‘Insecure’ Season 5 Fans Think Premiere Episode Foreshadowed a Main Character’s Death
Insecure Season 5 picked up two months after viewers last checked in with Issa Dee and her friends. The group attended their 10-year college reunion, where the organizers mistook Kelli as dead. Mainly remembered for her solid “stanky legg,” the situation clearly hit the usually light-hearted character especially hard. Fans believe the mishap and another reference last season serve as “foreshadowing” for Kelli’s death.
Kelli Prenny is mistaken as dead during ‘Insecure’ Season 5 premiere
The final season kicked off with the friends attending their 10-year reunion at Stanford. The organizers presumed Kelli (Natasha Rothwell) as deceased, marking her as such in the program.
Noted for her ability to pull off a good “stanky legg,” the GS Boyz song played when her face appeared in the in-memoriam video.
Kelli begrudgingly danced along, clearly upset as she realized others mainly remembered her for the solid dance move and her allergy to kale. That night, viewers saw a different side of the usually light-hearted character when she interrupted the ladies singing to The Dream’s “I Love Your Girl” en route to a club.
Not in the party mood, Kelli tried to explain how she felt, but they dismissed her. The episode ends with the friends giving her a fake eulogy at a diner.
Some fans think it served as ‘foreshadowing’ Kelli’s death
Following the episode, fans took to social media to share their theories that the reunion organizer mistaking Kelli’s death is “foreshadowing” a real one.
One Reddit user referenced last season when Tiffany’s (Amanda Seales) mom, Gloria (Tara R. Cook), told Kelli a dream about her dying. Therefore, the series has mentioned her death twice, something they don’t believe is unintentional.
Another viewer brought up a question she posed to her podcast Prenny’s Preguntas listeners at the end of the episode when she asked them what they would do if they knew their end would come soon. They also hypothesized that Kelli could have received a medical diagnosis before the reunion, which could explain why the mistaken death “hit her so hard.”
Additionally, the user pointed out Kelli’s sadness when she realized how others would remember her and believed it was the first time the friend “couldn’t make light of her situation.” While many agreed, someone else thinks it could be a “misdirect” for another character’s death, such as Tiffany’s.
Natasha Rothwell previously opened up about portraying Kelli
In a June 2020 interview with the AV Club, Natasha Rothwell spoke about developing Kelli as a character, admitting she has had the “unfortunate experience” of landing stereotypical roles for Black plus-sized women.
Therefore, she has adopted certain “philosophies” when portraying Kelli, such as making sure to “ground her with certain choices.”
Rothwell explained a considerable part of what makes her character funny is how much she believes in herself and everything she says. The actor continued, noting she loves how “unapologetic” Kelli is and her confidence in all of her decisions.
Additionally, Rothwell referred to her character as a “truth bomb” and pointed out Kelli’s relatability to the audience. Therefore, when portraying Kelli, the actor noted she makes sure “the character work is there,” first and foremost.
Insecure airs Sundays on HBO.
