I'm late to the boat on this show. It's third season is over, and I'm just finishing up the first. As a late-twenties male, I have to admit, I really enjoy this show. In many ways, it's a successor to Sex and the City (...I assume); not because of its similarities, but because its about a generation of girls who were raised by that show. Hanna, the main character, is a writer, and moves to the city in the hopes of making a living off of her essays, and is confronted with the cold reality that no, it's not that easy. Her lifestyle isn't lavish, her love life stutters as she tries to maintain a relationship without any real commitment, her job prospects are non-existent, and her writing takes a backseat to trying to make ends meet.
In the first episode, Lena Dunham's character says she might be the voice of her generation. It's a joke, but the irony is that Dunham herself might be just that. Girls is the story of the millenials as they struggle with the prospect of becoming adults. It's a story of quirky misanthropes who really aren't that quirky or misanthropic, who have no idea what they want out of life, just what they don't want. "I don't want a boyfriend. I just want someone who wants to hang out all the time, and who thinks I'm the best person in the world, and wants to have sex with only me." Dunham shows remarkable wisdom in her writing, telling the story of a lost generation. People take each other for granted, love each other, and hurt each other and themselves in their pursuit for lives without responsibilities. The characters seem to be learning the hard way that growing up might not be "cool", but it is necessary. It all kind of reminds me of one of my personal favorite movies of the last decade, Juno.
The performances are also top-notch. My personal favorite is Adam Driver, who plays Dunham's "boyfriend". He starts off as nothing but a playful sex partner, but dives into the character as he gains more depth and development. The pain and rage on his face, when he finds that Hannah isn't ready for the kind of boyfriend that she's asked him to be, is so genuine that I was actually shocked.
The only thing that I don't like about the show is when it ventures into cringe comedy, which I am physically incapable of enjoying. Overall, I'm excited to watch the rest of the show.
Lost Generation
I'm late to the boat on this show. It's third season is over, and I'm just finishing up the first. As a late-twenties male, I have to admit, I really enjoy this show. In many ways, it's a successor to Sex and the City (...I assume); not because of its similarities, but because its about a generation of girls who were raised by that show. Hanna, the main character, is a writer, and moves to the city in the hopes of making a living off of her essays, and is confronted with the cold reality that no, it's not that easy. Her lifestyle isn't lavish, her love life stutters as she tries to maintain a relationship without any real commitment, her job prospects are non-existent, and her writing takes a backseat to trying to make ends meet.
In the first episode, Lena Dunham's character says she might be the voice of her generation. It's a joke, but the irony is that Dunham herself might be just that. Girls is the story of the millenials as they struggle with the prospect of becoming adults. It's a story of quirky misanthropes who really aren't that quirky or misanthropic, who have no idea what they want out of life, just what they don't want. "I don't want a boyfriend. I just want someone who wants to hang out all the time, and who thinks I'm the best person in the world, and wants to have sex with only me." Dunham shows remarkable wisdom in her writing, telling the story of a lost generation. People take each other for granted, love each other, and hurt each other and themselves in their pursuit for lives without responsibilities. The characters seem to be learning the hard way that growing up might not be "cool", but it is necessary. It all kind of reminds me of one of my personal favorite movies of the last decade, Juno.
The performances are also top-notch. My personal favorite is Adam Driver, who plays Dunham's "boyfriend". He starts off as nothing but a playful sex partner, but dives into the character as he gains more depth and development. The pain and rage on his face, when he finds that Hannah isn't ready for the kind of boyfriend that she's asked him to be, is so genuine that I was actually shocked.
The only thing that I don't like about the show is when it ventures into cringe comedy, which I am physically incapable of enjoying. Overall, I'm excited to watch the rest of the show.