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| Left to right: Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirke |
One of the show's biggest themes is that it likes to take an emotional cliff hanger and just let it play out episodes later. Most recently, there was the example of "It's a Shame About Ray" in which everything goes wrong, everyone breaks up, and Ray is apparently homeless. That dropped for a Hannah (Lena Dunham) centric plot the following week with "One Man's Trash" only to be addressed in "Boys," if vaguely. Speaking of, while the previous episode was a concrete wrap-up of the Adam character, it is still unfortunate that the show decides to wade back and forth between priorities, leaving us to wonder what happened. In a sense, this is a genius marketing move, though at the same time, it does make episodes like "Video Games" seem all the bit more frustrating.
The episode begins with Hannah and Jessa (Jemima Kirke) standing at a train stop, waiting for her father Salvatore (Ben Mendelsohn) to arrive. Jessa is not surprised, as tardiness has been a consistent problem with him. It is also discovered that Hannah has a case of painful UTI (urinary track infection), and it runs throughout the entire episode. When Salvatore does show up, he apologizes, as he had a lot of errands to run. Also, his car is full of ancient computers which he refuses to throw out, as they are full of his ideas.
Once they get to their house, which is a nice countryside set-up with elaborate yards, Jessa and Salvatore begin catching up on life, and even discuss her recent divorce. Hannah meets Salvatore's new girlfriend Petula (Patricia Arquette), who is convinced that life is one big video game and that they need to grow a pair to get to the next level. She has a lot of crazy ideas and unfortunately one of them is cooking rabbits for dinner. Everyone but Hannah is into this and it later causes her to worry that she will suffer from hypoglycemia.
After rummaging through the house and Jessa showing Hannah an old Penthouse, Hannah is convinced that they are somewhat crazy. After dinner, Jessa, housemate Frank (Nick Lashaway) and his friend Kyle (Jeff O'Donnell) decide to go out on a joyride. When Jessa tries to insist that she came there to see her family, Salvatore and Petula talk about this seminar that they were planning on going to, thus opening up the night for the boys and girls to go out and have some fun. Meanwhile, Hannah is convinced that Frank is developing a crush on her, though she is convinced that he could also just be crazy.
With Kyle at the wheel, the two run down the long and winding roads with ease. Blasting hard rock and snorting whippets, they are in total bliss of the night. Hannah is not buying it, though, and wants them to stop the car. This gives Jessa and Kyle time to talk while Hannah runs into the woods and attempts to gather herself.
Frank decides to follow her and suddenly the two are having sex. Well, as it is later revealed, Frank just came on her leg. Hannah claims that she only did it because she believed that Jessa was busy making out with Frank. When Jessa reveals that this wasn't the point of the evening, Hannah just gets more frustrated and wants to go back to the house.
The next day, Jessa and Salvatore begin catching up on their lives again. After a day talking about divorce, they finally get to the core of their fundamentals. Salvatore is a mess, but Jessa demands that he be a better father to her, the child that he walked out on. She demands that they have a regular conversation and that it was a mistake to come out. This is quickly proven when Salvatore drops Hannah and Jessa off at a store and immediately drives away. He never comes back and the two are forced to walk all the way back, hands full of bags.
After consulting Frank about the night before, everyone gets ready to leave. Hannah complains about the UTI returning and discovers that Jessa has already taken off. Hannah walks to the train station and realizing how messed up Jessa's family life is, she tries to patch it up with her parents (Peter Scolari and Becky Ann Baker). The two are excited to be heading out to New York in a few weeks, though mother is a little suspicious of the calls, as she did so only three days ago. Hannah spews love at them and suddenly mother begins suspecting that she is calling for a favor and hangs up. This leave Hannah, alone with a UTI, in the same run down train station from the beginning of the episode.
Rating: 3 out of 5
One thing that I have found fascinating about the season as a whole is that it is expanding the universe. We have met almost everyone's extended family, including Thomas John's. It has mostly been hit and miss as far as quality of episodes, though I do admire the show's decision to make us understand the universe around which these characters grow up. Season one was very narrow, focusing on Hannah's life and the most that we got with relations was her parents. This season, we get deeper into everyone else's psyche, and it almost seemed inevitable that we'd eventually get to Jessa's.
The episode begins with Hannah and Jessa (Jemima Kirke) standing at a train stop, waiting for her father Salvatore (Ben Mendelsohn) to arrive. Jessa is not surprised, as tardiness has been a consistent problem with him. It is also discovered that Hannah has a case of painful UTI (urinary track infection), and it runs throughout the entire episode. When Salvatore does show up, he apologizes, as he had a lot of errands to run. Also, his car is full of ancient computers which he refuses to throw out, as they are full of his ideas.
Once they get to their house, which is a nice countryside set-up with elaborate yards, Jessa and Salvatore begin catching up on life, and even discuss her recent divorce. Hannah meets Salvatore's new girlfriend Petula (Patricia Arquette), who is convinced that life is one big video game and that they need to grow a pair to get to the next level. She has a lot of crazy ideas and unfortunately one of them is cooking rabbits for dinner. Everyone but Hannah is into this and it later causes her to worry that she will suffer from hypoglycemia.
After rummaging through the house and Jessa showing Hannah an old Penthouse, Hannah is convinced that they are somewhat crazy. After dinner, Jessa, housemate Frank (Nick Lashaway) and his friend Kyle (Jeff O'Donnell) decide to go out on a joyride. When Jessa tries to insist that she came there to see her family, Salvatore and Petula talk about this seminar that they were planning on going to, thus opening up the night for the boys and girls to go out and have some fun. Meanwhile, Hannah is convinced that Frank is developing a crush on her, though she is convinced that he could also just be crazy.
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| Left to right: Nick Lashaway, Kirke, Dunham, and Jeff O'Donnell |
Frank decides to follow her and suddenly the two are having sex. Well, as it is later revealed, Frank just came on her leg. Hannah claims that she only did it because she believed that Jessa was busy making out with Frank. When Jessa reveals that this wasn't the point of the evening, Hannah just gets more frustrated and wants to go back to the house.
The next day, Jessa and Salvatore begin catching up on their lives again. After a day talking about divorce, they finally get to the core of their fundamentals. Salvatore is a mess, but Jessa demands that he be a better father to her, the child that he walked out on. She demands that they have a regular conversation and that it was a mistake to come out. This is quickly proven when Salvatore drops Hannah and Jessa off at a store and immediately drives away. He never comes back and the two are forced to walk all the way back, hands full of bags.
After consulting Frank about the night before, everyone gets ready to leave. Hannah complains about the UTI returning and discovers that Jessa has already taken off. Hannah walks to the train station and realizing how messed up Jessa's family life is, she tries to patch it up with her parents (Peter Scolari and Becky Ann Baker). The two are excited to be heading out to New York in a few weeks, though mother is a little suspicious of the calls, as she did so only three days ago. Hannah spews love at them and suddenly mother begins suspecting that she is calling for a favor and hangs up. This leave Hannah, alone with a UTI, in the same run down train station from the beginning of the episode.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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| Left to right Ben Mendolsohn and Kirke |
Now Jessa is an interesting character. At first she was a free spirit, but since "It's a Shame About Ray," has been on a nervous breakdown. She has waded through the stories leading up to this, which almost justifies the episode. I am not entirely sure at the moment how to feel that we now know about her home life, which seems to be with a paranoid father who cannot let go because he is self involved with his own genius. It explains a little, and even Petula seems like an odd character, but did it really need to be a whole episode?
I know that I argued that "One Man's Trash" was that vacation episode. Yes it was, though this feels almost in line with Jessa doing the same story as "the Return," though with Hannah by her side. Subtle things, like when she insists on spending time with family, Hannah was more willing to just leave in "the Return" to have fun. Jessa seems more rooted in trying to mend family ways. However, she also seems happier when she actually just goes off and enjoys life as it were.
Even the awkward sex with Frank was familiar. It is also interesting that almost everyone in this series has now slept with more people for one offs than last season with their stable boyfriends. It seems a little odd, though I suppose this reflection of out of control lifestyle is beneficial to that. Also, Hannah getting UTI was an interesting choice, as it almost made for a metaphor for internal struggle in the final scene, and it almost felt like a callback to her being alone in "She Did."
Do I feel like we learned something about Jessa through her home life? Honestly, all I felt like we got as interesting characters. Salvatore only appears to have something together. While I feel like it was beneficial to give Jessa her own scene to vent and prove that she is vulnerable, it feels like that is all the rest of the season will be. People have been ventilating their feelings since "Bad Friend," and it has been assuring that these aren't just stock characters. However, I also feel at some point, they need to move onto recovery.
Maybe that is too much to expect from a series that is only three episodes away from the finale. However, the emotional ventilation has allowed the show to try out new depths to their characters. As inessential as I found "One Man's Trash" to be at times, the rant at the end kind of humanized Hannah beyond being the somewhat ignorant hero of our tale. The thing with Jessa is that we probably could predict that her father was a free spirit and somewhat of a nut job. I admit that the idea of holding onto stuff seemed interesting, but it didn't feel like the justification for a whole episode. Even the whole Frank thing just felt shoe horned in as to fill out time. It was somewhat expected after awhile.
"Video Games" is unfortunately one of those episodes that doesn't really feel like season two was as strong as the first season. Do consider that season two has taken more chances and allowed the show to grow into a miniature universe outside of New York. It isn't always fascinating and it may damage the show's greatness, but with exception to "Bad Friend," the world isn't that embarrassing to visit just yet. However, if I can make predictions, I bet Hannah's parents will make a visit in one of the remaining episodes. I don't know for what, but I am sure that they will be integral to some big moment. Possibly that book that Hannah is supposed to be writing but has only dedicated five minutes to?
Also, I would just love some assurance that Ray has a forward narrative by the end of the season. That has probably been one of the biggest problems for me with this inaccurate flow of narratives. Since his big reveal, he has only had one episode to really reflect on his ways, and while Shoshanna continues to feel more integral, there is little to make me believe as of this moment that it will have some resolution or even forward momentum by the end of the season. I know that we have season three to look forward to, but it seems like an odd thing to reveal if it won't be addressed.
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