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S04.E02: Triggering

Tara Ariano

By Tara Ariano
in Girls [V]

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Ffiferoo

Ffiferoo

Too much Hannah. I was actually happy to see Elijah.

 

Agreed.  My big worry about this season is that the multiple locations will mean lots of episodes with mostly Hannah scenes.  As much as I did like the other students in her program criticizing her writing, I just can't stay engaged with her story on its own.  Elijah was great as usual, but I continue to feel guilty that I like the men on this show more than the women.

 

Was it a bird or a bat that flew into the house?  I have had a bat experience and it was terrifying, so that was the thing about this episode that really resonated with me, sadly (aside from the bookstore at New Paltz and my old dorm, because probably this whole season will be about me mentioning that they filmed there...).

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opus

opus

(edited)

Agreed. My big worry about this season is that the multiple locations will mean lots of episodes with mostly Hannah scenes. As much as I did like the other students in her program criticizing her writing, I just can't stay engaged with her story on its own. Elijah was great as usual, but I continue to feel guilty that I like the men on this show more than the women.

Was it a bird or a bat that flew into the house? I have had a bat experience and it was terrifying, so that was the thing about this episode that really resonated with me, sadly (aside from the bookstore at New Paltz and my old dorm, because probably this whole season will be about me mentioning that they filmed there...).

I thought it would be a little cool to see New Paltz on Girls, but I actually feel kind of resentful that they're making it look like it's in a boring state like Iowa. No offense, Iowa.

Does anyone know where they filmed this episode? Edited by GaryE
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LilaFowler

LilaFowler

(edited)

Poor Shosh and Jessa, they only got one scene of watching tv and struggling to answer a collect call.  Marnie didn't get much more but I can't stand her so I didn't care.

Edited by JacqaloonLaurita
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Morbs

Morbs

(edited)

Wouldn't Hannah have more experience though in work shops and know how to behave?  Usually the instructor, in my experience, gives a lot of warnings on the first day to prevent episodes like her behavior.  One warned us never to treat a fiction piece as nonfiction and talk to the student as if it was them because a lot of students write about themselves a lot.  Another warned us never to use the class as therapy.  I almost got kicked out once for using a type face that was too small!  Writing workshops are so awful, except for hopefully the kindred spirits you could meet that could actually help you develop.  I guess that's just Hannah though and I'm expecting her to get it together a little more.  But certainly the other students wouldn't care if Hannah was clearly writing about herself because they would have dealt with that before.  It was a good scene though, and I realize Lena was probably using it to respond to her actual real life critics, but I'm being nit picky because that's what I'm here for.

 

But seriously those outfits, if I saw her riding around on that bike I think I would do a double take and stare.

Edited by Morbs
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chocolatine

chocolatine

Everyone in that workshop was such a pretentious asshole - is that really how writers' workshops usually go? And the paragraph Hannah read out wasn't well written at all; I know the point of attending grad school is to improve her writing, but there has to be some raw talent to build on. 

 

I wonder where Hannah gets an extra $550 to spend on that big house every month - is it all debt (hence the Amex incident at the store), or are her parents supporting her again? It can't possibly be savings given how little paying work she's done in the first three seasons. I know this is TV and I need to suspend disbelief and all, but as someone who's been self-supporting since age 19 my head always explodes when TV characters have a lifestyle that's wildly disproportionate to their income.

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Ffiferoo

Ffiferoo

It seems like her parents might be helping her with her rent, despite what she said about how she's not dependent on them anymore.  I can't imagine she can afford that place on what money she may have had in savings (if she had any).  I might have gotten confused, but it was a bigger place that she ended up with than the initial $250 one, right?  It seemed to shift over when she asked what she could get for $800.

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chocolatine

chocolatine

(edited)
It seems like her parents might be helping her with her rent, despite what she said about how she's not dependent on them anymore.  I can't imagine she can afford that place on what money she may have had in savings (if she had any).  I might have gotten confused, but it was a bigger place that she ended up with than the initial $250 one, right?  It seemed to shift over when she asked what she could get for $800.

 

 

Yes, exactly. She was shown a perfectly nice little apartment that the realtor lady said was $250, but Hannah asked her what she could get for $800. The realtor then showed her the house, to which Hannah said "two fucking thumbs up" and then boasted about it to Marnie on Skype. So she's spending $550/month more than she has to, with money that can't possibly be hers.

 

ETA:

Doesn't she have a grant or something to attend this school?

 

 

I don't think that was mentioned explicitly - does everyone who gets into the Iowa Writers' Workshop get a full ride? Tuition alone must be at least $30k for non-residents, and it's hard to believe she would get a lot more on top of that.

Edited by chocolatine
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scrb

scrb

 Maybe she has money left over from that GQ job which she bailed on?

 

The set up appears to be whether she'll squander the opportunity that the program represents.  She goes in with an attitude but the classroom scene, the store scene are nothing we haven't seen before.

 

It's the way she behaved with that GQ job, thinking for some reason she was better than others.

 

There seems to be no sign of growth or comeuppance.  It's hard to see any sympathetic qualities in any of the Girls.  As has been said many times here and elsewhere, the male characters come across better.

 

Lena Dunham may be a traitor to her gender.

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Fisher King

Fisher King

Hannah: I hate everyone who isn't you.

Elijah: I know, me too.

Hannah: Your body looks amazing. I haven't seen your pubic hair in a long time.

Elijah: I just grew it back!

 

Hannah to crying girl at party: Your boyfriend is cheating on you? Where the fuck is that dingbat? So this is a long distant thing? Then you're gonna need to snap out of it, honey. Them's the rules. Don't ask, don't tell. If you're not gonna know what he's doing there, he's not gonna know what you're doing here, and that's okay.. You're gonna move out into that living room and you're gonna bust a nut. You're gonna get your dick wet. You are gonna get yours. You can't sit around being little miss faithful. That's just crazy. Are you crazy? Come here, drink this.  I'm sorry. I've just seen a lot of things. I'm 25 years old and I'm here to help you.

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EdnasEdibles

EdnasEdibles

I liked the episode. I feel like she did a good job capturing the excited hopeful aching loneliness that comes from moving somewhere new on your own. I have had conversations like she had with her mom on the phone.

I hope we do get to see her learn to accept feedback and grow as a writer.

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CofCinci

CofCinci

I'm going to augment the series by pretending that IowaElijah is a figment of Hannah's imagination.  Elijah would not go to Iowa nor would he let his pubic hair grow back. 

 

I love Elijah so much but the series is relying on him too much.  Give him his own series or use him in moderation.  Is he going to pep talk everyone this season?  Next stop Shosh?

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teddysmom

teddysmom

Is that the house where Julia Roberts lived in "Sleeping With The Enemy"?  I know rent is much cheaper here in the Midwest than in NYC, but I do not believe you could rent a house that big and nice anywhere for $800/month.  Especially a college town where rentals are prime real estate.     Also, what was wrong with the one bedroom she saw?  

 

Elijah is the best, period. He lifts this show out of the "poor me" doldrums and into "yeah I've made poor choices but we are going to PARTY".   Loved his little encounter in the bathroom.  "Does this happen at every party?"   "It does at the ones I go to". 

 

Marnie - still an idiot. 

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applecrisp

applecrisp

Everyone in that workshop was such a pretentious asshole - is that really how writers' workshops usually go? And the paragraph Hannah read out wasn't well written at all; I know the point of attending grad school is to improve her writing, but there has to be some raw talent to build on. 

 

Agree, they were just as pretentious as Hannah.  Also, I have rarely liked the authors or books that have come out of the Iowa Writers Workshop.

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EyesGlazed

EyesGlazed

I thought the workshop scene was great.  I too have participated in such a workshop (as an undergrad) and your natural tendency is to be really defensive about your writing.  Especially since, as is often the case with young writers, your stories tend to be about you and about events and people that you've encountered.  In fact, I learned something about myself from hearing my classmates discuss the main character in one of my stories, which was basically me.  

 

That said, are we going to see any character development at all from Hannah?  We've watched her f*** up over and over in New York, and now we're going to watch her f*** up over and over in Iowa?  Most twenty-somethings mature somewhat over the course of a few years.  

 

And that said, will any of the Girls ever do anything right?  It's getting a bit unrealistic and frustrating that they are all such f***ups.  I do have some hope for Shosh.  She might actually get a job and keep it.

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Ffiferoo

Ffiferoo

I'm going to augment the series by pretending that IowaElijah is a figment of Hannah's imagination.  Elijah would not go to Iowa nor would he let his pubic hair grow back. 

 

 

 

That's a very good point.  I went ahead and accepted his presence because it was welcome, but it actually makes no sense for him to have shown up like that.  

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nachomama

nachomama

I expected it would be Adam who shows up unexpectedly. Hannah and Elijah have a very shallow love of each other, meaning he wasn't visiting to benefit Hannah but to get a break from New York and she didn't particularly care that it was him, just that it was somebody she knew and he now makes her seem cool from the party. 

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bunnywithanaxe

bunnywithanaxe

The whole series is kind of absurdist, anyway, so random stuff that doesn't make sense fits that tone. I just shrug and go along with the journey.

The writing workshop was definitely absurdist-- one writer basically gets told every word he writes is a glittering diamond on the page, and nobody can come up with a single " good note" on the other? This is the writer's version of that dream where you show up for a test you haven't studied for. Naked.

And personally, I think Dunham's consistant message is that, no matter what huge fuckups these girls are, they are still loveable, which is a refreshing change from " everybody will love you when you get that makeover." I don't think we are supposed to pick which character we hate the most , like Real Housewives. I think we are supposed to love all of them at their most flawed. That * is* rather feminist to me-- the idea that you don't have to be perfect, or become perfect, to be loved.

This ep reminded me of all those times when I was Hanna's age* when I was struggling so hard to be accepted that I actively did things that guaranteed people would reject me. It's painful to watch because it was painful to go through, and I want to snap " just suck it up and stop back talking the feedback!" during the workshop scene, and "stop bragging about being a grad student! " during the bookstore scene ( although I was proud of Hannah for standing up for herself over the card.) But allowing us to laugh about Hannah's flaws, and then sending Elijah in like Jiminy Cricket to remind her she is loved, helps me forgive and love that little idiot I was. Which also helps me forgive and love the idiot I am.

Or maybe I just read too much Anne Lamott. : D

* or perhaps a decade or two older...

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TVForever

TVForever

(edited)

I'm going to augment the series by pretending that IowaElijah is a figment of Hannah's imagination.  Elijah would not go to Iowa nor would he let his pubic hair grow back. 

 

 

 

 That's an interesting idea. As much as I love Elijah, it did seem odd that he would just show up in Iowa like that. Does he have a job back in New York?  It would be so funny if you turned out to be on the right track!

Edited by TVForever
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Momof2boyz

Momof2boyz

Loved this episode. Hannah was so full of herself and sure that the others in the workshop would be blown away by her writing, but they hated it. And she was so proud that she was a grad student, but nobody was impressed. The bike being stolen was just the ultimate FU to her,

Did anyone notice that when she asked Marnie about Adam, Marnie was very evasive, and in the scenes from next week there seems to be more of the same, and then we see Adam walking wth Jessa (right before she gets arrested). Wonder if something is going on there...

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bunnywithanaxe

bunnywithanaxe

Marnie wasn't evasive, she was taunting. She's the one who brought Adam up, then cockteased Hannah by acting like she'd been grilling her. But yeah, something is definitely up.

Jessa is probably my favorite Girl, but if Adam is gonna hook up with anybody, I'd rather it be Shosh. They just seem comfortable with each other.

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EyesGlazed

EyesGlazed

And personally, I think Dunham's consistant message is that, no matter what huge fuckups these girls are, they are still loveable, which is a refreshing change from " everybody will love you when you get that makeover." I don't think we are supposed to pick which character we hate the most , like Real Housewives. I think we are supposed to love all of them at their most flawed. That * is* rather feminist to me-- the idea that you don't have to be perfect, or become perfect, to be loved.

I get you and it's a good point.  But the show never portrays the Girls as doing anything right, or practical, or kind or adult, except that very occasionally they are good to each other.  To me, it would be more poignant, and realistic, if we saw them occasionally succeed or do something cool, and then f** up again.  That's what growing up is.

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CofCinci

CofCinci

Marnie wasn't evasive, she was taunting. She's the one who brought Adam up, then cockteased Hannah by acting like she'd been grilling her. But yeah, something is definitely up.

You are so right. She information or speculations.
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KnoxForPres

KnoxForPres

(edited)

Marnie wasn't evasive, she was taunting. She's the one who brought Adam up, then cockteased Hannah by acting like she'd been grilling her. But yeah, something is definitely up.

.

Yes. She was such a passive agressive bitch. Alison Williams, suprisingly, nailed that scene.

I think the writers scene maybe would have played better had we heard only the last sentence of the black guys story. The orgasms everyone had for it felt unrealistic as what we heard didn't warrant that level of praise. And I don't believe that was an intended point.

Had the newbie Hannah shut her mouth and not had that God forsaken intro, likely the feedback would have been better.

Edited by KnoxForPres
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FozzyBear

FozzyBear

I have say the whole Hannah is so self-absorbed it's like talking to a toddler joke is getting old. Yeah 25 is still young, but it's a ways past teenager. I rolled my eyes so hard at the cheap rent jokes. Yeah she's been in NYC, but she grew up in Michigan and went to school in Ohio, plus Craigslist exists. I think even Hannah would know Iowa City is going to be really cheap as compared to NYC. I'm hoping this season is going to be more than just mid-western jokes because you know Hannah didn't even know what corn looks like...I can see them coming.

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Crazy8

Crazy8

This was the first episode I've really enjoyed in a long time. The bat scene was hilarious because that's probably how I'd react too and Elijah and his re-grown pubic hair were such a relief from Hannah's endless navel-gazing.

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bunnywithanaxe

bunnywithanaxe

(edited)

Yes. She was such a passive agressive bitch. Alison Williams, suprisingly, nailed that scene.

I think the writers scene maybe would have played better had we heard only the last sentence of the black guys story. The orgasms everyone had for it felt unrealistic as what we heard didn't warrant that level of praise. And I don't believe that was an intended point.

Had the newbie Hannah shut her mouth and not had that God forsaken intro, likely the feedback would have been better.

I've found Williams to be pretty on point with most of her scenes. For one thing, she has amazing comedic timing.

And I thought the fact that everyone was afraid to criticize that inferior ZZ Packer knockoff Workshop's Pet presented was kind of the point. Whether they were trying to be with-it and praised the story based on its implied social message or the guy had creds that they were afraid to knock is up for debate, but the reading was definitely lackluster. I thought the implication was the group was kind of cliquey and let their personal opinions affect their critique.

And for my part, I found the opening paragraph of Hannah's story intriguing.

Edited by bunnywithanaxe
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SFoster21

SFoster21

I've found Williams to be pretty on point with most of her scenes. For one thing, she has amazing comedic timing.

And I thought the fact that everyone was afraid to criticize that inferior ZZ Packer knockoff Workshop's Pet presented was kind of the point. Whether they were trying to be with-it and praised the story based on its implied social message or the guy had creds that they were afraid to knock is up for debate, but the reading was definitely lackluster. I thought the implication was the group was kind of cliquey and let their personal opinions affect their critique.

And for my part, I found the opening paragraph of Hannah's story intriguing.

Me too. The tongue bath the other story received was ridiculous, IMO. But, Hannah, if the art doesn't speak for itself, you've failed.

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peeayebee

peeayebee

I really thought the workshop scene was a response to Lena's issues that she had with her biography that came out a little while ago.  I laughed through the entire thing, because I love that the other writers were hazing her.  

I think Lena said that this ep was written (and maybe filmed) before her book came out. However, it's easy to see the ep as a fictional view of various criticisms thrown at her and the show.

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sugarbaker design

sugarbaker design

Yeah, it was totally about the criticisms about the show.  Lena has a fictional heroine named Hannah who has a fictional heroine named Anna...

 

The tongue bath the other story received was ridiculous

 

 

The only thing more funny than the tongue bath was Hannah and Elijah's dance moves (or Elijah's helping hand).

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The Solution

The Solution

Is Hannah's friend in the writers' workshop a transsexual? The one who told her not to lock up her bike? I think that could be interesting. I would like to see Hannah have an experience with a transsexual.

 

Wasn't the one that everybody loved Gary Cooper in The Newsroom? I watch too much television.

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