Far From INSECURE

Article first published as INSECURE Review on Seat42F.

HBO has done an excellent job with half-hour series about a specific group of people, told from a particular perspective that seems to encapsulate a relatable demographic that everyone knows someone from. From Sex and the City and the empowered single woman, to Girls, which deals with the entitled generation, to Entourage, concerned with the excess of Hollywood and power shifts in friendships, to Looking, which showcased gays in San Francisco, each of these shows have been great and completely different, even though they all fit into this broad genre.

Now, the network continues that tradition with INSECURE. It stars producer and actress Issa Rae (Awkward Black Girl) as Issa, a woman unhappy in her long-term relationship and feeling like she hasn’t accomplished the things she wants to in life. Along with her employment-challenged boyfriend, Lawrence (Jay Ellis, The Game), her hot, unlucky-in-love, lawyer best friend, Molly (Yvonne Orji, Sex (Therapy) with the Jones), and her well-meaning, but racially-tone-deaf co-worker, Frieda (Lisa Joyce, Billy & Billie), Issa wonders if this is as good as life gets, or if there’s anything left to do to better it.

What sparks this bout of self-doubt and evaluation, you may ask? Well, as INSECURE begins, Issa is turning twenty-nine and looking towards her 30s. As many a young person in their twenties believes, Issa thinks that wherever she is when that monumental milestone hits, that’s likely to set the tone for the rest of her life. So she understandably thinks that this year might be the one in which to make a change. Call it a quarter-life crisis if you will, though I’d say it’s probably closer to a third-life crisis, but it’s about that struggle of switching over from childhood to the adult world, realizing you cannot go back and you’ve already wasted a lot of time.

As a thirty-three year old myself, I find this incredibly naïve, but also, something I went through just a few shorts years ago, and I’m sure I’m far from the only one who will see themselves in Issa. What will be interesting to see is if the show’s protagonist undergoes the same shift that many others do, coming to realize that thirty isn’t that old, and there are still plenty of chances to chase your dreams. Or will she give up? This is likely a several year thought process, perfect for a TV series likely to run a few seasons.

I greatly applaud Issa Rae for making this series, as well as starring it. She is telling a tale that will echo among many viewers, and doing it in a creative, entertaining way. While INSECURE shares plenty of DNA with the other series mentioned in the first paragraph, it’s a lot more than just a retread, bringing a new angle to the experience of life at another formative age. The show is funny and the characters are likeable, but there’s also plenty of depth and complexity in their motivations and inner monologue, which is wonderfully shown in facial expressions and tone.

The whole cast in the series is great. I admit, I find Joyce’s Frieda super annoying and don’t necessarily want to see more from her, but I am certain that’s by design, and all it will take is one good episode to help us understand Frieda and turn that distaste to sympathy. Similarly, given that the show is unfolding from Issa’s point of view, it’s easy to dismiss Molly as less serious, or Lawrence as an uncaring bum. Yet, it’s also apparent from the actors’ performances that there is more going on than we’ve seen, and I expect to care about both of them by the end of season one.

In short, I liked INSECURE, and I think it’s got a good tale to tell. Check it out when it begins airing Sunday at 10:30/9:30 CT on HBO, or the series premiere is already streaming now on HBOGo and HBONow.

Girls: The Complete Fourth Season

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Girls: The Complete Fourth Season' on Blogcritics.

HBO’s stylistically unique Girls will be back for a fifth season starting February 21. It’s apropos then that the Blu-ray of last year’s run hit stores days before on February 16. Girls: The Complete Fourth Season is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming.

The Complete Fourth Season was a time of great transition for the group. Hannah (Lena Dunham) leaves the Big Apple and heads to grad school in Iowa, and a secret about her father comes out, rocking Hannah’s world. Marnie (Allison Williams) has an affair with a married man, Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), as her music profile rises. Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) has trouble locking down a career now that she’s out of school, finding the world less conquerable than she assumed it to be. Jessa (Jemima Kirke), well, she goes through a few things, mucking up others’ lives in the process, but that’s about par for the course for her.

What surprises me is how little Girls changes as all of these new things happen, especially with Hannah’s sojurn from New York. I guess a lot of Girls has always been segmented, with the four main characters often off on their own, only crossing paths at key points in the story or pairing up for small arcs. In that way, even with Hannah geographically isolated, the narrative can continue in much the same way it always has, with Hannah eventually making her way back to everyone else, as viewers always knew she would.

A lot of Girls is about staying the same. While Marnie, Jessa, and Hannah are trying to embark on new things, they are their own worst enemies and soon find themselves back to where they started, more or less. Adam (Adam Driver) is much the same, trying to break away from Hannah, but doomed to be in a vicious, unhealthy circle with her. Their personalities do not allow them to truly, fully commit to something new, choosing the familiar but inappropriate times, and not growing as much as they’d like to think they do.

The exception to this rule is Shoshanna. Shosh is the optimist, the cheery ray on sunshine. And she can get away with that for awhile because she’s in the isolated world of college, where anything seems possible. After graduation, though, she’s smacked in the face with reality. She tries to live in denial of it, as the other characters constantly do, but she finds it hard to do so. Will she become bitter or fall back into unworkable patterns? Or will she find a totally new self within her soul, and chart a path that none of her friends have managed to do? The possibility of her escaping is the most intriguing concept of all, when the others probably won’t.

Which is not a complaint about Girls at all. This show has a definitive style and tone that no other series does. It’s authentic and realistic in ways no one expected it to be at the start, and it shows some of the worst traps young people fall into these days. It’s the voice of its age, and no matter how much one despises Hannah sometimes, one should never forget Dunham has broken new ground to bring us this impressive program.

The best reason to buy this collection on Blu-ray instead of DVD is because the former comes with digital copies of the episodes, which seems to be more and more important for portability and flexibility in rewatching. There are also a couple of songs from the season, some deleted and extended scenes, a pair of gag reels, and a making of featurette. Toss in some recaps and audio commentaries, and I find it myself pretty satisfied with the variety of extras provided.

Girls: The Complete Fourth Season was released to home video on February 21, 2016.

"Rides" May Be Bumpy for GIRLS

Article first published as "Rides" May Be Bumpy for GIRLS on TheTVKing.

What will season four of HBO's Girls look like? As season three ends this week with "Two Plane Rides," Hannah (Lena Dunham), the lead of the series, without whom the show could not go on, is poised to accept a prestigious graduate school position in Iowa. Since Girls cannot exist without Hannah, nor would it work without the ensemble around her, what will the show do? Split its time between New York and Iowa, or skip a couple of years?

I would like to see the latter. While the females aren't always in a group, their interactions are the best parts of the show, more so than their individual stories. This is perfectly exemplified in "Two Plane Rides" when the gang goes to the theater, or even in the scene where Marnie (Allison Williams) drops by Shoshanna's (Zosia Mamet) apartment. Sure, Hannah could visit and call the others, but Girls would really lose something to fragment its cast in this manner. Jumping ahead now might not be ideal for everyone, but they could make it work, and that would also allow Hannah to have growth.

Hannah has a real problem with arrested development. She is her own worst enemy, fighting against the things that could better her, such as a job she quits. Her parents (Becky Ann Baker and Peter Scolari) have to talk her into continuing her education, even when this great opportunity comes along, but once they do, she seems to be into the idea. If she can develop herself and make connections, she might have a shot at a career instead of just bumbling around New York for the next few decades, relying on charity from others.

The biggest reason Hannah may stay in the Big Apple is Adam (Adam Driver). She convinces herself that he will be happy for her, as she is happy for him that he's finding success on Broadway. But, as usual, she's selfish and unthinking, giving him the news at the worst possible time, and as any normal person would expect, Adam doesn't take it well. Hannah's idea of them both being fulfilled creatively is nice, but, again as usual, her execution leaves much to be desired, and reality will probably never match the dream in her head.

Adam and Hannah have been through more than their share of ups and downs, but they've always prevailed because no one else really can stand to be with them. Oh, and they deeply love each other, in the ways that they can love, with is different for each. They're perfectly matched, and I think their relationship could totally survive another break or work long distance if that's what they decide to do. It's just a difficult situation when what you need to advance your career doesn't line up with where someone else needs to be.

Lucky for Adam, he has a nephew on the way to keep him occupied. It's funny that Caroline (Gaby Hoffman) and Laird (Jon Glaser), two people who are even more dysfunctional than any of our main cast, now seem to have the most stable, solid pairing. Since Adam's sister, Caroline, is pregnant and living in his building, that could take his mind off missing Hannah somewhat while she's gone. Or Adam could just take up with his cast mate, who appears very interested.

Love is also messed up for Shoshanna and Ray (Alex Karpovsky). Shoshanna wants Ray back, but even though he cares about her, he doesn't think it's a good idea. Ray is probably right, he seems to have his head squarely on his shoulders, but that doesn't cushion the blow of rejection for Shoshanna. This is a totally realistic and heart-breaking scenario, beautifully executed. I want them to be together, but I completely understand why Ray resists. Very well done, Ms. Dunham and your writers and actors.

Marnie is in a worse place. She wants Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), who is with Clementine (Natalie Morales). I don't like Marnie in this pursuit. She's lying and sneaking around. We know Marnie is selfish, maybe more so than Hannah even, but never has she been so despicable as she is now. Her actions may be chalked up to desperation and depression, but that doesn't excuse her. I hope she finds a way to love herself first, and then maybe she can try to be in a healthy couple.

There are many varying arcs weaving through "Two Plane Rides," but one of the most interesting is the one completely isolated from everything else. Jessa (Jemima Kirke) reluctantly agrees to help Beadie (Louise Lasser) kill herself. Besides not wanting to be responsible for someone dying, Jessa is still struggling to stay clean and out of trouble, so it's probably not a good idea for her to participate. However, her compassionate side wins out, and Beadie's pleas sway her.

Then, Beadie changes her mind, after she's already taken the pills. There is no way this plot can not have consequences for Jessa. Whether she spends time locked up in jail, or feels like her life has changed through the experience, this will have an impact on her. Will it be enough to knock her from her flighty ways and finally make her confront life? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

If I can make one plea for Girls season four, besides a sizable time jump, I ask that they upgrade Elijah (Andrew Rannells) to full-time status. Whether he's photo-bombing Adam's cast photos or just hanging with Hannah, he always increases the enjoyability of every episode he appears in. He's fun, delivers great one-liners, and he has staked out a corner of the world none of the other players have yet. I'd love to see more of him, even apart from the others.

Girls is a polarizing show, and haters will find plenty to complain about. For my money, season three continues a compelling narrative, and I have every confidence Dunham and company will continue to deliver next year. I look forward to seeing what they come up with.

Stop LOOKING For Now

Article first published as Stop LOOKING For Now on TheTVKing.

HBO's Looking has semi-accurately been dubbed Girls with gay men. Both of the half hour dramedies feature authentic, unique voices, profiling personalities of a generation that haven't made in onto TV all that much yet. They're realistic-ish, or at least the characters are, and the episodes do draw the viewer in quite effectively, whether because we're seeing ourselves or someone we know in the parts.

Looking, which aired its first season finale, "Looking Glass," this week, has a little more self-awareness, playing a bit to sitcom tropes, but acknowledging it does so. When one of the guys on Looking identifies themselves as a woman from The Golden Girls or Sex and the City, we can see this. It is also clear that Patrick (Jonathan Groff) and Richie (Raul Castillo) view themselves as Ross and Rachel from Friends.

This latter parallel is mentioned in an earlier episode, then shows up again in the finale when Patrick and Richie are on a break and Patrick has a sexual tryst before they get back together. Frustrated fans will surely be screaming at the screen "They were on a break!" when the news comes out and Richie gets mad, which has to happen.

I don't think Looking completely rips off Friends, though. For one, Patrick's affair is with his boss, Kevin (Russell Tovey), someone more integral to his life than a random copy girl. And while the timing is a bit too coincidental, there's no way the dynamic will play out the same way moving forward, with Patrick and Richie alternately pining for one another while the other tries to move on for the next nine years.

This is because the guys in Looking are aware of their television predecessors and are influenced, but not defined, by them. Patrick may be more likely to end up in a Ross situation because he knows who Ross is and identifies with him. But real life isn't TV, and Looking strives for that real life aspect, so while the scenario may begin the same as on the beloved sitcom, it likely will quickly branch out into something else.

Let's hope the love triangle isn't resolved too quickly, though. Should Patrick be with Richie or Kevin? We've seen an entire installment of Patrick and Richie just being happy together, and that was fantastic. We've also seen emotional moments between Patrick and Kevin, and there is definitely a strong connection there. Plus, Patrick is able to bottom for Kevin, something he struggles with for Richie, though Kevin already has the boss relationship with Patrick, so that may have something to do with it. I'd really like to see how they get along as a couple before making a decision. I hope Looking keeps both men in Patrick's life around long enough to explore this fully, and since Patrick and Kevin will be series regulars in year two, that seems likely.

Dom's (Murray Bartlett) new beau, Lynn (Scott Bakula), should also stay, though Bakula hasn't been contracted to do so. Dom's pop-up restaurant succeeds because of Lynn, even as Dom drives Lynn away from the event. Yet, Dom is able to realize this by the end of the half hour, and when Lynn says he doesn't want to work together any more, Dom pursues the older man romantically. Mixing business and pleasure is messy and that may not work for them, but Lynn does seem to bring out the best of all sides of Dom, helping him find his potential, so Lynn would be welcome to stick around for awhile in some capacity.

One of the best moments in "Looking Glass" is when Doris (Lauren Weedman) fights for Dom to Lynn. Doris has been a relatively small supporting character up until now, but this scene will make any viewer instantly fall for her. She has also been upgraded to main player for the sophomore run, and after seeing this side of her, I am anxious for more from Dom's bestie.

The third couple in the show, I am completely done with. Frank (O.T. Fagbenle) kicks out Agustin (Frankie J. Alvarez) after only living together a short time. Agustin completely deserves it, acting like a total ass all season, going behind his boyfriend's back and whining about his art instead of making something. Perhaps the creative types are just this unstable and it's needed for great work, but it makes them nearly impossible to be around.

I'm surprised Patrick takes Agustin back in so easily. After all, Agustin has been a jerk towards Patrick, too, especially where Richie, whom Patrick still loves, is concerned. Yet, there's definitely a lot of history between the two prior to Looking's start, so that must play into Patrick's willingness to forgive without an apology being offered. If Agustin is sticking around, and he is one of the leads, unlike Frank, we need to start seeing the elements in him that Patrick and Dom like. They have been in short supply in year one.

The fact that eight short entries can suck fans in so fully to these characters shows quite a bit of skill in the acting and writing departments. Looking is a compelling, intelligent series that is both enjoyable and fresh. If you missed this initial run, check it out on HBOGo or when it inevitably reruns. You'll want to be caught up before the second round, which will presumably air early next year.

GIRLS Not For "Females Only"

Article first published as GIRLS Not For "Females Only" on Seat42F.

HBO’s GIRLS makes a strong comeback this week with “Females Only.” At that start of the third season, a couple of the girls are starting to seem more like women and less like children, getting their stuff together. And the other two, one of whom previously was the most put-together, are practically in free-fall. But sometimes you have to make mistakes so that you can learn from them.

“Females Only” opens with a peaceful morning montage, which only lasts until the first dialogue-driven scene, moments later, which is quite messy. I love the contrast and the literal interpretation of ‘rude awakening.’ It just seems like such a smart way to begin the year.

The confrontation happens when one of Adam’s ex-girlfriends, Natalia (Shiri Appleby), shows up to chew out the man who she feels screwed her over. Actually, it’s more her friend Angie (Amy Schumer) that does the chewing out, but you get the picture. All of this happens in front of Hannah (Lena Dunham), who is actually feeling good about where she is with Adam (Adam Driver) at present.

Now, the Natalia / Angie / Adam scene could have been a way to tie up loose ends, or to bring back a familiar face, but GIRLS uses it for so much more than that. In fact, the scene drives the way Hannah and Adam connect later in the episode, which is well mixed with an amazing group dinner scene. This installment is really clever in the way the events support one another, and are used to illustrate a relationship.

Adam and Hannah’s relationship will never look like what many of us think of as normal. Yet, there is something real and special between them, something we can admire as sweet. The more the viewer gets to know Adam, peeling back the layers, the less weird he seems and the more sympathetic he becomes, despite his antisocial behavior. “Females Only” is a very good Adam episode.

At the same time that we’re learning about Adam, we also get a further look into the dynamic between Marnie (Allison Williams) and her mother (Rita Wilson). Marnie has everything on track except her love life, with Charlie (Christopher Abbott) having abandoned her. However, her mother sees only the negative things going on for Marnie, which explains some of how Marnie feels about herself. Very enlightening.

It’s shame Abbott departed the show under public and rocky circumstances last year. Charlie and Marnie are in a good place at the end of season two, and that could very well have continued. But it’s also kind of a good thing that he is gone because it gives Marnie more room to grow. Last year was a lot about finding herself, which she has now done on several levels. Now, she gets to explore another element of her personality without a guy present to distract her.

Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) has a new plan laid out in front of her, and while her part in the premiere is small, it is funny and extremely typical of what we’re used to from her.

I do feel like the enigma of Jessa (Jemima Kirke) is unraveling, which is a good thing. “Females Only” finds her in rehab, a situation that is not to her liking, and she quickly makes it miserable for everyone around her, too. Which is not to say it doesn’t do her any good. As much as she fights against this establishment, she does have a revelation or two about herself, and it helps fans of GIRLS to understand her.

The interesting thing about Jessa is that she’s not entirely wrong in her outlook, even when her approach is completely backwards from what it should be. She is a very honest person, and generally truth is a good thing, but she somehow manages to misuse it. It’s a defense mechanism, and one she will eventually have to shed if she wants to get along with the world. But she does make some valid points in the midst of her poor behavior. Or, at least she convinces us she does, which is sort of the same thing, and something to admire about her character.

The thing I am enjoying about season three of GIRLS, right from the get go, is that each character is finding out who they are, and we at home are doing so, too, at the same time. This show has always been about a journey, and we’re now far enough long to get a picture of the longer game. I think this first episode is very well done, and is a sign of good things to come.

GIRLS premieres with a double episode (this review only covers the first half) Sunday at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.

Girls still not getting it "Together"

Article first published as Girls still not getting it "Together" on TheTVKing.

As HBO's second season of Girls comes to an end in "Together," there are some resolutions, but there is also more mess. Which is par for the course. The girls at the center of this show are very flawed, but authentic, portraits of young women these days, who may not have been as prepared for the real world as they'd hoped, and, as the title of the show suggests, still straddle the line between child and adult.

Some have criticized this series from the beginning, and some who loved the first season have turned on it in the second year. I don't fall into either of those categories. It makes me uncomfortable to watch some of the plots Girls delivers, especially those that focus on Hannah (Lean Dunham) because I just want to shake her and make her make the smart decision, but I think it has kept the specific, unique voice is started with, and is inarguably unlike anything else on television.

Hannah is mostly a train wreck by the end of this season. Her OCD is coming back in spades, she breaks a Q-tip off in her ear, she has lost at least three friends, and she isn't going to meet the deadline for her ebook, which means she will be sued for the advance payment she already spent. Her physical appearance, and I'm talking about presentation, not weight, is sloppy. She can be pretty, and not that she has to be all the time, yay for feminism, but her utter lack of pride in putting herself together, even at the times when she should, says something about her that is not pleasant. Some of these things, just the OCD, really, aren't exactly in Hannah's control. But the rest are avoidable if she would just mature.

Hannah, more than anyone else in the show, is a kid, and is really having trouble with growing up. She fights it at every turn, almost as if she thinks she has to be immature in order to hang onto something. Her parents (Peter Scolari and Becky Ann Baker) haven't helped that much, being enablers. Finally, though, by "Together," they are cutting her off and forcing her to deal with things on her own.

I do think Hannah has the ability to get her life on track. She is definitely smart and talented, even if she frequently squanders both. It's going to be so much harder for her now, since she has burned some bridges and proven herself unreliable, but she still could succeed if she wants to. However, I feel like her immaturity is kind of an addiction, and she will probably have to bottom out, which she hasn't done yet, before she can get better.

At least Hannah has Adam (Adam Driver). No matter what Adam may have said, his relationship with Natalia (Shiri Appleby, Life Unexpected) is a rebound. She does help him to grow as a person, and round off a few of the weirder edges of him that need softening. He still very much holds a torch for Hannah, though. Will his support be what she needs, or will he just be the latest to aid in her selfish ways, which will ultimately destroy her when he, too, steps back, like her parents did?

Adam's relationship with Hannah is not the same kind of enabling that her parents do. He really does focus on building her up, something the older pair seem to have forgotten, though who can blame them, after everything that Hannah has done? He loves her for who she is. The question is, will that be good for her, or reinforce the bad choices?

Jessa (Jemima Kirke), MIA in the finale, may not return to help Hannah out anytime soon. As much as Jessa dislikes her father's roaming ways, she has certainly inherited the lifestyle. When things get tough, she disappears, as unreliable as he is. It's sad, but like Hannah, Jessa is a snapshot of who her parents made her into at this point, and has yet to find her own way. I'm not saying that she will necessarily be a better person when she does, but maybe it will help somewhat, at least she will own it.

Marnie (Allison Williams) also falls right back into old habits, reconnecting with Charlie (Christopher Abbott) in "Together." Marnie has been directionless ever since their breakup, while Charlie has sold an app and gotten filthy rich. Yet, they both go right back to their old dynamic when given the chance. They like to think they have changed and are now ready for each other, but are they? Does Marnie drag Charlie down, and that's why he struggled while with her previously? Maybe the benefits of this relationship are one-sided, though I guess season three will tell us for sure.

Ray (Alex Karpovsky) actually seems to be doing the best at the end of the half hour. He may have lost Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), but that's OK, because she is just a little bit too controlling for him. He is better when he pursues things on his own. Shoshanna is wrong that he is without purpose; Ray just has his own way of doing things. It sucks a bit he gets into his thirties without committing to a passion or career yet. However, many do, and I think Ray has a good head on his shoulders, a way to pay the bills for now, and still has time to figure himself out, which isn't helped by being around Shoshanna, who tries to do the figuring for him.

That isn't a slam on Shoshanna. There are plenty of men who would benefit from having a girl like her in their lives, and of the girls on Girls, she is the one who is soaring. She makes the smart decision, knowing Ray is just not the one for her, and also realizing that this isn't the time in her life to be tied down to someone like him. Shoshanna, surprisingly, who may seem the youngest at the series start, is the one who is also becoming older and wiser at a quicker pace than the others.

Girls sadly has been slipping in the ratings. Luckily, a third season has already been ordered. But unless people tune back in, year three could be its last. Considering the perspective it takes, which no one else does, that would be a shame.

Girls will return next year to HBO.

"It's About Time" for Girls

Grade: 93%

HBO’s GIRLS is back this Sunday, January 13th at 9 p.m. ET with “It’s About Time.” And while the titular characters may be slightly older, they are still far too immature to be called women, no matter what they do sexually.

Hannah (Lena Dunham) just cannot make up her mind about what she wants. Should she keep taking care of Adam (Adam Driver), who has been hit by a truck, and is now fully admitting his love for her, or should she hook up some more with the new guy (Donald Glover, Community) that she’s been seeing on the side?

Why can’t Hannah make a decision? She is plenty confident in picking a party theme idea, or stripping off her dress without hesitation, but she has no will to choose a man to be with. It’s not that she’s not getting enough sex with Adam, or that he’s still being mean; it’s more that she doesn’t know what she wants, so she can’t let herself be happy with what she has. Adam seems like a good match for her, but she isn’t willing to admit that, so she bed hops.

Unfortunately, it’s not fair to either of the guys. Adam has the biggest right to feel betrayed, considering how he has been sleeping with her for awhile, and has expressed his feelings. The newbie, meanwhile, seems to know about Adam, and doesn’t mind what’s going on, but only because Hannah presents the impression that she no longer cares for Adam. It’ll be interesting to see how Hannah eventually deals with being the unlikely (though I’m sure she expected it) center of a love triangle.

Thankfully, Hannah’s uncertainty doesn’t extend to her friends. She is careless with their emotions, as Marnie (Allison Williams) finds out when Hannah dismisses her feelings of loneliness. But Hannah does say she still loves Marnie, and wants to be good friends, despite their fight last year, so that’s something.

Marnie is sad because she has no guy and no job. Things aren’t made any easier when Hannah doesn’t have time for her and her ex, Charlie (Christopher Abbott), brings his new girl to Hannah’s party. This excuses Marnie’s almost hook-up with Hannah’s gay roommate, Elijah (The New Normal’s Andrew Rannells), which fails to happen because of him, not her. One cannot help but feel sorry for her, being in as depressing a place as she is in “It’s About Time,” and with no end in sight.

Still, is that an excuse for her to crawl back into Charlie’s bed? As unhappy as Charlie may be with his current girlfriend, he should never let Marnie sleep over until a break up happens. And Marnie should know better. But I guess that’s the folly of the young, and why they are still called GIRLS.

One thing that does seem odd in the episode is that Marnie continually makes a point to keep her boobs blocked from the camera during her semi-sex scene with Elijah. I respect that the actress doesn’t want to do the nude scenes, and no one is asking her to act like Dunham, completely free-wheeling. But when she holds her arm a certain way, then pulls her dress back up, as Elijah commits fully to the moment, and her character  is portrayed as wanting the intercourse, her modesty just feels awkward and wrong. Either she needs to show more skin, or her character shouldn’t have these types of scenes.

Speaking of sex, Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) has been trying to get over her one night stand with Ray (Alex Karpovsky), even though, to paraphrase, she feels like something is missing without her hymen. Her resolve to avoid him, though, predictably breaks down when they meet in the bedroom during the party, and they end up making out.

What is the hesitation here? Yes, Shoshanna works best on the series in small doses, but Ray doesn’t seem to mind her personality. Why not let them be a couple? It would be very interesting to see how Shoshanna behaves when she begins to get regular sex, and we could use a little more Ray (or any decent guy) on screen.

If you’re a fan of Jessa (Jemima Kirke) and Thomas-John (Chris O’Dowd), I’m sorry to report that there’s really nothing to say about them in “It’s About Time.” However, given the end of the episode, that probably won’t be the case for long.

I admit, I was missing GIRLS, and “It’s About Time” it came back! It’s a quirky, unique, certain-of-itself show that doesn’t hold back, and always entertains. Even when a scene ventures too far into something I don’t really want to see, I don’t regret watching because the pay off is fantastic. The characters are authentic and more real than what exists in most of television. Overall, few complaints can be made. Welcome back, GIRLS!

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first posted on Seat42F

Golden Globe's TV Categories Need Updating

Another awards season is upon us, with the Golden Globes just passed, and the Oscars approaching. There will be endless debates about people and films that are undeservedly left off of these lists. This column is not about that.

No, my complaint today is with the Golden Globes in particular, and the way that they treat television. Excellent hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler opened with a joke this year about how TV actors (like themselves) are looked at unfavorably compared to film performers (also, like themselves, though they are less known for film). In an era where the lines between the two have become increasingly blurred, this is an archaic notion, and one that should have been abandoned long ago, as television has moved into a golden age.

Also, it's quite funny that a film industry that thinks they are better than television airs their awards shows on the small screen, rather than making people go to the theater to witness the proceedings. Wouldn't that make more sense with the persistent attitude?

I'm not saying everything that graces the small screen is great, of course. But having moved through a decade that brought us Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, The Wire, and The Sopranos, and being well into a decade with Homeland, Mad Men, The Walking Dead, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Justified, and so many others, it is very hard to argue that television is an inferior medium.

I feel like the lack of understanding of television by an awards show that airs on, you guessed it, television, is best proven by a look at their categories.

First, the supporting actor and actress awards are separate from everything else because they do not get divided into two genres: drama or comedy. Well, three, because miniseries is rightly given its own standing. But for supporting players, they are all lumped in together. How do you possibly compare Sofia Vergara's work on Modern Family with Sarah Paulson in Game Change? You don't. You just reward the well respected Dame Maggie Smith, who is in a British miniseries, and ignore everyone else.

The main actor and actress, as well as the best program, are divided into three distinct genres, and they should be. Just as comedy movies are almost completely ignored by the Oscars, you won't catch the Golden Globes giving a supporting performance trophy to a sitcom star very often, if ever. It's completely unfair to put them together, even when effort is made to divide the nominations between all three arenas.

However, this separation has some trouble, too. Calling the comedy category "Comedy or Musical" comes from an era when all movie musicals were light-hearted, thus not belonging in the heavy drama world. That might work for Glee, but Smash and Nashville are every bit dramas, and should not be tossed in with the half hour situation comedies.

Those aside, you used to be able to tell if a series was a comedy or a drama simply by its running time. Dramas are typically hour-long shows, while comedies are half hours. But as HBO and Showtime have entered the arena with Nurse Jackie, The Big C, How To Make It In America, Weeds, and Enlightenment, this is no longer the case.

The problem becomes in how you define these types of series. I look at comedies as programs where the characters act a certain way to get a laugh, and the situations arise just to make the characters do funny things. If there are some jokes, but the main point of the story is an ongoing personal experience that fundamentally gets to the core of a person and forces them to look at themselves, not a humorous device, then it's a drama. I sometimes laugh at Nurse Jackie, but the show is about Jackie struggling with addiction and lies. This is not a comedy.

The Golden Globes haven't gotten wise to the shift, though. Which is probably why these types of series have come in and stolen the trophies from more traditional fare on the broadcast networks.

This year, Lena Dunham's win for Girls kind of throws a wrench into the entire thing. Her series is definitely drama, because serious things happen, and self-reflection is a large part of the story. Yet, Girls provides many more chuckles than its premium peers, and the arrogant, self-involved way in which Dunham's character behaves is inherently comedic. It's really, really hard to put this show in either box.

Which means that she won, of course, over actresses like Fey and Poehler who are following the comedy guidelines in the more traditional sense. Is this fair? Isn't what they are doing two completely different things?

The problem is, how can we solve this conundrum? The bloated Golden Globes is already too long, and diluting the field by adding more genres isn't doing anyone any favors. And yet, it certainly isn't fair that the smarter, bold, definition busting series take away from the broad comedies like 30 Rock and Community that still have something valuable to say, and can be outstanding examples of the art.
I do think we should move the HBO and Showtime series into the drama world. They may straddle the line, especially Girls, but the characters have more in common with broadcast dramas than comedies.

The fact that the Hollywood Foreign Press hasn't seen this, or chosen to do anything about it, just makes them feel out of touch with what really defines a genre. Considering that the purpose of the organization is to serve these programs, exhibiting such a glaring, fundamental fault takes away from their credibility greatly.

And then there's the argument that award shows themselves are dumb, at least for the viewing public, and should be private, industry-only events, and the number of them should be reduced drastically. I do actually agree with this argument, but that's a whole other column. Maybe next year.

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first published as Golden Globe's TV categories Need Updating on Blogcritics.

"She Did" it Girls

HBO's Girls has gotten a lot of attention this season, some positive, some not so much. As the freshman run draws to a close with "She Did," it's hard to see where the attacks come from. Jealousy? Insecurity? Lack of a frame of reference? Yes, the characters may not be completely likeable, but what a bold, fresh, realistic perspective! Girls may very well be the voice of a generation, and I don't make that claim lightly.

Maybe there are those that dislike the series because they are trying to compare it to other television. This is folly, as the writing and direction of Girls is not like anything else. Trying to pigeon-hole it, or compare it to non-exist peers shows a lack of understanding of what the show is going for. It isn't trying to be another series. It is, like the characters, true to itself, even if no one else understands.

At the center of the series is Hannah (Lena Dunham). She still expects her dreams of being a professional writer to come true. She just doesn't put that much effort into making them happen, whines quite a bit, and is pretty selfish. Yet, as the type of person that everyone knows, narcissistic but not malicious, she is an identifiable character, and one not represented very well on television. Until now.

In "She Did," Hannah gets the chance to complete one of her goals: have a serious relationship. Adam (Adam Driver) is willing to fully commit to her, even wanting to move in. Hannah just doesn't take him seriously, and ends up insulting him, which may spell the end of their time together. Is it because she is scared, as she claims in a raw confrontation in the street? Or does she not know what she wants? Maybe Adam is the type of guy she thinks she should desire or deserves, but isn't sure that she is ready to be with him. Is she trying to live her life as if from a script?

This is kind of the conundrum of everyone in Girls. Marnie (Allison Williams) has a great guy in Charlie (Christopher Abbott), whom she doesn't appreciate until he's gone. Then she could get him back, but she still resists, ending up making out with someone unexpected (Saturday Night Live's Bobby Moynihan). One would like to think that she appreciates her hookup's personality, but really, she's probably just drunk and desperate. We'll see if it lasts past a single evening.

The oddest plot in the finale is when Jessa (Jemima Kirke) throws a surprise wedding for herself and the creepy guy (Chris O'Dowd) who wanted to have a threesome with Jessa and Marnie. Jessa didn't even like him then, but her bizarre vows are actually sweet. Perhaps they do make a good pairing, as out of nowhere as the union seems to come from. Of course, with Jessa, no traditional courtship would ever be in the cards, which might make this one more acceptable.

Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) would like to loose her virginity, and weirdly does so with Ray (Alex Karpovsky). It almost seems like this happens because these are the two major characters with the least development, and the only ones who aren't paired up before now. And yet, there is something really nice between them. Both deserve more screen time, and maybe as a couple, they will get it.

Shoshanna's frustrated statement, "Everyone's a dumb whore," rings kind of true on the surface. But the girls are more than that. Someone who is over the age of thirty might have a hard time understanding what is going on in Girls. Yet, those of us who were in college in the previous decade see an authenticity that is surprising for television. Every flaw and stupid action of young gals that are not yet mature enough to qualify as women are laid out, without shame. It's a brave series with interesting writing. And no matter what these girls do, there is an allure about them that keeps people tuning in week after week.

Nope, not everyone gets them. That's the way they like it. One day they will be normal, contributing members of society. But for now, they are still just Girls.

Girls will return for a second season on HBO.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter!

Girls just wanna have fun

HBO's newest series is Girls. Produced by Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up), and created by series star Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture), Girls follows the exploits of twenty-something females in New York. But Sex and the City this is not. These girls are cash poor, less focused on men, and much more realistic. In fact, when one of the characters relates herself and her cousin to Sex and the City characters, it comes across as cheesy and dumb. This is the gritty, more authentic version of Sex and the City, or at least an example of where those girls might have been before they found successful careers.

Hannah (Dunham) begins the "Pilot" by learning that her parents will be cutting her off financially. This is terrible news, because Hannah works an unpaid internship and is writing a memoir (yes, at her age!) that might just be the "voice of a generation," or so she says while high on opium. Thus, left with no source of income, Hannah has to quit her internship and seek actual employment. She is offended and angry, begging for just two more years of support. Her parents decline.

Hannah is the voice of a generation, in that many young people today count on their parents to pay for everything. Those who come from well-to-do families might get that, and have the resources to begin life as an author or working on another creative project. Most of us, though, have to work hard, sometimes multiple jobs, to take care of ourselves, and shove our ambitions into projects accomplished during scant free-time. Hannah isn't exactly likeable in this regard, but she is a familiar character, as every young person knows plenty like her, who expect, rather than are grateful, to be taken care of.

Luckily, that isn't all there is to Hannah. She's feisty, and she's a free spirit. She is determined, and viewers are definitely left with the impression she will overcome these stumbling blocks. She is funny and honest. She has casual-ish sex with a struggling actor named Adam (Adam Driver, You Don't Know Jack). All of these combine to make her a good character, despite the whiny qualities that come out when dealing with her parents. And really, who doesn't revert to childish behaviors a bit when dealing with the adults who raised you?

Hannah is surrounded by other interesting, seemingly layered, people. Hannah's gorgeous roommate, Marnie (Allison Williams, Will & Kate: Before Happily Ever After), is in a relationship with Charles (Christopher Abbott). She feels smothered by him, but won't break it off. Again, everyone knows a girl like that. Marnie's British friend, Jessa (Jemima Kirke, Tiny Furniture), just blows into town in the "Pilot," and is someone who lives in the clouds. Surely, though, she has some grasp on reality, and just pretends not to, or she wouldn't have survived thus far. Perhaps it's a coping mechanism? Lastly, Jessa crashes with younger cousin Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet, Mad Men, United States of Tara), who naively believes her life can be explained by Sex and the City. It's annoying, but she'll mature soon enough.

The "Pilot" leaves one feeling like Girls is more than the sum of its parts. What this review contains is a sketch of what the show is about, but it's impossible to convey in words the quirky charm that comes across on screen. The success of Girls is all about tone, subtlety, nuance, and irony. It has that certain something not easily pinpointed. It will surely resonate with the generation it portrays.

Watch Girls Sundays at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter!