I've always approached shows on cable networks with a sense
of caution. For some reason it seems that most of the critics in the world fall
all over themselves to discuss how wonderful each and every program on cable
networks like HBO and SHOWTIME are cutting edge and worth watching. For the
most part the one thing these shows have in common that is missing from network
shows is the inclusion of sex and nudity. When the cable networks started
original programming that seemed to be their biggest concern. Unfortunately
that hasn't changed all that much.
I've never understood why that was all it took to make a
show a hit. Surely this world is not so shallow that a few naked bodies are all
it takes to make a hit series? Then again look at the offerings we've had. THE
SOPRANOS, BOARDWALK EMPIRE, DEADWOOD and more have all offered some great story
telling but at the same time felt the need to go after that base person tuning
in by offering enough T&A to keep them watching. Would the shows have been
as good if they didn't include it? I think so. It's too bad that these networks
don't want to take the chance to find out. Which brings us to GIRLS.
Critically praised and already garnering Emmy nominations,
GIRLS is the story of Hannah Horvath (Lena Dunham, the shows
creator/writer/sometime director), a woman in her early 20s out of college for
2 years whose parents in the opening of the series tell her that they've
decided to cut her off. They will no longer pay her bills while she finds out
what it is in life she wants. Instead they expect her to get a job like
everyone else. Of course Hannah doesn't take this well and blames them for all
of her problems expecting them to finance her until she decides what to do or
until she gets her book of essays published. Their response? Too bad, get that
job.
The series, while focusing on Hannah, includes her three
best friends as well. Marnie (Allison Williams) is Hannah's best friend and
roommate. Her long time boyfriend also spends most of his time there and is
oblivious to the fact that Marnie isn't quite so sure she wants to stay with
him. He adores her, dotes on her, does everything he can for her and yet she
feels there is something missing. Marnie works at an art gallery, something you
would think nearly everyone living in New York does since most New York set
shows have at least one person with this job description.
Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) is a friend to both girls. What she
does exactly I wasn't quite sure, but it's enough that she can pay rent and
live fairly well. As the series begins she's something the rest of her friends
are not which is a virgin. Shoshanna isn't sexually active which the rest of
these girls are almost all the time.
Lastly we come to Jessa (Jemima Kirke), the free spirit who
roams the world where ever she wants to go without a care in the world. Jessa
is the Bohemian of the bunch, not caring what anyone thinks of her or her
lifestyle. Jessa smokes even though she thinks she's pregnant, considers an
abortion without thinking about it and dresses in outfits that only someone on
either coast would find normal.
So what do these girls talk about, what predicaments do they
find themselves in? First off they need to work. Hannah has the most problem
finding a job. It seems she lacks the skills necessary to find employment in
the big apple. Even Jessa finds a job baby sitting two young girls.
The other big focus in their lives seems to be sex. One
would think in an enlightened world where the sexual revolution changed the way
women were observed that they would hold the upper hand at all times. Instead
these women crave sex and constantly seek it out. The bad thing is that in all
their choices for partners only one seems to actually care about the other and
he's the one who could get dumped any moment. Men in this series rarely care
about the women they have sex with and act as if it's just something to be
expected. It shows a lot of what the writers of this show think about men. Then
again what does it say about women when their only interest in men is sex?
A huge number of reviews for this show have compared it to
SEX AND THE CITY because of the fact that there are 4 friends who live in New
York and who seem interested in sex. That's about the only way they compare.
Where as SEX AND THE CITY displayed successful career women living out the
fantasy lives that seemed prevalent at the time, GIRLS offers the grittier side
of the same coin, showing a world where women struggle to make rent and instead
of wealthy, handsome men find themselves in bed with whoever can make it there.
Not meant as an insult but the women in this series are also more realistic
than in SATC. No glamour girls here but rather women that you see every day.
I've noticed another common comment in nearly every review
written about this series. The word "quirky" comes up in almost every
one I've read. I guess the easiest way to gather an audience is to do something
"quirky" and off the wall and you can stick critics into your back
pocket. Then again perhaps "quirky" is a lazy way for writers to
appear to be in touch with their subject matter and not appear to be unhip.
So with all that said do I really hate this series? Actually
not quite. I mean it does seem more interested in playing to two simple crowds:
those who watch for the vicarious thrill of seeing people having sex on TV and
those who think they are so hip and in the know that this series reflects the
lives of most everyone living in New York. I belong to neither group so the
series isn't a must see on my radar. Occasionally it did offer a few laughs but
those were few and far between. It also showed some heart in the fears and
struggles of these characters, one scene in particular after Hannah has quit a
job and found her "boyfriend" took her seriously when she said she
wanted to break up. But this is not a show that I would set a DVR to record or
rush home to watch an episode of.
It is nice to see the world as seen through real life eyes
rather than the rose colored glasses everyone wants to use when depicting life
in New York, lives filled with glamour and paparazzi everywhere rather than the
low rent apartments and pasty white boyfriends. For people who love shows that
reflect a more realistic approach to the world you'll probably enjoy this
series. I tend to watch shows that give me the opportunity to get away from
that world rather than roll around in it. I think most of us have enough
problems in our day to day lives that we don't quite find someone else going
through problems as entertainment. But as long as you know what you're going
into before watching that first episode, perhaps you'll find this one you'll
like but then again maybe not.
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