‘Girls’ season 2 premiere review: Donald Glover arrives … and is it even better?
When “Girls” was awarded the Comedy Series prize at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, there was probably a mixture of joy and frustration permeating across America. This is either the show that you love, or the show that you can’t stand and it is frustrating how everyone else constantly recommends it.
At first, we admit to falling into the former camp, as we had concerns about whether or not the show was just going for a raunchier “Sex and the City.” However, it gradually won us over during season 1 thanks ironically to some of the men along with Lena Dunham’s writing, which allowed the show to venture to places we weren’t sure any show would be brave enough to go to. The same thing in ways can be said for a season 2 premiere, as we seen everything from peeing in a bedpan to a guy man in Elijah trying to do the deed with Marnie. It’s shocking without a doubt, but the good news here is that so much of it made sense.
Hanna now has a new relationship with Sandy (Donald Glover), who is a welcome addition in that we love “Community.” At the same time, we still know nothing about him save for that he met Dunham’s character at work, and she is keeping him at arm’s length from her friends much as she did at first with Adam, who she is still attached to as she nurses him back to health. Jessa was barely in this episode, but we saw that things are still going swimmingly with her new husband. Meanwhile, Shoshanna (who verged at times on being annoying this week rather than funny) found herself back into the arms of Ray.
For us, Marnie is the barometer in which we judge the show. She’s the most grounded of the four, and feels the most like someone who would genuinely exist in real life. Watching her become so desperate for affection that she made out with Elijah was understandable, just as watching her stay the night with her ex was. They were both irresponsible and will not help her, but they were normal on a show that often goes to extremes.
“Girls” is an interesting show to review, given that there are moments where you want to cheer and celebrate it, and moments that make you want to look the other way. The funniest line of the night (via Adam) is one we cannot repeat, but there were a number of reasons to laugh over the course of the hour. We just hope that the story continues to move into unexpected territories, and that we continue to try to understand the complexities of Hannah Horvath’s mind. Even when we don’t like “Girls,” we are fascinated by it … and this is a feeling that we wish other shows on TV could deliver.
What’s your take on the “Girls” premiere? Also, be sure to visit the link here to watch a clip from the episode.
Photo: HBO