several ing and minor characters throughout the series like Joanne, Patricia, and Quentin. Trina presents one of the funniest minor characters whose appearance becomes a sporadic running joke.
Issa takes care of problems at her apartment building for its tenants. However, it seems that Trina is the only tenant who repeatedly comes to Issa to complain. She shows up to Issa's professional event and makes her nervous. Perhaps Trina's funniest appearance is when she lets Issa know about squirrels in her walls, telling her they're "making babies."
Thug Yoda
Issa's neighbor Thug Yoda, the outspoken Blood of her building, is introduced to audiences in the first season of the series. Fans might not have thought Issa should end up with Thug Yoda in Insecure, but it's hard to argue he isn't one of the funnier ing characters.
Audiences see Thug Yoda telling his kid not to use "C words," in their "blood house," or replacing "c" with "b" in words starting with the letter. Perhaps the best Thug Yoda moment comes after audiences might have thought he disappeared from the series. After fans hadn't seen him for a while, during the opening of an episode, it's revealed Issa's Lyft rider is Thug Yoda, and the two have a cheerful reunion.
Party Lyft
In season 3, Issa begins a side gig driving for Lyft. The position allows for several plot developments, perhaps the most important being the introduction of Nathan Campbell. However, the job comes up several times in moments ripe for great humor.
Issa picks up Molly from the airport, and at first makes the joke of being a enger, staying in the back seat. In other moments, Molly comes along for Issa's shift and the two help motivate party girls. Perhaps the most memorable "party Lyft" moment comes when Nathan and another rider get into a brawl in the backseat.
Issa's Mirror Raps
Perhaps the most obvious running bit in Insecure comes with Issa's mirror raps. At first, Issa seems to use these moments to freestyle about her life and unpack her doubts and expectations with the running drama in her employment, family, friends, and romantic relationships.
However, Issa's raps in the mirror develop a full-on alter-ego for her character by the end of the series. She talks to "mirror Issa" outside of her raps, personifying her doubts and the embodiment of her worst critic: herself. Not only do the raps give the show some of its best one-liners, but the bit also becomes one of the series' most recognizable and beloved running gags.