‘Girls’ Review: Adam Makes His Movie As Hannah’s Life Goes Off Script
Amber Dowling
LAST WEEK’S REVIEW: In ‘Painful Evacuation,’ Major Revelations Shake Up the Status Quo
[Spoilers follow for “Girls” Season 6, Episode 5, “Gummies.”]
Love Her or Hate Her
This week Hannah pretty much skipped the baby part of having a baby and went right into becoming the mother of two teens, otherwise known as Loreen and Elijah. Both characters made the baby all about them after Loreen sucked back a few too many pot gummies and Elijah helped Hannah scour the city in order to find her. For Loreen, the baby signified another nail in her coffin, while Elijah selfishly didn’t want to give up his current living situation with Hannah.
As a result Hannah seemed a lot more grown up this week than usual, proving that pregnancy looks good on her — at least in the early stages (the opening shot put the pregnancy at about six weeks). Not only had she been thinking the situation through with lists about why it’s insane for her to go through with having this kid (being bad at sports is apparently a big one), but by the end of the episode she also seemed to embrace the idea of trying to be an actual adult, thanks to a random conversation with the girl playing her in Adam’s independent film (guest star Daisy Eagan).
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Maybe Hannah keeping this baby is a bad idea, but would she really be as terrible a mother as Elijah said? The immediate reaction is maybe yes, given some of the awful and narcissistic things we’ve seen from the character in the past. Add in her obsessive-compulsive tendencies (which can come out even stronger in pregnancy) and her tumultuous relationship with pretty much everyone in her life, and there’s a pattern there of reasons why this is just not a good idea. However, as Hannah said to her mom, she has acknowledged those reasons and still came to the conclusion that this is her baby, and that counts for a lot. No mom is perfect and Hannah has a long way to go in terms of a living situation and growing up, but having a baby is a surefire way to make sure you actually do those things.
Now Hannah thinking she and Elijah could raise the baby together like it’s some sort of fun adventure? That’s a clear warning sign in this situation, as is the fact that she’s made no attempt to contact the father as of yet.
READ MORE: ‘Girls’ Producer on Why That Shocking Twist Was Planned from the Beginning
Something to Cringe About
It’s unclear how Adam and Jessa got a script, cast and crew together as quickly as they did for their little film project, but the scene in which Adam hit/spanked his co-star repeatedly was awful to watch. We’d almost forgotten about Adam’s weird sexual drive from seasons past at this point, but that scene brought back all of our former icky feelings about the character. The entire thing was made even more awful when Jessa insisted the actress had a few more takes in her, as though those whaps were nothing.
Producer of the Year
Jessa obviously doesn’t have a lot going on for her at the moment, what with her cousin disowning her and her former bestie out of her life. So in terms of a setup, it’s understandable how the character would suddenly throw herself into this producing role on the film, despite her schooling and attempts at becoming a therapist. It’s fitting that Jessa, who thinks nothing through, hasn’t self-diagnosed her own feelings about Hannah and Adam’s former relationship, and refused to actually read the script before coming on set to witness some of the personal aspects of that relationship. Watching it unfold in front of her not only forced her to see that Hannah wasn’t always the bad guy when it came to Adam, but that he had real and deep feelings for her former friend. As viewers, those scenes also validated our suspicions that Jessa will be a terrible therapist — if she even sticks with that ambition.
Breaking Up Is(n’t) Hard to Do
While Hannah was dealing with new life Ray was dealing with death — specifically Hermie’s death and how it’s been affecting him. Through Elijah we learned that Ray has inherited the coffee shop, which will finally give him some direction. But the suddenness of Hermie’s loss had Ray reevaluating some other pretty big things in his life; namely Marnie and their disintegrating relationship. At some point we knew the honeymoon period between those two would end, especially given how Ray put Marnie on a pedestal for all that time when he was pining for her. Yet Marnie’s heart was never fully in the relationship — she only liked having Ray as a backup while she got on with her life and dabbled in all things Desi. When she told Ray that she’s not a bad person (while he’s finally breaking up with her for choosing a workout class over helping him go through Hermie’s things), we believe that she believes that to be true. But every single action she’s taken so far this season screams otherwise. If there’s one character that deserves to be alone (or, to be fair, needs to be alone in order to actually grow) it’s her. Better yet, let’s just stick Marnie and Desi in a 400-square-foot apartment together and call it a day.
Food for Thought
Was anyone else seriously craving some greasy egg rolls and saucy dumplings after witnessing Loreen’s feast at the Chinese restaurant? (Even if it ended on a less-than-savory note.)
Preparing For the End
At this point we’re halfway towards the ultimate ending, which may or may not involve a baby. Even though her decision was tested at every turn this week, it looks as though Hannah will indeed go through with her pregnancy and keep the little one, which is commendable given the obstacles she’ll have ahead. At that point it makes complete sense for the series to end, since Hannah will no longer be a “girl” but a mother navigating a vastly different world than the one in which viewers first met her.
Grade: B
Next week: Adam reaches out to Hannah and Elijah gets a new break in his career.
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