Courtesy of HBO
This week’s episode of my favorite “love to hate” show was completely centered on Hannah (Lena Dunham) and her trip back home to visit her parents. It also showed us again what a stuck up, self absorbed mess Hannah is…you know, just in case you forgot.
Let’s recap.Hannah returned home this week because her parents (Becky Ann Baker and Peter Scolari) invited her to celebrate their wedding anniversary with them. Of course, Hannah had ulterior motives: she needed to ask them for rent money. I guess she doesn’t really understand the concept of ‘cut-off.’ She inevitably runs into old friends while she is in town and learns all the recent events that have happened since her departure to NYC. Of course, Hannah being Hannah, she is sure to mention that she lives in NYC and that she is a writer with every run-in. I have to say I loved that no one was really impressed.
Hannah, on the other hand, registered disappointment over the lack of enthusiasm. “You are from New York, therefore you are just naturally interesting.” Spoken to her reflection in the mirror, this line encapsulates so beautifully Hannah’s naive perception about herself and her move to the big city. It’s also a reality many of us have faced after moving to a bigger city. Not everyone is interested in the big city life. Some are content with a slower paced setting, including her date, the pharmacist.
Courtesy of HBO
In what I like to call ‘Marnie 2’, Hannah meets a nice guy who asks her out. She agrees and is excited at the prospect of going out with someone who might treat her like something more than a doormat. Of course during the course of the date she has a hard time adjusting to having someone be nice to her. This includes going as far as saying, during sex, such cringe worthy lines like, “I’m tight like a baby, right?” Oh dear lord honey! What’s the opposite of ejaculating? Cause I am pretty sure that was the reaction Eric, the pharmacist had. Of course by the end of the episode Adam (Adam Driver) calls her to check in on her. They have a real conversation and Hannah seems happy. But he’s a dink right? Has he changed his ways? Is he now a reformed bad boy after realizing how much he missed Hannah? As you might have guessed, I’m not holding my breath.
Which leads me to a confession. Recently – while discussing this show with a friend of mine – I realized why I had such issues with some of these characters: because they remind me of me in my 20s. As a (youthful) 30 something, watching these girls make stupid choices only forces me to look back on all the stupid choices I made in my 20s…annnd continue to make in my 30s. If we’re being honest I definitely relate to Hannah in many instances and that not an easy truth to speak but it has to be said (Side Note: make no mistake I will deny this if you ever try to use it against me in any way). I definitely had my version of Adam and, really, also my version of the pharmacist. The scary reality about Girls, and Hannah’s story in particular, is that it is truthful and her actions and reactions feel real. My only hope is that unlike real life there will be a bit of growth before Hannah turns 30.
Other thoughts on the episode:
- I enjoyed seeing Hannah’s parents this time around. It felt like the pilot episode didn’t really give them great introductions. They felt cold, but here we get to see how funny and sweet they actually are
- I loved the scene between Hannah and her mother when her mom asks Hannah if she is ok with money and everything – a tender moment made even better by Hannah refusing to then ask for money
- Did we really need to see Peter Scolari’s dick? (The answer is no, btw)
What did you guys think of the episode? Are you upset that Hannah seems to be going back to Adam? Does she remind you of you or someone you know? Did you enjoy the c*ck shot? Chat it out!
Girls airs Sundays at 10:30pm EST on HBO