TV Recap: Girls - "Pilot"

Left to Right: Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Lena Dunham, and Zosia Mamet

Starting this week, I am going to attempt to keep up a weekly entry recapping the brand new HBO comedy series Girls, written, starring, and directed by Lena Dunham of Tiny Furniture fame. While the episodes usually premiere on Sundays, my entries will be posted towards the end of the weeks, usually on Thursdays or Fridays. This is more of a time convenience as I hope to take this new venture seriously and take time to review each episode. If this goes over well, I will continue to do more of these. I was going to do Bob's Burgers, but the idea came a few episodes too late. However, I am still considering doing Louie, whose previous season remains the best 30 minutes of TV each week.

For months it seems that everyone has been anticipating the new HBO series Girls. Besides it signifying the glorious return of Judd Apatow to the small screen as producer, it was because of the vivaciously authentic Lena Dunahm, whose Tiny Furniture film brought her so much acclaim that it landed her in the Criterion Collection. Her work reflects that of being in the mid-20's with artistic dreams while having no trajectory. At 25, Dunham has achieved a lot and it culminates in the pilot episode of Girls.

The series opens up on a tight shot of Dunham's character Hannah as she eats dinner with her parents. It appears that she has been spoiled as she shows no shame in gorging noodles while talking to her mom (Becky Ann Baker). This appears to be a routine as even her father (Peter Scolari) seems a little too fond of the noodles. However, the joy is quickly destroyed when the news is broken that Hannah's privileged lifestyle is about to change. 

At 24, she has already written what she believes is a breathtaking memoir. However, when her parents refuse to pay for her to write it at the rate of $1,100 a month, things start to head south. She decides to try and make her internship into a paying job, but is instead fired. The notable slap in the face is that the promise of reading her memoir gets destroyed when her boss tells her "Well, you won't be here to edit it."

Alex Karpovsky

From there the rest of the characters are introduced. Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) is obsessed with classifying people by Sex and the City characters. In her first scene with British cousin Jessa (Jemima Kirke), she doesn't so much call her a Carrie as much as she clarifies that various attributes can be defined as Samantha or Charlotte. This simple analogy helps to establish her as an insecure and timid person, while Jessa is more nonchalant about everything and just wants to enjoy everything. 

Rounding out the main characters is Marnie (Allison Williams), who is the sage best friend roommate who dumps advice on Hannah. Throughout the entire episode, she is the voice of reason and serves as the sanest one as things get hairy.

The rest of the episode revolves around a reunion party for Jessa. Along with Hannah, she shows up late to the party. She is convinced that the 7 PM meet up time was just a suggestion and that she isn't at fault for showing up two hours late. Meanwhile Hannah arrives reeking of sex she had with her sleazy boyfriend Adam (Adam Driver). However, Ray (Alex Karpovsky) provides comical relief as he cooks up some opium and talks about his girlfriend, who seems wrong for him somehow.

After taking opium, Hannah, Marnie, and Jessa discuss whether or not it would be a good idea to ask her parents for money. Jessa convinces her to, which results in a further scene of Marnie and Jessa talking it out in the bathroom. This is also where Jessa reveals that she is pregnant. This isn't the first time, as it has been established that she has had abortions before. It is amazing what this show can do through casual conversations in awkward places.

The final act involves Hannah attempting to mend her ways by forcing her parents to read her memoirs while she claims to be high. She eventually freaks out and falls to the floor while hallucinating. Her father seems the most concerned as he professes his love for her while the mother looks on angrily. When the suggestion for Hannah to drink coffee approaches, she responds with "but coffee is for grown ups," thus officially establishing her as the 24 year old kid that will probably be present for the rest of the show.

Overall the episode is very well done and at best introduces the characters in brilliantly fresh ways. While some of the dialogue seems rough and the characters not all that well established, the personas are present enough to give us an idea of what to expect from the rest of the season. The humor isn't in fast punchlines, but instead the long, drawn out awkward moment of realism that has been present in all of Apatow's TV work. It doesn't have as many laughs as it has inspired moments of insecure and childish characters forced to face situations that would seem scary to their age group. 

Becky Ann Baker and Peter Scolari

It also works because it feels like it is bold and unapologetic in it's discussion topics. It treats sex as a real thing. It also isn't afraid to show people talking in places such as the bathroom and the shower. When someone walks in and says that "I thought it was just my girlfriend in here," a naked Dunham looks up at him from the shower and says "It's never just your girlfriend." This feels bold in if anything that it takes conversation to literally new places and makes it feel more real. 

One of the notable moments is getting fired from being an intern. The idea of having no way to progress in a job is a bleak reality of these economic times. From the way it is played out, it gives some clue that Hannah has something to offer, but nothing worth paying for. The general feel that I think this show will establish is finding a way to make it in the world despite all of the flaws, both personal and economical. 

I also hope that over time this show will flesh out it's characters better and give them each their own quirks. Shoshanna's Sex and the City obsession (though saying that she has seen only the TV show when she has the movie poster is a little annoying) seems like a decent introduction, but it would do the show good to move away from these comparisons, as it feels like this show will cover more than sexual promiscuity in New York. 

Hanna feels familiar for those who have seen Tiny Furniture. However, she feels like a more competent version of that character as she doesn't feel as reluctantly insecure. So far Marnie is the one who exudes the most confidence and probably will be a key player in providing advice. She provides some of the best scenes in the pilot and it's mostly because she plays the straight man very well.

Here's hoping that the rest of the series continues to have a strong, witty sense about itself. What makes it works the most is the ability to make embarrassing reality of being in the mid-20's into something tangible. These characters may seem spoiled, but without it, there would be no arc. They need to overcome that spoiled nature and become independent adults. The show's title, as poorly chosen and simple as it seems, reflects this decision wholeheartedly. 

Favorite scene: I love most of the moments involving the opium, as it feels like an updated take on the Freaks and Geeks episode "Beers and Weirs." The fact that Hannah is insecure with drugs that she cannot tell when she's wasted is brilliant and leads to the great final moments. However, it's the conversation between Marnie and Jessa in the bathroom that ranks as the best. As they discuss if it was right to send Hannah to her parents after consuming opium, Marnie assures Jessa it wasn't. During that moment, a wasted person opens the door only to be shunned away. The music choice, Jay-Z's "Onto the Next One," manages to become synchronized with the scene and makes for a great door closing. This is all made better by Marnie stating "That is a drunk person."

Rating: 3.5 out of 5