GIRLS - Season 2 Finale - Episode 10 - Recap and Review - "Together"

Spoiler Alert: There is no such thing as together. Girls closed out its second season tonight with “Together,” a final episode that revealed the slightly terrifying truth behind young-adulthood and answered the question posed by the very first pieces of advertisement this season put up; “Almost getting it kind of together” is all any of us can really hope for. Guess what? You shouldn’t want to live any way other than “almost together.” (Although, it's probably best to avoid collapsing into complete catastrophe.) Here’s why:

HBO "GIRLS"

Marnie: Much of Girls is thematically centered on the young person’s quest for the American Dream. Your twenties are a crossroad of sorts. It’s tough to balance between building a sensible adult life and investing in your calling, in any case. I’m glad they took Marnie (Allison Williams) down this path this season. Having initially suffered a major setback in her dream of becoming a success in the art world, we saw a down and out Marnie channel her passion into her relationship with that jerk, Booth Jonathan. Hey, talent is sexy, and she got swept up in his. Having been left in the dust by Booth, Marnie’s story took an interesting turn; the cringeworthy quest of a pop stardom.

I liked that Girls touched on this territory like this. I feel like most young people in this country, sadly, have a twisted view of what the American Dream actually is. There’s this idea that you should channel your time, energy, and money into your passion, in Hannah’s (Lena Dunham) case her writing or, in Marnie’s, her career as a curator. Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose! If you get tired (don't worry, you won't.) you can always cash in your chips and get hitched to whoever's ready, willing, and able. At least then you’ll be able to breathe a little. But wait, wait, wait… let’s not forget, if the opportunity to become a superstar celebrity comes knocking, trash that other nonsense because that’s the only real dream, anyway. Marnie, having seemingly lost her true calling, found herself totally twisted.

Was I happy to find Marnie and Charlie (Cristopher Abbott) back together by this episode’s close? Not necessarily, but I’d rather see Marnie fostered by a healthy relationship than wasting her days tinkering for naught on Garage Band. Sucks to be Charlie, though. I do think that there are some people who are absolutely fulfilled by relationships, but Marnie hasn’t done anything to prove she’s one of them. This is a safety net, and he played right into it. Sometimes there’s a powerful attraction that comes along with wanting to “fix” someone you care about.

I think the most important thing to note, regarding the closing of Marnie’s arc this season, was her point about “wandering to an endpoint.” Wrong... so wrong. People are like sharks. If you stop swimming, you die. True happiness should be an ever-changing picture, considering the fact that anticipation has much to do regarding being fulfilled. The goal should be staying on the path to that vision. Maybe that’s not “together,” but that’s a good thing.

HBO "GIRLS"

Shoshanna: Ray (Alex Karpovsky) finally decided to be proactive about finding some ambition, if only to save his relationship with Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet). That's the thing, though. That’s not true personal ambition. Ray’s boss had decided to open a new Grumpy’s in Brooklyn Heights. In an attempt to impress his girl, Ray decided to take on the role of “manager plus.” Basically, he took on the responsibility for a title that read “dreaming big.”

Shoshanna, still refusing to confess her indiscretion with the doorman to Ray, remained unimpressed. At thirty-three, Ray’s “black soul” and perpetual negativity had taken its toll. Shoshanna is looking to grow into a decent human being. She can’t be with someone who hates everything, ribbons and pillows included. Everything but her, that is.  That is a lot of pressure for a young girl to handle. We knew things were done when Shoshanna admitted to loving Ray like a sad monkey in a dirty cage. Pity equals death in any relationship.

Ray did have a point, though. He wasn’t the only one in that relationship who was lost. There is a certain brand of naivety that comes with being around, say, twenty-two. Twenty-one is the last celebrated milestone that isn’t laced with pangs of aging woes. At twenty-two, you think you have life figured out. You're a legal adult and you don't have to use that fake ID any longer! You think that at thirty-three, you’ll have it made. She proved this flaw, in part. To her utter disgust, Ray had suspected she’d cheated with another guy; Ray’s foil, an adult male blond. (Are those even real?) By the episode’s close, her lips were locked with one at a local bar.

HBO "GIRLS"

HBO "GIRLS"

Hannah: Still reeling from the pain that comes along with rupturing an eardrum, Hannah found herself in a pretty dire predicament. She had a day to write her book, or she could possibly face a lawsuit, having already accepted an advance. The interesting turn in Hannah’s storyline from absolutely self-obsessed and unknowingly flailing to legitimately floundering and deserving of sympathy was great to watch, even if, at times, we were rendered impossibly uncomfortable. I enjoyed the montage of internet searches surrounding decay and infection. I thought it was adequately reflective of her current life struggles.

Hannah phoned her father for help in covering the advance. If he could lend her the money to pay back the amount she’d already spent, she could have space to breathe. I understood why her father felt manipulated, but having witnessed Hannah’s very real implosion firsthand, I was sympathetic. You don’t say things like, “You have to ride life like a pony or you’ll get a haircut” unless you’re unraveling. Speaking of the haircut, that was both disturbing and hilarious to witness. Obviously, chopping off all of your hair is a tell-tale symptom of being on the verge of a mental breakdown, but Girls is a comedy, and as I mentioned last week, laughs this season have tended to come coupled with a tinge of absolutely sadness.

The interaction with Laird (Jon Glaser), the recovering junkie, was important, too. We’re used to seeing Hannah manipulate people for the experience. Normally, she skates by unscathed. Under her current crumbling mental state, her efforts were futile. Laird had helped Hannah to cut her hair into a brilliant Frankenstein-esque new do. Hannah, having been living off of nothing but Cool Whip for days, was on the verge of physically collapsing. Still, she managed to “accuse” Laird of attempting to take advantage of her. Laird called her out on her self-absorbed nature, which normally would have been perfectly appropriate, but the girl seriously looked as though she was about to die.

Of course, I have to mention the "broken glass" metaphor Hannah drummed up. It is a strange feeling to feel like you're not being protected any longer. When you're younger and you break a glass, your parents shuffle you away like it's an immense danger. God forbid you get cut. Then, boom, you're sweeping up your own damn glass. You're entire life you're raised to believe that, in a sense, you have all the time in the world to chase dreams. Then, in a snap, you're dropped into the chaos of the adult world unguarded. On your worst days, it can feel a bit like hitting the brick wall of immense maturity, like there's some ominous "together" voice whispering, "You didn't really think we wanted you to waste your entire youth chasing your dreams, right? That's what twenty-three was for!" Of course, as a twenty-something, you are legitimately responsible!

Marnie also popped by out of the blue, looking to check up on Hannah. Of course, she waited until she was "together" to worry about her friend. Hannah, feeling entirely uncomfortable around her seemingly perfect friend, hid behind her bed. Marnie got a peek at Hannah’s writing. Basically, Hannah had decided to write on how the complexities of relationships between girlfriends surpass that of romantic relationships. Marnie and Hannah have had so little interaction this season that Hannah hasn’t been clued-in on the fact that Marnie was potentially the least stable girl of the bunch. We know Marnie now, though. We know she’s not in a place to admit her own internal turmoil just to help her best friend.

Fully recognizing her own complete and utter self-destruction, Hannah attempted to phone Jessa, who was noticeably absent yet again. (Seriously, you would have thought Jemima Kirke was demoted for season 2! Jemima Kirke was pregnant during shooting.) I liked Hannah’s voicemail, which was really more of a monologue, right? Jessa's free spirit was missed. Life, especially life in New York, can sometimes seem like one massive entangled ball of struggling individuals. Other times it can feel like a city full of super sophisticated grown-ups who spend their free time pointing and laughing, having already figured everything out. It’s easy to feel like one of the Lost Boys in a big city. I’m assuming crippling OCD and the incredible pressure of an incredible looming life failure (the book fall-out) would be enough to drudge up that sentiment tenfold.

HBO "GIRLS"

Adam: Very interesting; Adam (Adam Driver) and Natalia (Shiri Appleby) kept their relationship going after last week’s incredibly sadistic, and expectedly detrimental, sex. It seemed Natalia had been attempting to meet Adam halfway. We know that Adam doesn’t do halfway, though. Adam treats people like porn. This is Girls, so I’m assuming we can talk about porn. Once in a while, while clicking around, you come across something new and exciting. Do I like this? Wow, I think I do. I'm so fun. Thirty minutes into the future, you’re scrambling to clear your history. You remember that you don't even like clowns. That’s not how real life works, though. You can’t erase your history, and people get hurt.

In the end, Hannah, in an absolutely desperate state, called Adam. Visibly deteriorating, having “accidentally” chosen to cam chat, Hannah exposed herself to the only person she knew would understand, “her stalker ex.” Without hesitation, Adam ran shirtless to Hannah’s apartment, scooped her up into his arms, and the episode closed. Is their relationship healthy? I’m not so sure, at this point. I guess season 3 will tell! Last season, I would have highly doubted them. Then again, I didn’t realize the extreme emotional stress Hannah had buried underneath an impenetrable layer of self-worth. It’s not necessarily a good thing, but sometimes people have damage they need to work out. Sometimes therapy doesn’t cut it.

Funny thing: Having seen this all play out, I think that Hannah, in her current state of catastrophic unraveling, is more together than Marnie, who just... checked out. I think there's a certain level of "togetherness" that comes from just recognizing what the hell's up. That's not saying much. The Season 2 finale has left the ladies in shambles.

What did you all think of the Girls Season 2 Finale, “Together”? Are you happy to see a rekindling between Adam and Hannah, or do you feel they’re moving backwards? Did Hannah deserve more sympathy from the people in her life, or was this some sort of cosmic punishment for two-and-a-half season’s worth of selfishness? Did Ray have a point? What will come of Marnie and Charlie heading into season 3? Where the hell is Jessa?!

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of the Girls Season 2 Finale, Episode 10, “Together”!