Girls (HBO)
 

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Not sure what motivated me to watch the first two episodes of this controversial HBO comedy, but this morning I did and, frankly, the committee is still out on this one. On the surface this appears to be an attempt to take Sex and the City to a more shocking level, if you can imagine that, but shock value is the only thing I'm seeing two episodes in. The story of three twenty-somethings navigating the dangerous worlds of career and relationship in Manhattan is nothing special, but writer/creator Lena Dunham has thus far provided us with characters that it's pretty hard to empathize with. In the opening scene, we see learn that Hannah, Dunham's character, is being cut off by her parents (Peter Scolari, Becky Ann Baker), after financially supporting her for two years. She goes to her friends Marnie (Allison Williams) and Jessa (Jemima Kirk) that the solution to her problem is to go back to her parents and ask for two more years of support, backed by five or six pages of a book she's writing. We also learn that Hannah is in a relationship with a man named Adam (Adam Driver) who has no feelings for her, is just using her for sex, and could possibly be lying to her about using condoms during sex, which leads to a scene where Hannah is actually observed googling the results of what could happen with semen that drips out of the side of the condom. We also see a pregnant character ask her BFF's to support her when she decides to have an abortion and they all get there before she does. Not sure exactly what Dunham is trying to say here but not sure yet if it's worth wading through six seasons to find out.

Re: Girls (HBO)
 

I loved Lena Dunham at first. Tiny Furniture is very good.

I watched quite a bit of Girls & enjoyed it until I didn’t. Fun to see Adam Driver.

Yeah, I already have a feeling I'm not going to make it through six seasons.

I can’t even imagine what they would be about.

Dunham was so fresh & different at the beginning of her career, yet relatable. Like Susie in Curb, Lena became a caricature of herself.

There's nothing fresh about Susie on Curb Your Enthusiasm that woman is nails on a chalkboard.

Re: Girls (HBO)
 

Wow surprised to see there wasn't a thread about this already. I remember watching this with my girl when it came out...pretty good but a lot of wasted fluff episodes if I remember correctly.

Watched ep 3 last night which featured a dumb as a box of rocks Hannah refusing to believe that her scummy boyfriend Adam (Adam Driver) might have given her an STD. Andrew Rannells was excellent as Hannah's ex, who she wanted to blame for the STD until she learned that he's now gay.

Watched two more episodes this morning and I'm finding Lena Dunham's character to be a bit of a moron. They began a sexual harassment story with Hannah with her boss (Richard Masur) that played out way too quickly with Hannah making all the wrong moves and eventually losing a job she didn't have to and really needed. I'm not thrilled with her addiction to Adam (Adam Driver). No matter how horribly he treats her, the guy is in her loins and she can't stay away from him. That scene in the park where all those nannies lost the kids they were caring for was kind of disturbing and the girl who plays Shoshanna talks to fast, I can barely understand anything she's saying. I also just figured out where I've seen Christopher Abbott who plays Charlie before. He was in a terrific movie with Jerrod Carmichael I saw a couple of years ago called On the Count of Three. He has the prettiest eyes since Cillian Murphy.

Am now eight episodes in on season one and the committee is still out on this one. I was impressed that when Hannah went home to visit her parents, she did not accept Mom's offer of financial help, which I didn't see coming since her parents cut her off in the pilot. Though we really didn't need full frontal Peter Scolari. I could have lived without that. The scene where Shoshanna freaks out after smoking crack proved that Dunham has never smoked crack and doesn't have a clue as to its effects. It should be noted that ep 7 was the first episode where Adam Driver wore a shirt. Though Driver is the only truly entertaining aspect of this show, playing a character who has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Still not sure if I will be watching this entire show, but the minute Driver is out , so am I.

Watched episodes 9 and 10 yesterday, which marked the conclusion of season 1 .I'm growing quite tired of this Hannah character, an uncanny combination of self hatred and self absorbed that is really hard to cling to. Seriously wanted to slap her during that fight with Marnie when all she wanted to do is talk about herself when Marnie, just once, wanted to talk about her problems with Charlie. Marnie was pretty much supporting Hannah at this point and Hannah should be kissing her ass. I didn't understand why Marnie moved out instead of Hannah since Marnie is paying the rent. That former classmate of Hannah's who was having the book signing party was such a bitch, I hope that was a one time appearance. It was fantastic seeing Michael Imperioli as Hannah's former professor. Didn't understand Hannah's impulse not to read the story Powell wanted her to read, another example of her being so completely full of herself. The confrontation between Jessa and Katherine (played by the always watchable Kathryn Hahn) was absolutely superb, maybe the highlight of the episode. Bobby Moynihan was very funny as the officiate of Jessa's wedding, which I thought was really strange...why would she marry that guy? I'm done with Shoshanna, next to Hannah, the show's most annoying character and it's exhausting trying to understand everything she says she talks so fast. Adam Driver easily walked off with ep 10 with his despicable treatment of Hannah, which made the hair on the back of neck stand up. I don't know if I'm going to make it through all six seasons, but I'm going to give season 2 a shot.

Watched the first two episodes of season two this morning. Hannah's karaoke housewarming party was oddly riveting. I was a little disappointed that they had a karaoke party and didn't allow Andrew Rannells to sing. The attempted coupling of Elijah and Marnie was an epic fail. LOVED the appearance of Rita Wilson as Marnie's mother. She looked fantastic. Shoshanna continues to be the show's nails on a chalkboard character. Ray's attraction to her is almost as big a mystery as Hannah's attraction is to Adam. This whole thing of Hannah telling Adam she wants nothing to do with him in one scene and running to him whenever he calls her name is getting a little played, only because for some reason she really loves this guy and is in serious denial about it because she knows he's a douche. And can we talk about those scenes with Donald Glover? Wow, what the hell was going on there? I actually googled about it after watching and apparently there was a whole lot of tension between Glover and Dunham during his brief time on the show and it definitely showed onscreen. Their scenes together were literally uncomfortable to watch. My guess is it had something to do with the fact that Glover was already in the middle of Atlanta and was not feeling being under someone else's creative control, which doesn't surprise me at all. Their final scene together literally had me squirming.

Re: Girls (HBO)
 

I think I watched all of Girls when broadcast but remember very little. Kind of how I feel about a lot of the last 10-15 years dramady, which is why I don't care about much of it. From memory, hated Adam (and failed to see the ability or hotness of said actor so was completely lost on me though the following years have led me to believe that I'm quite alone in that), Hannah is that girl who picks at weeds in your garden while her own life is a bombsite she fails to recognise her part in. You can feel for her, but her lack of insight or ability to 'do what's necessary' even when she accepts it's to her detriment means you have to love her to stick with her and I never did. Marnie was hot and I liked Shosh, but then, I could understand her. :D

Watched eps 3 and 4 of season two this morning, and Adam Driver was really missed in these two eps. Didn't understand why Elijah (Andrew Rannells) felt it was so necessary to tell Hannah that he and sex with Marnie, because if I recall that scene, they didn't really have sex. They started too, but they stopped themselves. Hannah and Elijah's cocaine-fueled trip to the club was kind of silly. BTW, was that Nick Kroll playing Laird, the guy who gave Hannah the cocaine? Jessa's marriage lasted longer than I thought it would, their fight scene was excellent. That was weird when she showed up at Hannah's apartment and got in the bathtub with her though...ewww. Loved the fight between Marnie and Charlie's new girlfriend too. Everything she said to Marnie was pretty much on the money.

If I ever watched this, it would be for Allison Williams and Jemima Kirk, who I think are both criminally underrated in the industry. Sadly, though, I can’t stand Gerwig, so doubt I’ll get around to it.

Watched eps 5 and 6 last night of season two. Ep 5 was absolutely bonkers thanks to Hannah's behavior with the hunky Patrick Wilson. First of all, she should have told Ray, in front of Wilson, that she was the one who dumped the garbage in the doctor's can. Her going over there on the pretense of confessing when all she wanted to do was have sex with the guy made her look like a whore, period. And when she told the guy that she wanted him to beg her stay, I think I threw up in my mouth a little. When she woke up and he had gone to work, i really got the impression that she had no intention on leaving this guy's house ever. Really creepy episode that did nothing to endear me to Hannah. At least with episode six, we got the return of Adam Driver and his surprise bonding with Ray might have been the episode's highlight. And Marnie's new boyfriend, Booth, is an a**hole.

Wasn’t that the scene when Hannah actually DREAMT what she & Patrick did? It wasn’t real at all.

Watched eps 7 and 8 this morning. Jenna's reunion with her father was only made more awkward by Hannah there. The highlight of ep 8 was Adam's share at the AA meeting, even though I have a hard time believing that he's been sober since he was 17. Was that Carol Kane playing Natalia's mother? If it wasn't, it was someone who looked and sounded exactly like her. We definitely saw in ep 8 that Adam and Charlie are both moving on with their lives even if Hannah and Marnie aren't. I knew the second Charlie described his app that Marnie inspired it.

If that whole thing was a dream, I missed it or it hasn't been revealed yet.

Finished season two this morning. Eps 9 and 10 brought us a lot of weird stuff. As this show progresses, I'm finding it really hard to sympathize with Hannah, who seems to be her own worst enemy. She gets off the phone with her publisher who is threatening to sue her because she hasn't provided him with anything publishable yet. She then spends the rest of the episode cutting her hair and once again reconnecting with the toxic Adam. And that whole thing with the Q-tip in her ear was just gross. Speaking of Adam, I can't lie, when he told his new girlfriend to get on all fours and crawl into his bedroom, that was kind of hot. I couldn't believe it when he ran all the way to Hannah's apartment without putting on a shirt. What Marnie did at Charlie's party was completely inappropriate even it did work initially. Charlie and Marnie seems to be as healthy for each other as Hannah and Adam are. I felt bad for Ray, getting a big promotion and being dumped by Shoshanna the same day. Who is she to be dumping anyone? Not sure why, but I'm going to give season three a shot.

I didn’t know it was a dream until I started reading viewer comments. Not here, but other online places. It seemed odd to me that Wilson would be attracted to her so the dream made sense.

There's something about the it because I felt like that for the entire series. :D

Watched the first two episodes of season 3 this morning. First of all, I wanted to mention this during his first appearance on the show but I forgot. Bob Balaban is absolute perfection as Hannah's shrink. He doesn't badger her or put words in her mouth, but he always get the answer to the question he's posing and never lets her get away with dancing around a question. As much as I love Adam Driver as the most watchable thing about this show, it's so weird that the best character on the show seems to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Hannah's little taco dinner party was hilarious, but it's hard to feel bad for Hannah because Adam told her straight up that he didn't want anything to do with it. Watching her trying to defend this guy to anybody who's not listening is bordering on pathetic. Though Natalie and her girlfriend played by Amy Shumer were the first people I have scene who have literally been able to render Adam speechless. And did Jessa go to rehab over the summer break, because I was taken aback to see her in rehab, where, as expected, her behavior was completely inappropriate. Loved when that girl threw coffee in her face but she let Jessa off way too easy later. What happens with Hannah's book now that her editor is dead?

Wrapped ep 6 of season 3 this morning. LOVED Gaby Hoffman as Adam's neurotic sister, Caroline. Every moment she had onscreen with Adam Driver was electric, and of course, when Hannah had enough of her and kicked her out of her apartment, Adam goes ballistic, bringing back what appeared to be a softening of Adam's character, which would have been a big mistake. Hannah's birthday party was beyond dull and we really didn't need her and Marnie dueting on "Take me or leave me" from Rent, a total waste of screentime. The death of David was strange, really didn't see that coming and how weird was it his wife confirming for Hannah that David was gay. And what was up with Hannah's lipstick at the funeral? Don't really get this whole thing of David's company owning the rights to Hannah's book for three years. David's widow really didn't seem to care for Hannah, so why does she want to keep Hannah from taking her book to another publisher? And really not buying this whole Hannah working at GQ thing? That was supposed to be GQ? This magazine has been in existence since I was a teenager and I just don't buy it consisting of about a dozen employees sitting in cubicles, unless this was just supposed to be a particular department. I just expected a little more hustle and bustle and people at GQ. I was glad to see Adam get his first acting job, because if he actually hits it big, I just know it's going to make Hannah insane.

OK, finished up season three this morning. OK, I feel really terrible going here, but it's got me seriously considering not moving onto season four. I don't want to appear insensitive, but ep 7 was one of the most difficult things I ever had to sit through for one reason and one reason only...the sight of Lena Dunham in that green bikini. I'm no Adonis and I try not to body shame, but the sight of Dunham's oddly shaped body trying to bust out of that bikini was excruciating. I'm not sure what kind of statement is Dunham trying to make with her frequent semi-nudity, but it's making it really hard for me to appreciate what is good with this show. I can't remember anything that happened in ep 7 because my head was clouded with images of Dunham flab. I'm overweight myself but I keep my clothes on. It's been three or four decades since I've taken off my shirt in public, but if I have to sit through anything like ep 7 again, I'm out. Adam landing this role in a Broadway revival of Major Barbara seems to be bringing a softening to the character that I'm not sure I'm crazy about. It is impressive seeing Adam focused on something besides emotionally abusing Hannah and I love the way everyone, including Tony winner Patti Lupone, is telling Hannah that being on Broadway is going to turn Adam into a jerk, but if Dunham is true to the Adam character, he will get in a fight with the director and get fired before the show opens. Loved that Ray's dumping of Marnie might have humbled her a little. The actor who plays Ray has a real David Schwimmer quality that I like. Was every pleasantly surprised by the appearance of Ebon Ross-Bacherach as Adam's Major Barbara co-star. Ebon recently won a best Supporting Actor Emmy for his work on The Bear. The second we learned that Hannah's grandmother was dying, I actually said to myself, "I bet June Squibb is going to be playing her." Deirdre Lovejoy and Amy Morton were also hysterically funny as Hannah's aunts and I loved that Adam drove to be at Hannah's side when he heard that she had been in an accident. Hannah's whole sexual role play with Adam was way over the top and I understood Adam's confusion and anger about it.

Discovered this morning that there were two more episodes to season 3 so I watched them this morning. Very pleased for the return of Patti Lupone with Reed Birney very funny as her boyfriend. I wasn't happy that when Elijah learned that Hannah was going to see Patti Lupone, that the only reference he made to her career as "Corky's Mom." Any self-respecting gay man on the planet would have mentioned Evita, Gypsy, Anything Goes, or Company. Was that Tess Harper playing the woman who asked Jessa to assist her in her suicide? I fell on the floor though when after she did it, she said she changed her mind and was screaming at Jessa to call 911. Allison Williams and Ebon Moss-Bacharach's duet was lovely. Can't believe Marnie thought Shoshanna would just shrug off the news that she slept with Ray. So three or four episodes ago, Adam got cast in this play and it's already opened? I didn't expect to see the entire rehearsal period, but three episodes and the show is up? That scene in the alley after the show with Adam, Hannah, and Elijah was just what I was expecting, but in this case, it's a good thing. Thank God, Elijah knows how to read a room and got the hell out of there. I'm a little surprised that Adam is not handling the idea of Hannah of going away to graduate school that well, I thought he would welcome the space from her. The guy is a walking contradiction. Still undecided as to whether or not I'm moving on to season four.

Yeah, Dunham’s nudity got so ridiculous over time. I was okay with it at first, but then she became a joke. She always has a nice hairdo, she does her makeup very well & there are tons of pretty clothes for a not-so-perfect body, but, for some reason, she was shedding her garments as fast as she could. :rolleyes:

Watched the season 4 opener this morning and Dunham managed to keep her clothes on for the majority of the episode. Sadly, there have been no changes in her ego, as she seems to think all of her friends (and Adam) are going to fall apart as soon as she leaves for grad school. I'm predicting that one of her grad school professors is going to criticize something she wrote and, as someone incapable of taking criticism, will mouth off to said professor, get thrown out of school and be back in Manhattan before ep 5. Totally over Marnie getting upset because the restaurant patrons weren't mesmerized by her singing and everything Elijah said to her was correct. Still waiting for Dunham to allow Rannells to sing...the guy stopped the show with one song as part of the original Broadway cast of "Book of Mormon". Great to see Rita Wilson return as Marnie's mom, she looked fantastic.

Watched ep 2 this morning. You can rent an entire house in Iowa for $800 a month. No wonder she had to call everybody collect at the end of the episode. Do people even call collect anymore? Is that still a thing? Can't believe Elijah showed up in Iowa because he was bored with New York. Who gets bored with New York? Can't believe he seduced that allegedly straight white guy either. And I knew the minute her teacher told Hannah that she had to listen to all the feedback for saying anything that there was no way in hell she was going to be able to do that.

Watched eps 3-6 this morning and I called it! I called it! Didn't I say a few posts above this one that Hannah would piss somebody off in Iowa and be back in Manhattan before ep 5? I was somewhat surprised by the reveal that, as a graduate student, this was the only course that Hannah was taking and was laying around the house the rest of the week. Is that real? I went to college, but not graduate school and do graduate students only take one course? Is that really a thing? I knew the second that Hannah read all her classmates at that party that it was over. And is it just me, or is Hannah's complete obsession with herself starting to rub off on her girlfriends? Marnie was annoying when she was looking for advice from her girlfriends about Desi and blew them off because they weren't telling her what she wanted to hear. I'm also not totally convinced that Desi broke up with his girlfriend. Why is it on shows like these when characters break up with one person to be with another, it always happens in the middle of the night? Ebon Moss-Bacharach was excellent in that scene. Ray seemed to be the one voice of reason in this whole mess, but I wanted to re-think that when he had his tantrum in the middle of the street regarding honking horns, but did love the stink he caused when he refused to allow the council to adjourn without hearing him. Shoshanna refusing to leave that job interview wasn't nearly as effective though. You just don't refuse to leave a job interview, that was stupid. Was pleased by with the brief return of Gaby Hoffman as Adam's sister. BTW, I learned that is not Nick Kroll playing Laird, it is an actor named Jon Glaser, whose resemblance to Kroll is uncanny. Adam Driver was nothing short of brilliant in the scene where he learned that MimiRose aborted his baby without his knowledge? I don't have any issue with her having an abortion, but she should have told him. If she really wanted an abortion, nothing Adam might have said to her would have stopped her, but he still had the right to know. What I don't understand is how the Adam we know could forgive her five minutes later.

No man has a “right to know” if a woman wants an abortion. It’s not up for discussion.

The right to know and a discussion are two different things. He has no input on the decision but I still think he has the right to know.

Watched eps 7 and 8 this morning and they seriously made me re-think my decision to keep watching this show. First of all, we spent three seasons watching Hannah bounce from job to job with annoying angst through every job loss but the second she decides to become a teacher, she gets a job immediately/ I mean she literally decided to be a teacher ep 6 and was in front of classroom in ep 7. And I didn't know there were places you could get a jo teaching without a certificate. She then bonds with a student and talks said student into getting her tongue pierced and that encounter she had with Mimi-Rose was just all over the place. Mim-Rose was freaking me out because she had just gotten Adam to forgive her and now she was so wiling to give him back to Hannah? What was that all about. Loved Zachary Quinto as Mimi-Rose's ex, whose mere appearance implies that Adam and Hannah are headed back to each other. After he screamed at her the way he did, Marnie actually accepted Desi's marriage proposal? I give that marriage three months. And when are the going to stop dressing Shoshanna like Marcia Brady.

I couldn't decide which to go with, so I'll post both and you can decide which works best. :D


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I like that you posted movie Marcia, but TV Jan.

Re: Girls (HBO)
 

TBH I couldn't find one of either in the other era. :D I originally went looking for the Marcia, Marcia, Marcia clip from the movie but could only find the tv one.

OK, finished season 4 this morning and the first thing I want to say is this storyline of Hannah's dad (Peter Scolari) coming out of the closet seemed to come out of nowhere and just feels like filler. Though it has prompted Hannah to say something that I never thought I would hear her say and that is that this isn't about her. It has given Becky Ann Baker some rich material to play and she nailed every bit of it. Though the ending of ep 10 where she's talking on the phone with Hannah and her dad is sitting next to her looking constipated was very confusing...have they decided to work through this or what? Gaby Hoffman's home birth revealed that the actress was pregnant IRL and it was impressive that she allowed it to be written into the show. They named the baby JessaHannah? What a horrible name. Why did Marnie feel that Ray's victory party was the appropriate time to announce her engagement to Desi? LOVED when Ray told Desi how much he hates him and that Marnie deserves so much better than him. Shoshanna getting a job in Tokyo? Is it my birthday? Well, I'm pretty sure the Jason Ritter character is going to talk her out of it? It's time to give Elijah his own romantic interest. Even though he was once married to Hannah, their attachment to each other is unnatural and not so interesting anymore. It seems like they're trying to push Jessa and Adam together and I'm not feeling that at all. I'm glad they got him away from Mimi-Rose and she's going back to Ace, though I really like Zachary Quinto as Ace. Oh, and I've been racking my brain for four seasons now trying to figure out where I had seen Allison Williams (Marnie) before this show. She played Daniel Kuluuya's girlfriend in Get Out.

Watched the first two episodes of Season five this morning. First of all, I wasn't pleased to figure out that during the hiatus the show did a seven month time jump. Seriously? Marnie and Desi had just announced their engagement like three episodes ago and in the premiere they're getting married? Shoshanna already went to Tokyo and came back as a blonde and with no explanation as to what happened? Once I got my head around all that, I found myself totally turned off by what a hot mess this wedding was. Some big angry lesbian doing everyone's hair and makeup, Desi freaking out and jumping in the river and Ray going after him? Marnie's mother ripping on everything that Marnie wanted to wear or do? If you don't want to support your daughter's wedding wishes, then leave, don't fight with her about everything on her day. Ep 2 was a huge improvement though. Peter Scolari did Emmy-worthy work as Hannah's confused dad who's still struggling to come out of the closet. He and Ethan Phillips as his one night stand were adorable. Though I found it hard to believe that he was shocked that Hannah's mother wants a divorce. Wouldn't have minded seeing what happened with them in the seven months between seasons 4 and 5. And a big thanks for finally giving a possible romantic interest to Elijah, who is approaching the annoying stage interfering with everyone else's lives. Corey Stoll was sex on legs as a possible Big to Andrew Rannell's Carrie.

Watched the 3rd and 4th episodes of season 5 this morning and am hoping someone can clarify Shoshanna's Japanese adventure for me. At Marnie's wedding, it appeared that Shosh had already returned from Japan. Ep 3 opens with Shosh back in Japan, which was fine, I just figured we were going to get a flashback to exactly what happened in Tokyo, but then she gets fired and the cute young Japanese guy she's been dating appears to be nuts about her and I'm pretty sure was begging her to stay even though she was unemployed. Then we see her on the phone with Jason Ritter, whining about being fired, and him telling her to come home immediately. Then we see Jason Ritter waiting for Shoshanna at the airport but her not being on the plane. So unless Marnie's wedding occurred after
Marnie's wedding, I'm confused. Did love Aidy Bryant firing Shoshanna via skype. Bryant nailed that scene. I initially felt bad for Hannah when she found those pictures on Fran's phone and his explanation for it, but when she took it upon herself to delete the photos from his phone and pose nude for him herself, any sympathy I had for her went out the window. I'm just glad I hadn't eaten breakfast already when Hannah had her nude photo session. Loved, loved, loved Adam's guest shot on Elementary. I'm actually loving that Adam is finding some focus in life through acting, but I have a feeling Jessa is really going to mess it up. Their sex scene was hot, as was the similar scene between Andrew Rannells and Corey Stoll (sorry, I still haven't caught what Corey's character name is). So Corey's character was some sort of child star? That's all I could glean from their scenes together, but I hope we get more backstory on his character. I love Corey Stoll. I have loved every single thing I have ever seen him in. I'm also pretty sure the relationship between Hannah and Fran isn't going to survive the season.

OK, watched ep 5 this morning and I'm done. First of all, we watch Aidy Bryant in the last episode nail a scene where she fires Shoshanna and in this ep, we see Aidy arrive in Japan wanting to be her BFF and by the end of the ep, Shoshanna wants to go back to America. Adam and Jessa are headed for disaster since he has now decided that he has agreed to finance her education to become a therapist...Jessa...the most insensitive woman on the planet a therapist. The first time she flunks a test, Adam is going to go ballistic and accuse her of throwing his money away. Then there's Hannah's trip to some wellness retreat where, once again, we are exposed to Lena Dunham's hideous body. I'm sorry, but that moment where she got in bed, took off her panties, but left her bra on, that was it for me. I'm sorry, this show is all over the place, the only characters I care about don't get nearly enough screen time and I'm tired of looking at Lena Dunham naked, I'm out.

A for effort. You watched a lot more of it than I could stand.