‘Girls’ recap (Season 1, Episode 8)

Due to the shitshow that was the MTV Movie awards my coverage of Girls this week is a bit late, but trust me, if you weren’t already sold on it, take a leap of faith on the show and watch it live. It’s pretty great right now…and it seems to just keep getting better.

So what’s changed from the first episode of Girls? Well you might remember I said the problem is we don’t care about the characters and that it takes place at a very temporary stage of their lives. That’s all changing. The character’s situations never once slip into “routine.” If the show is about career switch-ups and internships, it could last for years, much like Mad Men. It probes into the personal lives of the characters a lot more so than their careers too. In fact, the main plot of Hannah’s “internships” and rent hasn’t even been touched on for the past three episodes. There are still some problems with the show though. The main one is Hannah herself.

I’m not sure if it’s because her screen partners are better-looking and funnier than her, but Hannah, who is framed as the protagonist, is the least likeable character on the show. She lies, her friends don’t like her because of her selfishness, and she takes every possible opportunity to flash the unsuspecting viewers. She’s also taken, to an almost pathetic level, with Adam, who’s the funniest character in the ensemble. In the most recent episode, Adam rehearses his introspective, poetic “play” which he’s putting on with one other person (who’s mostly an investor) as Hannah sits, watches, and is supportive no matter what. It’s obvious that what Adam is doing is total crap, and that Hannah is starstruck by him every two seconds, and it doesn’t make her very likable. When you have a girl that fills the identity of a “girlfriend” and nothing more when she’s in a relationship and loses her sense of individuality, it’s hard to root for her.

Meanwhile, Marnie is trying to get over her break up, so she leads Jessa to a bar where they get hit on by an older business man. When they go home with him and he encourages them to start a three-way, Marnie and Jessa just start making out, accidentally spilling wine on the rug, and angering their host to a crazed level.

Not a lot of ground covered in this episode, but god if it wasn’t funny. There’s a scene of Adam peeing on Hannah in the shower that had me laughing out loud unlike anything else on this show to date. I’m glad that the show has really carved out its niche as an awkward comedy more than anything, and I hope to see that trend continue.

Comments