Review: Girls, S1, E10 – “She Did”

Air date: Sunday, June 17, 2012, 10:30/9:30c on HBO

Rating: ★★★★★

“Don’t waste time on guilt…Holding on to toxic relationships is what keeps us from growing.  You’re forming every time you shed a layer, getting closer to yourself.”

These inspirational words come from Adam (Adam Driver), who disapproves of Hannah’s (Lena Dunham) guilt about Marnie’s (Allison Williams) decision to move out after last week’s argument. Will the move be a good thing for the two friends, and will Adam’s disapproval be helpful to Hannah? Let the finale commence!

When Hannah gets a mysterious text from Jessa (Jemima Kirke) to attend the “most important party of my life,” her lame but creative excuse to ditch work doesn’t fool her boss, Ray (Alex Karpovsky). He also happens to have received the same invite, but in a paternal move, he allows Hannah to leave early.

Charlie (Christopher Abbott) and Ray (Alex Karpovsky) realize the mystery party is actually a surprise wedding.

When a dorky dude announces center stage at the party that “the greatest mystery in life is love,” I stopped scratching my head at Jessa’s antics. Seeing Thomas-John (Chris O’Dowd) join the stage with Rapunzel-styled hippy chick Jessa, it’s clear they are about to say their “I do’s.” After an irreverent and giggly ceremony, Jessa tells Hannah, “I have never been so happy.” The familiar words are confirmation that Katherine’s (Kathryn Hahn) words really got to her. It’s unfortunate to see Katherine’s benign intentions ignored as it appears the conversation freaked Jessa out to the point she took them as a challenge. I foresee a lot of “she dids” in Jessa’s lifetime and, for her sake, I hope marrying a well-off guy like Thomas-John will carry her financially for a while!

Jessa’s friends take the wedding news in stride except for Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), who is caught up in her own self-induced drama. “I wore white to her wedding,” an upset Shoshanna tells Ray while he confesses not being able to stop thinking about her ever since the Brushwick “non-sexual” massage.  It’s amusing to see how unfazed they both are at the surprise marriage and yet they manage to make the situation about themselves, especially Shoshanna.

Soshanna (Zosia Mamet) is mortified about wearing white at a wedding while Marnie (Allison Williams) gets mocked for her “J.LO at the Grammy’s” dress.

Marnie, on the other hand, is having so much fun she acts like an entirely different person. Perhaps it’s the booze or maybe she’s had enough of being the “uptight girl.” Even her ex Charlie (Christopher Abbott) notices her change and tries to hook up with her but as in the past; he doesn’t have the balls to follow through. “Cakey time” brings out a whole other side of Marnie, and I’m just going to say the scene is a nod to executive producer Judd Apatow’s film “Knocked Up.” I started yelling at my TV (“Nooooo, Marnie!”) because I felt cheated. Whatever happened to following up on the whole Marnie and Booth Jonathan (Jorma Taccone) conversation about him being a man who knows “how to do things?”  Is it really too much to ask to see Marnie being taken care of?

If you got creeped out by how emotional Adam got during the wedding, high five me. His observations and commitment to his relationship to Hannah were fairly intense: “Save your strength, we’re in it for the long haul.” Has their relationship really gone to the next level? I hope so, otherwise Hannah may end up writing in her diary Adam has grown a vagina just like she did about Charlie!

Unbeknownst to Adam, a financially worried Hannah takes in Elijah (Andrew Rannells) as her new roommate, which makes Adam go ballistic: “You chase me like I’m the fucking Beatles for six months, and then I finally get comfortable and you shrug? What is fucking wrong with you?”  I didn’t like the sound of that and, in spite of Adam’s reassurances, Hannah’s self-loathing is clear: “I’m scared. I’m really scared all the time…. I’m like the most scared person that is alive.”  The most important  part of that scene is what isn’t stated out loud:  Adam’s intensity is what probably scared Hannah off most.

Hannah’s (Lena Dunham) self-loathing often prevents her from going somewhere in life.

Before the screen fades to black, an emotionally drained Hannah falls asleep on the subway. When she wakes up, she doesn’t know where she is and her purse is gone. Penniless and without a cell phone, she starts walking and ends up in Coney Island, where she sits on the beach eating left-over wedding cake. By this time, I’m confused. Not only do I want more but I stop a second short of getting incensed because it hits me:  Hannah isn’t scared anymore (although she should be). Are we witnessing a breakthrough here?

I don’t want to give the impression that everything in “She Did” was over-the-top dramatic. There were some really fun and clever moments, too. These were my favorites:

Most poignant observation – From Ray to Hannah:   “Just don’t think; that is an extremely unattractive feature of your generation.”

Double-plaid Adam – Adam proves he can dress formally but still look weird.

Best Vows Ever – From the mention of the almost threesome with Marnie to Jessa nearly calling in the special victim’s unit on Thomas-John and to Thomas-John admitting to telling himself, “If I ever saw that crazy bitch again, I would make her my fucking wife,” what is there not to like about Jessa and Thomas-John’s vows?

Best Wedding Song – Getting corked out with the non-PC “This pussy be yanking!” is on my things to do at my next party.

Best Finale Jab – I nearly died laughing at Elijah’s take on Marnie’s deep V-neck dress:  “Hello J.Lo at the Grammys!”

Most Improved Character – It’s Ray, by a landslide!  Who would have guessed the big-mouthed douchebag would turn out to be a caring human being?

Thomas-John (Chris O’Dowd) and Jessa (Jemima Kirke) get married after knowing each other for two weeks.

I’m giving the Girls finale a thumbs up. It was fast-paced and I enjoyed the curveballs that were thrown in. The only constructive criticism is to make the foretelling less obvious! We didn’t need to be warned Adam was going to get hit by a car or that Hannah’s purse was going to be stolen.

When Girls premiered, I was intrigued by its experimental tone and because it reminded me of Sex and The City. Although it pays homage to the 90s show, Girls has a calling of its own. It has won me over with its dark sarcastic humor, great acting and fantastic writing. Dunham has the uncanny ability to provide a refreshing view of her generation; it’s uncommon to find a writer who can be so critical of her own generation while still exalting its virtues and optimism. Just like Adam thought Hannah’s empty apartment was now “full of potential,” the same idea applies to the second season of Girls. Until then, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that Shoshanna got to turn in her V-card.

For more on the show, visit www.hbo.com/girls/index.html. Follow@girlsHBO on Twitter.

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