Welcome back to another round of Girls TV Recap. This year, we will follow season five and the perils that Hannah (Lena Dunham) and her friends face as they grow up and learn how to be mature... hopefully. What new experiences will they face? Come back every Friday for the latest recap including thoughts and predictions for each episode. Will it remain one of the best comedies on TV? You'll have to read to find out.
It has been awhile since Girls was last on the air. For starters, Lena Dunham has faced a series of controversies regarding her memoir and public opinions about a variety of things (she's also had a pretty good podcast called Women of the Hour). With the fifth and now announced penultimate season, it's time to start wrapping things up. Considering home much last season seemed to make for a great series finale, the show comes back with a wedding that, in typical fashion, manages to go horribly wrong - at least behind the scenes. Who knows what happens next, but that will hopefully be seen in a later episode.
The episode opens with everyone preparing for Marnie's (Allison Williams) wedding. Being the control freak that she is, Marnie worries that things won't go right. Likewise, Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is panicking for similar reasons, especially those regarding his ability to be a good father. Add in the inevitability or rain, and things are slowly devolving into chaos as the two talk it out with their bridal parties. For Desi, he turns to Ray (Alex Karpovsky), who is still insecure about Desi marrying Marnie because Ray still has feelings for her. Likewise, Marnie turns to Hannah (Dunham) and her friends, including Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), who has recently returned from Japan with new enlightenment.
As it starts to rain, everything begins to fall apart even further. Hannah becomes suspicious of Desi simply because she doesn't know him well. Desi panics but finds solace in Ray, who admits his relationship with Marnie and his desire to see him succeed. Meanwhile, Adam (Adam Driver) shows up, thus making things awkward for Fran (Jake Lacey). Even then, Adam clearly has affection for Jessa (Jemima Kirke), which remains minimal for most of the occasion.
As things are at their worst, Jessa comes to save the day. With every outfit ruined by rain and Marnie's make-up looking every bit the horror show, she manages to turn everything around with her homemade tips. With everyone happy, things continue on. What started off as looking like a certain set-up for a bad day immediately begins to turn into what should hopefully be the happiest day of Marnie's life. With everyone setting aside their petty differences, things are looking up for whatever it is they will be doing next.
Rating: 4 out of 5
This episode is pretty hard to assess for a few reasons. For starters, the Desi-Marnie relationship of last season was among the lowest points of the overall show. Their constant nagging and inability to do anything of value really made me excited for the prospect that they would call it off. Likewise, the last time that they had a wedding episode, which was season one, it didn't end too well. I'm not accusing the show of doing anything redundant, but I still think that they definitely are setting themselves up for a bad time. That is, until the episode actually gets underway.
I don't know if Girls would work for newcomers anymore. It's pretty much a comedy with soap opera tendencies. You have a series of adult relationships that continue to get complicated, and you have strings of that popping up in this episode. However, there's a certain clarity that comes if you have been watching the show. It has been coming around in small spurts for most of the series' run. However, this season at least feels like the show will finally commit to the maturity concept. After all, having Jessa be the answer to all problems is a twist unto itself; especially since she's been in rehab and committed a lot of strange acts along the way.
Among the things I still wish I understood is if Adam Driver is going to remain a prominent character on the show, or is he simply making cameos now and then? I get the impression that the show wants to write him off (at least as a feature player) so that he can focus on a fledgling film career, but he always keeps coming back. Following the famous Hannah-Adam break-up of last season, one would assume this. However, things look like they're setting up to be a new Jessa-Adam relationship. This isn't out of left field, but it does keep him on the show in ways that hopefully won't be as embarrassing as some other relationships.
What I like most about this episode is that it finally focuses on the 20-something characters starting to let go of petty jealousy. Sure, Marnie is upset and causes problems, but everyone else seems to sacrifice some pettiness here. Ray lets go of Marnie. Adam lets go of Hannah. Hannah lets go of her insecurity about maybe losing Marnie - of whom she hasn't spoken to in years anyways. The only ones who don't lose anything is Marnie and Desi, who remain just as childish and aimless. The show has a decent dynamic, and one that I hope that it will commit to. Considering that the show has become rocky due to its inability to "grow up," maybe the show will turn around and find a way to be as great as it used to be.
Whatever the cause, I am sure that Dunham is writing this series with an end goal in mind. It is smart to end the show sooner than later, especially since it has managed to last an impressive five seasons so far. However, I still think that the show has a lot to offer, and the characters continue to grow and have adventures in their own exciting ways. I am curious to see where this season goes, and I hope that it manages to do so with more clarity and focus than it did last season. One can only hope.
The episode opens with everyone preparing for Marnie's (Allison Williams) wedding. Being the control freak that she is, Marnie worries that things won't go right. Likewise, Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is panicking for similar reasons, especially those regarding his ability to be a good father. Add in the inevitability or rain, and things are slowly devolving into chaos as the two talk it out with their bridal parties. For Desi, he turns to Ray (Alex Karpovsky), who is still insecure about Desi marrying Marnie because Ray still has feelings for her. Likewise, Marnie turns to Hannah (Dunham) and her friends, including Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), who has recently returned from Japan with new enlightenment.
As it starts to rain, everything begins to fall apart even further. Hannah becomes suspicious of Desi simply because she doesn't know him well. Desi panics but finds solace in Ray, who admits his relationship with Marnie and his desire to see him succeed. Meanwhile, Adam (Adam Driver) shows up, thus making things awkward for Fran (Jake Lacey). Even then, Adam clearly has affection for Jessa (Jemima Kirke), which remains minimal for most of the occasion.
As things are at their worst, Jessa comes to save the day. With every outfit ruined by rain and Marnie's make-up looking every bit the horror show, she manages to turn everything around with her homemade tips. With everyone happy, things continue on. What started off as looking like a certain set-up for a bad day immediately begins to turn into what should hopefully be the happiest day of Marnie's life. With everyone setting aside their petty differences, things are looking up for whatever it is they will be doing next.
Rating: 4 out of 5
This episode is pretty hard to assess for a few reasons. For starters, the Desi-Marnie relationship of last season was among the lowest points of the overall show. Their constant nagging and inability to do anything of value really made me excited for the prospect that they would call it off. Likewise, the last time that they had a wedding episode, which was season one, it didn't end too well. I'm not accusing the show of doing anything redundant, but I still think that they definitely are setting themselves up for a bad time. That is, until the episode actually gets underway.
I don't know if Girls would work for newcomers anymore. It's pretty much a comedy with soap opera tendencies. You have a series of adult relationships that continue to get complicated, and you have strings of that popping up in this episode. However, there's a certain clarity that comes if you have been watching the show. It has been coming around in small spurts for most of the series' run. However, this season at least feels like the show will finally commit to the maturity concept. After all, having Jessa be the answer to all problems is a twist unto itself; especially since she's been in rehab and committed a lot of strange acts along the way.
Among the things I still wish I understood is if Adam Driver is going to remain a prominent character on the show, or is he simply making cameos now and then? I get the impression that the show wants to write him off (at least as a feature player) so that he can focus on a fledgling film career, but he always keeps coming back. Following the famous Hannah-Adam break-up of last season, one would assume this. However, things look like they're setting up to be a new Jessa-Adam relationship. This isn't out of left field, but it does keep him on the show in ways that hopefully won't be as embarrassing as some other relationships.
What I like most about this episode is that it finally focuses on the 20-something characters starting to let go of petty jealousy. Sure, Marnie is upset and causes problems, but everyone else seems to sacrifice some pettiness here. Ray lets go of Marnie. Adam lets go of Hannah. Hannah lets go of her insecurity about maybe losing Marnie - of whom she hasn't spoken to in years anyways. The only ones who don't lose anything is Marnie and Desi, who remain just as childish and aimless. The show has a decent dynamic, and one that I hope that it will commit to. Considering that the show has become rocky due to its inability to "grow up," maybe the show will turn around and find a way to be as great as it used to be.
Whatever the cause, I am sure that Dunham is writing this series with an end goal in mind. It is smart to end the show sooner than later, especially since it has managed to last an impressive five seasons so far. However, I still think that the show has a lot to offer, and the characters continue to grow and have adventures in their own exciting ways. I am curious to see where this season goes, and I hope that it manages to do so with more clarity and focus than it did last season. One can only hope.
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