What I’m Watching: Girls

Girls: Season 3, Episode 7 “Beach House” (B-)

There was clearly a lot of tension brewing between our four protagonists, and they didn’t need Adam or Ray or any other guy around to make it worse. Truth be told, it wasn’t really Elijah’s fault either since, duck comments aside, he was actually on pretty good behavior and at his most sympathetic. Hannah, on the other hand, deliberately decided to invite Elijah and his friends over after expressly hearing Marnie chastise Jemma for inviting strangers over since she didn’t want to overimpose on her hosts and wanted it just to be the four of them. I understand her frustration with Marnie wanting to micromanage the entire weekend to make sure it came out perfectly and therapeutically, but it’s hard to deny Hannah’s selfish impulse to disregard her wishes entirely and invite the boys to stay for dinner. When the inevitable explosion of emotion happened, it certainly was awkward, and, seated coordinated dancing at the end aside, I don’t think any of it was truly resolved. What bothered me most about the exchange was that I didn’t feel that anything Shoshanna said fit her character. She may have been drunk, sure, but I’ve never heard her swear almost at all, and to hear it constantly and so negatively just didn’t track. Hannah and Marnie played their roles more consistently, while Jemma didn’t contribute all that much. These friends are interesting, but seeing them in their natural habits may be more reliable in the future. A getaway like this can only be so useful.