There’s a scene in Season 2 of Girls where Marnie announces that she’s got a new job as a hostess at a club. She’s wearing her uniform: high-waisted shorts and suspenders. (Elijah tells her she looks like a slutty Von Trapp child. Haha.) Her friend and former roommate Hannah, who is as usual by the fridge stuffing her face, says she would never work there because SHE has made an active choice not to sell out her gender. Ouch. Lets forget that both girls have taken jobs that are clearly meant to make rent, given the economy has rendered it impossible for them to make money at jobs they are qualified it. So, let’s call you un-feminist because you’re doing what it takes to make it in the city.
Increasingly, I have become disgruntled with the characters in Girls, and indeed the whole show, which is sad considering I loved it to death in its first season. For starters, since season 2 premiered last week, it became evident that the writers should change the name to Girl, or Hannah since Lena Dunham’s character occupies all the episodes screen time. Very little Marnie, a slim bunch of scenes with Jessa and worst of all HARDLY ANY SHOSHANNA WHO IS TOTES THE MOST AMAZE PERSON ON THE SHOW. While the dialogue still holds a semblance of sharpness, the characters (the character) are starting to grate on my nerves.
It was all very well in season one, where Hannah and gang had to establish the plight of a young person living a hardscrabble existence in tougher-than-nails New York. Part time jobs that make the rent, long term boyfriends that have started to piss you off, jerk boys you obsess about and get bored of when they start liking you…I got all of that. There’s even a scene in season one where Hannah has just found out her ex boyfriend is gay. She’s messed up about it, but instead she starts dancing in her room. Have I ever had “All-my Life has been a lie’ moments and then literally started dancing with a friend right after? Yes. Which is why I was looking forward to season two. But if the show has tried to bring back the kind of spontaneous freshness of that moment, it has failed and that’s me being nice about it.
Hannah has done a fair bit of annoying things this season. She broke up with Sandy (who breaks up with Troy?) because he didn’t like her essay and she threw a fit about it and put it down to “wouldn’t date someone who didn’t respect women and gays.” Please!
Be a confused toss-up of defiance and insecurity, “Oh you’re saying I’m not good looking enough for a pretty girl job?” As a person who always sees slights where none are intended, I get that Hannah can be insecure about her looks and her writing but she should at least rein it in. Or try to. Getting snarky when Marnie got her waitress job. Just say, good for you, and move on like a friend. You work at Grumpy’s and Ray is your boss for heaven sake. (Though Ray is amazing btw. Love that guy)
In any case, I am still giving Girls a chance. I would perhaps be ready to forgive the increasing annoyance of Hannah, if Lena Dunham writes in scenes with the rest of the cast. You’ll understand my not wanting to spend thirty minutes of my week dealing with all the problems in Hannah-world.
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