‘Girls’ season 4, episode 2 preview: Lena Dunham’s Hannah in Iowa

Season 3 of “Girls” had many weaknesses, but one of the biggest ones was that the show seemed to be mired in despair for much of the time. It was depressing, and really stepped away from trying to produce something full of laughs and moved into a dark, difficult comedy that didn’t bring much to the table we would want to root for.

One episode into season 4, though, and we are starting to feel a little more promise. We feel that way even more after watching the promo below from Sunday night’s second episode. We like it when this show takes risks, since we are talking about HBO here, and this is the sort of network where these sort of things should happen. Iowa is a completely different environment for Hannah (Lena Dunham). She comes to it bringing all of her New York City wisdom, and with that there will most likely be a sense of elitism that she has more of the answers than everyone else. We’re not saying that she necessarily thinks that she’s smarter, but that her life experience matters on some sort of crazy-intense level.

What she is going to realize is that this is not necessarily the case, and that there is an entire worldview that she has not fully considered. Then again, this is also a part of the fun here. She will get a chance to see part of this world, and eventually even feel comfortable within it.

At some point during this episode, Hannah is even going to marvel at her new surroundings. After all, she realizes that Iowa brings a ton to the table. It’s cheap living, it’s scenic, and she is doing something that makes her feel like she belongs.

As for how some of the other characters will get involved in the story, that is a part of the mystery now.