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| Lena Dunham |
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.
This is it. This is the end of the penultimate season of Girls. What exactly has evolved in its characters since the big wedding? Well, a lot actually. With a lot of the cast now on their separate journeys, it's interesting to know how connected they still are to each other. Still, the show has always been about Hannah's growth, and this episode more than proves how she has grown - even in the slightest. Despite a season where she's done some inconsiderate things, this ending is among the more optimistic and effective seasons of the series to date. It's also one of the best written.
The episode opens with Hannah going for a jog. As she does so, she discovers that her parents (Peter Scolari and Becky Ann Baker) are sitting outside her home waiting for her to show up. Hannah doesn't want them around, but she accepts it and decides to invite them to a performance that she is giving at The Moth. Elijah (Andrew Rannels) shows up and comforts Dad, who insists that life is going to get better. However, Mom is starting to persuaded by Elijah's charm and gives into his humorous banter.
Meanwhile, Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) is doing great business for Ray's. While Hermie (Colin Quinn) is more ecstatic at the anti-hipster nature, he is against Shoshanna's choice to have the place fitted for a news article. But where is Ray (Alex Karpovsky)? He is busy having sex with Marnie (Allison Williams), who asks him to go on tour with her. Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is too busy fondling groupies to really care either way.
Meanwhile, Jessa (Jemima Kirke) stands up to Adam (Adam Driver) when he questions Hannah's friendship. They've hit a rough patch, but Jessa insists that they'll work through it. The issue eventually becomes violent and Adam becomes a hostile individual. By the end, they're so enraptured with emotion that they have destroyed the apartment and are having sex on the floor, surrounded by the shattered debris of a once organized room. This is after they're incapable of taking care of Laird's (Jon Glaser) baby.
Hannah gives her performance at The Moth. It's pretty much an encapsulation of the past season. She opens up about Adam and Jessa as well as her personal feelings about the issue. She claims that she is free now, and ends the episode feeling that way. Meanwhile, Dad skips the show to be with his new boyfriend while Mom and Elijah decide to get drunk and talk about how they've wasted their lives. Meanwhile, Hannah sends Adam a basket wishing him well.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
I have to admit that consistency isn't Girls' best attribute. If anything, it's a show that has frequented in the realm of vignettes with most seasons not having a thematic through line. While it was present last season, it felt more like two stories joined into one. Here, it's Hannah's journey to overcome Adam and become her own woman. Yes, it hasn't been in the most glamorous way. There is the Fran situation after all. However, there's one thing that is very endearing about the finale. Hannah, for the first time since leaving Iowa, is returning to her roots as a writer. Not just a teacher who thinks that Philip Roth is good literature. She's actually giving candid speeches about her personal life. It's what she has done best in the past, and it kept her more sane than we could initially imagine.
Still, for a show that can easily seem like it's self-involved at times, it has ended with one of the most impressive transformations in the show's run. While Adam is still a hopeless wreck and Jessa may end up regretting it in the long run, there's a certain hope that ends this episode. Everyone is in a better place, whether financially or emotionally. There's bonds that connect everyone. Even Shoshanna, who seemed so happy in Japan, has found solace back at Ray's as she dances wonderfully in the closing montage. Sure, we still have to deal with Desi being a prick. However, Marnie has finally escaped his grasps and gone back to Ray.
What also works is that this episode manages to show that despite being a very meandering show at times, there's actually room for improvement. One could argue that the characters have evolved too slow for merit, but the fact that the show has managed to garner together thematic plots and make the nuanced moments have a clarity is astounding. If the show is about everyone's progression into adulthood, then this may be one of the more cathartic finales on record. Where we've seen random weddings and mental breakdowns as finales before, this year sees them actually finding that groove. The real question now is if it will last.
Considering that last season may be one of the weaker ones, it's nice to know that the show still has some ambition hidden underneath its lackadaisical vibes. It may not always be pleasant, but longtime fans will be able to see the endearing desire to not be stuck in a corner. In some ways, the last season had to be so meandering just to make this one work. Yes, it had some low points, but it also had a sense of enthusiasm and happiness that showed that the cynical farewells of yesteryear aren't going to keep them down. While the final shot pulls a silly reference to The 400 Blows, it feels like the perfect way to express the uncertain future by which everyone will live their lives.
As a whole, this has been an amazing season, and a return to form. This episode alone shows the varying degrees to which people in their late-20's bond and learn to overcome their pitiful grudges. Considering how much Adam has and hasn't been important to the show, spending a season that amounts to letting him go makes sense. As selfish as Hannah can be, it's worthwhile to see her make steps to letting herself get out of the situation. Now the question is, where does she go next? It isn't likely back to Fran. However, there's only (presumably) 10 episodes left, so that will be coming sooner than later.
Stay tuned for the annual two part recap coming next Monday.
The episode opens with Hannah going for a jog. As she does so, she discovers that her parents (Peter Scolari and Becky Ann Baker) are sitting outside her home waiting for her to show up. Hannah doesn't want them around, but she accepts it and decides to invite them to a performance that she is giving at The Moth. Elijah (Andrew Rannels) shows up and comforts Dad, who insists that life is going to get better. However, Mom is starting to persuaded by Elijah's charm and gives into his humorous banter.
Meanwhile, Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) is doing great business for Ray's. While Hermie (Colin Quinn) is more ecstatic at the anti-hipster nature, he is against Shoshanna's choice to have the place fitted for a news article. But where is Ray (Alex Karpovsky)? He is busy having sex with Marnie (Allison Williams), who asks him to go on tour with her. Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is too busy fondling groupies to really care either way.
Meanwhile, Jessa (Jemima Kirke) stands up to Adam (Adam Driver) when he questions Hannah's friendship. They've hit a rough patch, but Jessa insists that they'll work through it. The issue eventually becomes violent and Adam becomes a hostile individual. By the end, they're so enraptured with emotion that they have destroyed the apartment and are having sex on the floor, surrounded by the shattered debris of a once organized room. This is after they're incapable of taking care of Laird's (Jon Glaser) baby.
Hannah gives her performance at The Moth. It's pretty much an encapsulation of the past season. She opens up about Adam and Jessa as well as her personal feelings about the issue. She claims that she is free now, and ends the episode feeling that way. Meanwhile, Dad skips the show to be with his new boyfriend while Mom and Elijah decide to get drunk and talk about how they've wasted their lives. Meanwhile, Hannah sends Adam a basket wishing him well.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
I have to admit that consistency isn't Girls' best attribute. If anything, it's a show that has frequented in the realm of vignettes with most seasons not having a thematic through line. While it was present last season, it felt more like two stories joined into one. Here, it's Hannah's journey to overcome Adam and become her own woman. Yes, it hasn't been in the most glamorous way. There is the Fran situation after all. However, there's one thing that is very endearing about the finale. Hannah, for the first time since leaving Iowa, is returning to her roots as a writer. Not just a teacher who thinks that Philip Roth is good literature. She's actually giving candid speeches about her personal life. It's what she has done best in the past, and it kept her more sane than we could initially imagine.
Still, for a show that can easily seem like it's self-involved at times, it has ended with one of the most impressive transformations in the show's run. While Adam is still a hopeless wreck and Jessa may end up regretting it in the long run, there's a certain hope that ends this episode. Everyone is in a better place, whether financially or emotionally. There's bonds that connect everyone. Even Shoshanna, who seemed so happy in Japan, has found solace back at Ray's as she dances wonderfully in the closing montage. Sure, we still have to deal with Desi being a prick. However, Marnie has finally escaped his grasps and gone back to Ray.
What also works is that this episode manages to show that despite being a very meandering show at times, there's actually room for improvement. One could argue that the characters have evolved too slow for merit, but the fact that the show has managed to garner together thematic plots and make the nuanced moments have a clarity is astounding. If the show is about everyone's progression into adulthood, then this may be one of the more cathartic finales on record. Where we've seen random weddings and mental breakdowns as finales before, this year sees them actually finding that groove. The real question now is if it will last.
Considering that last season may be one of the weaker ones, it's nice to know that the show still has some ambition hidden underneath its lackadaisical vibes. It may not always be pleasant, but longtime fans will be able to see the endearing desire to not be stuck in a corner. In some ways, the last season had to be so meandering just to make this one work. Yes, it had some low points, but it also had a sense of enthusiasm and happiness that showed that the cynical farewells of yesteryear aren't going to keep them down. While the final shot pulls a silly reference to The 400 Blows, it feels like the perfect way to express the uncertain future by which everyone will live their lives.
As a whole, this has been an amazing season, and a return to form. This episode alone shows the varying degrees to which people in their late-20's bond and learn to overcome their pitiful grudges. Considering how much Adam has and hasn't been important to the show, spending a season that amounts to letting him go makes sense. As selfish as Hannah can be, it's worthwhile to see her make steps to letting herself get out of the situation. Now the question is, where does she go next? It isn't likely back to Fran. However, there's only (presumably) 10 episodes left, so that will be coming sooner than later.
Stay tuned for the annual two part recap coming next Monday.
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