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| Left to right: Alex Karpovsky and Zosia Mamet |
With this recap, we will officially have caught up with Girls season two. Click the links to visit the recaps: "It's About Time," "I Get Ideas," "Bad Friend." Starting next week, look for the recaps to pop up sometime on Friday. Today, we look at episode four, "It's a Shame About Ray."
To say the least, when I found out that the title referenced Ray (Alex Karpovsky), I was immediately excited to find out where the episode would go. The show has never been one to use titles vaguely, and instead uses it as cryptic evidence into each episode. Of course, after "Bad Friend" left me feeling some doubt that season two was going to be halfway as good as the premiere batch, this episode bounced back with a vengeance. Big reveals around every corner, plenty of drama, and lots of strong moments... all without drugs. In a sense, I hope that drugs never come back into the mix, because the drama feels more tolerable on sober people.
Almost right off the bat, the drama begins with Elijah (Andrew Rannells) finally leaving the apartment. After the big reveals of his sex with Marnie (Allison Williams) from the last episode, it turns into a big debacle over what things Elijah can legitimately take. It is settled that he can take whatever George didn't buy for him, which turns out to be nothing. However, he does want to take a butt plug, which Hannah (Lena Dunham) does not object to. Hannah also finally accepts that she was wrong to try and repurpose him into her life, as he hasn't exactly been beneficial to her life.
To celebrate the release of her first article for jazzhate, Hannah invites over some friends, including Charlie (Christopher Abbott), Audrey (Audrey Gelman), Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), and Ray. Shoshanna and Ray just came from having sex, but Shoshanna is still not used to talking publicly about sex. This leads to a discussion on butt plugs, which kind of grosses her out. Hannah also invited Marnie out of sympathy, but things go awry when she notices Charlie and Audrey there. Marnie is really upset about their appearance, and Hannah apologizes, as she only invited her as a good favor, not expecting her to show up (which feels like a running theme in this season). When Audrey begins accusing Marnie of just showing up at random places to see him, she goes over the edge.
Another big reveal is that Ray has been living with Shoshanna for a couple of weeks. He claims to just be staying at his friends' houses, but this leads to the revelation that Shoshanna feels used. When Marnie runs onto the roof, Audrey leaves, and Hannah offers everyone bunt cake. Shoshanna and Ray try and talk it out, but Shoshanna is still way too upset to accept that he has been using her.
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| Left to right: Jemima Kirke and Chris O'Dowd |
Meanwhile, Jessa (Jemima Kirke) and Thomas John (Chris O'Dowd) decide to have dinner with his parents (Griffin Dunne and Deborah Rush). They try to understand what is going on in Jessa's life, as they want to know who Thomas married. This leads to a conversation about how Jessa traveled through Europe and attended school before going to rehab for heroin. When it is revealed that Jessa is unemployed, Thomas' mother begins to suspect that she is just using him for finances. Thomas tries to deny this. When Thomas' parents gets all religious, Jessa decides to just let loose and claim that there isn't a God.
Meanwhile, back at Hannah's apartment. On the rooftop, Marnie and Charlie begin talking. At first, Charlie feels like she is jealous of Audrey. He tells her that Audrey is intimidated by her and that should make her feel better. Still, Marnie cannot help but spit vitriol about Audrey.When Charlie finds out that she is dating Booth, he calls him a little Ewok in Capri pants.He is now upset, and Marnie is trying to calm him down, saying that they had a wonderful relationship. Still, Charlie is now upset and claims that she will never seem him naked again. As everyone is heading back through the apartment, it is discovered that Ray either stays with Shoshanna or lives out of his Mitsubishi, thus making him homeless. Also, Hannah calls out Charlie for being a jerk when he insults Marnie for being a psychopath. Marnie has had a rough year, and I feel like it will only get worse.
Back with Jessa and Thomas, they are returning to their apartment, yelling about the dinner. His parents are now very upset, and Thomas accuses her of saying too much. However, Jessa backs it up by saying that she held her promise not to say anything about her wild lifestyle. She eventually claims that she is going to look like Nico when she's 30 because she is full of experiences and that Thomas is a lame friend that she says was a test tube baby just to give him some edge. After a few blows and a revelation that Thomas is beginning to feel used, Thomas begins to call Jessa out on it. He demands for her to leave his life and to stop ruining it. However, she doesn't do so without breaking his Humanitarian Award, or as he calls it, a Huey.
At the train stop, Shoshanna and Ray decide to talk things out. Ray reveals that he is desperate to the point that his valuable possessions is a sole signed picture of Andy Kaufman. He is a loser, who is also 33. Still, through all of the desperation, he confesses his love for her and Shoshanna returns the favor. Cut to Hannah taking a bath, singing Oasis' "Wonderwall," Jessa comes out of nowhere crying. When she launches a snot rocket into the tub, Hannah cheers her up by flicking it back at her. The episode ends with the two laughing, naked in a tub.
Rating: 5 out of 5
As it stands, I am fine with calling this the best episode that the show has ever produced. Maybe there will be another episode down the line that makes me retract my statement. For the time being, I feel like this establishes everything that is right about Girls. The drama, the awkward comedy, and the parties in which characters just tell each other to grow up. It is all here, and while it may be darker than some of the funniest episodes, it is impossible to find one that manages to hit all of the beats and not lose the characters. True, the lack of Adam may be freeing up time for stranger stories, but still, this is an incredible episode.
The notable achievement is that I really feel like we gave Shoshanna a real plot. I loathed her appearances in the first season because all she did was complain about sex. She wasn't really more than a caricature. For most of this season, she has been in the background, festering with Ray, and I was fine with that. However, when the revelation came that Ray was homeless, it almost feels like Shoshanna now has the chance to be a responsible adult. She can either toss him out and risk what feels like a suicidal breakdown, or embrace him. What is amazing is that this all logically fits in with why Ray is a wise-ass that knows how to make homemade opium. He is too poor to really have reliance on others. It also explains why he was obsessed in "Leave Me Alone" with starving children as opposed to Hannah's essay over a messy roommate. This all makes sense. I feel that through Ray, Shoshanna will become a far more interesting character.
I am also beginning to feel less and less convinced that Charlie and Ray are friends. They don't really interact on levels that they did in "Hannah's Diary." They just happen to be at the same parties and occasionally sing karaoke. Of course, Audrey really is the roadblock, as Charlie is constantly trying to keep her away from Marnie. Also, while it is nice to hear Charlie be a passionate, honest man, I still am not convinced that this is the end of their feud. True, Marnie will fade away and possibly go down a downward spiral with the controlling Booth, but I sense their paths will cross. Either that, or Charlie will somehow still be part of the narrative. Maybe through Ray. I feel like Charlie is more of a rebound guy this season, as he rebounds complaints and tries to make everything cool. Then again, I just want to see another Questionable Goods show.
We never actually get to see Hannah's jazzhate story. I am convinced that she is going to have a perfect storm coming her way. Besides not being smart enough to not invited Marnie to a party that will only end in disaster multiple times, she has no filter, as proven with the "Hannah's Diary" arc. I doubt she learned much from that experience and since she uses all of these notes for her story (I really hope we return to Midnight Snacks eventually), I am sure all exploits will be out there. The cocaine, the Booth interaction, making out with Laird, and of course, the infidelity between Marnie and Elijah. It all is probably going to be there. That is, unless the show glazes over it.
I also feel like Jessa is slowly becoming an interesting character for being the confident trainwreck. I would have given that title to Marnie last season, but with the break-up with Thomas that resulted in one of the best scripted, best acted, most heartbreaking scenes that the show has ever produced that makes the "Leave Me Alone" argument between Marnie and Hannah seem like amateur hour. Jessa means business, and it is heartbreaking to see her go off on a nice man, even if he deserved it. I will miss Chris O'Dowd, as I just think he is a charming actor, but it has to happen. Who knows if things will continue with divorce papers in the future (Jemima Kirke is probably taking some time off for her pregnancy, so she could be missing a few episodes somewhere). All I know is, I kind of am fine with Elijah being written off the show before he went too over the top with demands. It at least feels like Hannah is showing some signs of improved judgment. Of course, this could just be because Andrew Rannells needs to work on the New Normal and schedules just interfered.
This episode deserves to be up for an Emmy next year. All of the reveals set up the rest of the season in ways that will hopefully deliver. It may be one of the best scripted moments in TV this year, even. What Lena Dunham has done is manage to finally progress everyone's story instead of just making it a self involved narrative, like last season's ongoing Marnie/Hannah/Adam triangle. I really hope that the show can continue to be through the roof in the weeks to come. I have no real predictions, other than I am anticipating a perfect storm from that jazzhate article. Also, this revelation doesn't make me hate Ray, but almost makes me sympathize with him more. I really hope things work out.
See you next Friday, where this recap will regularly sit.
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