About Us
"He has the face of an old-timey criminal." - Natalia's friend, about Adam
So, break was terrible. First of all, I was stuck in Rhode Island and had no means of transportation because my parents recently sold my car. In my opinion, it was a priceless antique. I mean, come on, it had roll-up windows. Also, the weather was so bad that I didn’t really have any desire to leave the house. Which led to hours of Facebook stalking. Normally Facebook is entertaining at best and unsatisfying at worst. But over break it was straight-up terrible. My news feed was bombarded with pictures of people wearing little clothing at fabulous beach destinations. So, yeah, I was pretty excited to come back to school. And I started my week off with the wonderful weirdness of Girls.
“I feel so uncomfortable”
I was saying and thinking these words the entire episode. Seriously, this episode was pretty painful to watch (and actually quite literally painful for Hannah). Girls is known for its cringe-inducing moments but this was on another level. I was squirming around the entire episode. There was no sense of normalcy in this episode. The word “normal” is definitely shunned on the show anyway but they usually strike some sort of balance between the ridiculous and the realistic. In this episode, every single character did something that made me either look away or yell at the screen in frustration.
Adam starts off another episode
Like I said last week, Adam is back with a vengeance. He started off the episode with his new lady Natalia. In their first sex scene it becomes obvious that Natalia is everything Hannah wasn't. She’s straightforward, confident and uncomplicated. After she informs him of her various sexual preferences Adam says, “I like how clear you are with me.” After Hannah, he isn’t used to that. At first, this seems like a good thing and it’s nice to see Adam uncomplicatedly happy. But as the episode goes on, their relationship becomes too much of a good thing for Adam to handle.
Daww.
Screenshot by Sameet Dhillon/Gavel Media
Let me break down each character’s struggles and the cringe-worthy ways they address them:
Hannah: Out of all the characters, Hannah is definitely in the darkest place. Her most pressing issue is her OCD. And instead of dealing with it she appears to delve herself further into it. I swear, the moments when she stuck the Q-tip down her ear literally caused me physical pain. WHY Hannah? The ending of the episode suggests that she is about to balance things out and mess up her other ear as well. Instead of fighting her natural obsessive tendencies, Hannah gives in completely.
Ouch.
Screenshot by Sameet Dhillon/Gavel Media
Marnie: The girl is a complete disaster. The most uncomfortable moment in the episode, by far, was when Marnie decideded to sing her own version of Stronger by Kanye West—in the middle of Charlie’s company party. If you have no desire to watch this episode, at least watch the clip of her singing. The worst part might have been when she changed “black Kate Moss” to “white Kate Moss.” I have no words. Instead of moving forward with her life, Marnie can't get past Charlie. She is desperate for his attention and anyone's attention. At his party, she longs to be the focus. On one hand she is venturing into new (and weird) territory by singing, but on the other hand she is going back to what is comfortable by throwing herself at Charlie.
Make it stop.
Screenshot by Sameet Dhillon/Gavel Media
Charlie: Why do you do this to yourself, Charlie? Poor guy. I love Charlie. He’s gotten a lot cuter, and he’s just so gentle and lovable. But he has a soft spot for Marnie, and he just can't seem to resist her. Right when we think he’s over her and he’s overcome the struggle to distance himself, he lets her in again. I thought that the little show that Marnie put on would be the final nail in her coffin, but instead they hook up post-performance. When will you learn, Charlie? There’s no way this is going to end well.
Shoshanna: Shosh cheated on her boyfriend, and throughout the episode we see her struggling to deal with the guilt. Instead of confessing her mistake to Ray, she avoids him and makes up some ridiculous story about “holding hands” with the doorman, which just makes the whole thing even sadder. When Charlie says, “He’s Ray. You know? And that’s how he is,” Shoshanna's emotions show all over her face. She flirts with other guys the whole time and runs away from him but she still can't confront the truth: their relationship is over.
Screenshot by Sameet Dhillon/Gavel Media
Ray: He is literally the Eeyore of this show. Ray needs to stop pretending that he isn’t a homeless loser dating a college student and face the facts. His world just doesn’t match up with Shoshanna’s; he was just a phase for her. It would be great if his loser status was a phase, but it doesn’t appear so. I feel bad for the guy but he’s just getting pathetic.
Adam: At the beginning of the episode, it feels like maybe Adam finally got things right. He has a “cool girl” in his life and everything is just so easy and fun. But Adam is a bit of a masochist, isn’t he? He struggles to accept happiness, and it’s almost like he feels he doesn’t deserve it. Also, when he sees Hannah it is clear that he has some unresolved feelings for her. In the end, I thought he purposefully messed things up for himself. He makes Natalia uncomfortable so that she’ll break up with him, because he doesn’t think he deserves her. After their weird sex scene, Natalia seems disturbed and Adam says, “Is this it? Are you done with me?” To me, he almost seemed hopeful in this moment. He wanted the happiness to end.
Still no Jessa?
I’m still wondering when Jessa is going to return. All of these characters are falling apart and I’d love to see her opinion. Other people's problems never really phase Jessa.
Is the show losing its overall relatability?
When I first started watching Girls, I liked it because it was so relatable. It felt like a reflection of our thoughts, concerns, and future. Recently, I’ve felt like it isn’t so relatable. Yes, they’re still young people struggling to deal with life after college and various life crises. But some of the issues are just becoming hard to connect to. I know many people struggle with OCD, but the severity of Hannah’s case is hard to comprehend. And the extent to which these characters hurt themselves and the people around them is becoming a bit far-fetched. It sometimes feels like these characters want to be miserable, and I don’t think anyone really wants that. Yes, we make mistakes, but we grow from them and move on. Are these characters really maturing over time?
Keep gittin your Girls on!
