Multiple
storylines this time, dividing screentime between Iowa and New York. Lot of people making bad decisions, along
with other people trying to talk sense into them about their bad decisions (relationship spoilers.)
Hannah
continues to have a hard time with her program – despite having ample space in
which to write, she’s struggling to motivate herself, and she doesn’t make any
friends among her fellow writers when she decides it’s hard-truth time. Back in New York, Adam gets pulled into some
of Jessa’s drama after an AA meeting, Shoshanna has her first post-college
interview, and Marnie, who’s been sneaking around with Desi, is finding it
difficult to reconcile their music, their sex life, and her place as his
“mistress.”
I’ll
start with the New York stuff, since the Iowa plot is where Andrew Rannells’s
screentime is. Adam and Jessa as friends
are interesting to me – I like how both relate to one another as addicts, and
since Adam is usually the loose cannon in any given relationship, it’s a change
of pace to see him attempt to be the voice of reason. I also appreciate seeing him open up to
someone about the current state of his relationship with Hannah, and it’s good
to see Jessa’s Teflon act drop a little bit.
Less
interested in the Marnie/Desi plot. I
continue to not be a fan of Desi, and while I feel for Marnie in the issues
that let her be used by Desi like this, I don’t find it all that compelling to
watch, not really dramatically-engaging or
darkly funny. I do like a scene of her
discussing the situation with Ray, particularly when she asks Ray if he thinks
it’s karmic payback and he resents that she’s injected “witchcraft” into a
heretofore-grounded conversation – ha!
Shoshanna’s bit grabs my attention more, but she’s in the episode very
little.
As for
Iowa, it’s frustrating to watch Hannah flounder in what was supposed to be her
dream program, but her struggles are relatable while the specifics of it are
very in line with who she is. She’s
often been her own worst enemy, both personally and professionally, and it’s no
surprise that, away from New York and the supposed things that have kept her
from thriving creatively, she’s found new excuses for what’s standing in her
way. As for her dropping a grenade on
the other students in her program, that’s also an incredibly Hannah thing to
do. These are people she’s felt
threatened by, and when they challenge her, she responds by getting petty
instead of rising to it. Not that the other
writers are all saints, by any means, and some
of what Hannah says has merit – I like the thread she begins about male authors
being historically granted more accolades and credibility than female
authors. Overall, though, she lets her
insecurity get in her own way and doesn’t do herself any favors.
Elijah’s
function in the plot today is twofold.
First, he and his attitude about Iowa stand as a contrast to
Hannah. While she complains about the
“one-horse town” they’re stuck in, he’s already flush with friends and packs
his days with social engagements. As he
rather ineloquently points out to her, “Wherever you are, there you go! (Is that the quote? Does that sound right?)” In other words, Hannah pulls back from
engaging and looks for things to grumble about while Elijah jumps in headfirst
and has the time of his life. Hannah’s
big scene with the other writers takes place at a “poets’ party” where Elijah
is an endless source of fun in the background; having gotten so good at selfies
that he’s no longer “challenged” by them, he’s decided “to turn the camera
around” and spends his time taking pictures and enjoying himself. (I love that Elijah, despite being older than
the college kids and not even a student there, has been so readily accepted by
them.)
Second,
he acts as Hannah’s sounding board while she frets over her program. Elijah’s advice isn’t entirely good or bad and leans heavily on his own
relative aimlessness – it does include the delightful line, “Do you think
Dakota Fanning wants to be Dakota Fanning?”
He has a point about not agonizing over something that’s not making you
happy anyway, but he’s hardly a role model for any sort of professional life,
and his outlook is equal parts stop
busting your ass to be miserable and quit
as soon as it gets hard. I
appreciate the ambiguity there, because Elijah otherwise gets a little “gay
BFF” in this part of the plot, the one who’s there to listen to Hannah’s
problems and offer her advice. The fact
that his advice is a little all-over-the-place helps make it about him as well
as her.
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