The Book of Rannells: Girls: Season 1, Episode 5 – “Hard Being Easy” (2012)

After the delightful crash course we got in Elijah two weeks ago, this episode only gives us a hint of him.  It makes sense, though – initially, Andrew Rannells was supposed to appear in just the one episode, but like others before him (James Marsters on Buffy/Angel and Michael Emerson on Lost were both brought onto their shows as short-term guest stars, and look how that worked out,) they kept inviting him back until he became an integral part of the series.  His appearance in this episode is little more than an excuse to see him again, however briefly, but I appreciate the sentiment behind it, that Lena Dunham and co. liked Rannells and wanted him for more than just the one-off story.

Lots of relationship drama/insanity with this episode.  Hannah unintentionally lights a fuse on some long-festering issues between Marnie and her longtime boyfriend Charlie, Jessa gets together with an ex (which goes rather differently than Hannah’s meet-up with Elijah in episode 3,) and it’s more of a struggle than Hannah expected to figure out where she stands now with Adam.

In short, all kinds of emotional/mental/sexual goings-on here.  The Marnie/Charlie stuff is frustrating but feels in keeping with their characters and is particularly revealing for Marnie.  Jessa’s plot also seems to fit her characterization, the idea of her playing games with people because she can.  And as for Hannah and Adam, it’s weird and messed-up – as, you’ll find, a good deal of Hannah and Adam’s relationship is – but it too fits in well with their characters as established so far.  They’re so dysfunctional together, but I kind of can’t look away when they’re interacting.

And then, of course, there’s Rannells!  As I said, we see little more than a glimpse of Elijah, in a college flashback that deals more with the stuff going on between Marnie and Charlie, as it showcases the night they met.  However, the little snippet we do get of Elijah is pretty fun, casting some serious doubt on Hannah’s claim that “if [he’d] been this gay” when they were dating, she would’ve figured it out.  Methinks the lady doth protest too much.