UK VOD TV review: Girls Season 4, Episode 3
Review Overview
Pop culture references
7Snappy dressing
7Home truths
8Jo Bromilow | On 02, Feb 2015
“You’re uncomfortable in your own skin and you think it’s everybody else’s problem!” an exasperated Elijah tells a characteristically mopey Hannah in this week’s episode of Girls, as he tries to give her back some of her comfortable New York trappings (and to teach the locals how to dance).
After last week’s brutal takedown of her work by her graduate school peers, Hannah is still a little at a loss in her new surroundings. Thankfully, Elijah is on hand to at least attempt to pull her out of her slump, as she tries to come to terms with her new role as ‘female author’ (also the title of the episode) and battle through the fear that consumes her that ‘female author’ might not be the moniker it’s cracked up to be…
Elsewhere, other female authors of their own destiny are having slightly better luck forging their own paths. Shoshanna, finally ready to take on the world of work, attends what appears to be possibly the best job interview in job interview history before doing the unthinkable that will have any job-seeking graduates screaming into their pillows. But props to Shoshanna for knowing what she wants. Zosia Mamet clearly has so much fun playing Shoshanna that it would be unthinkable for her to ever mellow as a character, but, like Hannah, pride comes before a fall and it seems that she’s in need of tumbling down a peg or two – although, with any luck, not losing any of her sassy accessories along the way.
Has Jessa tumbled far down enough to hit rock bottom yet? Every series she seems to discover a new low to sink to, and this episode offers yet another example of her bohemian behaviour landing her (and her unlikely knight in shining armour) in hot water. Said knight issues some harsh truths about Jessa’s destructive behavior, perfectly following on from Hannah smacking down her clichéd critics, suggesting that at least one of these four authors penning their own destiny needs to think about a serious rewrite. Then again, the last time Jessa tried to rewrite her own self-destruction, she married Chris O’Dowd…
Speaking of sparsely bearded and inappropriate men, Marnie’s cad of a paramour, Desi, is still continuing to muddy the waters, while swiftly shutting down a romantic backstory an influential group try to write for him. But gone is the Marnie who seems content to linger on the sidelines of a bearded lothario’s life. Self-centred she may be, but her strength is beginning to shine through the the fragile, sheltered and insecure surface of the past. Might it finally be time for Marnie to reach out to the career, and the man, she wants and grasp them firmly with both hands?
Three episodes in and these female authors are taking shaky steps to control their own destinies. Let’s see how far down the page they can get.
Girls Season 4 is on Sky Atlantic at 10pm. Not got Sky? You can stream it live – or catch up on-demand on NOW, as part of £7.99 monthly subscription, no contract. Seasons 1 to 3 are also available until the end of January 2015.
Photo: ©Girls SM, under licence from Home Box Office, Inc.