Upon reflection, our girls showed a lot of personal growth in “Cubbies”. With Jessa being somewhat of a no-show this week, the spotlight was on Shoshanna, Marnie and Hannah, and the positive and, dare I say it, adult choices that they’ve made. The results of these choices may not be evident just yet, but these girls are actually making grown up decisions, and it’s probably the first time in the series that they’re doing so.
Shoshanna Shapiro is finding out very quickly that landing a post-graduate job is not easy, and in “Cubbies” she is in the midst of a particularly brutal reality check. In her seventh job interview in two weeks, Shoshanna is given a major dressing down by her interviewer, and her professional life (or lack thereof) is leaving her restless, depressed, and frustrated.
She is making healthy choices in her personal life, though. Shoshanna, despondent because of another failed interview, encounters Ray on the street while he’s letting out some pent-up aggression at beeping motorists. She asks to accompany him on his errands, and finally apologises to him for how she ended their relationship. It’s the first honest conversation that these two have had for a while, and it shows how much they’ve both grown. Both Ray and Shoshanna have been through a wild and adventurous stage in their lives, but now they’ve admitted it, moved on, and acknowledged that they’ve both grown and changed. It was a big step for both of them, and perhaps now they can finally be friends.
Hannah is still struggling in Iowa, which is made all the more worse when she sees that Elijah is flourishing. She attempts to apologise to her classmates, but her non-apology only ends up enraging them even more. Her tutor calls her back after class, and points out that Hannah doesn’t flourish in academia, she seems to be struggling with her mental health, and that she needs to assess just how much she wants to be in the program. A passing visit from her father makes Hannah realise that sometimes a seemingly bad decision is the right one, and she decides to leave Iowa (whether that’s permanently or temporarily is yet to be determined). Hannah makes a surprise return to New York, only to open her door to Mimi-Rose (guest star Gillian Jacobs), Adam’s new girlfriend. Yes, this is yet another Hannah Horvath breakdown (or at least the beginnings of one), but it’s the first one that I actually sympathised with. This is Hannah dealing with a really difficult decision, one that countless have made before her – is quitting the right thing to do?
Something also seems to be going on with Hannah’s dad, Tad (guest star Peter Scolari), who makes cryptic statements this week about making hard decisions and running away to somewhere they’ve never been. While Tad and Hannah have always had a closer relationship, his behaviour seemed a little odd. Something tells me that Tad will be dropping a bombshell on his daughter in the not-so-distant future.
Marnie, for once, displays some self-control and self-worth. She has ended her romantic relationship with Desi which, admittedly, makes their musical relationship a tad awkward. She even shuts him down when he tries to make another condescending apology, and that’s a big thing for Marnie. She also shows trepidation when Desi shows up in the middle of the night, claiming to have left Clementine for her. He accidentally reveals that it was more of a pre-emptive breakup, as Clementine had admitted to emotionally cheating, and Marnie even looks a little disgusted with him when he breaks down crying. Yes, she gives in to him eventually, but believe it or not this is actually a step in the right direction for Marnie. For someone who has shown absolutely no will power when it comes to matters of the heart, she put herself out there and stood her ground, not giving in to Desi until he met her half way. Speaking of Desi, he really is an awful character. Whenever he’s on the screen I pray that Marnie defenestrates him– just toss him, Marnie: I know you don’t think it, but you can do so much better.
Shoshanna, Marnie, Hannah and Jessa are growing into strong, capable young women in their own ways, both big and small. From Jessa’s struggle to stay sober to Marnie finally asking for what she wants; from Shoshanna admitting her faults to Hannah moving to Iowa to achieve her literary dreams: these girls may not be there yet, but they’ve got the courage to take the leap. They’re on their way to becoming fully-fledged adults, one baby step at a time.
Review Score: FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Season 4 of Girls is screening weekly on Showcase, 7.30pm Mondays (Express from the US)
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