GIRLS - Recap: House Underwear
GIRLS continued tonight with an episode that focused on role-playing in the bedroom and in life.
The social world can be a tough one to navigate, and oftentimes we’re all forced to role-play. The thing with these girls of GIRLS is that, for the most part, they’re so convinced of who they are and who they’re supposed to be (and those people are amazing) that they end up role-playing nearly all the time. Of course, as viewers we see them behind closed doors in more private and intimate moments, so we know that’s not all there is to them.
HBO "GIRLS"
Marnie:
As Shoshanna put it a few episodes back, Marnie is crippled by self-doubt and fear. The drama plaguing her life is always a direct reflection of the fact that those burdening characteristics come coupled with a super sense of entitlement and self-worth. When Marnie visits Soo Jin, her rich social friend from the days of Booth Jonathan, at the site of her new gallery, she doesn’t expect the girl whose father is funding everything to offer her a job as a mere assistant, especially considering the fact that the girl openly acknowledged that Marnie is more experienced. I think that most of what baffles Marnie is that she experiences moments like this one where she should clearly have a right to be absolutely pissed off and frustrated, but she also creates moments like this in her mind when she has no business feeling sorry for herself or expecting much of anything at all. Soo Jin doesn't owe her a job, of course, but Marnie certainly thinks The Universe does.
Perhaps more importantly, Adam’s Broadway pal Desi returned this week to help Marnie work on her skills as a songwriter. Marnie, who has a book of “ideas,” was probably overjoyed to hear his words of encouragement and praise, even if he has a “Clementine” of his own. I’m still not sure if that’s actually his girlfriend’s name or not, but I think that’s kind of the point. We know he’s an actor, though, and part of him is clearly putting on a show here when he toys with Marnie’s emotions. Apparently, Marnie can actually write, though. That’s what’s sort of funny about her to us. We’re so used to her obsessing over societal standards that we have no idea how talented she actually is at anything whatsoever.
Shoshanna and Jessa:
Jasper (Richard E. Grant) and Jessa had been shacking up at Shoshanna’s place for what seemed like a few days’ worth of a coke binge. Season 3 Shoshanna has a “grab your balls” attitude about her, though, and thankfully so. Her three besties can certainly use her criticism and her sometimes-brutal judgment. This week, Shoshanna took it upon herself to wrangle in Jasper’s estranged daughter, Dotty (Felicity Jones), who completely turned Jessa’s fantasy world upside down.
What was interesting about this plot is that we really haven’t been forced to look at Jasper’s issues as much as we’ve looked at Jessa’s. We know about Jessa’s daddy issues and how Jasper acts as a sort of symbol for what she’d like in a father, which is probably why she’s been so hesitant to actually engage him sexually. Jessa might be treating her body like a toxic dump at this point, but she’s at least maintained that shred of self-respect. Jasper, for what it’s worth, recognized the monster that the drugs transform him into. We saw this when he pleaded with his daughter to abandon him once again and to erase the sight of him from her mind. Jessa, meanwhile, maintained a strong front and sense of denial. In the end, Jasper left with his daughter to attempt to fix things. Jessa, meanwhile, slumped outside of Shoshanna’s apartment on the street alone. There, she shared one last heart-to-heart moment with her maternal cousin:You look like a junkie.I am a junkie.
Finally, Jessa has begun her Season 3 arc of understanding. I’m glad she recognized that something needs to change because Jessa, in my opinion, has usually been the girl to strive to better herself among this crew.
HBO "GIRLS"
Hannah:
Hannah started off Episode 10 by partying way too hard with her work friends and subsequently puking all over the front of her dress. In the end, she crashed at her buddy Joe’s house and the entire ordeal was pretty typical of a wild night of “ten too many.” The thing with Hannah, though, is that it’s always about the story and the ripple effect of things. At least, it’s about how things affect her and her tiny world inside her mind. This time, she was baffled as to how Adam could manage to continue on studying for his role on Broadway when she’d just spent the night in a drunken stupor crashing solo in another man’s bed. For what it’s worth, Adam does seem to be absorbed by his work to the point that he’s wearing stage costumes around the apartment to break them in. When he invited Hannah to a rehearsal, he refused to back her up when she was promptly kicked out like a fool for trying to support her boyfriend.
Thanks to a little help from Elijah (Andrew Rannells), Hannah came to the conclusion that the rush of excitement and passion had been sucked from her sex life, mainly because Adam has been treating her like an actual girlfriend and not a blowup doll in the bedroom these days. Hannah feels like a ottoman. In an effort to spice things up, Hannah orchestrated a public role-playing sequence that had to be seen to be believed. This was some seriously funny work by a wig-clad Lena Dunham, complete with a plethora of accents, a martini tossed in Adam’s face, and a sexy trip to Marnie’s empty apartment.
The truth is, Hannah’s tremendous effort only served to blow up in her face. Adam had never truly concocted those wacky sex scenes we’ve witnessed over the course of the first two seasons. In fact, he claims he barely remembers them when he finishes experiencing the moment. Hannah, on the other hand, has a virtual filing cabinet of all of the ridiculous and freaky sexual fetishes and scenarios Adam has put her through. As he put it, it’s almost as though she’s not in her body when they’re supposed to be being intimate. I guess love really does change everything. Adam decided to take time away from the apartment and the drama of Hannah’s brain in order to perfect his shot on Broadway. He’ll be crashing with Ray, a move he already had planned prior to this night. Hannah will be coping alone, probably listening to Beck.
What did you think of GIRLS Season 3 Episode 10, “Role-Play”? Did you get a kick out of Hannah’s routine? Are you Team Adam or Team Hannah here? Neither? Both? Will Jessa turn over a new leaf? What do you think Marnie needs to do? What about Ray and Shosh?
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of GIRLS Season 3 Episode 10, “Role-Play”!