‘Girls’: The Final Lines Spoken By its Most Iconic Characters
[Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the entire run of “Girls,” through the series finale.]
Lena Dunham had a fun suggestion for fans of her iconic HBO comedy “Girls,” which just wrapped its final season on Sunday.
“Max Brockman is one of our writers, and he’s amazing at everything, but he’s sort of like the ‘Girls’ historian. He’s the one that went in and basically looked at each character and told us what the final thing they said in the series was and it was all very poetic,” she said to IndieWire during a recent discussion of the final season. “I encourage you to go home and play the game. You go through most of our main characters, and it’s pretty amazing what the final thing that comes out of their mouth is.”
This game sounded fun, so we went ahead and played it ourselves, capping it at nine of the most prominent characters from the final season. (Given the sprawling nature of the cast, it would have been possible for this list to be twice as long.)
Adam (Adam Driver)
“If I buzz, will you let me in?”
— Episode 8, “What Will We Do This Time About Adam?”
After confronting the pipe dream that was reuniting with Hannah to help raise her baby, Adam returns to his and Jessa’s apartment, asking for permission to be let back into the apartment — and her life. Their relationship still has issues, but what matters is that he came back.
Ray (Alex Karpovsky)
“Would you object greatly if I kissed you?”
— Episode 8, “What Will We Do This Time About Adam?”
The sweet and courtly way in which Ray asks permission to smooch Abigail (Aidy Bryant) doesn’t promise a lifetime of happiness for him and Abigail, but it does indicate that at least for the moment, Ray has made a match with real potential. And given what an odd duck of a character he always was, that’s a genuinely positive note to end things on.
Tad (Peter Scolari)
“Can’t you drum somewhere else?”
— Episode 9, “Goodbye Tour”
The little picnic Hannah shares with her father and his lover Keith (Ethan Phillips) isn’t perhaps perfect, but while it’s still cozy enough, it could always be improved… Okay, this line is maybe a bit hard to decode. They can’t all be winners.
Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet)
“If you guys want to stay, that’s okay, because Byron allotted for extra guests, because that’s just the kind of guy that Byron is. That’s who I’m with now. My fiancee. Okay?”
— Episode 9, “Goodbye Tour”
Byron seems like a great guy — or at least a great guy for Shosh. Good for her for moving onto less toxic relationships.
Elijah (Andrew Rannels)
“I got it. I got the part in ‘White Men Can’t Jump: The Fucking Musical,’ you feckless whores. Hannah, I will see you at home tomorrow at roughly noon when I am done partying this out. Eat a dick.”
— Episode 9, “Goodbye Tour”
Not only does this line bring us the glorious news that after taking a chance on failure, Elijah’s gotten his big break, but Andrew Rannels delivers the hell out of an already incredible line. Perhaps the best character send-off of the whole bunch. (Not that we’re done yet…)
Jessa (Jemima Kirke)
“Our best was awful… Yeah, I mean, what else am I doing? Literally been waiting outside Shoshanna’s house since four o’clock.”
— Episode 9, “Goodbye Tour”
What we can take away from Jessa’s final words is the idea that she’s owning some responsibility for her life — it’s a bit of a sad note to leave the character on, except that it’s then followed by the sort of fun dance montage that always did a lovely job of communicating the bond these women shared. Jessa seems more all right than she was in the episode prior, at least, and she and Hannah shared a heartfelt moment.
Loreen (Becky Ann Baker)
“What happened to your pants?”
— Episode 10, “Latching”
Hannah may have grown up a fair amount lately, but she’s still got her flaws — and her mother will always be quick to point them out. (Hannah’s response: “Oh, about what you’d expect” was pretty perfect.)
Marnie (Allison Williams)
“We gave him formula — and he liked it.”
— Episode 10, “Latching”
For someone obsessed with perfection and natural thinking, Marnie’s admission that they gave Grover formula — the compromise required by circumstance — was perhaps a bigger deal than anticipated. However, her earlier remark, that she was intrigued by law school because she loves rules, also stands out. Marnie still has a lot of growing up to do, but she seems like she’s on the right path.
Hannah (Lena Dunham)
“No no, guys. I got it.”
— Episode 10, “Latching”
Technically, Hannah technically sings “If only I could be, be someone, be someone…” over the closing credits, echoing the earlier use of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” But her final line of dialogue is the moment when she really seems to come into her own as a mother, calmly taking responsibility for her child’s welfare… and building to the moment when mom and son finally reconnect.
Where these characters go next is a question left to the imagination. But each of them made an impression during their time on our screens.
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