Let me just start by saying that I didn’t know anything about this show prior to reviewing this season. I had seen tons of Tumblr gifs from the show and I was always intrigued with it. Sadly, I’m not a cable sort of person, so I never got to explore the wonderful work of Lena Dunham’s Girls until this season.
I must have more.
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The fourth season of Girls starts out with a major shift by lead character Hannah (Lena Dunham), who is on her way to graduate school in Iowa. She is pursuing her dream of becoming a writer, which means that she’ll have to leave everything behind to achieve her dream, including her boyfriend Adam (Adam Driver). Hannah and Adam’s story is an ongoing arc through season four that ends with an emotional conclusion by the last episode. It’s one of the more interesting bits and it’s a catalyst for Hannah’s life spiraling out of control when everything goes to shit. And it does. Quick. Both on the side of love and in her own professional life. On top of these things, Hannah also gets a surprise from her parents that sparks more interest in the fifth season.
Eventually, Hannah has to retreat back to New York to regroup, but everything she left behind in NYC isn’t remotely close to the same when she left for Iowa. This is a bit disorienting when you’re watching episodes back-to-back, by the way. I assume the separation between episodes when they air on HBO helps to distance time from show to show, but when you’re binging these things it can certainly shorten the timeline between events.
Anyway, let’s get to other stories in season four!
Marie (Allison Williams) and Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) continue their affair, and their on again-off again musical relationship, which intensifies to a crescendo by season’s end. Their characters, who might be the weakest of the bunch in this season, do a great job of establishing how bad a relationship can be when the foundation is constructed on the wrong kind of ground. Personally, the best part of their ongoing story in season four is the speech Desi gets from jealous friend Ray (Alex Karpovsky), who delivers one of the heaviest gut punches in the span of 60 seconds. That’s the most interesting part of season four’s follies between Marnie and Desi. They’re destined to fail from the moment you see them onscreen. Again, I think this was the weakest part of season four, and something I enjoyed the least. It certainly isn’t the worst story ever told in television history, but it feels incredibly insincere and empty — until the end.
For so much relationship drama in the season, two supporting characters help to keep the humor flowing when things get too serious. Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), an unfiltered friend of the group who believes honesty is the best medicine for everyone, struggles to find a job, while keeping her friends hopes/dreams afloat (even though hers are sinking). She keeps her character interesting in short spurts of disastrous job interviews and with helping Ray become a councilman in his district to help keep things cleaned. I don’t remember seeing Zosia Mamet in anything else, but I would love to see her in a heck of a lot more. Her style of speech is mesmerizing, as is her deliver and train of thought. It’s really a blast to see in motion, especially when she goes off on someone.
Ray is the other character that sprinkles humor into the series. While he certainly delivers a helluva speech towards the end of the show to Desi, prior to that moment he creates a wonderful neurotic set of situations that are spurned by his idiot friends and idiots in traffic outside of his home. His presence in the season doesn’t really start to shine until towards the end of season four when he has to become a councilman to help his traffic situation out. I absolutely loved him in this moment and felt like he became a better, more prominent figure in the season because of this. I wouldn’t mind to see more of him in season five.
I know there were a few characters left out of this summary, but honestly speaking the above characters/storylines were the most memorable of season four. They were interesting and they drove the show. Season four of Girls was a well spun set of tales that intertwined, jumbled like Christmas lights out of a box and then untangled perfectly by the end of the season. The amount of intelligence that must have gone into each show really makes this season special. Come for the writing, stay for the acting.
Having said that, If I can’t pull back for a second, let me just say that this show was just as I expected it to be. A variety of different storylines that felt more down to earth than other shows of its type. For example, Hannah’s story was the most fascinating in season four, as it seemed straightforward and in control, but sort of became disorganized and messy as the season rolled forward. Now, you might say that is because maybe Lena Dunham (and her writers) seemed to get off track, but as the season starts to conclude, it becomes pretty clear that this spiral was intentionally planned, the chaos Hannah is experiencing equals out to the right amount of panic and all of this heads towards a real and understandably sad conclusion. Hannah is a superbly written character that has great stories written for her (and those around her). Her adventures through season four make sense and feel astoundingly grounded. Of course, it just isn’t her character that gets this sort of treatment, rather everyone gets a taste. Combined, you could believe that these folks reside in New York City and are going through these possible situations. All of it goes through Hannah, but each group of characters and stories don’t completely depend on her. Real life works this way, or so they say.
Anyway, Dunham and crew have done a superb job of separating their show from the rest of the television trash out there. Much like Dunham’s Hannah, they have defiantly gone their own way in their own style and haven’t asked for forgiveness for doing so. I admire that endlessly. I hope they keep up the work and keep this world of Girls alive and kicking.
On the special features side of things, here’s what you get with the digital delivery:
– Invitation to the Set (2 min)
– Invitation to the Set Extended (7 min)
– Recap Extended (3 min)
– Trailer
While there isn’t much here, I did truly appreciate the recap of season three. It certainly magnified the efforts in season four, which felt like it was more together. The rest of the features are good, with the Invitation to the Set Extended being the crown jewel. You get some great clips and interviews with this feature.
Having said that, I think more features, maybe even a nice gag reel, would have made this a bit more of a value. The show certainly is worth the price of admission, but I think there could have been a few more extras.
