A lot of people rave about the HBO show Girls; I read many articles about how good the show is and about the amazing quality of the writing. I tried, I mean really tried to get into the show. I have watched it from the beginning and before each and every episode, I would think, "Okay, I'm going to like this show!" But the episode would end and I just wasn't feeling it. As the next season premiere approaches, I will be making the choice not to watch it. Why, you ask? Here's the rundown:
1. It's bizarre
Some of the episodes are just, well, out there. The show seems to go in some weird directions. Remember the episode in which Hannah hooks up with an older guy (played by Patrick Wilson)? It seemed random and off. Or the episode in which Hannah goes with Jessa to visit her father; there was so much going on, my head was spinning. I could mention a few other episodes, but I think you get the picture.
2. Not familiar or consistent
I have realized that why I have such a difficult time getting into the show is because it's not familiar or consistent; it doesn't fill that sense of normalcy that I get from other shows like Friends and Sex and the City. Not that these shows are truly realistic in how they portray male and female friendship, but it feels more "normal" (for lack of a better word). You at least have some understanding of where the show is going and can keep up. I feel as though I can't keep up with Girls. I understand that people in their 20s go through a lot in terms of relationships and careers, but these women seem to go all over the place, and have no consistency at all. I'm usually scratching my head at the end of each episode thinking, "What just happened? I'm confused!"
3. The characters
I also can't seem to connect with any of the main characters (Hannah, Marnie, Jessa and Shoshanna). Again, not to say that I could fully relate to the characters from Sex and the City, but they were fun to relate to. The characters from Girls seem more arrogant and self-involved, rather than trying to better themselves and grow up. They're continuing to make the same mistakes and not taking responsibility for their actions. What in that sounds fun to watch?
Adam, who is Hannah's boyfriend, is one of the most confusing characters on the show. Especially when his sister was introduced (played by Gaby Hoffmann), she was so bizarre and mentally unstable that it added an even more strange layer to the show. I didn't understand the point of that only to make Adam seem less weird, so I guess that was good?!
And as much as I respect Lena Dunham, her character frustrates me each time I watch the show. Maybe that's the best way to describe how I feel after each episode: frustrated. It doesn't go anywhere and feels as if none of the characters are doing much; it's as if I'm on an amusement park ride that never quite gets going, such that we're just buckled in and waiting to go somewhere. And the waiting continues each season. Patience can only last for so long!
4. I'm not invested
The way the show portrays female friendship is mediocre, I'll give it that much, but I don't feel as though I'm wanting to care enough to see what happens to these women's friendships. In Sex and the City, I felt a connection and was intrigued with what the episode brought out in each character. I'm just not that interested with Girls. I want to watch a show about women having fun in their friendships, but I also want to understand how they're friends and have it make sense that they're friends in the first place, and I just don't see it with Girls. These characters are such different people that I have a hard time seeing them as friends. The friendships feel fragmented and are hanging by a thread. Why would I invest in these women if they're not even invested in themselves or each other? Am I the only one seeing this?
Maybe the humor is lost on me or I just don't get the point of the show. If you like watching it, then kudos to you. I've just lost the patience and interest to continue on and that's OK with me. Bye, bye Girls.
1. It's bizarre
Some of the episodes are just, well, out there. The show seems to go in some weird directions. Remember the episode in which Hannah hooks up with an older guy (played by Patrick Wilson)? It seemed random and off. Or the episode in which Hannah goes with Jessa to visit her father; there was so much going on, my head was spinning. I could mention a few other episodes, but I think you get the picture.
2. Not familiar or consistent
I have realized that why I have such a difficult time getting into the show is because it's not familiar or consistent; it doesn't fill that sense of normalcy that I get from other shows like Friends and Sex and the City. Not that these shows are truly realistic in how they portray male and female friendship, but it feels more "normal" (for lack of a better word). You at least have some understanding of where the show is going and can keep up. I feel as though I can't keep up with Girls. I understand that people in their 20s go through a lot in terms of relationships and careers, but these women seem to go all over the place, and have no consistency at all. I'm usually scratching my head at the end of each episode thinking, "What just happened? I'm confused!"
3. The characters
I also can't seem to connect with any of the main characters (Hannah, Marnie, Jessa and Shoshanna). Again, not to say that I could fully relate to the characters from Sex and the City, but they were fun to relate to. The characters from Girls seem more arrogant and self-involved, rather than trying to better themselves and grow up. They're continuing to make the same mistakes and not taking responsibility for their actions. What in that sounds fun to watch?
Adam, who is Hannah's boyfriend, is one of the most confusing characters on the show. Especially when his sister was introduced (played by Gaby Hoffmann), she was so bizarre and mentally unstable that it added an even more strange layer to the show. I didn't understand the point of that only to make Adam seem less weird, so I guess that was good?!
And as much as I respect Lena Dunham, her character frustrates me each time I watch the show. Maybe that's the best way to describe how I feel after each episode: frustrated. It doesn't go anywhere and feels as if none of the characters are doing much; it's as if I'm on an amusement park ride that never quite gets going, such that we're just buckled in and waiting to go somewhere. And the waiting continues each season. Patience can only last for so long!
4. I'm not invested
The way the show portrays female friendship is mediocre, I'll give it that much, but I don't feel as though I'm wanting to care enough to see what happens to these women's friendships. In Sex and the City, I felt a connection and was intrigued with what the episode brought out in each character. I'm just not that interested with Girls. I want to watch a show about women having fun in their friendships, but I also want to understand how they're friends and have it make sense that they're friends in the first place, and I just don't see it with Girls. These characters are such different people that I have a hard time seeing them as friends. The friendships feel fragmented and are hanging by a thread. Why would I invest in these women if they're not even invested in themselves or each other? Am I the only one seeing this?
Maybe the humor is lost on me or I just don't get the point of the show. If you like watching it, then kudos to you. I've just lost the patience and interest to continue on and that's OK with me. Bye, bye Girls.