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| Allison Williams |
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.
If there is one thing that most people can agree on with Girls, it's that the later seasons aren't as good. While I'd argue that it's always been consistent, it's been awhile since the last stellar episode, and one that also packs a big surprising return. In a show that doesn't have too many missing characters, it was amazing this week not only to see the return of Charlie (Christopher Abbott), but also surprising to note that the best episode of the season, and in a long time, actually belongs to one of the show's more insufferable characters with Marnie (Allison Williams). That's right. Even if the show is in the back half of its penultimate season, it still knows how to deliver the punches when it wants to, and thankfully we get that here.
The episode opens with Marnie on the computer. She is trying to do something as Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) sings her a ballad that gets on her nerves. As she yells, Desi tries to defend himself and at which point Marnie reveals that she is still mad at him for an argument the day before. She decides to go for a walk, where she runs into Charlie. He is standing on a corner with his friends before confronting her about what's been going on in his life. As it turns out, his app business didn't take off and he's doing something else at the moment.
He decides to try and win Marnie back despite the realization that they didn't get along the last time that they saw each other. Charlie passes it off on his father's suicide, which gets Marnie to buy into his proposal to spend the day together. Charlie buys her a beautiful red dress, but insists on going to the bathroom randomly beforehand. They go to a fancy party, where Marnie is mistaken for a classy drug dealer. They later go take a boat out onto a lake, where they both fall in. As they wander the streets while wet, they find their relationship kindled. They also get held up by a junkie, who mistakes Marnie for the aforementioned drug dealer.
Upon having passionate sex with Charlie, Marnie considers going back with him. Their love is so pure and she is willing to forgive the past. After dealing with a strange lesbian in the bathroom, she decides to leave. As she does, she finds that there's a needle on the ground of Charlie's apartment. He claims that he's diabetic, though she is not as sure. Marnie confronts Desi, claiming that she regrets marrying him, believing that she did it to try and not face another failure. Desi is a blubbering mess as Marnie moves out, choosing to crash at Hannah's apartment for the evening.
Rating: 5 out of 5
It doesn't make sense. How is it that the best episode of the season was about the relationship of the most insufferable characters of the past two years? In all honesty, Marnie and Desi didn't deserve a lot of screen time last season. Whatever wouldn't have been shown wouldn't have been missed. Yet it serves as one of the more compelling forces in this episode, especially since there was a wedding only five episodes ago joining these two in holy matrimony. True, they don't seem as integral to the plot as everyone else (even Shoshanna - who is off in a different country). They merely show up when the series feels that Marnie needs an update.
Yet this episode captures the magic that was around in the first season between Charlie and Marnie. While the series focused on the end of their relationship, there was the sense that maybe there was once something there. You buy into their happiness, and longtime fans will be happy to see them smiling together. There's something about them being together that almost feels right, even though Charlie was clearly not in the right head space at the end there. Though the bigger surprise is that Abbott claimed to have left the show over disagreements of his character. Whether or not that is true is yet to be seen for his longevity on the show. For now, it makes for an excellent surprise.
Though has Charlie changed for the better? The most noticeable thing right off the bat is that he has a deeper voice. He does have a sense of purpose to please Marnie yet again. Of course, that's how Charlie has always been towards her. Maybe the time away has given them each time to fall back into an old way that makes their initial selves so fascinating. Also, Charlie being a diabetic is a likely story, and one that is handled rather well within the constructs of the episode. However, you cannot help but feel that maybe he's also hiding some truth, especially with the underlying additional themes of drugs that run throughout this episode.
The one hope is that Marnie isn't a lost cause now. I do worry that Desi's character will stick around and be a manic depressive the entire time. I don't like to call characters inessential, but it's hard to really not see Desi being dumped and not think of it as gratifying. Though the question is now what Marnie is going to do. Is she moving in with Hannah? Is the theme going to continue with Hannah dumping Fran (Jake Lacy)? After all, there's been four episodes in which they have proven to be incompatible. It only makes sense that Marnie is going to ruin Hannah's life in some way.
Even then, the series does what it does best in limiting the cast to a small group and attempt to focus on their current lives. It is also great to know that in the penultimate season of Girls, we're getting more side characters getting focus. It only enriches the show more and it's only time until Jessa and Adam get their own episode (though they've had more than enough time to compensate). As a whole, the show's expansion is arguably its biggest strength. For that alone, it deserves some credit for still being able to surprise and bring to life these characters' lack of forward momentum. Hooray for Marnie on doing something productive, even if it seems cruel to just one person.
The episode opens with Marnie on the computer. She is trying to do something as Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) sings her a ballad that gets on her nerves. As she yells, Desi tries to defend himself and at which point Marnie reveals that she is still mad at him for an argument the day before. She decides to go for a walk, where she runs into Charlie. He is standing on a corner with his friends before confronting her about what's been going on in his life. As it turns out, his app business didn't take off and he's doing something else at the moment.
He decides to try and win Marnie back despite the realization that they didn't get along the last time that they saw each other. Charlie passes it off on his father's suicide, which gets Marnie to buy into his proposal to spend the day together. Charlie buys her a beautiful red dress, but insists on going to the bathroom randomly beforehand. They go to a fancy party, where Marnie is mistaken for a classy drug dealer. They later go take a boat out onto a lake, where they both fall in. As they wander the streets while wet, they find their relationship kindled. They also get held up by a junkie, who mistakes Marnie for the aforementioned drug dealer.
Upon having passionate sex with Charlie, Marnie considers going back with him. Their love is so pure and she is willing to forgive the past. After dealing with a strange lesbian in the bathroom, she decides to leave. As she does, she finds that there's a needle on the ground of Charlie's apartment. He claims that he's diabetic, though she is not as sure. Marnie confronts Desi, claiming that she regrets marrying him, believing that she did it to try and not face another failure. Desi is a blubbering mess as Marnie moves out, choosing to crash at Hannah's apartment for the evening.
Rating: 5 out of 5
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| Left to right: Jake Lacy, Lena Dunham, Williams |
Yet this episode captures the magic that was around in the first season between Charlie and Marnie. While the series focused on the end of their relationship, there was the sense that maybe there was once something there. You buy into their happiness, and longtime fans will be happy to see them smiling together. There's something about them being together that almost feels right, even though Charlie was clearly not in the right head space at the end there. Though the bigger surprise is that Abbott claimed to have left the show over disagreements of his character. Whether or not that is true is yet to be seen for his longevity on the show. For now, it makes for an excellent surprise.
Though has Charlie changed for the better? The most noticeable thing right off the bat is that he has a deeper voice. He does have a sense of purpose to please Marnie yet again. Of course, that's how Charlie has always been towards her. Maybe the time away has given them each time to fall back into an old way that makes their initial selves so fascinating. Also, Charlie being a diabetic is a likely story, and one that is handled rather well within the constructs of the episode. However, you cannot help but feel that maybe he's also hiding some truth, especially with the underlying additional themes of drugs that run throughout this episode.
The one hope is that Marnie isn't a lost cause now. I do worry that Desi's character will stick around and be a manic depressive the entire time. I don't like to call characters inessential, but it's hard to really not see Desi being dumped and not think of it as gratifying. Though the question is now what Marnie is going to do. Is she moving in with Hannah? Is the theme going to continue with Hannah dumping Fran (Jake Lacy)? After all, there's been four episodes in which they have proven to be incompatible. It only makes sense that Marnie is going to ruin Hannah's life in some way.
Even then, the series does what it does best in limiting the cast to a small group and attempt to focus on their current lives. It is also great to know that in the penultimate season of Girls, we're getting more side characters getting focus. It only enriches the show more and it's only time until Jessa and Adam get their own episode (though they've had more than enough time to compensate). As a whole, the show's expansion is arguably its biggest strength. For that alone, it deserves some credit for still being able to surprise and bring to life these characters' lack of forward momentum. Hooray for Marnie on doing something productive, even if it seems cruel to just one person.
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