Girls
Magic
For those of you experiencing Girls withdrawal, you're in luck. HBO Zone is showcasing a Girls marathon this weekend.
I chose this song by the band Girls, from the show's finale playlist, because I think it is fascinating how one writer of a show about four girls can be a game changer. TV is never going to be the same. Now that is magic.
The majority of TV is pretty cookie cutter and hasn't deviated from standard storytelling, stock characters and gender roles, for it seems like for forever.
And then, here comes along a show that portrays men and women, work and play and love, relationships, and modern life, with warts and all.
All of the characters are real. They could be our friends, our frenemies, our roomies, our coworkers. These "girls" are not victims. They're sexual, but not hyper-sexualized, and they're taking charge of their sexuality as best they can. The sex is real and not one bit glamour sex.
The men are real too. They are every bit as complicated as the women. For once, they aren't the standard white hat, black hat types.
All of the characters are just trying to manage, to do their best at that particular moment, messing up, having real consequences for their actions. Just like in real life.
It's fitting that Hannah ends up sitting on the beach eating wedding cake, alone. Also, that her handbag, with all of her identity cards and credit cards was stolen. Without her drivers license and credit cards, she's just an anonymous girl. She could be anyone. Out of all the characters, she has the most work to do. Hannah needs to figure out who she wants to be and what she wants to do with her life, and just stop all the belly-button gazing and put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, already.
I'm glad Marnie is loosening up and getting out of her parental, zipped up role. A passionate Marnie would be a fascinating character. I'd like her to find out what matters to her, to discover something she's passionate about and stop play acting her idea of what being an adult means.
I am not too surprised Jessa married that "explorer", in that she was lost and needed an anchor, any anchor. Getting married in your mid-twenties seems like the logical next step, even if you have no idea who you are marrying, or what you're getting yourself into.
So Shoshanna is finally no longer a virgin. Whew! Now, maybe she can get more air time. She's an interesting character that has not been explored.
Ray turned out to be the surprise. I love everything about this guy. That his cafe is named Grumpy is hilarious. He got some of the best lines of the show, my favorites, "wearing white is like begging a homeless man to wipe blood on your breasts" and "don't show up here wearing gray sweats and a Taylor Swift tee. I know all the dick moves."
Adam is the dark horse of the season. His character is brilliant, and complicated. He really is "a beautiful effing mystery." In the beginning he was the dude that was doing Hannah wrong, but in the end we agree with him when he claims she is a monster, because she has just broken his heart. What is truly amazing is that a couple weeks ago if Adam had shown up on our doorstep for a date with our roommate, (or daughter), we would have slammed the door in his face. Take heart. America loves you, Adam. Now that's some fine writing.
Game over, television and screenwriters! We want better from you than you've been giving us. Rent Season One of Girls. Take notes. Get busy writing.
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