Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

S04.E06: Close Up


Tara Ariano

Recommended Posts

Hannah has an epiphany after doing some soul-searching; Shoshanna has another terrible interview, but finds a reason to be optimistic; Ray goes to a community board meeting to discuss a noise issue in his neighborhood; Marnie and Desi can't agree on how to classify their sound.
Link to comment

Adam handled the abortion news better than expected.

He'll crawl back to Hannah one day.

I can see Hannah doing well as a teacher. Hopefully they don't put her in an inner-city school with sassy urban kids like that one season of The Wire.

Edited by CofCinci
  • Love 3
Link to comment

Hannah as a teacher in NYC...those kids are going to eat her up alive...that being said any storyline where Hannah is tore down and told the brutal truth about herself i'm all for.

 

I really thought that the episode was going to end w/ Adam back at Hannah's door.

 

Desi could only wish he and Marnie could be as good as She & Him.

 

Marnie and Desi having sex to their own music...ugh...

 

I'm not sure what to think of Elijah and the reasons he came crawling back to NYC...he is a mess of epic proportions.

 

I think the worst part of the episode was Jess being at the lunch w/ everyone else.  Come on Hannah grow a backbone and tell the bitch off already.

  • Love 10
Link to comment

I can't seem to imagine Hannah being a teacher but I liked the fact that she's realizing writing is not for her. This season is really making me remember that these people are friends (except for Jessa who's annoying me) and the talks are much more relatable.

Edited by braziliangirl
  • Love 2
Link to comment

Nearly anyone is better as a girlfriend than Hannah, but Mimi-Rose makes me want to punch something. Preferably her smug face.

 

Hannah IS a neurotic, selfish mess, but I'm starting to think that the best possible thing she could do in order to obtain some personal growth is shed herself of all her awful "friends."

  • Love 3
Link to comment

Hannah needs a new therapist, seems to me like he fabricated that whole "wow" moment with all of the suggestions about wanting to help people.  The only leap bigger than that is that Hannah thinks she can walk in off the street with her resume and be a teacher.  I certainly hope they're not going to just roll with that without making her at least work through Teaching Fellows or Teach for America to give some semblance of realism.

 

Elijah coming back from Iowa at the exact same time as Hannah was just as silly as him showing up there and staying, but his lines are still gold, so whatever.  I'm really enjoying Shoshanna this season, and I can't wait for what's going to happen next with Ray - I'm hoping for more of the DMV employee from Clueless who started that ridiculous argument, personally.  

 

I can't tell how I feel about Mimi-Rose.  I mostly like her, and I appreciated her giving Adam some straight information and not apologizing for being independent, but I also felt like she was saying in a way that she likes him because he's a novelty and that he's welcome to be a peripheral part of her life, but not to have a say in it.  It's interesting that she said she hadn't told previous partners about getting abortions but was trying to be honest with him about it to make a change - I can appreciate both ways of going about the situation, but it sure seems easier to just withhold the information if you know you're not interested in the other party's opinion.

  • Love 9
Link to comment

Why didn't Hannah make Adam put the wall back before moving out? 

 

Teachers out there, talk to me: would you go to an interview for a teaching position with your arm tattoos on full display? I know things have loosened up in the profession, but I didn't think things had relaxed that much!

 

By the way, yikes! to the way Mimi Rose blurted out to Adam about the abortion. I get that the choice to continuing a pregnancy is ultimately hers, but really, a little sensitivity goes a long way. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned it at all. 

Edited by TVForever
  • Love 8
Link to comment

I don't think Adam and Mimi-Rose will work out. Adam needs to be needed.

 

Shosh blew yet another interview - this has to lead somewhere, yes? Like daddy stopping the money train and Shosh finally having to fight for a job lest she become homeless. Otherwise it's like groundhog interview.

 

If Hannah couldn't assert herself against her Iowa classmates she won't last more than 30 seconds as a teacher. And her even getting an opportunity to teach with zero qualificiations would be as unrealistic as her getting into the Iowa Writers' Workshop with zero writing talent.

 

Marnie and Desi fucking to their own music. But of course. I wonder which couple will break up sooner - Adam/Mimi-Rose or Marnie/Desi.

 

ETA: Mimi-Rose going for a walk in her PJs - maybe she has more in common with Hannah than everyone originally thought?

Edited by chocolatine
  • Love 4
Link to comment

I did not like Mimi Rose last week, but after her blunt declaration of "I had an abortion yesterday", I think I'm in love.

mimi Rose is way too old to not be better at birth control. And if you are not going to tell him before, why tell him at all?

  • Love 16
Link to comment

Hannah as a teacher in NYC...those kids are going to eat her up alive...that being said any storyline where Hannah is tore down and told the brutal truth about herself i'm all for.

 

 

What school would hire her?  No background or coursework in teaching at ALL.  What was on that resume?  That she worked as a copywriter for a millisecond?  That she worked on an e-book but missed all her deadlines, tried to exploit the death of her editor, and ultimately failed to get the e-book published?  That she worked in a coffee shop for a while?   Friggin ridiculous.  They need to give her a reason to be hired, such as joining Teach for America or another program.   Otherwise, she's a highly unqualified young woman in an inappropriate dress walking into an interview for a job she doesn't understand and for which she isn't prepared.

 

 

Mimi-Rose going for a walk in her PJs - maybe she has more in common with Hannah than everyone originally thought?

 

Except that Mimi-Rose appears to bathe regularly and has a successful career, so that's an improvement.

Edited by terrymct
  • Love 6
Link to comment

Hannah was outside of a Catholic school in the parting shot. I live in a city with one of the largest catholic school educational systems in the country. From what I understand, it's "easier" to get hired at private school than at a public school.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Hannah was outside of a Catholic school in the parting shot. I live in a city with one of the largest catholic school educational systems in the country. From what I understand, it's "easier" to get hired at private school than at a public school.

 

It is.  I've had relatives who taught in Catholic schools who didn't have their State certification, but they all had at least some education related classes.   It varies, though, some Catholic schools are very good and the teachers have as good or better qualifications than the public schools in the area.   Just depends.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I would assume at this point that Hannah is getting hired as a substitute. It is fairly easy to do that without any teaching experience. When I moved to Chicago I didn't have a job and requested the sub packet from Chicago Public Schools and from what I recall I had to have a physical and proof that I'd graduated college. And no arrest record.  After that, I was golden. Fortunately I got a job and the children of Chicago didn't have to be saddled with me.  But yes, private school is even easier. My private high school hired teachers all the time with no teaching experience at all. It's nutty. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment

About Hannah teaching, I sorta fanwanked it into her getting the ball rolling by becoming a substitute/supply teacher first--even though many school districts have somewhat rigorous criteria that must be met, and even though it showed Hannah heading into a school, not a district office.

When my daughter went to summer school a couple of summers ago--in Toeonto--one of the teachers had a lot of tattoos and a rainbow mohawk and was very popular w/the students (primary age). So, I'm guessing that Hannah's tatts won't necessarily be a big deal.

And I was wrong about Mimi-Rose: I thought her YouTube speech was just an act, and that she'd actually be a ball of needy craziness that Adam would discover.. But maybe she does stay unaffected by romantic relationships and doesn't let them affect her decisions.

And, show, please quit showing Marnie and her icky, icky boyfriend being intimate. Barf!

Edited by Rockfish
  • Love 3
Link to comment

 

Teachers out there, talk to me: would you go to an interview for a teaching position with your arm tattoos on full display? I know things have loosened up in the profession, but I didn't think things had relaxed that much!

 

 

When my daughter went to summer school a couple of summers ago--in Toeonto--one of the teachers had a lot of tattoos and a rainbow mohawk and was very popular w/the students (primary age). So, I'm guessing that Hannah's tatts won't necessarily be a big deal.

 

My mother just retired from teaching after 40 years and she told me in her last few years of teaching she had a student-teacher who was her shadow basically.  The girl was nice and looked like a "mary-sunshine" type and ended up getting hired to the school for the next year.  Over the summer though she and her husband had a tattoo phase and when she came back that next fall she had tattoos all over both of her arms and up her neck and legs...not easily covered, not that she wanted to hide them my mom said.  She was promptly dismissed b/c of this so I think it still varies school district to school district.  I know that my mom said that each year the teachers had to sign a code of conduct and follow to it strictly.

  • Love 2
Link to comment

Mimi Rose kind of creeped me out.  You shouldn't 'need' your partner in a codependent way, but if you love someone there is an element of need.  It's a bit hard to swallow the independence crap when she moved in with her boyfriend within a week, or whatever.  That little speech paired with the blunt, rude way she dropped the abortion bomb really makes me give her the side eye.  It's totally her choice ultimately, but if you are intimate enough to be cohabitating with someone, looping them into that decision is the right thing to do.

 

And since I don't remember if birth control was mentioned, I give them both a big WHATEVER on this even happening in the first place.  If I recall, Adam is a no condom type of guy.  So if she wasn't on the pill, they are both morons for getting into this predicament.  Accidents happen but something about Mimi Rose's demeanor during the conversation made me think that abortion is her preferred method of birth control.  I find her very off putting.  But I guess Adam is to, so, have at it you guys!

 

Having said all of that, only Ray and Adam's storylines are in the least bit interesting to me.  Maybe "Girls" is a misnomer.

  • Love 9
Link to comment

I loved hearing Mimi-Rose's speech to Adam about not needing him there, but rather wanting him there. To me, that's the healthiest relationship description I've ever heard on a TV show. And I feel the same way about my husband: I love him dearly and I want him in my life and in our home. But do I "need" him? No. I can choose my own clothes, financially support myself, handle my own matters, etc. I think too many women choose men they think they need instead of men they actually want out of fear of being independent.

As for the abortion-- I'm not sure she needed to discuss it first. She knew she didn't want the pregnancy, so why did she need another voice in the decision-making? Even if Adam desperately wanted a baby, that doesn't mean it would have changed her decision, so why create conflict? My only question about it is whether she should have told him at all. It seemed like she wasn't totally planning to except that the issue of her physical activity came up, and she didn't want to lie about why she couldn't go jogging.

  • Love 2
Link to comment

Hannah could totally get a job at one of the progressive private schools in NYC, I would guess. Do we know where the character went to school? Lena went to St. Anne's and I have a friend who is alum there who got a job there at 23.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I think the most important discovery of this episode was if Mimi-Rose' apartment is that good why the fuck was she moving in on Hannah/Adam's????????

 

The speech she gave Adam was very admirable if it didn't go along with the not telling him about the abortion. Independence and empowerment yada, yada are all well and good if you're not completely completely wrapped up in yourself. There are things you can get away with not telling your partner, things that actually aren't their business per se, a baby is his business. Even if it's only 7 weeks into a relationship, the decision to not go further with a pregnancy might actually be the correct decision, it just wasn't hers alone to make. 

 

I like how Shosh is devolving, she started out with jobs she knew she was too good for, using them as practice, then comes the dawning that not everyone is going to be impressed and the world is not her oyster and now she's just angry. 

 

The thing I'm kind of gathering is that Hannah is our "known" fuck up quotient. We see her go at everything all wrong and witness her lack of self awareness but over and over the people around her are equally stupid if not even bigger fuck ups. Even her therapist, he was very condescending about the "wow" moments and kept going back to MImi-Rose being thin and elegant. I do think he googled her and I think he was wishing Mimi was his patient or his "after" if Hannah is the "before". When Desi first appeared we thought he was cool and semi successful musician, now he's creepy weird boyfriend. Elijah we admire because he says the things none of us dare to say and he lives his life with zero consequences but he also burns through people, Hannah is the only lasting staple, he had to get out of NYC to go to Iowa then burned up Iowa very rapidly, no one can take that 24/7 - 365.  

  • Love 3
Link to comment

I was wondering about Hannah just being able to walk in to a teaching job in the middle of the semester with NO training whatsoever, but you've kind of answered my questions, so I'll go with it. She's teaching English I'd guess at some private school in desperate need of a replacement.

 

i may have to look into this myself.

 

Shosh was hilarious. And it was hilarious that she got asked out and that's her new plan in life.

 

Ok, minor questiion. Why didn't Mimi-Rose just take the morning after pill? why isn't she or he using birth control? I mean I'm sorry but why does an independent grown-up woman has to have multiple abortions? Clearly this wasn't her first.  I know no birth control is 100% but it seemed contrived so they could have This Talk.

 

When did Adam become the kind of guy who makes  Sunday brunch? Didn't he lose the nice normal girlfriend by weird bondage shit? And he gave Hannah her tooth on a chain? Suddenly maybe the Power of Theatre has cured him? What?

 

Cannot.

Stand.

Desi.

  • Love 6
Link to comment

If you won't share the number of abortions you've had then it's too many. I understand rounding down or up numbers of former boyfriends etc, that is something you can decide with someone else whether or not to divulge. Not getting into the politics or right/wrong of abortion but it came across that not only is it not Adam's business but it isn't the kids or any future kids business. In the future I see her killing her kid's hamster because it was inconvenient for her. I understand it's her body/her business but you still don't get to be the Kim Jong Il of your own being. Kill on a whim. that isn't independence. And I would worry about any kid she had although I'm very deathly afraid of Adam's sister having that kid. 

 

And yes, morning after pill much better idea.

  • Love 2
Link to comment

Yeah that's the thing. Sounds like the abortion was early on which, good, but why do you need one anyway, are you that lackadaisical about your birth control? Surely one accident in your entire lifetime is enough?

Is she allergic to the pill or latex or something?

  • Love 2
Link to comment

Why is everyone assuming that Mimi Rose and Adam were living together in Hannah's apartment? I think he moved her shit out to make space for himself but never thought they were living together. Plus didn't worst-friend-ever Jessa ask him if they were at that stage yet, the day she peed in the street, and he said no?

  • Love 3
Link to comment

 

I was wondering about Hannah just being able to walk in to a teaching job in the middle of the semester with NO training whatsoever, but you've kind of answered my questions, so I'll go with it. She's teaching English I'd guess at some private school in desperate need of a replacement.

 

I'm thinking the Girls-verse and the Glee-verse are one in the same when it comes to teaching jobs.  Girls-verse we might possibly have Hannah teaching b/c she has done a few writing jobs and considers herself a writer, well a failure as one.  In the Glee-verse we have Rachel being qualified to lead glee-club b/c she has the money to run the club and we have Sam as the assistant football coach/physical ed teacher b/c he played football apparently.

 

I also never thought that Mimi-Rose was living at Hannah's apartment.  I think that she helped Adam make the apartment his own by getting rid of Hannah's stuff and also helping her new boyfriend re-decorate his apartment to her tastes.  I think she always had her place, but maybe she was spending 75% of her time at Adam's apartment b/c maybe it was better located in the city.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I also got the impression that Mimi Rose had moved in with Adam. Then after seeing her place in this episode, I thought, Geez! A wonderful loft space with what appeared to be her own private outdoor space? By herself? In NYC? WTH?!?!? What does she do again? And why would she EVER give that apt up to move in with anybody else? Then I realized I must have been mistaken about my first impressions. She didn't move into Hannah's place with Adam. But she certainly seemed to be sufficiently comfortable there to answer his door as if she were the lady of the house. So now, it looks like Adam has moved into her place. Just like he did with Hannah before her. Hmmm.


If he was living at Mimi-Rose's why was he knocking down a wall at Hannah's? 

I think he's only moved in with Mimi Rose since Hannah returned from Iowa, and since it really was Hannah's place, he would have to move out.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I think the confusion about who was living where arose in the last episode, the "morning after" when Hannah asked where Mimi-Rose was and Adam replied, "I don't know, probably her studio."  But Adam then made it clear that he would be decamping from his/Hannah's apartment: "Give me a day or two."  

 

So it looks as if he and Mimi-Rose had probably been spending most nights together in one or another's space, while they "saw where it went." Hannah's arrival back home precipitated their moving in together at Mimi-Rose's space. 

Link to comment

Hannah could totally get a job at one of the progressive private schools in NYC, I would guess. Do we know where the character went to school? Lena went to St. Anne's and I have a friend who is alum there who got a job there at 23.

 

I don't know what kind of training your friend had that might have been more relevant, so I could be wrong, but I personally can't imagine, in Hannah's case, that any self-respecting administrator at a New York City private school would even consider hiring her, not because of her age, but because she has no education experience at all.  Even without the regulations of the public school system, they have to answer to parents and be able to show that their staff are worth the cost of tuition.  

  • Love 2
Link to comment

I would assume at this point that Hannah is getting hired as a substitute. It is fairly easy to do that without any teaching experience. When I moved to Chicago I didn't have a job and requested the sub packet from Chicago Public Schools and from what I recall I had to have a physical and proof that I'd graduated college. And no arrest record.  After that, I was golden. Fortunately I got a job and the children of Chicago didn't have to be saddled with me.  But yes, private school is even easier. My private high school hired teachers all the time with no teaching experience at all. It's nutty. 

 

I know when I got my substitute certificate, I only had to have 60 hours of college credit. It didn't need to be in education and I didn't have to have completed my degree. That and passing a background check are the only requirements in the state of Missouri. I don't know how it is in New York. Private and charter schools sometimes don't require degrees in education or teaching certificates. I also have friends who have majored in English or history, but not education, and gotten hired as teachers in a public school. If they say that Hannah went through Teach for America, I'm going to be super pissed. TFA is incredibly tough to get into and you have to have a stellar resume with lots of leadership experience. I've made it to the final interview round three times for TFA and been rejected every time. 

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Hannah teaching private school teenagers is going to be horrible. And maybe awesome. 

 

I still love Mimi-Rose. I found her nonchalant mention of the abortion to be interesting and I thought Adam behaved the way many dudes would've. I sort of wondered why she would've mentioned it to him in the first place, but I think it was her way of spelling out perfectly clearly her boundaries. It might not work out between them, but I think having the character explore the idea of being with someone because they want them around and think they are neat rather than needing them as a caretaker. 

 

Of course Marnie and Mumford do it to their own music. Of course. 

 

"I am so happy for you and Jeremy and Simon, Scott. 'Harvard alum makes good,' that is such an exciting story! Do you mind if I write about it for Holy Shit magazine?!" this was my favourite Shoshana moment ever. And a much more articulated way of expressing what I often think when I read about start ups. 

  • Love 3
Link to comment

I too was wondering how Hannah would just walk into a school with absolutely no teaching experience or training, but I'm hoping that will be addressed in some way next week.

 

I find Mimi-Rose to be an interesting character. I completely understand and agree with her about love not meaning "need." I don't agree that it was fine not to tell Adam about the pregnancy. I do believe that the decision belongs to the woman, but since the pregnancy involved Adam, he should have been told. It's not like it was the result of a one-night stand. Anyway, I'm intrigued by her character.

 

I was very surprised to see Jessa there, though she and Hannah were sitting far apart. I hope there will be some sort of consequence to Hannah learning that Jessa set up Adam and MR.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I would never judge Mimi-Rose for getting an abortion. Unexpected pregnancy happens for myriad reasons.  It's odd, though, that she's had more than 2, and that she seems unfazed by this. Perhaps she ought to reconsider her current birth control. Whatever - I don't know women who have had more than one only because after the first they made sure to use at least two forms of birth control.

 

How did Adam get his old apartment back? Who paid for it while he lived at Hannah's? 

 

Was Scott played by Jason Street from Friday Night Lights?

 

Oh Hannah, so many people look at teaching like a back up profession. Go the private route if you just want to be a sage on the stage. If you are doing public, be aware that NYC schools get redesigned constantly. And there are no free snacks. (Faculty meetings occasionally have pizza but you have to fight other hungry teachers.)

  • Love 1
Link to comment

It's pretty difficult to find teaching jobs in the Northeast for both public and private. I am wondering of Lena is modeling this school off of of her old private school in Brooklyn.  St. Ann's is progressive so they might not have a problem with tattooed teachers. 

I am not sure what I think of Mimi-Rose. Is she suppose to be the opposite of Hannah in every way? Successful, confident, independent artist in the city? 

Link to comment
Wow. Hannah has the balls to include the Iowa Writers Workshop on her resume after studying there for 45 minutes.

 

 

I wonder if she even knows that employers routinely contact schools to verify education claimed on the resume.

 

My mind boggles at the low bar for private school teaching that I'm reading about here. I thought $$$ tuition meant highly qualified faculty.

Edited by chocolatine
  • Love 2
Link to comment

I wonder if she even knows that employers routinely contact schools to verify education claimed on the resume.

 

My mind boggles at the low bar for private school teaching that I'm reading about here. I thought $$$ tuition meant highly qualified faculty.

I teach at a public school, but my friends who teach at a private school make next to nothing. Some have their MA's while others just prefer the private setting. But the megabucks tuition does not go to salaries: it goes to massive resources and upkeep of beautiful grounds. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment

Hannah could totally get a job at one of the progressive private schools in NYC, I would guess. Do we know where the character went to school? Lena went to St. Anne's and I have a friend who is alum there who got a job there at 23.

I have two friends who went there and doors just flew open for them, pretty much just for the asking. One of them never even finished an undergraduate degree, but very quickly became an editor and then the managing editor of a very successful franchise, mainly on the strength of having gone to St. Anne's.

Edited by Hecate7
  • Love 1
Link to comment

I wouldn't really quantify it as "low bar"; the teachers taught Advanced Placement courses, and 100% of students received a score of 4 or 5. Everyone in my graduating class placed in the 96th (or higher) percentile for SATs and ACTs nationally, and *some* of it must've been the result of our instructors. :-)

Really motivated students who have had parents involved in their education only need exposure to certain ideas for them to run with them. They can handle the high-stakes testing no problem. Great teachers who work at public schools (I'm biased) deal with barely literate and unmotivated kids who have been pushed into high-level courses.

  • Love 3
Link to comment

Why is everyone assuming that Mimi Rose and Adam were living together in Hannah's apartment? I think he moved her shit out to make space for himself but never thought they were living together. Plus didn't worst-friend-ever Jessa ask him if they were at that stage yet, the day she peed in the street, and he said no?

 

 

I thought they were living at Mimi Rose's place.

She had her own place, but was hanging out/sleeping over at Adam's (Hannah's).  When Hannah came back, Adam obviously moved in with Mimi Rose.  I think people assumed she was living at Adam's, but that was incorrect.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
In other news, why hasn't Hannah punched Jessa in the face and cut her off yet?

 

I read a lot of opinions about Jessa's role in Adam's new relationship, but the only thing I fault Jessa for is lying to Hannah that she was certain she had told Hannah about introducing Mimi Rose to Adam.  Jessa is going to meetings with Adam, seeing his pain about Hannah leaving and she decided to make an introduction.  I don't see that as evil, but probably choosing to help a friend.

And I doubt Adam was held hostage and forced to make a connection with Mimi Rose, he chose to make it into a bigger relationship.

The person to be angry with is Adam.  And even then, he is his own person and can choose accordingly.

 

Hannah initially was happy about going to Iowa, despite what it might do to her relationship, I think she probably thought she could go to Iowa, put everything else on hold and then come back with nothing changed.  She really wasn't thinking about what her friends might be doing during that two years. They would remain frozen in time for her.  Only that's not what happens when you leave.

 

Adam was so angry with Hannah about her 'random decision in a series of other random decisions' to go to Iowa that the swiftness with which he moved on did not surprise me.  A month seems short but when faced with the uncertainty of what his actual relationship status with Hannah was, I am not surprised he found someone else.

 

I'm intrigued by this turn of events, and whether Hannah and Adam get back together after learning more about what constitutes a great relationship, or move on to others, I think this week's show and last week's show have upped the game considerably in the storytelling and the acting.

Edited by cardigirl
  • Love 2
Link to comment

So are Shoshana's parents supporting her indefinitely until she finds her "dream job?"  I get she just graduated, but she seems really unconcerned about supporting herself.  Is anyone working out of the 4 core girls at all? At least, Hannah is job searching.
 

  • Love 3
Link to comment

I keep trying with this show, I'm not sure why. I get that they are "girls" and not yet where they are going. But I would like to feel that the protagonist is trying and has SOME self awareness. When Hannah suddenly decided she wanted to help people, and would do so by teaching, I just wanted to scream. The fact that we could all see how ridiculous her therapist was being, and how shallow she was being, and Hannah didn't have a moment where she paused and said, "I know what I'm saying sounds like another hair-brained scheme, but ... here are the sincere reasons I want to do this" really strained any sense of credulity.

 

I guess scenes and plotlines like that are the reasons why this is a comedy and not, despite all the drama, a drama? Because it's so ridiculous?

  • Love 1
Link to comment
×
×
  • Create New...