Last Night On Girls: Singing Solos, Bad Sex, & A Trip To The Hospital
Every Sunday, the editors at Refinery29 sit down for a serious chat about the latest episode of HBO's Girls. This week, they're joined by Carlye Wisel, writer, compulsive overeater, and Marnie obsessive, who chronicles life's odd and embarrassing misadventures on her blog, Awkward City, Population 1.
Annie: "First things first: Let's talk about Adam's new 'girlfriend.'"
Carlye: "Oh boy. That's just never going to work out. It's sad and judgey of me to think so, but for them to work, Adam has to be someone he's not — and if he wants to be a different type of person, he has to change for himself, not her."
Annie: "So true. He has been suppressing and suppressing and now after one Jack and Ginger, the whole bag of crazy is coming out all at once...no pun intended."
Carlye: "I think it can also be summed up by her comments about his home and wanting to clean it up. They've been dating for...a week? And she waltzes into the physical embodiment of him as a person and wants to start changing it? I think he knew at that moment, too — which is why he pushed her sexual boundaries."
Susan: "I also think a piece of him missed Hannah's rawness and her imperfections. He wanted to see how far he could take Natalia until she got grossed out — 'cool girl name' and all. And he knows she's lying when she says his apartment is "darker than you are." He's like, girl, you ain't seen nothin' yet. But I have to admit, that scene brought me back to a few creepy apartments I shouldn't have been in. I felt for her."
Annie: "Yeah, he was kind of like, 'Well, cat's out of the bag, let's see how far I can take this.'"
Carlye: "And then she laid down ground rules immediately; Hannah was always just kind of letting him take the lead."
Annie: "Speaking of taking the lead, let's jump to Marnie for a second...who all of a sudden developed a singing voice, some serious balls, and bought a bodycon dress. I'm a big fan of Charlie despite his underdeveloped character. I'm happy they end up hooking up, even if it is on his desk. Thoughts?"
Susan: "I know, I was happy that they hooked up, too. And for the first time he was kinda sexy. I feel like Shosh. By the way, the doughnut-'do was hilarious."
Carlye: "I can't help but think that Charlie's sort of speaking to himself when he says she's floundering. His company's sold and it's successful, but he clearly doesn't give two f*cks about it. I'm actually shocked she's giving the singing thing such a confident go, considering it's just so out of character."
Susan: "This was the self-destruction episode. But Marnie's Kanye-catastrophe was the hardest one to witness — even harder than watching Hannah butcher her eardrum."
Annie: "Yes, and that was hard! But I think Charlie's happy to see her "floundering." It puts him back in the driver's seat and reels her back in a way she hasn't been in a while. That first kiss is almost a reminder to her like 'remember this....' BOOYAH."
Carlye: "Totally. Her Stepford-wife facade is completely gone, but this, along with some other stuff in the episode, just strikes me as so fishy. It feels almost like they were in the writers' room and went, 'gah, we only have three episodes left?!' and turned up the dial on the drama. Oh, and also, can we discuss that lil' Ricky Van Veen cameo? That's when this episode kind of went off the rails for me. Like, you put Allison Williams' real-life boyfriend across the room from her, while she's having a conversation about her real-life best friend Katy Perry? That, paired with Charlie's entire company sold, IAC Barry Diller-type workspace 'in Chelsea,' it's just a little too much, especially for a show that's known for its nepotism."
Susan: "All really good points. I was more focused on everyone wanting something bright, shiny, and new. Adam wanting to want the hot girlfriend, Shosh wanting anyone but homeless Ray, Marni wanting successful Charlie. And Hannah wanting to go back to childhood or something. When her publisher says, 'did your hymen grow back' at the beginning — that was bit of a foreshadowing!"
Annie: "Wow! I hadn't thought of it like that but totally, totally true. Okay, so lets assume they're making fun of themselves in a campy way and it's kind of one big inside joke. At the same time...inside jokes aren't that fun for people who aren't part of them."
Photos: Courtesy of HBO
Next
- 1 of 2
in NYC