With Amazon Prime's The Boys Season 3 still at least a year away and the return of Aya Cash's Stormfront up-in-the-air, fans can indulge in an equally snarky but less villainous Cash role on FX's You're the Worst. In The Boys, Stormfront is an acerbic and morally repulsive character, while Gretchen on You're the Worst is less severely flawed and redeemable.
You're the Worst, which ran for five seasons, ending in 2019, is an irreverent take on the rom-com, telling the messy story of two lousy, dysfunctional people navigating falling in love. The show stars Chris Geere as Jimmy, a pompous, brash and self-centered writer, and Cash as Gretchen, a cynical, impulsive and self-destructive publicist.
The only qualities Stormfront and Gretchen share is their biting sarcasm and sexual appetite. Cash's off-the-cuff, sharp delivery is the alluring highlight of any scene she is in. Although, the purpose of the sardonic personality is further developed in You're the Worst. While Stormfront's characterization stops at her racist core beliefs, Gretchen is capable of immense growth and humanization. Gretchen's sarcasm does not stem from a place of irredeemable malice, and therefore, can come off as comedic.
Unlike Stormfront, Gretchen's flaws are not non-negotiable. She struggles with giving and receiving love, making for an engaging character arc. She is also more multi-dimensional, putting up this sardonic veneer first as an affectation and later it's revealed to be a poor defense mechanism for her deepest insecurities. Viewers get a whole new look at Gretchen as the show progresses and she endears herself to the audience in different ways, first with wry humor and then with genuine vulnerability.
Cash shines the brightest in Gretchen's most vulnerable and brutally raw scenes, ones where she bears her fears about being unlovable to Jimmy or her very real struggles with depression. She can often be found either running away from her feelings or falling back on old destructive habits. Jimmy and Gretchen's relationship is even marred by a lack of honest communication and both of them encouraging poorly-thought-out decisions. Gretchen may not always make the best choices but is someone who, at the end of the day, deserves love.
Perhaps in her strongest divergence from Stormfront, Gretchen is a chronic people-pleaser, especially in her job, often to the point of it being sabotaging. She may not appear to treat everyone with respect, but she is a loyal friend and partner who deep down cares a lot. It's fascinating to watch someone be so biting in one scene and then care too much about other's expectations in the next.
Watching the slew of subtle ways Gretchen matures throughout the seasons is extremely rewarding for viewers. She learns to stand up for herself, make level-headed decisions and take agency in coping with her depression. In You're the Worst, Cash confirms that a cynical sense of humor doesn't stop a character from being a complex and dynamic force. Gretchen gives the audience the fun-to-be-bad side, as well as the hope for a happy ending. It's an entertaining and moving look at a deeply flawed individual that is not to be missed.
You're the Worst was created by Stephen Falk and stars Aya Cash, Chris Geere, Kether Donahue and Desmin Borges. All 5 seasons are currently streaming on Hulu.
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