Hannah, Marnie, Shoshanna and Jessa finally reunite in this week’s episode of “Girls” titled, “Beach House,” which incidentally takes place at a beach house, location making up for lack of plot. Marnie organizes the getaway in order to rekindle their friendship. She pulls out all the stops, assigning rooms and making intricate meals, to facilitate a heart-to-heart of forgiveness. Of course, nothing goes according to Marnie’s meticulous plan.
The episode focuses on following the girls through the not-Hamptons whilst wearing bathing suits. Hannah (played by Lena Dunham), in all her glory, wears a tiny bikini, which is neither here nor there except that of course she gets gawked and giggled at by a group of facetious gay boys.
Dunham’s body has received much on and off screen attention throughout the seasons. It’s been referred to as looking like a “plastic bag full of wet chicken breasts” and in an interview with a reporter from TheWrap, Dunham was questioned and criticized for her excessive nakedness that had “no purpose” due to its inability to “titillate people.” Her nakedness is often purposefully awkward in efforts to portray, in Dunham’s own words, “a realistic expression of what it’s like to be alive.” Even if her nudity has been excessive in the past, you have to give the show props for desensitizing the female form to the more conservative American audience.
In any case, criticism off screen clearly fuels Dunham’s writing, as is evident in Hannah’s confrontation with said nay-saying boys, one of which happens to be an ex-friend from a previous season.
The girls reunite and resolve that the boys will come back to the beach house to bring good vibes to the girls who are drained of all vitality. For some reason they then do a choreographed dance in the kitchen. The rest of the day is spent naked in the pool and drinking various cocktails. Silly theatrics are substituted for quality dialogue. It all comes to a head after dinner though when Shoshanna gets fed up and proceeds to call each of the girls out on their fatal flaws. She calls out Hannah for being a “f------ narcissist,” then Marnie on her cooking, which apparently made duck taste “like a used condom” and Jessa on her “AA bull----.” Ending her tirade, she called the whole group out, saying, “You guys never listen to me. You treat me like I’m a f------ cab driver. Seriously you have entire conversations in front of me like I’m invisible. And sometimes I wonder if my social anxiety is holding me back from meeting the people who would be actually right for me instead of a bunch of f------ whiny nothings as friends.”
These harsh realities are a huge (seemingly inevitable) blow to their already floundering friendship, perhaps beyond reconciliation. On a side note, Hannah also voiced her opinion of the 2012 film “Spring Breakers,” stating that it was “a perfect blend of art and commerce.” Well said.
