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I’ve had a week to ponder this, but I think I’m finally ready to articulate why I don’t like HBO’s new show GIRLS without resorting to “the creator is 25 years old and she’s exec producing a show on HBO about struggling writers, so gtfo,” which was my initial reaction. But I watched it. And I thought about it. And I internalized it. And… I was not impressed. Here’s why:
– Lena Dunham’s performance was monotone and flat. In my mind her acting is indistinguishable from her role as Hannah (in Girls), her role as Aura (in her feature debut Tiny Furniture) and Lena Dunham herself in interviews. Even Kristin Stewart manages to break a smile in her interviews, proving that she’s more than the one-trick pony we see in Twilight and that she is, at the very least, acting like she’s taking on the role of a character.
I know that’s probably the point, because both Girls and Tiny Furniture seem to belong to this new, hipster aesthetic of film and TV directed towards middle class post-grad white kids with liberal arts degrees in English or Communications or Film or Television. (I know I just described myself, but I am not loving the smugness perpetrated by the new aesthetic). This brings me to my second point:
– As a character, Hannah is a spoiled, unlikable, insecure, childish adult. This, arguably, makes her a very realistic character. But come on. If we watched TV for realism then Gossip Girl would have been cancelled after three episodes. What I’ve learned from my many, many years watching television is that you have to pick your flaws. Too few and you have a Mary Sue. Too many, and you have someone who uncomfortably reflects the flaws of your viewer back onto them. This is fine in a film, but if you want the audience to tune in week after week to watch a protagonist, you don’t want her to remind the audience how selfish they are, how spoiled they can be, how desperately they’re trying to stave off growing up.
In short: we’re supposed to want to root for Hannah. And I did, half-heartedly, until she asked her parents for $1,100 a month for two more years so she could finish her book. Let me do the math for you: in the pilot, Hannah is 24 years old, she’s been out of school for two years, during which time her parents have supported her 100%. Honestly? More power to Hannah and her parents. I’m in the same situation, except I’m a year younger and a year newer to post-grad life.
But Hannah had some steel ovaries to ask her parents to support her for two more years (until she’s effectively been out of college for as long as she’s spent in it), and then spin it like “but that’s, like, a sacrifice for me. Do you know how expensive Manhattan is?” instead of a) finding a 9-5 job or b) working at, GASP, McDonalds.
It was precisely at this point in the episode that I stopped liking Hannah as a human being, let alone actively rooting for her. This was exacerbated by the scene when she wakes up in her parents hotel room and her very first course of action is to try to order room service on their credit card.
The supporting characters were cutely flawed, and the acting was a lot more nuanced than the performance Dunham gave. Hannah’s best friend Marnie was kind of an up-tight bitch, but her love and support of Hannah made all her bad qualities fade in to the distance. Jessa was flighty, but the vulnerability she showed when she confided the news of her pregnancy in Marnie (who she hates), went a long way to establishing her as a real character, not just a World-Traveling Free Spirit.
Honestly, Hannah was the only thing I didn’t like about the show. I’m in the far minority, because GIRLS has received almost universal acclaim. Perhaps I expect too much wish-fulfillment from television. Perhaps I hate Hannah because deep in my heart I can relate to her body issues, her confusing attraction to assholes, the doubts she harbors about her ability to function as an adult in the 21st century. Because if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that Hannah is not a positive person to relate to.
And yet, despite it all, I’ll be back tomorrow to watch episode two. Because I want to know what happens to Jessa and her pregnancy, I want to know whether Marnie decides to stay with the boyfriend she’s stopped loving and yes, I kind of want to know what happens to Hannah, even though I hate her as a character.
(This is not meant to bring down Lena Dunham as an artist, because her writing was very witty and clever, and she does deserve props for being able to pull off an HBO show at the age of 26.)
Lauren said:
This is why I turned it off after ten minutes. I couldn’t stand any of the characters, and I felt like they were trying SO HARD to portray edgy modern women, but it was just not working for me. I think it was the scene where Hannah was sitting in the bathtub, naked, eating a cupcake, complaining about her body and begging her friend to let her see her boobs.
And I feel like this is what 2 meager years of Hannah/Lena Dunham’s life was actually like, and then she was rewarded for being a bitch with tons of money and an HBO show.
Laura said:
Well and Dunham and her co-stars are all (according to wikipedia) “daughters of famous names”–Jessa, the British girl, is the daughter of the drummer for Bad Company, Jessa’s obnoxious, Sex In the City obsessed cousin is David Mamet’s daughter (!) and Marnie is the daughter of Brian Williams, who’s an anchor on NBC. Plus… they apparently live in an all-white New York.
So I feel like a big thing with this show is “women in the industry!” (when really it’s “white women in the industry!”) and “young people!” (when really it’s “young people with famous parents!”).
I’ll probably lose patience with it around episode 5, but for now…
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Renee said:
Whether or not you like it isn’t the point: obviously a lot of people identify with her character, or just find the show amusing. As soon as you have some work that people care about, other than boring blog posts, you will have your share of critics as well.
Laura said:
I think I’m on my way to work that people care about, because I just got my first critic!
Thanks for commenting–I’m sorry if I offended you, but this is just my opinion. It does matter whether people like the show or not, and just because other people identify with Hannah or find the show amusing doesn’t mean that I have to.
That said, I stand by my analysis of Hannah’s character. Perhaps she’ll soften or get some more redeeming qualities in future episodes, but as it stands all I see are negative personality traits, which creates a rather one-note character.
Gus said:
Don’t apologize for stating your well thought opinion on YOUR blog. When “Renee” proves they have work and some sort of credential that proves their word is remotely worth listening to THEN maybe you can apologize. Oh no you can’t and no they won’t. Because it’s opinions and blogs and freedom of speech. But, some people are just tools. That is MY opinion.
Laura said:
Gus, you are adorable.