Monday, January 14, 2013

Girls Recap: Season 2: Episode 1: "Its All About Time"

Well after seeing season one I decided to write a nice little recap of what happened in this past episode. Girls has been a very interesting look into the strange world of 20-something girls living in gentrified Brooklyn finding love and trying to get by as best they can. It is like Sex in the City but without a shoe budget, rich boyfriends, or huge uptown apartments. I enjoy Dunhams comedy and willingness to make herself look ridiculous to get a laugh out the audience. I have been looking forward to this new season for a while.



This current season finds lots of role reversals with Hannah (Lena Dunham) being much more in charge than the first season. The first scene is with her snuggled up with her gay roommate and seemingly totally over Adam from the first season. She is now dating (kind of) a black guy named Sandy played by the comedian Donald Glover. She is feeling guilty about not telling Adam about their being together. Sandy and Hannah gambol about kissing and having sex with one another in several scenes. I guess Sandy is Dunhams way of deflecting the "Brooklyn is just a bunch of white people" attacks she got last year. Sandy seems like a nice enough fellow and I'm sure Hannah will make him fall for her and then kick him in the nuts in the coming episodes.

The next scene shows Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) smudging her room with sage to purify it from the bad energies that losing her virginity seemed to cause. It seems that Ray has de-flowered her and ran for it. Then we see Marnie (Allison Williams) getting fired after lunch by her weird-assed boss who seems to tower over her for some reason. The boss can't fire the other screw-up guy that also works in the gallery because she slept with him and is afraid of a lawsuit.

Hannah is now taking care of Adam who is in a long leg cast. It seems that being clipped by the mirror of a truck has somehow broken his leg pretty badly. Hannah is being a total housemaid to him but she is no longer with him. She even holds a pot to let him take a piss into. She doesn't seem mortified or embarrassed and had a "no big deal" look on her face. This is a far cry from her freaking out when he peed on her in the shower. Hannah seems to be growing or maybe she is just used to Adams urine.

Next we see Hannah and her gay roommate stringing up lights for a house party. They are so cutsey together as they suggest various theme nights. I was thinking that those nights will never happen because Hannah will be taking care of Adam, banging Sandy, or generally being the same selfish ass-hat that she often devolves into.

Meanwhile Marnie is having a tough go of things. She is told "she looks 30" by her mother. She actually does look quite a bit older for some reason. I think they darkened her makeup or something because she looks thin, tired, and miserable. Maybe it was a lens filter that Dunham chose or something. The scene with her and her mother played by Rita Wilson is hilarious. I loved the line "sometimes you just want rough hands on your body" said by Wilson and then seeing Marnie going "that's gross."

Now we cut to the houseparty which is a bunch of hipsters with faux-hawks hanging out and drinking wine. There seems to be a multi-racial crowd too. I guess its more compensation by Dunham to shed her "racism." Shoshanna is avoiding Ray as best she can but you know they are getting back together.

Marnie sits down in Hannahs room to talk. She feels that she has lost everything and needs some sympathy. Hannah gets naked to change clothes. I think Dunham is contractually obligated to get naked at least a few times in every episode. Hannah has that "I'm too busy to be a friend" vibe going and says she has been busy writing and hanging out with Sandy and nursing Adam. In other words her life and struggles take center stage all the time. Suddenly her gay roommate bursts in and tells her to help him with his drunk boyfriend.

Next there is a scene with Marnie talking to her ex-bf Charlie hanging outside of the toilet waiting for his current GF the "tiny-Navaho." He says that she doesn't know anyone at the party so he is waiting for her right outside of the toilet. This is exactly why I hate this character. He is such a wimpy bastard. Just wave her over if she looks lost. She asks Marnie "if she has any powder" which I assume means coke. Um, trouble in paradise between the love-birds. Marnie can swoop in and pounce on this wimpy bastard if she wants him. 

The drunk gay boyfriend is doing Karaoke and then starts berating the young hipsters for being "boring and not doing even doing one fucking song." He rips into the 20-somethings in a way that is familiar to watchers of the show. It seems that older characters making fun of or berating the precious 20-somethings is running gag that never seems to get old.

Hannah walks the drunk guy outside and then runs back and locks him outside of the apartment. She also has to deliver pain meds and a care package who gets all "I'll die without you" on Hannah. She elects to stay with him instead of going back to her party.

Before that happens we see Shoshanna looking for her purse and Ray comes in and they have a nice little scene. Ray complains that when she isn't next to him she sends him texts with "emojis" with a panda, a gun and a present. I have no idea what he is talking about here or what that is supposed to mean. I guess this shows that Shoshanna is nutty. However, Ray seems to be drawn to her and he tells her he misses her charm, innocence, and strength. He misses her "fresh vibrant sincerity." They have a passionate kiss and are all over each other. I am really hoping these two live happily every after. If Dunham is smart she makes this the "relationship that works" to contrast all of the other Girls and their mistakes.

Then we cut back to the party and everyone has left except for Marnie and Hannah's gay roommate (Elija) are singing Karaoke in a boozy stupor. Marnie says she couldn't be a gay man because "she hates giving blow jobs and she hates anal sex. She assumes." She hasn't had anal sex so she has no reference. This is typical Marnie. She seems to love to over-share about herself.

Then it seems Elijah really isn't "all the way gay" and comes in for a hard kiss. Marnie hits him and he kisses her again. Then they have one of the most tortured sex scenes I have seen in a long time. Marnie is doing everything she can to cover her boobs while Elijah gets naked in a flash. I guess Williams is contractually obligated to cover he naked body at all times because she nearly dislocates her shoulder to take off her top. They have intercourse but Marnie ruins it by rolling her eyes when Elijah gets a little soft and needs some hand stimulation. I replayed the scene and Marnie really doesn't roll her eyes but does have a weird look on her face. I was waiting for Hannah to bust in on them inflagrante delecto for added hilarity but that wasn't meant to be. The scene ends with both of them sitting there with a "what the hell was that" look on their faces.

Finally we see Hannah going to Sandy's apartment for late night hanky-panky even though earlier she says she wouldn't be doing that. She strips down to the panties in like 5 seconds and lays on his bed. Then we see Marnie go over to Charlies place because she "just wants to sleep next to someone." I think Marnie is going in for some serious craziness this coming season. Hannah is self-centered as always, her mom doesn't seem to care, Charlie is a wussy bitch, and Jessa is married to some rich doofus so there is no one there for her. She is going to be rudderless and jobless much how Hannah was in the first season but with no Adam to obsess about. I'm thinking there will be an epic meltdown for poor Marnie.




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