'Girls' Creates A Bittersweet Vibe

In last week's episode of Girls, titled “Boys,” the characters delve a little deeper into their disillusionment, even among the looming possibility of opportunity. Anything can happen in New York, and that’s made clear when the episode begins with Hannah (Lena Dunham) being offered a book deal. She’s told she will have an e-book published, but that she needs to finish it within a month.

Booth’s (Jorma Taccone) assistant quits, so he asks Marnie (Allison Williams) to help him host the party he is throwing that evening. She is elated to be moving forward with him and gushes about it to Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), who is busy trying to push Ray (Alex Karpovsky) into aspiring to greater things. Meanwhile Ray visits Adam’s (Adam Driver) apartment to get back a copy of a book he borrowed and realizes how questionable Adam’s lifestyle is. He meets Adam’s new dog that he stole from its owner and insists that he return it.

Hannah attempts to write as Jessa (Jemima Kirke) demoralizes her, depressed over the end of her marriage and loss of direction. Then Ray and Adam head on an adventure to the “amusement park” that is Staten Island to return the dog to its owner and Ray talks about his fears over his relationship with Shoshanna, admitting that it’s hard to make somebody so young understand that things don’t always work out the way one plans after college. Adam then gets defensive about Hannah and practically blows a fuse before storming off, leaving Ray with the dog.

Hannah shows up at Booth and Marnie’s party and is humbled by her “swanky” new friends, all the while trying to tell her the news of her book deal. Later that evening Booth offers to pay Marnie for her night of hosting when all along she’d thought they were hosting as a couple. She calls herself his girlfriend and he shatters her illusion that they were ever “together.” She finds herself feeling just as lost as ever when he reveals himself to be the big jerk that he’s always seemed to be. Hannah and Marnie talk on the phone and lie to one another about how “great” their lives are going. The emptiness of what was once such a solid, supportive friendship is painful to watch.

Ray finds the dog’s family and tries to return it, only to find out that they don’t want it back. Left alone with the unloved dog, Ray breaks down in tears. At the end of the day, everyone in the cast is isolated in their own insecurities, refusing to turn to one another for support. Even when surrounded by friends, it’s easy to get lost in one’s own fears and doubts, and this episode highlights just how important it is to reach out to those around you.