Episode 1: “Females Only”
The HBO show Girls is back after its disastrous season two finale with “Females Only.” The finale brought Hannah and Adam back together, but that wasn’t what made it such a disaster — it had more to do with the fact that Adam ran through traffic while FaceTiming.
The scene did not work with the world that creator Lena Dunham had invented for the characters, but it has not affected how well they work together in the new season. Hannah appreciates Adam’s nonfinancial contributions to their life together (she tells her therapist: “He’s not a traditional person, he can’t just be slotted into any job” ). Adam displays sensitivity towards Hannah’s friend Marnie, who is going through a breakup, and tells her a relatable story about heartbreak: “She was both Columbian and went to the University of Columbia.”
Girls finds a way to make the characters’ relationships work by layering their reunion with the show’s trademark quirkiness — thankfully, without resorting to any cognitively jarring experimentation.
Grade: B
Episode 2: “Truth or Dare”
What makes Girls work as an alternative sitcom is how it integrates meta-references. Hannah is disappointed that the road trip hasn’t given her book material; “This road trip is not a metaphor, it just isn’t,” she says while on the road with Shoshanna and Adam to retrieve Jessa from rehab. When they arrive, she finds out Jessa could have left rehab on her own. Hannah is furious until Jessa compliments her new short hair. The road trip turns out to be a metaphor for their relationship: Hannah will go to great lengths to maintain her friendship with Jessa because it makes her feel better about herself.
The aforementioned metaphor line felt like a vain meta-reference to Lena Dunham’s writing style, but it really was a subtle hint to what makes Hannah’s unhealthy friendships work.
Grade: B+
Episode 3: “She Said O.K”
Dunham is trying to keep Hannah and Adam’s relationship fresh. “She Said O.K” features the arrival of Adam’s unstable sister Caroline (played by former child star Gaby Hoffmann) to complicate things for the couple. Hoffmann is fast becoming the go-to unstable character actress, especially after last year’s indie-film Crystal Fairy (co-starring Michael Cera).
Hoffman seamlessly alternates between being hysterical, unhinged, and thoughtful. Her performance makes it easy to see how her character could lure Hannah into a friendship. Hannah invites her to stay with her and Adam before Adam intervenes, but then offers Gaby an invite to her birthday.
Adam is none too pleased with their friendship, and ominously says: “There is no being nice to this girl. She destroys everything in her wake.” For real-life couples, keeping it fresh doesn’t mean introducing complications into your relationships; for TV couples, it’s the only way they can last.
Grade: A
