The Couples of 'Girls': You Recoiled From My Touch

[Neko]

Thank you, Desi, for the inspirational thread title. :)

 

Hannah & Adam, Hannah & Fran, Jessa & Adam, Marnie & Desi, Marnie & Ray, Shoshanna & Ray...discuss the musical chairs style swapping of 'Girls' couples here.

 

I will start by saying I absolutely love Jessa and Adam together and I hope that they last, though the history of this show doesn't make it likely that they will.

Edited April 4, 2016 by Sweet Summer Child

[scrb]

If Jessa and Adam were feeling so great about themselves, they wouldn't have acted all awkward last night.

 

Jessa has never been shy before this point.

[The Solution]

I think Hannah and Desi would make a nice pairing. In an arranged-marriage-no-way-out-until-death kind of way.

[Neko]

What about Caroline and Laird?  I think they work, but I wish Caroline wasn't so bitchy about agave.

[Evangeline]

I liked Shoshanna and Ray, I was hoping they'd get back together.

[DianeDobbler]

I also like Shoshanna and Ray. The plot twist that had Ray fall madly in love with Marnie, want her and worship her turned me off to the show. They have anti-chemistry. I am cautiously optimistic based on the fact that Desi is still around despite the intention to divorce - that surprised me. And I'll spoiler tag in case someone doesn't want to know what was in the Ep. 9 preview:

Shoshanna is seen with Ray, who tells her why his coffee shop's business is getting killed, and she says she'll help him. I almost laughed because that's exactly what a fan here said Shoshanna should do when she comes back, due to her experience with Japan's uber trendiness.

[ReadMeLattice]

I'm not really sure what the point of Marnie being "the love of Ray's life" is. Is there supposed to be some sort of hidden depth to Marnie we don't know about? Caroline I could see. She's dark and screwed up but I could see some inner intensity or passion. Jessa, even, perhaps. But Marnie?

[DianeDobbler]

Lm, I only have a guess. First, to Lena Dunham, Allison Williams is the other lead of the show. That may be true technically, but it certainly isn't supported by audience response, IMO (ratings aren't great overall anyway). The guy who plays Ray (I ALWAYS forget his name!) is one of the core men on the show, and a terrific actor. Jessa and Shoshanna are less important than Marnie/Hannah, especially Shoshanna (who wasn't originally intended to be a regular). So basically when the actor who played Charlie quit, they "gave" Marnie, Ray, cause Marnie rates over Shosh. But IMO they have such DOA anti-chemistry the ONLY reason Lena Dunham would force it through is because of hierarchy, because it works on no other level whatsoever. Seldom seen two actors this disconnected. That's my theory. 

 

Kind of OT, but I saw the same theory work on Friends, where only four of the six were considered romantic leads, and Phoebe/Joey were left to their own devices. They ended up pairing the romantic lead four off with each other, even though, IMO, among that four, some had better chem with Phoebe or Joey. But they couldn't go there without leaving one of the romantic four the odd man or woman out, and hierarchy said no.

 

I don't know what the future holds for Jessa and Adam but I'd understand shyness surfacing in a relationship that's more reality based and developing true intimacy/vulnerability versus 99% of Jessica's other relationships with men, which were often a platform for exhibitionism and acting out.

Edited April 15, 2016 by DianeDobbler

[Neko]

I agree that Marnie and Ray have no chemistry, and I don't get why Ray is still hung up over Marnie when she treated him like garbage.  Maybe that's the appeal?  Pretty, polished, bitchy girl?  I don't know, but it doesn't work for me.

 

I wonder if Hannah blowing Ray will lead to anything?  When Shosh found out about Marnie and Ray, she screamed in Marnie's face.

[Hecate7]

I agree that Marnie and Ray have no chemistry, and I don't get why Ray is still hung up over Marnie when she treated him like garbage.  Maybe that's the appeal?  Pretty, polished, bitchy girl?  I don't know, but it doesn't work for me.

 

I wonder if Hannah blowing Ray will lead to anything?  When Shosh found out about Marnie and Ray, she screamed in Marnie's face.

 

 

Maybe Hannah was jealous and needs Shosh to scream in her face, too. Ray and Marnie have zero chemistry, but IRL guys are often hung up on girls with whom they have zero chemistry. Ray and Hannah have the most chemistry, and he wanted to read Hannah's diary...good grief. I hope Ray and Hannah don't become a thing. Ray does not deserve that. Of all the characters on the show, I actually want Ray to be happy. Ish.

 

Hannah just needs to be single and enjoy her snowflakeness, because good God she's a disaster.

 

Ray is hung up on Marnie because IRL guys often get hung up on some girl with whom they have no chemistry, but they think it's just incredible. And the girl isn't really interested exactly, which you can tell because she absolutely never, ever thinks about him when he's not around, and never talks to her friends about him, and never worries about the relationship, but guys LOVE that, because they think it's low maintenance and proof of good self-esteem or something. And her unavailability signals to him that she's top shelf.

 

Now that Shosh imagines herself to be welfare-ish, perhaps Ray's no longer not good enough for her? I could see Ray and Shosh being happy.

[Mystina]

They say there is no such thing as a stupid question and I am genuinely curious to know: Does the apathetic dating ritual exhibited on the show truly reflect the post collegiate sexual experiences of those who identify with these characters culturally? For example, Ray Screws Shoshanna and Marnie then gets a blowjob from Hannah. Adam believes he loves Hannah then believes he loves Jessa, Elijah makes out with Marnie while dating Hannah in college then after declaring he was gay he gets drunk and tries to have sex with Marnie. Culturally, I am unfamiliar with the nonchalant ease of exchanging sexual partners among friends (no judgements). I was just wondering, If I was given this dynamic as a writing assignment and my objective was to elicit feelings of kindred allegiance from the reader is it possible when faced with such casual indifference?

[scrb]

"For example, Ray Screws Shoshanna and Marnie then gets a blowjob from Hannah."

When did the last thing happen?

[Mystina]

After Hannah broke up with Fran at the rest stop. Ray came to pick her up and give her a ride home. She gave him a "Thank You" blowjob and Ray ended up driving off the road.

[chocolatine]

That blowjob was sexual assault. Hannah sprung it on Ray while he was driving; Ray was completely taken off guard by it and did not consent.

I'm in my mid-30s so I may be in the wrong demographic to answer the OP's question, but I don't think it's uncommon for 20-somethings to date multiple people from their social circle. Many relationships aren't super-serious at that age. In my experience with my gay friends, they were still gay when they were drunk, so the Marnie/Elijah encounter didn't ring true for me. And I've never known anyone who was as sexually inappropriate as Hannah. She belongs on the sex offender registry.

[SlovakPrincess]

Years later, I have only just watched the Season 5 finale ... Anyway ... the Adam / Jessa dramatics in this episode did not work for me at all, and now that relationship does not work for me at all.  

They both look like lunatics ... and like assholes for destroying Ray's apartment.  

And for all the shitty, selfish things Jessa has done throughout the series, for some reason this is the episode that finally turned me against her.   To paraphrase: "I'm so 'hateable' for other women - probably because I'm so good-looking - but anyway, even though I'm so hateable I would never steal someone's boyfriend, but Adam you made me, and Hannah is my dearest friend and you made me hurt her and blah blah blah."    Wow.  So many layers of eye-rolling bullshit on this one, making me doubt any self-awareness Jessa had supposedly built up to that point.  

First of all, I find it very hard to believe she ever had some moral code against "stealing" a boyfriend, especially since she does a lot of shady crap, including sleeping with an otherwise engaged ex and flirting with her married boss in Season 1, and supposedly was friends with Mimi-Rose before decided she wanted her weirdo boyfriend Ace.   Second, nobody made Jessa start dating Adam.  Third, "Hannah is my dearest friend"? -- oh, really?!  Jessa is basically a dismissive jerk to Hannah through much of Season 4 and deliberately sets Adam up with Mimi-Rose while Hannah is away, for Jessa's own weird scheme.  Then, she's deliberately mean to Hannah because she'd rather blow up the friendship than say "hey, I have feelings for your ex and can we talk about it?"     

No idea why I have such intense hatred for this episode, but for some reason I really needed to vent, lol.

[qtpye]

On Tuesday, July 18, 2017 at 9:20 PM, SlovakPrincess said:

Years later, I have only just watched the Season 5 finale ... Anyway ... the Adam / Jessa dramatics in this episode did not work for me at all, and now that relationship does not work for me at all.  

They both look like lunatics ... and like assholes for destroying Ray's apartment.  

And for all the shitty, selfish things Jessa has done throughout the series, for some reason this is the episode that finally turned me against her.   To paraphrase: "I'm so 'hateable' for other women - probably because I'm so good-looking - but anyway, even though I'm so hateable I would never steal someone's boyfriend, but Adam you made me, and Hannah is my dearest friend and you made me hurt her and blah blah blah."    Wow.  So many layers of eye-rolling bullshit on this one, making me doubt any self-awareness Jessa had supposedly built up to that point.  

First of all, I find it very hard to believe she ever had some moral code against "stealing" a boyfriend, especially since she does a lot of shady crap, including sleeping with an otherwise engaged ex and flirting with her married boss in Season 1, and supposedly was friends with Mimi-Rose before decided she wanted her weirdo boyfriend Ace.   Second, nobody made Jessa start dating Adam.  Third, "Hannah is my dearest friend"? -- oh, really?!  Jessa is basically a dismissive jerk to Hannah through much of Season 4 and deliberately sets Adam up with Mimi-Rose while Hannah is away, for Jessa's own weird scheme.  Then, she's deliberately mean to Hannah because she'd rather blow up the friendship than say "hey, I have feelings for your ex and can we talk about it?"     

No idea why I have such intense hatred for this episode, but for some reason I really needed to vent, lol.

To me it was like Lena could never make Jessa into a fully formed character or a real person and it was not just because she was not nice. Cersai Lannister is one of the most horrible characters ever, yet the writers and the actress give that character a lot of depth.   Jessa was just a walking "fuck you", until the plot conveniently called on her to have a conscious.  Hannah was the dorky girl who worshipped her for her Bohemian beauty and free spirited ways and yeah, Jessa treated her like shit.  That she would even give two shits about Hannah's feelings before getting with Adam, was laughable.

[SlovakPrincess]

Watching that scene where Jessa picks a fight with Hannah in the rice pudding place --- I wonder if Jessa really does have contempt for Hannah and feels guilty about it, but can't help that she truly looks down on Hannah.

I mean, if Lena even put that much thought into Jessa's motivations.

But Jessa actually does seem to think Hannah is an uninteresting lazy slob who needs emotional  "support" all the time.   Jessa herself is a lazy slob, but her lazy slobbery is often tolerated as evidence of being a beautiful free spirit.  Whereas Hannah is just unabashedly a childish shit show without the exotic world travel and gorgeous hair and interesting "experiences" that Jessa prides herself on.  Jessa has never shown much interest in the one thing Hannah has going for her - her writing talent. 

Anyway, I think the Jessa / Hannah friendship was bad and doomed even before Adam.  Jessa and Hannah don't actually have anything in common. 

Edited September 9, 2017 by SlovakPrincess