GIRLS - Recap: Review (Not) Paid for by Neiman Marcus
GIRLS continued tonight with an episode that focused on the trials and tribulations of pursuing fulfilling work while juggling the responsibilities of the real world.
HBO "GIRLS"
Much of the meaning behind Episode 6 was in Hannah’s quest to both maintain any lifestyle whatsoever in Brooklyn while continuing forward with her dreams of being a “real” writer. An advertorial position with GQ meant a compromise between feeding her creative side and feeding her belly, as free snacks and corporate perks came in place of truly captivating and fulfilling work. For those of you wondering, an advertorial is a writing piece published in a magazine or through a similar publication that is essentially paid for by an advertiser. For example, Hannah’s work covering the various adventures of the male Manhattanite was funded by Neiman Marcus and catered to their customers. Ray was the first person to point out the stigmas behind such work, of course, but that has more to do with Ray than Hannah. More on that later.
Hannah’s first day working at GQ was her corporate dream world. If Hannah Horvath must work in an office at a cubicle, this looked like her fantasy. As her new coworker, Joe (Michael Zegen), made perfectly clear, Hannah had joined a team of office outcasts, legitimate writers shunned by those typing away in the actual editorial department. The snacks, however, were free. This, of course, fed into Hannah’s artistic internal interpretation of what her corporate life should look like as she supposedly continued her “actual” work at home. Would Hannah truly want to be part of “the Man” as a member of that editorial team at GQ? I’m sure there is some part of her that would love the incredible prestige that would come along with bragging to Ray or Marnie about such a position, but the creative writer in Hannah would want to be a part of the misfits. Every member of her team represented some part of Hannah. Karen was her female confidant. Kevin literally hated her face, but Hannah can be totally superficial and egomaniacal in her own realm of thinking. Hannah would totally write a personal essay on the shame of hating someone's face. Joe, who became her closest peer friend and biggest supporter quite quickly, represented what Hannah might become should she end up sucked into the vortex of the corporate writing world.
HBO "GIRLS"
Meanwhile, Shoshanna had been secretly stalking all things Ray. Ray has been gaining a tiny bit of momentum on the NYC scene. His new coffee shop is getting press, though perhaps not the absolute greatest press there is. Shoshanna, though, is concerned about the press, not the actual typed words that just barely gave Ray’s café a positive review. Suddenly convinced that she’d begun falling behind in her fifteen-year life plan, Shosh decided now was the time to simply join a committed relationship. Parker was, essentially, the dumbest person Shoshanna has ever met, but he’s a good-looking dude who was ready, willing, and able. Who cares if you can tie your own shoes when we're all so desperate? Perhaps the funniest scene of Episode 6 was Shoshanna’s ridiculous sex with Parker, who wanted nothing more than to grind while Shoshanna continued listing her relationship rules.
I really like that GIRLS has created some troubles for Shoshanna that involve what is mostly the opposite of what these other ladies want. Most of the girls on this show are so self-involved and self-obsessed that their super-entitlement ruins their lives. Shoshanna is so invested in the idea of “the system” that she chooses a boyfriend like she chooses an ice cream flavor and treats a relationship like something that merely needs to be scheduled. She doesn’t realize just how much she needs passion.
HBO "GIRLS"
As this transpired, Marnie and Ray kept their entertaining new friendship(?) going this week. Ray joined Marnie for a round of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills of his own volition, but the two inevitably gave in to sexual urges. Their most important scene was probably their lunch at a Chinese restaurant in which the two ended up arguing over whether or not volunteer work in Africa was valiant or contributing to the Western World’s corruptive grip on another continent. The truth is, these two have nobody else. Ray splits so many hairs and overanalyzes every detail to the point that nothing is satisfactory and everyone is awful. Marnie, on the other hand, has a sense of superficial phoniness about her that, honestly, only Ray can seem to snuff out. Do we think she actually wanted to volunteer in Africa to help orphans? No; however, volunteer work is volunteer work, and Ray can’t even begin to comprehend that. Marnie is the easiest of targets. Still, these two oddly bring out the best in each other, and I’m enjoying this pairing.
By day two, Hannah was crying in her cubicle. All of the Sun Chips in the world couldn’t satiate her hunger for a free life of pure creativity, but it’s simply not logical in 2014 to think that things don’t happen and legalities don’t matter. Hannah’s book was sucked up by David’s publisher, and it’s gone. Perks and workplace compliments are one thing, but true fulfillment is another. Hannah came impossibly close to her dream and then had it yanked away. Joe suggested doing what he’d always thought to do, though he admitted to not having done so for about two years. Hannah could punch in at GQ, clock out, then head home to do her “real” work. Only, by the time Hannah arrived home to do so, all she could do was conk out on the couch.
Luckily, she had Adam (Adam Driver) to tuck her in. Adam struggled with his acting career this week, originally bombing at a first audition by refusing to simply comply with the protocol of the interview aka smiling and stating his name. Later, however, he earned an actual callback. The thing about Adam is that he somehow maintains a life working odd jobs, yet he also manages to feed into his heart’s desires. I think the reason why Adam succeeds to a degree that most average people cannot is because Adam is completely detached from the pressures of human society almost to a fault. His goals in his acting career involve challenging himself to correctly conquer a dramatic scene. It has nothing to do with accolades or fame; however, it also doesn’t have anything to do with pleasing an audience, which is sort of essential if you’re looking to do good work in entertainment. Thus, both members of this couple have their shortcomings when it comes to their career goals, but there’s always next episode!
What did you think of GIRLS Season 3 Episode 6, “Free Snacks”? Will Hannah ever get back to her dream job of being Hannah? Are Marnie and Ray heading for an actual relationship or just a fostering friendship? Will Shoshanna find what she’s looking for?
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of GIRLS Season 3 Episode 6, “Free Snacks”!
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