The Book of Rannells: Girls: Season 6, Episode 8 – “What Will We Do This Time about Adam?” (2017)

I’ve gotten through most of this season without getting into the particulars of Hannah’s big ongoing plot, and I almost made it through.  But this one, I think, is gonna be too tricky to discuss without spoilers, so be warned.

Adam has been mulling things over ever since he heard the news that Hannah is going to be having a baby (the dad isn’t in the picture,) and he’s come to the conclusion that he needs to help Hannah raise her child.  While Jessa privately self-destructs, Hannah and Adam drift through this in-between space of the history they have with one another and what they imagine for the future.  Elsewhere, Shoshanna helps Ray with a project, and they run into her old boss Abigail (with the return of Aidy Bryant.)

Making this sort of grand declaration/commitment feels like a very Adam thing to do.  It’s interesting to watch him and Hannah fall into things together, becoming intimate again (both physically and emotionally) and starting to plan this shared life with very little preamble.  I feel like it’s probably in character for Hannah as well – not so much because she’s still pining for Adam at this point, since it really does feel like she’s moved on from him, but because she’s in a place where she’s feeling scared and alone, and it makes sense that she’d take comfort in the idea of the safety of an old love taking this next step with her.  Their final scene together is especially strong.

I mostly like the plot with Ray, Shoshanna, and Abigail, although I would’ve preferred it to move forward with all three of them instead of the duo we wind up finishing the episode with.  There are some fun details here, like Shoshanna telling Ray, “Don’t air quote at me!” and Ray reminiscing about the completely-bizarre Russian cartoon he used to love as a kid, which can only be described as “so Ray.”  I also enjoy the nature of the project Ray is working on; it leads to a neat montage that gives us a nice snapshot of old Brooklyn.

Well, after having his sole front-and-center episode last time, we only get one Elijah scene in this episode.  As usual, though, even when Elijah is used sparingly, he’s used well.  It’s the middle of a heat wave and the AC in the apartment is broken, so both Hannah and Elijah are languishing in their underwear.  Elijah variously defends his unsuccessful attempts to fix the AC (using “an actual screwdriver!”), laments that they’re going to die of heatstroke “like those old people from Queens,” and has zero qualms about hogging the fans from his pregnant roommate.  Really funny, and he displays his excellent talent for making Hannah’s problems about himself – classic Elijah.