Finally, Girls is hitting UK shores and we can talk about it like we hadn’t already watched it online six months ago. To anyone who’s new to the series, welcome! We round up the best and worst things about the show. Clips contain (some) spoilers.
BEST
1. Real talk about STIs and sex
When you’re in your twenties, sex is something you think you should be enjoying but you’re probably not. This is because sex in your twenties is an odyssey through uncharted waters of awkwardness and sexual discovery. Unfortunately, Hollywood has fed you lies about what it means to be young. Trust us, your sex life in your twenties will not involve topless road trips or writing the Great American Novel. Luckily, Girls is here to feed you a big dose of unvarnished, HPV-ridden realness. Also, sometimes you find out your ex-boyfriends are gay. It’s OK, this should hopefully stop happening once you turn thirty.
2. Shoshanna, the uptight virgin
One of the main tropes of coming-of-age films and TV shows is that there is always (always) a nerdy virgin. If they’re a boy, they’re always the one you end up rooting for (think American Pie). If they’re a girl, well, woe betide them, because girl virgins are almost always uptight, frigid weirdos on film – the kind of girls who exist for the sake of a bad punchline and a good dose of public shaming. Shoshanna is a triumph for virgins everywhere: yeah, she may sort of conform to the “uptight virgin” stereotype, but she’s also arguably the funniest and most lovable character on Girls. We love her, accidental crack habit and all.
3. 21st century BFF-ship
Not that we hate on Sex & The City, but the entire idea of “ladies who lunch in Manhattan and talk about sex toys” is a bit passe, no? Especially given that in this economic climate, who can really afford to lunch in Manhattan? Girls isn’t as super-luxe and aspirational as SATC, but it offers up a way more realistic and down-at-heel look at friendship. And for once, it’s refreshing to see a portrayal of female friendship that isn’t undermined by romantic competition or envy.
WORST
1. The unbearable whiteness of being Girls
Dunham came under fire for her cast’s lack of diversity, but we say – just wait till Episode 7 and a Latino girl called Tako (Roberta Colindrez) shows up! For double points, she’s also a lesbian. For triple points, La Roux is playing in the scene. You would never get this kind of sexual and ethnic diversity on another HBO show (other than The Wire)! In all seriousness though, Dunham has promised to rectify the situation and has accordingly cast Community star Donald Glover in the next season.
2. How do you solve a problem like Jessa?
The manic pixie dream girl on a gap year from life? On paper, Jessa is a great idea – but something just doesn’t feel right about her character. Is it the bizarro transatlantic accent, which reaches Mischa-Barton-in-St-Trinians levels of weirdness? Is it the parade of boho-circa-2004 flopping hats and peasant skirts? Or is it because Jessa is the equivalent of your rich friend from boarding school who sits around smoking weed and complaining about how getting a job right now is sooo difficult? Who. Knows. Either way, she needs a personality update.
3. We need a resolution
This scene was probably the hottest scene in the entire series and they didn’t do anything with the Jonathan Booth storyline afterwards. Why not? Come on, Dunham. Awkward sex is great and all, but every show needs some kind of actual sexual tension.
Girls starts on Sky Atlantic on Monday, 21 October. www.mistakesgirlsmake.co.uk
Words: Zing Tsjeng