In the abortion episode, the producers made the pro-life character (Adam) look like a complete nincompoop. Do you think they’ll be kinder with Donald Glover’s character?
Why do you say Adam is pro-life? Given his character’s bio, that seems highly unlikely. If I recall correctly, he used the word “heavy” to describe the abortion experience. I think many people feel that way.
Hillary Clinton acknowledged this when she said that abortion should be legal but rare. IMO, there’s something very wrong with viewing abortion as just another method of birth control.
I didn’t watch the episode, I just read an article about it. He describes abortion as “heavy shit” and the Hannah says she’s not sure whether it is or if people are just making a big deal out of nothing. Then she says “What’s she supposed to do, just have a baby and take it to her babysitting job?” Adam falls silent.
If Adam wasn’t a nincompoop he would have replied something like “You can have an abortion and still respect the fact that it’s heavy shit.” But since he’s silent that makes him look like he hasn’t thought it through.
Oh and I just reread the summery and it looks like he was having lots of unprotected sex? That is horrifically selfish.
““Actually, you know what, I [was] dating someone who claimed to be a fiscal Republican. I don’t know what that means really,” confessed Dunham, adding: “I didn’t respect it and our relationship didn’t last very long.”
I think “liberal” and “Democrat” means happiness, goodness, and sunshine to people like Dunham, meaning artists and related people in SWPL bobo bubbleworld.
So, Republicans are people who are against happiness, goodness, and sunshine, which makes them bad people.
It’s a perfectly predictable emotionally held decision on her part given her upbringing.
“Shoshanna, whose clothes I personally find just plain weird and awkward. She doesn’t dress like any college student I know. She seems to be stuck in the 80s.”
As a man with no fashion skills whatsoever and who is not about to start watching Girls, I will agree with you.
If *I* notice that something’s horribly wrong…well…
It sounds like you want Adam to respond in a politically correct way. That sounds like a very quick route to mediocre dialogue.
He is such a jerk about protection! In the first episode, Hannah asks him to grab a condom and he says, “I’ll consider it.” Then in the abortion episode he tells her he never uses condoms. She replies, “Well, we use them.” He says something like, “We do? No wonder it takes me 25 years to bust a nut with you.”
We have all had very complicated feelings about Adam. The fact that by the end of season one he had become a sympathetic character says a lot about Dunham’s storytelling ability, IMO.
Short Verdict:
Needs more Adam Driver, less nudity (PLEASE).
Longer:
Just like Season 1, I think it will take a few episodes settle in. Didn’t Season 1 take until the party one to get good? I also hope that she won’t just use the first Season as a template to copy (ie Marnie/Apt vs Eli/Apt) but actually goes somewhere with the characters. Shoshanna still seems like a caricature to me.
She was the most fucked up last season.”
===
Some people are like that. Their life-lessons all kind of kick in at once and they have a super-steep learning curve. (I’ve seen it a lot once someone has children IRL, though.)
Not sure what I think of the premiere. DH is doing the FAFSA and was asking fro something every two minutes. I think I’ll watch a reapeat later tonightr when it’s quieter and I can really pay attention.
Yeah, I definitely agree it will take an episode or two before the new storylines and drama take effect. There’s been a lot of “shifting” going on off-screen, so I suspect that’s a major part of not feeling right quite yet.
I liked it, overall. Good to know our characters have been “growing” without us
Fun to see Marnie basically entirely in the dumps. I see a huge part of the problem! Parental relationship is a total mess. Nice to see Charlie just didn’t flip into total badass, either, but still has those fundamental personality traits he’s struggling with (and doesn’t even understand yet).
Adam is somehow..the most level-headed and rational. But I guess that makes sense. He doesn’t emotionally attach to Hannah in season 1 and keeps a clear emotional distance, he dropped out of school because he didn’t like it, and decided to do wood-working instead. Sounds like a MGHOW at the start, then got fucked over BY deciding to emotionally invest in a girl he shouldn’t have invested in at all. Because she’s nuts.
ShoSho and Ray, that crap just annoyed me. ShoSho used to seem somewhat principled, if like a little girl. Now she just seems weak.
Also: Did I miss any hints about Booth Jonathan? I think it is implied (in a preview) that he and Marnie hook up. I think that episode will be way more interesting for discussion as it related to HUS.
Lena just won a Golden Globe for playing Hannah. Yayyyyyyy!!!!! Her dress is beautiful (and slimming). The tats really ruin the effect though. She gave a nice tribute to other, older nominees.
@J
don’t get me wrong, I watch some crap too. just with different flavour gravy…not trying for superiority here. Top Gear is my favourite and I await a new series with abated breath. your US version wasn’t bad, but our original is better…YMMV
I still don’t like Adam. I don’t see how he can grow on me. He’s a slob, lives like an animal and his only appeal was that he was hard to get to commit. Now that Hannah doesn’t care, he has nothing to offer.
I was watching what Mr. PVW refers to in his wry and facetious way as “Downtrodden Abbey.” . When it comes to British-accented Masterpiece Theatre, he shudders and develops an “allergy attack.”
I mean even if the dude is gay he loses wood because she rolls her eyes.
Any nude seen by Lena makes me laugh.
Do guys in real life really guard a bathroom door with the chick they are dating? If so just turn in your testicles.
And the whole time I saw Donald Glover I was thinking “Troy and Abed in the Morning!”
Are people really like this? Do they just go and have sex with people they’re completely not emotionally intimate with? And then the only way to have emotional intimacy with someone else is to let go of all your self respect as a person?
Note the mason jar as a water glass. When did that become a thing?
It’s considered a trendy thing to do in Indie/Hipster districts. I have consumed more than my fair share of beer out of large mason jars in bars located in hipster areas of big cities. Beards and flannel are also rampant there.
@JP: Not a troll, just a lurker that comments from time to time who is not from the US but lives here now and is constantly surprised by people’s actions and views.
I am obviously aware of how common casual sex is, that doesn’t mean it makes it easier for me to digest how “casual” it is for some people, specially when it’s being shown on screen.
“@JP: Not a troll, just a lurker that comments from time to time who is not from the US but lives here now and is constantly surprised by people’s actions and views.”
Susan, the troll’s denying it’s trollishness. That’s absolutely classic narcissism and projection at work. In fact that’s how you know it’s a troll.
It’s probably Plain Jane.
Hurry, before people start interacting with it! Stop it before it grows!
“@JP: Not a troll, just a lurker that comments from time to time who is not from the US but lives here now and is constantly surprised by people’s actions and views.
I am obviously aware of how common casual sex is, that doesn’t mean it makes it easier for me to digest how “casual” it is for some people, specially when it’s being shown on screen.”
I know you’re not a troll. I was just amusing myself.
I tried to write a funny response, but I think if you use the word s…u…s…a…n too much you get moderated, which makes perfect sense to tell you the truth.
I’ve read enough psychological reports and I’ve seen enough classify casual sex in it’s proper context with respect to human behavior.
It’s stupid…but it’s not, uh, other stuff. That I just remembered that I don’t like to think about.
“BS! My guess is that couples that do don’t really want to get married and try too look “heroic” by declaring that is because of a greater good.”
It’s a feel-good reason to delay marriage that makes you feel wonderful on the inside, knowing that you are on the side of true glory in the world of civil rights.
It must be an amazing feeling to make a statement like that knowing that you will be adored by those who are oppressed.
I wish I could make statements that filled me with righteousness and a sense of my own awesomeness.
Seriously though, that’s her worldview. It’s like she’s telling us the sky is blue.
I’m personally not 100% convinced that she’s not being authentic.
- the mason jar is a thing, if you go to some brunch places they’ll serve you orange juice in them
- karaoke isn’t really “uncool”, it’s just really fun to do when drunk
- Hannah appears to be paying rent by working as a barista
- oh, Shoshanna. You look like you bought everything from the wrong end of Modcloth.
- Dammit, Charlie!
- Eli/Marnie? Uh…okay. I guess.
To me, that goes down as the least authentic Girls scene ever. It was just so wrong – it grossed me out. To date, we have the most uptight member of the group going for the following four guys:
Charlie
Booth Jonathan
Fat guy at wedding reception
Eli
It doesn’t add up.
Also, I would have liked to sense some small chemistry or attraction between Dunham and Glover. That fell really flat, IMO.
Well, the most uptight person of the group lost her virginity at the age of 14, so she can’t have been all that prudish. I think what we’re (supposed to be) seeing is Marnie becoming unhinged; she’s lost her relationship, job, and since her best friend is doing so well it looks like she’s losing her too. It sort of makes sense that Marnie would begin to seek out male validation. She’s in a really insecure place right now.
Agreed, she’s desperate for male validation, because she’s got, uhhhh, nothing else going on in her life.
Many “uptight” girls do such things, AFAICT.
Also, there is little chemistry between Hannah and Donald Glover because she’s forcing it because she’s a lame little girl who is also totally dependent on male validation. Just like ShoSho is, just like Jessa is, just like…
So on and so forth, these are not strong independent women.
Also, yes, mason jars are a thing. I don’t know why. Not exactly hipster, I see them at mainstream country bars. Same with the flannel obsession: if I got it, it ain’t underground hipster
>> “BS! My guess is that couples that do don’t really want to get married and try too look “heroic” by declaring that is because of a greater good.”
It’s also a brilliant line to use on a girl who you have no intention of marrying. The SWPL “heroic” approach sounds a lot better than “I don’t want to marry you”.
“She’s doing the “I won’t get married till gay people can” nonsense though. I hate that; I really do.”
Me too, and I say this as a huge supporter of gay marriage! Totally makes a struggle that’s NOT about you ALLLLLL about you as a straight person in a savior role. As though appearing in blackface at a rally would be a homage to those who experience racism.
“BS! My guess is that couples that do don’t really want to get married and try too look “heroic” by declaring that is because of a greater good.”
Yup….like Angelina Jolie. The fact that its hard (damn near impossible in some cases) for non-wealthy gay couples to adopt children didn’t stop her from adopting and having 36 children out of wedlock.
{ 72 comments… read them below or add one }
In the abortion episode, the producers made the pro-life character (Adam) look like a complete nincompoop. Do you think they’ll be kinder with Donald Glover’s character?
@GudEnuf
Why do you say Adam is pro-life? Given his character’s bio, that seems highly unlikely. If I recall correctly, he used the word “heavy” to describe the abortion experience. I think many people feel that way.
Hillary Clinton acknowledged this when she said that abortion should be legal but rare. IMO, there’s something very wrong with viewing abortion as just another method of birth control.
I didn’t watch the episode, I just read an article about it. He describes abortion as “heavy shit” and the Hannah says she’s not sure whether it is or if people are just making a big deal out of nothing. Then she says “What’s she supposed to do, just have a baby and take it to her babysitting job?” Adam falls silent.
If Adam wasn’t a nincompoop he would have replied something like “You can have an abortion and still respect the fact that it’s heavy shit.” But since he’s silent that makes him look like he hasn’t thought it through.
Oh and I just reread the summery and it looks like he was having lots of unprotected sex? That is horrifically selfish.
““Actually, you know what, I [was] dating someone who claimed to be a fiscal Republican. I don’t know what that means really,” confessed Dunham, adding: “I didn’t respect it and our relationship didn’t last very long.”
I think “liberal” and “Democrat” means happiness, goodness, and sunshine to people like Dunham, meaning artists and related people in SWPL bobo bubbleworld.
So, Republicans are people who are against happiness, goodness, and sunshine, which makes them bad people.
It’s a perfectly predictable emotionally held decision on her part given her upbringing.
“Shoshanna, whose clothes I personally find just plain weird and awkward. She doesn’t dress like any college student I know. She seems to be stuck in the 80s.”
As a man with no fashion skills whatsoever and who is not about to start watching Girls, I will agree with you.
If *I* notice that something’s horribly wrong…well…
@GudEnuf
It sounds like you want Adam to respond in a politically correct way. That sounds like a very quick route to mediocre dialogue.
He is such a jerk about protection! In the first episode, Hannah asks him to grab a condom and he says, “I’ll consider it.” Then in the abortion episode he tells her he never uses condoms. She replies, “Well, we use them.” He says something like, “We do? No wonder it takes me 25 years to bust a nut with you.”
We have all had very complicated feelings about Adam. The fact that by the end of season one he had become a sympathetic character says a lot about Dunham’s storytelling ability, IMO.
It’s a perfectly predictable emotionally held decision on her part given her upbringing.
Yes, she was raised in lower Manhattan by an ardent feminist and a painter of penises.
Just in time. Excellent
5 minutes and I am reminded of why Hannah is a terrible person. Dating a new guy and still seeing the old guy…
a painter of penises
You say that as though it’s a bad thing.
Shoshanna’s wardrobe is living up to their promises.
Charlie is Beat’ing it up again, lol
Look. Elijah is talking to a black party guest. Told you they did that!
Sho Sho apparently lost her self-respect. Good times.
If I were actually watching this show, I would provide color commentary like I do when my wife watches The Bachelor.
However, since I’m writing a brief, my input is unavailable.
Awww, Adam and Ray….so many confessions of love……….
Sorry I’m late!
Expert advice from ADBG for Gen Y’rs who have no clue about life:
To Ray: Just because a girl sends silly texts does not mean you should dump her
To Hannah: stop living with your gay Ex-BF
Marnie: You need to like blow jobs and anal sex
ShoSho: Stop hanging out with Ray, you’re too good for him
Adam: See a therapist
I *hated* Adam this time last season. Like mold, he will grow on you.
Considering that Elijah gave Hannah HPV, I’d say a condom is a wise move.
Now Marnie is having sex with her best friend’s ex boyfriend and room-mate, who is gay, except not.
And they can’t do it because, surprise, he’s gay.
WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?
@ADBG
I repeat,
Troy Barnes from community reads Fountainhead.
Awesome.
Jackie, yes, these people are nuts. The person with the best life is Jessa. Like, seriously. That’s how fucked up these people are.
What bothers me is that this TV show from the past truly got the future right.
And that’s so wrong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r31eE77b-9U
Donald Glover as an Ayn Rand devotee?!?!
Based on the commentary here, I think I can safely say that my life has been profoundly enriched by not watching this show.
The person with the best life is Jessa.
She was the most fucked up last season.
Based on the commentary here, I think I can safely say that my life has been profoundly enriched by not watching this show.
hahaha
Short Verdict:
Needs more Adam Driver, less nudity (PLEASE).
Longer:
Just like Season 1, I think it will take a few episodes settle in. Didn’t Season 1 take until the party one to get good? I also hope that she won’t just use the first Season as a template to copy (ie Marnie/Apt vs Eli/Apt) but actually goes somewhere with the characters. Shoshanna still seems like a caricature to me.
“The person with the best life is Jessa.
She was the most fucked up last season.”
===
Some people are like that. Their life-lessons all kind of kick in at once and they have a super-steep learning curve. (I’ve seen it a lot once someone has children IRL, though.)
@Jackie
I agree, I’m hopeful that it’ll pick up to it’s usual hilarity and awkwardness within a few episodes.
Question to all– What are everyone’s feelings in regards to Adam’s characterization shift?
@Jackie
I cosign everything you said. I want more Adam Driver and a whole lot less Eli.
I really, really had hoped Charlie would have grown a pair by now. I just want to reach into the TV and grab him by the scruff of the neck.
Shoshanna still seems like a caricature to me.
Yeah, too Jappy, too manic.
Not sure what I think of the premiere. DH is doing the FAFSA and was asking fro something every two minutes. I think I’ll watch a reapeat later tonightr when it’s quieter and I can really pay attention.
Yeah, I definitely agree it will take an episode or two before the new storylines and drama take effect. There’s been a lot of “shifting” going on off-screen, so I suspect that’s a major part of not feeling right quite yet.
I liked it, overall. Good to know our characters have been “growing” without us
Fun to see Marnie basically entirely in the dumps. I see a huge part of the problem! Parental relationship is a total mess. Nice to see Charlie just didn’t flip into total badass, either, but still has those fundamental personality traits he’s struggling with (and doesn’t even understand yet).
Adam is somehow..the most level-headed and rational. But I guess that makes sense. He doesn’t emotionally attach to Hannah in season 1 and keeps a clear emotional distance, he dropped out of school because he didn’t like it, and decided to do wood-working instead. Sounds like a MGHOW at the start, then got fucked over BY deciding to emotionally invest in a girl he shouldn’t have invested in at all. Because she’s nuts.
ShoSho and Ray, that crap just annoyed me. ShoSho used to seem somewhat principled, if like a little girl. Now she just seems weak.
@Susan
Ha ha! Thanks for hosting this, by the way!
Also: Did I miss any hints about Booth Jonathan? I think it is implied (in a preview) that he and Marnie hook up. I think that episode will be way more interesting for discussion as it related to HUS.
I’m a bit jealous of you lot. I have to wait two more days to not watch the UK premiere. goodnight
@Jackie
My only knowledge of Booth in Season 2 comes from the trailer. There’s definitely a scene of a post-coital moment with Marnie we can look forward to.
@Jackie
Thanks for suggesting it! I learned about live blogging, which is good to know. It was fun.
Lena just won a Golden Globe for playing Hannah. Yayyyyyyy!!!!! Her dress is beautiful (and slimming). The tats really ruin the effect though. She gave a nice tribute to other, older nominees.
I have to wait two more days to not watch the UK premiere.
LMAO
@J
don’t get me wrong, I watch some crap too. just with different flavour gravy…not trying for superiority here. Top Gear is my favourite and I await a new series with abated breath. your US version wasn’t bad, but our original is better…YMMV
insomnia sucks, that is all for tonight
And Lena wins again. Best TV series.
Finally found a bit way to stream this in the UK!
I still don’t like Adam. I don’t see how he can grow on me. He’s a slob, lives like an animal and his only appeal was that he was hard to get to commit. Now that Hannah doesn’t care, he has nothing to offer.
Feel like I’m the only one who loves Shoshanna
i watched a few episode last season. it’s repugnant.
can you guess who SHAN’T be watching?
Based on the commentary here, I think I can safely say that my life has been profoundly enriched by not watching this show.
Moments like this make me wish I was sensitive to peer pressure…No no really.;)
seeing lena dunham naked turned my mule into an “innie”
I was watching what Mr. PVW refers to in his wry and facetious way as “Downtrodden Abbey.”
. When it comes to British-accented Masterpiece Theatre, he shudders and develops an “allergy attack.”
Tragedies always make the best comedic shows.
I mean even if the dude is gay he loses wood because she rolls her eyes.
Any nude seen by Lena makes me laugh.
Do guys in real life really guard a bathroom door with the chick they are dating? If so just turn in your testicles.
And the whole time I saw Donald Glover I was thinking “Troy and Abed in the Morning!”
ROFL
I’m fairly certain that all of these characters have better life skills and are all around better people than many of the people I know from college.
Are people really like this? Do they just go and have sex with people they’re completely not emotionally intimate with? And then the only way to have emotional intimacy with someone else is to let go of all your self respect as a person?
“Are people really like this? Do they just go and have sex with people they’re completely not emotionally intimate with?”
Obviously a troll.
Time to get out the Ban Hammer, Susan.
It’s considered a trendy thing to do in Indie/Hipster districts. I have consumed more than my fair share of beer out of large mason jars in bars located in hipster areas of big cities. Beards and flannel are also rampant there.
Mmmmmm.
@JP: Not a troll, just a lurker that comments from time to time who is not from the US but lives here now and is constantly surprised by people’s actions and views.
I am obviously aware of how common casual sex is, that doesn’t mean it makes it easier for me to digest how “casual” it is for some people, specially when it’s being shown on screen.
“@JP: Not a troll, just a lurker that comments from time to time who is not from the US but lives here now and is constantly surprised by people’s actions and views.”
Susan, the troll’s denying it’s trollishness. That’s absolutely classic narcissism and projection at work. In fact that’s how you know it’s a troll.
It’s probably Plain Jane.
Hurry, before people start interacting with it! Stop it before it grows!
Quickly!
I got placed in moderation.
“@JP: Not a troll, just a lurker that comments from time to time who is not from the US but lives here now and is constantly surprised by people’s actions and views.
I am obviously aware of how common casual sex is, that doesn’t mean it makes it easier for me to digest how “casual” it is for some people, specially when it’s being shown on screen.”
I know you’re not a troll. I was just amusing myself.
I tried to write a funny response, but I think if you use the word s…u…s…a…n too much you get moderated, which makes perfect sense to tell you the truth.
I’ve read enough psychological reports and I’ve seen enough classify casual sex in it’s proper context with respect to human behavior.
It’s stupid…but it’s not, uh, other stuff. That I just remembered that I don’t like to think about.
Guavaberry is not a troll!
Lena is sort-of-engaged:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2262202/Lena-Dunham-sparks-wedding-rumours–wont-marry-Jack-Antonoff-gay-marriage-legal-despite-wearing-sparkling-ring.html
She’s doing the “I won’t get married till gay people can” nonsense though. I hate that; I really do.
“Guavaberry is not a troll!”
I know that.
I was riffing on the stupidity of the entire random casual sex thingy along with narcissism and the use of the phrase “Ban Hammer”.
Guavaberry just happened to be an excellent straight man to my commentary who posted just the right thing at just the right time.
She’s doing the “I won’t get married till gay people can” nonsense though. I hate that; I really do.
BS! My guess is that couples that do don’t really want to get married and try too look “heroic” by declaring that is because of a greater good.
“BS! My guess is that couples that do don’t really want to get married and try too look “heroic” by declaring that is because of a greater good.”
It’s a feel-good reason to delay marriage that makes you feel wonderful on the inside, knowing that you are on the side of true glory in the world of civil rights.
It must be an amazing feeling to make a statement like that knowing that you will be adored by those who are oppressed.
I wish I could make statements that filled me with righteousness and a sense of my own awesomeness.
Seriously though, that’s her worldview. It’s like she’s telling us the sky is blue.
I’m personally not 100% convinced that she’s not being authentic.
Finally got around to watching the show.
A few thoughts:
- the mason jar is a thing, if you go to some brunch places they’ll serve you orange juice in them
- karaoke isn’t really “uncool”, it’s just really fun to do when drunk
- Hannah appears to be paying rent by working as a barista
- oh, Shoshanna. You look like you bought everything from the wrong end of Modcloth.
- Dammit, Charlie!
- Eli/Marnie? Uh…okay. I guess.
To me, that goes down as the least authentic Girls scene ever. It was just so wrong – it grossed me out. To date, we have the most uptight member of the group going for the following four guys:
Charlie
Booth Jonathan
Fat guy at wedding reception
Eli
It doesn’t add up.
Also, I would have liked to sense some small chemistry or attraction between Dunham and Glover. That fell really flat, IMO.
Well, the most uptight person of the group lost her virginity at the age of 14, so she can’t have been all that prudish. I think what we’re (supposed to be) seeing is Marnie becoming unhinged; she’s lost her relationship, job, and since her best friend is doing so well it looks like she’s losing her too. It sort of makes sense that Marnie would begin to seek out male validation. She’s in a really insecure place right now.
Agreed, she’s desperate for male validation, because she’s got, uhhhh, nothing else going on in her life.
Many “uptight” girls do such things, AFAICT.
Also, there is little chemistry between Hannah and Donald Glover because she’s forcing it because she’s a lame little girl who is also totally dependent on male validation. Just like ShoSho is, just like Jessa is, just like…
So on and so forth, these are not strong independent women.
Also, yes, mason jars are a thing. I don’t know why. Not exactly hipster, I see them at mainstream country bars. Same with the flannel obsession: if I got it, it ain’t underground hipster
>> “BS! My guess is that couples that do don’t really want to get married and try too look “heroic” by declaring that is because of a greater good.”
It’s also a brilliant line to use on a girl who you have no intention of marrying. The SWPL “heroic” approach sounds a lot better than “I don’t want to marry you”.
Just for you Susan
, I have rented Season 1 on amazon, and have so far watched half the episodes back-to-back!
It is really addictive.
“She’s doing the “I won’t get married till gay people can” nonsense though. I hate that; I really do.”
Me too, and I say this as a huge supporter of gay marriage! Totally makes a struggle that’s NOT about you ALLLLLL about you as a straight person in a savior role. As though appearing in blackface at a rally would be a homage to those who experience racism.
“BS! My guess is that couples that do don’t really want to get married and try too look “heroic” by declaring that is because of a greater good.”
Yup….like Angelina Jolie. The fact that its hard (damn near impossible in some cases) for non-wealthy gay couples to adopt children didn’t stop her from adopting and having 36 children out of wedlock.
Totally makes a struggle that’s NOT about you ALLLLLL about you as a straight person in a savior role.
Exactly.
Not a watcher myself, but those who are might appreciate this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfvIrzTCDCg
Enjoy.