S06.E10: Latching

[Adultosaurus]

This ending sucked.  We can speak circles around it, but we all really know it sucked.

[WhosThatGirl]

1 minute ago, Adultosaurus said:

This ending sucked.  We can speak circles around it, but we all really know it sucked.

True that. But I mean.. now what do I post about here? I have nothing else to say other than how terrible it was.

And I missed the whole other cast. Like give or take the guys, as much as I at times liked them better, this show is called Girls, so I think we should have had at least sosh and Jessa in the finale. I knew beforehand they wouldn't be on this episode and even then I thought that was stupid, they are 2/3s of the cast. Strange that Lorriane gets in the final episode but not the actual main girls. I didn't get it. And if we want to split hairs, I do wish the guy cast members were part of the final episode as well but I'm more mad Soshonna and Jessa were not and I don't even like Jessa.

[Adultosaurus]

3 minutes ago, WhosThatGirl said:

True that. But I mean.. now what do I post about here? I have nothing else to say other than how terrible it was.

And I missed the whole other cast. Like give or take the guys, as much as I at times liked them better, this show is called Girls, so I think we should have had at least sosh and Jessa in the finale. I knew beforehand they wouldn't be on this episode and even then I thought that was stupid, they are 2/3s of the cast. Strange that Lorriane gets in the final episode but not the actual main girls. I didn't get it. And if we want to split hairs, I do wish the guy cast members were part of the final episode as well but I'm more mad Soshonna and Jessa were not and I don't even like Jessa.

It was called GIRLS, so the guy cast members were never going to be a part of the finale.  It was meant to bring us back to the presumed alpha, which was Hannah..and let it all go with her in the end.  

[chocolatine]

That was a really weak and disappointing ending after an otherwise strong season. I know struggles with new baby attachment and breastfeeding  are realistic, but it was oh so boring to watch.

I like that at least Marnie has matured a little bit and become less selfish (though what was up with vaping at the pediatrician's office?) but in a way I think Hannah would be better off without her around all the time, since Hannah tends to become a codependent jerk when someone helps her too much. She needs to be able to take care of the baby on her own more often, since that's what being a single mother is all about.

It made me a little sad that Hannah named her son Grover, like a part of her is still hoping that Paul-Louis will eventually step up and become involved in his son's life, despite all evidence to the contrary.

[Adultosaurus]

Marnie didn't mature a single bit - she became a nanny sitter to her friend.  Hannah named her child Grover because Hannah as we know her is open to any and everything someone else tells her to do/think.

[RedDelicious]

The Marnie FaceTime sex scene was so silly in a bad way. We could have had the Marnie/Lorene scene without it. Lorene in this episode made me cringe.

The only other thing I can come up with is Zosia Mamet legitimately is and will always be bigger/better than Girls, so she got no screen time. Allison Williams will never transcend Get Out, so she needed at least something with which to feather her cap.

I am so disappointed in the ending of this series. No Lena, we didn't get it.

[Lily247]

3 minutes ago, Adultosaurus said:

Marnie didn't mature a single bit - she became a nanny sitter to her friend.  Hannah named her child Grover because Hannah as we know her is open to any and everything someone else tells her to do/think.

I would disagree on Marnie not maturing. She may be floundering still in her own life, but for real, she is very adept at taking care of a newborn that's not even her own and I saw in her this episode a little of what we saw the first season - someone who is very organized, got it together, etc when it came to this screaming baby. Even with nothing to do, for a single late 20 something woman to be living away from busy city life and caring for a friends baby for months is pretty noble IMO. However was she smoking an e cig at the pediatric office ?!

[Adultosaurus]

4 minutes ago, Matias130 said:

I would disagree on Marnie not maturing. She may be floundering still in her own life, but for real, she is very adept at taking care of a newborn that's not even her own and I saw in her this episode a little of what we saw the first season - someone who is very organized, got it together, etc when it came to this screaming baby. Even with nothing to do, for a single late 20 something woman to be living away from busy city life and caring for a friends baby for months is pretty noble IMO. However was she smoking an e cig at the pediatric office ?!

So Marnie is 28 by the trope of time...her being able to take care of a baby is nothing noble, it's just what people do.  She's not very organized, certainly doesn't have her shit together.   Where does she go from here?  Even the show didn't seem to care.

[DiabLOL]

I'm probably alone with this but the ending disappointed me for the same reason "Dirtbag" did.

A big reason I liked both shows was the main characters were often unlikeable women who while had their struggles lived rather subversive lives. I think that is an important take to bring to the dialogue. Not every woman has to look a certain way want the same things etc. 

Ultimately both shows let me down with the disappointing wants each woman turned out to have at their core. 

[Adultosaurus]

2 minutes ago, DiabLOL said:

I'm probably alone with this but the ending disappointed me for the same reason "Dirtbag" did.

A big reason I liked both shows was the main characters were often unlikeable women who while had their struggles lived rather subversive lives. I think that is an important take to bring to the dialogue. Not every woman has to look a certain way want the same things etc. 

Ultimately both shows let me down with the disappointing wants each woman turned out to have at their core. 

Seems like you wanted unlikeable women to be somehow likeable afterall.  I know I did...and they weren't

[Lily247]

Btw - what was Paul Louis' ethnicity in the show ? It was never mentioned I don't think. Was it just me or did little  Grover seem like his father may not have been Paul Louis ... 

11 minutes ago, Adultosaurus said:

So Marnie is 28 by the trope of time...her being able to take care of a baby is nothing noble, it's just what people do.  She's not very organized, certainly doesn't have her shit together.   Where does she go from here?  Even the show didn't seem to care.

Comparing to Hannah...

[DiabLOL]

3 minutes ago, Adultosaurus said:

Seems like you wanted unlikeable women to be somehow likeable afterall.  I know I did...and they weren't

Actually I wanted them to remain unconventional and messy so their choices made them unlikeable to me. You've helped me clarify what I was trying to say, thanks.

[Teddybear]

Anyone that yells at me to stop singing "Fast Car" in my car is going to end up on the street.  And take your baby with you.  

[TrininisaScorp]

Well...Grover was so damn cute.  That's all I got.

Matias130, they never said in the show, but Riz, the actor that played him, is (I believe) British Pakistani.  Little Grover looks a lot like some of my little cousins (we're of Indian descent).   And I just want to squeeze his little cute face.  On this show, they don't address race much.

I'm glad I read somewhere last week that Lena said that was it for Shosh and Jessa, so I was prepared for a bottle episode, which is almost what that was.  It did, however, feel a bit like filler.  I kept looking at the clock while watching. 

Hannah is as annoying and as unlikeable as ever, so that was consistent.  Her encounter with the annoying teen girl was probably my favorite part of the episode. The child was so terrible and Hannah being self righteous, yet the voice of reason, was hysterical.

I'm sorry there was no Elijah b/c I adore Andrew R. 

Marnie is always a little bit of a self-centered mess, but I'll be damned if she wasn't good with Grover.  I couldn't have lived my life without the selfies and her weird ass facetime sexy times. 

While I didn't love that episode, I will miss this weird show.  Even if I hated the characters and the nonsense ppl they were (and that no people of color live in hipster Brooklyn, apparently), I loved that the show had a point of view.  I didn't have to agree with that POV, but I appreciate the show existed. 

[bobbyjoe]

Quote

I hated everything about that episode except her house.

You could pretty much feel Lena Dunham patting herself on the back with this episode about "I'm gonna keep everything messy and not really resolved in any satisfactory way, 'cause, hey, that's just like real life" but then has things like Hannah living in a house that might as well have been a fairy castle with a moat and unicorns on the lawn.   Sure thing, Hannah just breezed into the kind of job she got and the character we've seen for the past six years can actually afford even to rent a big, nice house with a great view like that.  That's some hardcore realism there.

Quote

I'm one of the small few who disliked this season

Take comfort:  I think there's a lot more of us than you may think.  I've felt this season has been an absolute mess, and really sloppy, not in a fun "isn't this like real life" way but just in a "god, the writing has really been half-assed all season long."  Jessa and Adam spend most of the season in that stupid "making a film" storyline.  Shosh was almost entirely AWOL all season in a deeply unsatisfying way.  Ray's story ended on that dumb "hey, let's just throw this sudden romance in here" way.  Marnie's stories this season were typical "last few seasons Marnie storylines," so they were mostly just irritating and also mostly just "whatever," because for a long time they've become the price you have to pay to watch Girls.  But I've just sat back and not commented much because I kept thinking "well, maybe she has a great finale that'll make some of this work" and then, tonight, well...  So, yeah, I wonder if there are more than a small few who also haven't liked this season.

[Lily247]

2 minutes ago, TrininisaScorp said:

Well...Grover was so damn cute.  That's all I got.

Matias130, they never said in the show, but Riz, the actor that played him, is (I believe) British Pakistani.  Little Grover looks a lot like some of my little cousins (we're of Indian descent).   And I just want to squeeze his little cute face.  On this show, they don't address race much.

I'm glad I read somewhere last week that Lena said that was it for Shosh and Jessa, so I was prepared for a bottle episode, which is almost what that was.  It did, however, feel a bit like filler.  I kept looking at the clock while watching. 

Hannah is as annoying and as unlikeable as ever, so that was consistent.  Her encounter with the annoying teen girl was probably my favorite part of the episode. The child was so terrible and Hannah being self righteous, yet the voice of reason, was hysterical.

I'm sorry there was no Elijah b/c I adore Andrew R. 

Marnie is always a little bit of a self-centered mess, but I'll be damned if she wasn't good with Grover.  I couldn't have lived my life without the selfies and her weird ass facetime sexy times. 

While I didn't love that episode, I will miss this weird show.  Even if I hated the characters and the nonsense ppl they were (and that no people of color live in hipster Brooklyn, apparently), I loved that the show had a point of view.  I didn't have to agree with that POV, but I appreciate the show existed. 

Thanks ! That's what I thought too ?

[DiabLOL]

6 minutes ago, bobbyjoe said:

You could pretty much feel Lena Dunham patting herself on the back with this episode about "I'm gonna keep everything messy and not really resolved in any satisfactory way, 'cause, hey, that's just like real life" but then has things like Hannah living in a house that might as well have been a fairy castle with a moat and unicorns on the lawn.   Sure thing, Hannah just breezed into the kind of job she got and the character we've seen for the past six years can actually afford even to rent a big, nice house with a great view like that.  That's some hardcore realism there.

Take comfort:  I think there's a lot more of us than you may think.  I've felt this season has been an absolute mess, and really sloppy, not in a fun "isn't this like real life" way but just in a "god, the writing has really been half-assed all season long."  Jessa and Adam spend most of the season in that stupid "making a film" storyline.  Shosh was almost entirely AWOL all season in a deeply unsatisfying way.  Ray's story ended on that dumb "hey, let's just throw this sudden romance in here" way.  Marnie's stories this season were typical "last few seasons Marnie storylines," so they were mostly just irritating and also mostly just "whatever," because for a long time they've become the price you have to pay to watch Girls.  But I've just sat back and not commented much because I kept thinking "well, maybe she has a great finale that'll make some of this work" and then, tonight, well...  So, yeah, I wonder if there are more than a small few who also haven't liked this season.

The comment she made about "hey what if I want to have sex with a student next week" had me thinking that Hannah was very likely gonna fuck up this job like she had the others so goodbye castle with moat and unicorns!?

[Winston Wolfe]

2 hours ago, ozziemom said:

I thought last week's episode would have been fine as the finale, this episode seemed like nothing, blah, boring, pointless

You know, I think that was kind of the point.  With a more conventional Show runner last week would have been the series ender, with everyone's arcs tied up in nice, neat little bows.  This episode kind of felt like the "what happens after the series finale" that we never get to see.  That being said, Hannah did seem to regress a bit - "what if there's a student I want to fuck?" - showed that she still has a long way to go.  ETA - Lorene was pretty spot on tonight.

Edited April 17, 2017 by Winston Wolfe

[Lemons]

2 hours ago, woodscommaelle said:

I'm curious what everyone hated about it.

I hated the whole tired cliche about breastfeeding and freaking out over it. She has a lot more to think about like daycare, working, the babies father, living alone for the first time, being able to afford all of their needs. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Inside the episode:

[lidarose9]

To me, that was writing straight out of your high school creative writing class. What a disappointment. 

[Adultosaurus]

There is no "what if" for Hannah, her story is written.  Marnie's too, since she decided to go off and be done with it on Hannah's story.  This was a really sucky ending to 6 years of leading us into something - anything - other than this.

[TVbitch]

Can't think of anything positive to say about the finale, except that at least the police officer did not tell Hannah he wanted to help raise her baby.

I guess I will just look forward to the show "Boys" staring Grover and his quirky friends, cuz Grover is going to come out of this way more fucked up than Hannah ever was. 

Edited April 17, 2017 by TVbitch

[lidarose9]

The only episode I liked this season was the one where Hannah grabbed Matthew Rhys' dick. That episode was all kinds of awesome writing, really well done, and memorable. All the rest of this whole season was just rehashing shit we've already seen, absolutely nothing new or notable. I much prefer the last episode of last season; I think that was the actual, natural end of this story. I feel like everybody pulled together to put out one more season so they could all cash in on it one more time before putting "Girls" to rest. Really a shame. 

[LilaFowler]

Wow, that sucked. I was ready to love the finale, as I have loved the entire final season, but damn, that sucked hard. I'm just going to pretend that last week's show was the finale.

[Adultosaurus]

This leaves me curious as to Lena Dunham's next act.   I think this one was supposed to end a bit more spectacular than it did.  I think she's just going to be relegated to Exec Producer from now on.

[DiabLOL]

9 minutes ago, lidarose9 said:

The only episode I liked this season was the one where Hannah grabbed Matthew Rhys' dick. That episode was all kinds of awesome writing, really well done, and memorable. All the rest of this whole season was just rehashing shit we've already seen, absolutely nothing new or notable. I much prefer the last episode of last season; I think that was the actual, natural end of this story. I feel like everybody pulled together to put out one more season so they could all cash in on it one more time before putting "Girls" to rest. Really a shame. 

That's so funny I was just thinking about the dick grab ep and how much I loved everything about it. I had hoped the final ep would have had a similar effect on me.

[lidarose9]

16 minutes ago, DiabLOL said:

That's so funny I was just thinking about the dick grab ep and how much I loved everything about it. I had hoped the final ep would have had a similar effect on me.

Yesterday I had brunch with some girlfriends and found myself telling them about that episode, how deftly it handled the topic, the subtlety. They all totally got it, cuz at one time or another all of us had found ourselves with a dick in our hand that we hadn't planned on. When Lena Dunham is on her game, she's really good; I guess that is why I find this finale such a let-down. 

[WhosThatGirl]

I'm glad others feel this season was a hot mess. Because I felt very alone throughout this season. I would come online and people would be praising the episodes and the season. I wondered if people felt the need to do this because it was the farewell season. The only episode that I sort of liked was episode 2, when Marnie and Desi and Hannah went to the cabin. Iaughed through all of that. But it's not going to be an episode I will remember like some others from last seasons.

That said I loved this show at a time. When it started I was the same age as Marnie and Hannah and Jessa. But since the timeline is a fuzzy I am not anymore. But you guys get it. I feel like for the most part I'm a Marnie or I was, in the first two seasons. Is why I always tried to give that character the benefit of the doubt. And like I said there are episodes I will remember and look back on fondly, the pilot, the season one finale, the bad friend episode, the season 2 finale, the Manie centric episode that lots of people don't like but I loved, marnies wedding episode, etc. I can't really think of any from this season that I can look back at as fondly.

[chocolatine]

10 minutes ago, lidarose9 said:

at one time or another all of us had found ourselves with a dick in our hand that we hadn't planned on

Truer words were never spoken.

[DiabLOL]

58 minutes ago, lidarose9 said:

Yesterday I had brunch with some girlfriends and found myself telling them about that episode, how deftly it handled the topic, the subtlety. They all totally got it, cuz at one time or another all of us had found ourselves with a dick in our hand that we hadn't planned on. When Lena Dunham is on her game, she's really good; I guess that is why I find this finale such a let-down. 

Yes yes yes! She presented so many facets to the situation.

[vb68]

I just couldn't get past the fact that she fucking named the baby Grover. I mean, seriously? Boo.  It kinda took me out of it and made me want to shake her. I mean, why? So he has an imaginary link to his Dad?  Ugh. And you wonder why he's not bonding or latching?  Kidding.  I think I might have almost liked (or tolerated) the episode more if she said casually at the end. "We really have to change your name."   I still think the rule is that guys who are not involved or around receive zero naming privileges.    

I did like Loreen finally ripping Hannah a new one and telling her to grow up, little girl. Long, long overdue.

I was sorta waiting for the scene where Marnie breaks and murders Hannah and calmly walks away with the baby. Not really.  But it  almost felt like it was an option.

Edited April 17, 2017 by vb68

[colorbars]

"You think you have a lot of friends, right? Who's here? Elijah's not here. Jessa sure as hell isn't here. Adam isn't here. Shoshanna literally despises all of us. Who's here? I'm here. I win. I'm your best friend. I'm the best at being your friend. I love you the most."

That whole speech and the crazed/Hallmark movie stalker way Marnie said it was my favorite part of the finale. It felt like the perfect reflection of their dynamic throughout the show. Shame the rest of the finale couldn't follow suite in reflecting the rest of the show so well.

Edited April 17, 2017 by colorbars

[vixenbynight]

7 hours ago, DiabLOL said:

The comment she made about "hey what if I want to have sex with a student next week" had me thinking that Hannah was very likely gonna fuck up this job like she had the others so goodbye castle with moat and unicorns!?

Eventually Hannah and baby Grover will move to Michigan and stay with Lorene. Hannah's not able to do all of this on her own right now and she's going to come to that realization. Marnie, as much as she wants to be there has to jump start her own life and to try and find her own happiness.

Thanks Stagmania!

Edited April 17, 2017 by vixenbynight

[stagmania]

1 hour ago, vixenbynight said:

Eventually Hannah and baby Grover will move to Ohio and stay with Lorene. Hannah's not able to do all of this on her own right now and she's going to come to that realization. Marnie, as much as she wants to be there has to jump start her own life and to try and find her own happiness.

*Michigan

Actually I wanted them to remain unconventional and messy so their choices made them unlikeable to me. You've helped me clarify what I was trying to say, thanks.

I actually saw some commentary this morning speculating that Judd Apatow's increased involvement in this final season may have contributed to the more conventional heteronormative place we ended up with Hannah. I have no way of knowing if that's true, but I will say that this messy parenthood/family ending feels very in line with most of his work, and he had a writing credit on this final episode.

Edited April 17, 2017 by stagmania

[wendyg]

This ending worked for me. But that may be because my biggest laugh in the entire series was on Marnie's opening speech about winning the friendship.

[CofCinci]

I got the impression that Lorene was telling Marnie it is okay to leave Hannah/Grover so that she can take Marnie's place.

While I was disappointed in the finale, I did like how the finale represented three of the phases of a woman's life. Single young woman pre-baby, mother, and grandmother.

Also, I wish Hannah told Marnie to stop singing 5 years ago.  Sounds like it was what she needed to put the guitar down and start thinking about her future. Law school?! Come on.

Will there be a follow up movie?  I'd like to see what happens in 5 years but I worry that this dull finale ruins the chances. 

[terrymct]

The show should have ended last week. Instead, they feature the two least interesting characters. Thank god Mom showed up and told some truth all around. Basically, it ended with a narcissistic and incompetent woman who has an un- or undertreated mental illness with a baby she can barely care for living beyond her means in a town where she knows nobody except her friend, who is also incompetent at life. When does Child Protective Services step in? After Hannah is fired for screwing her students? Are we supposed to thing that Hannah epiphany with the young woman, which of course occurred while Hannah was having an emotional breakdown, means that she's growing up and this will all be ok? Also....Grover. That's a name that says your mother wants you to get your ass kicked every day at school. The show should have ended last week.

[Winston Wolfe]

5 hours ago, lidarose9 said:

cuz at one time or another all of us had found ourselves with a dick in our hand that we hadn't planned on

Hilarious.  You should put that on a T-shirt.

Still processing last night and the entire season.  Both satisfying and a bit disappointing in their way; art mimicking life, I guess.

Hannah's encounter with the HS student was classic Girls.  Did anyone else feel like she was channeling Lorene as the little twit ran off?  Thing else, everything Hannah told her was absolutely right. 

Edited April 17, 2017 by Winston Wolfe

[vixenbynight]

12 minutes ago, Winston Wolfe said:

Hilarious.  You should put that on a T-shirt.

Still processing last night and the entire season.  Both satisfying and a bit disappointing in their way; art mimicking life, I guess.

Hannah's encounter with the HS student was classic Girls.  Did anyone else feel like she was channeling Lorene as the little twit ran off?  Thing else, everything Hannah told her was absolutely right.

The words coming out of Hannah's mouth to that girl was completely inspired by Lorene, especially after Hannah had spewed her own tantrum earlier that afternoon, when she blamed her mom for marrying a gay man.

[Primetimer]

Does Hannah's breastfeeding agita make this the mother of all season finales, or does it just suck?

View the full article

[dmc]

I finally feel ready to give my full opinion on this one.

I haven't been thrilled with this season. I think Lena struggled with how to end a series that is basically about the idea of constant struggle, growth and the idea that there are not really happy endings. Girls has always challenged traditional television by leaving things open.

I think that she wanted to avoid the pitfalls of the Sex and the City ending where Carrie ends up with Big even though we all know that the likelihood of this happening is was very unlikely. Sex and the City much like Girls was about the search and in life we are always searching...there are no endings...there is just the next thing....

This finale challenged me. I watched it and thought it sucked and then I got it. This is Hannah's new challenge and while I would have preferred a gift wrapped ending that was spelled out for me and made me feel happy about her future and completely sure all of the Girls would be okay...that really isn't life.

[DianeDobbler]

A few thoughts, mostly unkind.

The past couple of episodes have made me revisit the CDN blind items about Lena Dunham reprinted here not long ago. I like her public persona, I support nearly everything she's said publicly, from politics to issues. There's one issue - her book - that I have a big problem with, but I assume the part of the book that bugs me is a  fantasy that misfired, and not something that literally happened. Because at least part of it could not have (how she describes her 1-year old sister's behavior). So anyway, with the assistance of selective myopia, I like Lena Dunham, particularly the public her. And I think her Hannah has been really funny at times.

BUT. I'm a Shosh fan. And when Dunham told an interviewer that Shoshanna ended up the best, and had the BEST ending, and that she'd "earned every bit of it." I now recognize as beyond trolling, beyond deadpan vicious. I'm sorry, it is. I don't know what went down behind the scenes, but hey.

Then, as the show begins to wrap up, suddenly the show is "Hannah" and not "Girls." The other Girls become cartoonish, or become punished (Jessa drops out of social work school? Is Lena Dunham at all familiar with the world of social workers and how actually TYPICAL Jessa and some of her limitations are in that world? Plenty of people function as social workers without being able to use what they know on their own lives), Hannah evolves and grows. Adam comes back, proposes marriage, and she gets to reject HIM. Jessa takes him back no questions asked. The only one who has an equally magical conclusion is Elijah,the new Broadway star.

Still can't get over Hannah hired at that unnamed school to "teach the internet" to people who know the internet better than she does and have since birth, hired after exactly one interview despite lacking credentials, and getting benefits and what seems like either a super healthy salary so she can afford fantasy housing OR she gets faculty housing.

Marnie's bitchiness always had a certain obliviousness to it, but it became more and more ridiculous, and inexplicable, and unrealistic. A woman at that level of financial desperation isn't going to be able to sustain Marnie's level of personal maintenance, not even moving back in with her mother.

So all I can say is that the rumors about Dunham's ego and vanity, which seemed like a kneejerk castigation of a female showrunner at first, now seems borne out in how she managed the final season. She has said she wants to help other people realize their vision, and doesn't expect to be doing much acting. I now see that as Dunham really begging the industry to prove her wrong and hire her as an actress, or I see that as Dunham developing another project to star herself. We'll see, but I no longer believe what she says about herself and acting.

On the plus side, I like Becky Ann Baker, who plays Loreen, and Girls has certainly given her a ton of rangey material for her reel, or to show casting people who want to see different sides to her.

Edited April 17, 2017 by DianeDobbler

[WhosThatGirl]

7 minutes ago, DianeDobbler said:

A few thoughts, mostly unkind.

The past couple of episodes have made me revisit the CDN blind items about Lena Dunham reprinted here not long ago. I like her public persona, I support nearly everything she's said publicly, from politics to issues. There's one issue - her book - that I have a big problem with, but I assume the part of the book that bugs me is a  fantasy that misfired, and not something that literally happened. Because at least part of it could not have (how she describes her 1-year old sister's behavior). So anyway, with the assistance of selective myopia, I like Lena Dunham, particularly the public her. And I think her Hannah has been really funny at times.

BUT. I'm a Shosh fan. And when Dunham told an interviewer that Shoshanna ended up the best, and had the BEST ending, and that she'd "earned every bit of it." I now recognize as beyond trolling, beyond deadpan vicious. I'm sorry, it is. I don't know what went down behind the scenes, but hey.

Then, as the show begins to wrap up, suddenly the show is "Hannah" and not "Girls." The other Girls become cartoonish, or become punished (Jessa drops out of social work school? Is Lena Dunham at all familiar with the world of social workers and how actually TYPICAL Jessa and some of her limitations are in that world? Plenty of people function as social workers without being able to use what they know on their own lives), Hannah evolves and grows. Adam comes back, proposes marriage, and she gets to reject HIM. Jessa takes him back no questions asked. The only one who as an equally magical conclusion is Elijah the new Broadway star.

Still can't get over Hannah hired at that unnamed school to "teach the internet" to people who know the internet better than she does and have since birth, hired after exactly one interview despite lacking credentials, and getting benefits and what seems like either a super healthy salary so she can afford fantasy housing OR she gets faculty housing.

Marnie's bitchiness always had a certain obliviousness to it, but it became more and more ridiculous, and inexplicable, and unrealistic. A woman at that level of financial desperation isn't going to be able to sustain Marnie's level of personal maintenance, not even moving back in with her mother.

So all I can say is that the rumors about Dunham's ego and vanity, which seemed like a kneejerk castigation of a female showrunner at first, now seems borne out in how she managed the final season. She has said she wants to help other people realize their vision, and doesn't expect to be doing much acting. I now see that as Dunham really begging the industry to prove her wrong and hire her as an actress, or I see that as Dunham developing another project to star herself. We'll see, but I know longer believe what she says about herself and acting.

Yup. This season was purely a Hannah season. Maybe that's why I disliked it so?  I get that this is Lenas show but this season she really made it all about Hannah. Marnie became self entitled to the pojnt of no return, Jessa became a character whose sole purpose was to ruin anything and everything(that moment when she ruined Soshonnas networking event, she legit popped up like a cartoon villain), Soshonna was off screen for almost this whole entire season having a better storyline than anything she was given all season. 

This was a Hannah season. It was all about Hannah. And I will say, that Hannah was more tolerable than she's been the last four years-season 1 she was okay- but that makes me wonder, why was she terrible those other four?  If Lena could always write her a certain way, why didn't she? Why was she always making Hannah do things for shock value?

Either way.. I didn't get this season. I didn't understand why everyone loved it. I still don't. There was a marathon of this season before the final episode yesterday and I just found the episodes boring. 

[EdnasEdibles]

9 hours ago, Matias130 said:

I would disagree on Marnie not maturing. She may be floundering still in her own life, but for real, she is very adept at taking care of a newborn that's not even her own and I saw in her this episode a little of what we saw the first season - someone who is very organized, got it together, etc when it came to this screaming baby. Even with nothing to do, for a single late 20 something woman to be living away from busy city life and caring for a friends baby for months is pretty noble IMO. However was she smoking an e cig at the pediatric office ?!

I agree with this - I think this was probably a maturing experience for her. I think she did primarily volunteer to help with the baby because she was running away from life. But I also think she was starting to use that time to get a clearer idea of what she wanted and what would make her happy. Even her attempt to have a night on her own (which yes, didn't work) was still more calm and centered than any conversation she had with that drug-addicted singer she was married to. She doesn't have her voice yet, but she's finding it. And I thought it was interesting about law school - and the awareness that it comes from her love of rules. She's not there yet, but she's getting there.

Oh Hannah. I will say that the first 6 months after my first child was born were quite possibly the worst of my time with him. Much like Hannah I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. I felt like my baby hated me. I never could produce enough milk and felt like a constant failure. I was in physical misery recovering from a c-section. It was just uncomfortable hell. And then someone will inevitably be like "Well, fold your nipple like an envelope" and I wanted to kill them with my own bare hands. 

So I get why she wasn't nice to Marnie because i think she was in the same hell that I was in. But Marnie needed to leave. 

And Loreen is terrible. "Oh how boring" to Marnie's confession of law school dreams. 

[jeansheridan]

With the exception of Hannah's mother, how weird to end this show with the two most irritating characters. It feels more like a hiatus ending than a real ending. And I resent feeling bad for Marnie. Or having a reason to feel bad for her.

[stagmania]

Jia Tolentino wrote a great piece for The New Yorker last week about finally watching the show and being pleasantly surprised by it, and how her expectations were altered by critics who can't seem to separate their thoughts on the show from their thoughts on Lena Dunham. In some ways, the perceived tie to Dunham's personal life is to be expected given the level of artistic authority she maintained over the years, but as she said herself in a recent interview, Girls is a collaborative project, has a separate showrunner and a powerful executive producer and a group of strong writers. Nothing that happens on the show (be it amazing or terrible) can be attributed to Dunham's singular vision, and I certainly don't believe the story is fueled by imagined personal grievances.

[EdnasEdibles]

2 hours ago, CofCinci said:

I got the impression that Lorene was telling Marnie it is okay to leave Hannah/Grover so that she can take Marnie's place.

While I was disappointed in the finale, I did like how the finale represented three of the phases of a woman's life. Single young woman pre-baby, mother, and grandmother.

 

I think Lorene was telling her it's OK to leave Hannah/Grover but so Hannah can figure it out on her own. Hannah needs to figure this out on her own. I think Lorene wanted Hannah to realize that she alone made that decision and she needs to figure out how to make it work in her life. Lorene still has a job and needs to get back to it.

That's an interesting observation about the three phases - I wish that they hadn't focused on a woman and motherhood/babies so much though. 

[candall]

One of the things I love about Game of Thrones is that they've established a tradition of spending the penultimate episodes on the giant setpieces.  The battle or the betrayal, or whatever the whole season has been leading up to, occurs in the next to last episode, leaving the last episode for something quieter and more thoughtful.  So first there's a payoff and you're satisfied and then the players are shuffled around in provocative ways that put them in positions to make you wonder what will happen to them next.

I like that system, and I like that Girls ended that way as well.  It was such an interesting show and I would have been disappointed if the last episode had been so traditional.   "These two are together, this one's engaged, that one scored a career opportunity while another one scored a romantic opportunity.  And Hannah chose to leave it all behind.  Music up, curtain down.  The End."

 

To me, the finale was quite meaty with portent and metaphors, most of which I haven't finished thinking about.

I did love Hannah's interaction with the young girl.  Hannah thought the girl's problems were "serious" and right up Hannah's alley for addressing and administering aid, but then it turned out the girl was as immature and self-absorbed as we've all found Hannah for all these years.  Ha!  Maddening when you just want to shake someone and say "Grow UP", isn't it, Hannah?  But then there's more than Hannah being on the other end of the impatience spectrum--Hannah channeling Loreen, Hannah getting a preview that parenting frustration won't be over at x point in time, etc.  (LOL--I just loved Hannah stomping home in a half-naked fit of pique, followed by a police car.  That was some old school Girls.)

 

Since Hannah did seem to be somewhat more self-aware this season, I was waiting for some sign that she knew, deep down inside, she was treating Marnie like an indentured servant.  Hannah didn't even make a move in the direction of removing her baby from the car, like that was Marnie's job.  How is it fair if you take a night off from attending my child to go to a wine tasting?  And geez:  "This is empty"???

[I've never been a mom myself, single or otherwise, but I know single mothers who would think being able to stroll out of the house to go for a head-clearing walk was akin to a little piece of heaven.]

Anyway, as I said, lots to think about.  I thought it was a pretty rich coda to last week's wrap.

Edited April 17, 2017 by candall

[Keepitmoving]

Quote

I just couldn't get past the fact that she fucking named the baby Grover. I mean, seriously? 

Ah, Grover Washington Jr. was a famous African-American jazz musician, maybe the name will end up being good luck for little Grover. Get little  Grover a saxophone Hannah, you never know. I wanted to hear his full name, did she give him his father's last name as a middle name followed by her last name. I like it, it's different good to me. 

I liked the finale, it was boring, but I'm fine with that. She's on with the next chapter of her life, which is huge since she brought a life into this world and is the sole person responsible for it. I found her acting up to be very realistic and I have no harsh criticism for her behavior. It looked like a little postpartum  to me and just finding her way. Getting annoyed that Marnie, someone other than Grover's mother, appeared to have a better handle on this mother thing than she did. That led to her listing all her flaws, weight, mental illness etc. as to why in her mind, she should be rejected as a mother. She's wrong IMO, which is what her mother actually told her. I like that it ended with him latching. I've said it before, there are some truly sick, hateful down to their core people, who have procreated and Hannah is NOT one of those people. So, Grover has a chance. Bye Girls, I really do want a follow up movie some time down the line.

Edited April 17, 2017 by Keepitmoving