What I’m Watching: Girls

Girls: Season 6, Episode 6 “Full Disclosure” (B+)

This episode was a return to more of the conversations that have helped to define this show throughout its run, and the content of this half-hour constituted what this show should be covering right now. Hannah isn’t being too subtle about her pregnancy, telling the world in a blunt way and almost always receiving laughter as a response since no one can believe that she would actually be seeing considering having a baby. I enjoyed the fact that even the likes of Keith, her father’s boyfriend, decided to weigh in on whether she should tell the father, something she apparently considered at the end of the episode even if it didn’t lead to much since the operator couldn’t connect her to Jean-Louis. Jessa coming by to tell her that she was hurt was interesting, and her choice of the word “dear” to describe her friendship with Hannah was telling, since it didn’t indicate any sort of real or true closeness but rather an enduring presence devoid of substance or strength. Adam was obsessed, predictably since it’s his nature, with Hannah watching the movie to tell him if it was real, and the lingering shot of him calling her back to the bed at the end of the episode suggests that he may well be where she’s headed in the end. Desi showing up high was a predictable development, and the more telling thing is that, as articulated by her mom, Marnie still can’t tell when she’s around someone who’s not in his right mind and clearly under the influence of drugs. I’m not sure that we needed to see Marnie’s mom as her partner slash fake sister, since this seemed like a ripe opportunity to focus in on Marnie’s revitalized career as a solo artist.

What I’m Watching: Veep

Veep: Season 1, Episode 7 “Full Disclosure” (B+)

Seeing Selina mad is not a pretty sight. Her fury in this episode was palpable as she toyed with firing Amy, Mike, or Dan. Her instant rejection and demeaning of their suicide pact was entertaining, as was Dan’s quick abandonment of it. The fact that she praised Gary as the sole valuable person around since he actually cared was quite amusing, and he did do a commendable job preemptively breaking up with Ted for her when she thought that he was about to do the very same thing. Her miscarriage solves a major problem, but Smile Story was definitely pervasive throughout this episode. Her solution, to pin the whole thing on Amy being the one who was pregnant and therefore influenced to make unsound decisions, was effective but cruel nonetheless. I liked the suggestion of Sue as the person to be fired, and something tells me Sue wouldn’t have gone down without a fight. The most hilarious moment of the episode was Selina rhetorically asking Mike if he was really writing down their secret plan not to fully disclose everything. Seeing Jonah is his natural habitat was expectedly pitiful, and his anger at the nickname e-mail being leaked was enjoyable. It’s hard to believe there’s just one episode left in this season, but fortunately this show will be back for another round of mishaps next year. I wouldn’t expect this Sunday’s finale to be terribly eventful, but I’m sure it will provide a fitting temporary conclusion to this first season’s terrific arc.