Episode 8 brings Hannah and the girls, all of whom seem to have moved on from last week’s beach house debacle, back to NYC and back to “real life.” (Or as close to “real life” as the girls of Girls are every going to get.) After the beach house drama, I was a bit concerned that we’d see the Girls go their separate ways, but as it turns out, the gang is still together and, of course, still as awkward, confused and dysfunctional as ever.
There are big doings ahead for Adam, as he’s finally landed a role in a Broadway production. At the callback for Shaw’s Major Barbara, everyone in the waiting area looks a lot like him. Although he is not there to make friends while waiting for his audition, he meets Desi, who seems to be a bit of a kindred spirit. After Adam finds out he’s gotten the part, we come to my favorite moment of the episode. Adam visits the men’s room, stuffs his mouth full of paper towels, and screams out his victory. That was so weirdly charming, it just made me even more fond of this new and improved version of Adam. He really is just delightful and I’m so happy to see him finally getting some of the spotlight. (I’m also really relieved that Caroline is still MIA!)
Hannah’s new job is even better than she’d thought it would be. In addition to all the free snacks she can consume, her paycheck is really big. Like, big enough to cover way more than her rent. Her reaction to her first paycheck is adorable. This is the Hannah we love and root for, but haven’t seen much of this season. I’m sure many of us can identify with that moment when you finally get your first “grown up” job and they actually pay you for it. It’s somewhat difficult to believe that this isn’t all just some elaborate game, but that it is actually possible to be successful at something, and that someone is really going to pay you for it.
To top it off, Hannah’s scored an interview with Patti Lupone, which is part of a GQ advertising piece. She’s happy beyond belief, until Patti cancels the interview. Undaunted, Hannah calls Ms. Lupone’s publicist and tracks her down. Grudgingly giving Hannah five minutes of her time, Patti kills it playing herself, fabricating answers for the interview on the spot and giving Hannah relationship advice. However, she plants an unwelcome seed in Hannah’s head, telling Hannah that Adam’s Broadway career will most likely result in a complete transformation of his character. Poor Hannah’s happiness at for Adam’s success becomes tampered with the fear of losing her (now) practically perfect boyfriend.
Yet another perk of Hannah working for GQ is an overnight stay in a suite at the Grammercy Hotel, in exchange for a 16 point review on said stay. Obviously, this is the perfect venue to celebrate Adam’s new found success. Of course Hannah wastes no time in inviting the whole gang to the party, and Adam even brings his new friend, Desi. This feels so un-Adam-like, making a new friend, bringing him along to the party, it’s easy to see Hannah’s concern regarding Patti’s warnings begin to grow. Shoshanna and Elijah are awed by Desi, as he’d once played a disabled, gay hockey player on One Tree Hill. (I only wish that were true! I confess to IMDb-ing Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and One Tree Hill is nowhere to found on his list of screen credits. Majorly disappointing!)
Marnie’s meeting with Soojin, Booth Jonathan’s former assistant, at the yogurt shop was really well done. Marnie’s jealousy is apparent as she finds out Soojin’s gallery is to be in the No-Ho arts district, big time compared to what Marnie had been imagining. I also loved that Ray put her Marnie her place this week by breaking up with her. Clearly no one would ever have expected it to be the funny looking nerdy guy who ended the relationship with the pretty girl, but it was brilliant. Ray is, by far, my favorite character and I was so pleased to see him doing the right thing for himself here. Marnie’s shallowness is amplified by the fact that she can’t even tell Hannah that she’s been dumped, because she’s too embarrassed to say that it was Ray who dumped her.
While Desi is regaling the group with tales of forgetting his mom’s birthday, Marnie arrives at the party and it’s clear to Hannah that something’s up. Marnie won’t tell Hannah what’s wrong, but she does cry on her shoulder in the bathroom for a while. At this point I wish I could say I felt sorry for Marnie, but still, no. I’m sad to say that this season, anytime Marnie appears on screen, I just want to tune out and check twitter or something. Her self centered whining is getting really old and I’m so ready for her to move on to a new [read: interesting] story line. Also, can we just stop scraping up ways for Marnie to sing? I’m starting to wonder if it’s in Allison’s contract that she’s got to get in a certain amount of notes-sung-per-minutes-on-screen. Writing-wise, though, Marnie’s email address, marnface88@aol.com, is too perfect. Thank you for that, Lena Dunham, that made my night!
For me, coming in a close second to Adam for most brilliant performance this week, is Jessa. Her bored-at-work moments were hilarious and her reunion with Jasper was sad, but incredibly well portrayed. Jessa on the straight and narrow is pure comedic genius, but it’s so not her. Life is boring and she needs that extra spark that, unfortunately, Jasper can provide. She’s “a wild thing that can’t be tamed,” and he is the only person who really understands her need for that extra je ne sais quoi. Richard E. Grant is flawless as Jasper, and his speed talking scene with Shoshanna was another highlight of this episode.
Wrapping it all up was a really sweet bathtub scene between Hannah and Adam, in which Hannah confesses her insecurities about Broadway altering Adam and Adam reassures Hannah that he loves her. They also, again, really don’t care for each other’s friends, but they’re coming to terms with that, and things are alright. These two are so deliciously cute together, I’m completely in love with their relationship. Also, although it was a bath scene, Hannah did not parade around naked, thank you so much, for that.
I think that “Incidentals” was, overall, one of the better episodes of Season three. Not only did several storylines move forward, but it also opened up several questions that will leave viewers wondering. Will Jessa continue to spiral downward into a life of crime and drugs? Will Adam really change now what he’s hit the big time? What effect will Broadway have on his relationship with Hannah? Is she secure enough to allow Adam to be happy in his success? Will Desi email marnface88@aol.com? So many questions left unanswered and only four episodes left in Season 3!
Top 5 Memorable Quotes
- “Patty Lapone just really fucked with my head.” – Hannah
- “Everyone here looks like how I’d look with a nose job.” – Adam
- “I swear to God, sometimes I feel like I am in ‘The Truman Show,’ but it’s like really a walking American Apparel ad and I don’t even know it!” – Shoshanna
- “Don’t come crying to me when Kristin Chenoweth passes out because you forgot to feed her.” – Elijah
- “I’m just gonna walk into a store in the Meat Packing district and just be like, ‘Make it rain’.” – Hannah
MJ Snow is an avian behavior specialist, animal activist, role player, blogger and writer. A long time George RR Martin fangirl and Game of Thrones Addict, MJ spends way too much time in Westeros. MJ is the co-founder of The Snow Keep, a short story and fan-ficiton blog, and founder of The Brothers Clegane, a Sandor & Gregor Clegane tribute blog. She also co-curates several other Game of Thrones themed blogs, as well as Empowering Animals, an Etsy shop which sells wristbands to raise funds for animal causes.
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