Girls

Some people have raved about the new HBO show, Girls, but I for one am not impressed.  I must confess that I continue to watch the show only because it intrigues me.  The show features a boring plot and underdeveloped characters who lead quite boring lives.  Everything that the characters go through is quite ordinary, and it's one of the few shows (and possibly the only) I have ever seen that features so many unattractive people.  I'm not one to talk, I mean I consider myself mildly good looking, but not having a female counterpart for nearly two years definitely takes away from my credibility as an attractive heterosexual male.  But honestly, watch the trailer I post and tell me that the lead character isn't quite unattractive.  Sure sure, true beauty is on the inside and I'm absolutely positive (well not really) that she's a lovely person, but since when has Hollywood thought that way?

What I'm trying to get at here is that although I'm not a huge fan of the show, I'm intrigued by the fact that this show is so much like real life that it's scary.  Ask yourself this:  Why do we watch fictional television shows, movies, and read fictional books? I think it's to see the possibility of our dreams coming true, or something absolutely amazing happening to just about anyone.  The problem is that 98% of the things that happen in movies don't happen in real life, and the things that do don't happen to ordinary looking people.  Take romantic comedies for instance.  I mean who really just wakes up one morning after having a platonic relationship with somebody for years and all of a sudden realizes they're in love? It just doesn't happen.  It's just a whole bunch of bullshit that keeps the dreamers dreaming, but at least it can be funny bullshit.

So back to Girls.  The main character, Hannah, is a college graduate who struggles to find a steady job, even entry level.  There are thousands is not millions of young people in the same boat these days, hence very realistic.  Besides her lack of good looks, Hannah is stuck in a purely sexual relationship with a guy who treats her like shit.  Hmmmm, girl who likes being treated like shit...sounds like a couple of females that I might know.  Hannah's roommate, Marnie (aka gorgeous) has a job, but is stuck in a relationship with her college boyfriend who she no longer has feelings for.  Who hasn't been in one of those relationships where you just drag it out because it's comfortable? There are plenty of married couples out there who have that same back story.  Oh please, don't make me spoil it...oh fuck it.  SPOILER ALERT:  So Hannah eventually contracts an STD, HPV, to be exact, after she has sex with only two people, and mind you it was protected sex with both.  Life is largely about luck, and often times bad things happen to good people.  Hannah took all the care in the world and she got screwed over with the STD.  WTF right?

Here's a pic of Allison Williams who plays Marnie. Hot right? That was rhetorical.

 

Although I don't find the show all that great, I must say that this show is the closest thing to actual reality TV that I can think of.  There's no scripted bullshit drama, just a storyline with real, ordinary-looking people, with real world problems.  For that reason it's really not all that entertaining, but it's still a television anomaly.   And then there's Shoshanna, the super jappy Long Island girl.  She's one of the most entertaining characters, for me at least.  Here's some media for you.  Chime in friends. 

Here's the whole cast.  From left to right and with their character's names: Marnie, Shoshanna, Hannah, and Jessa.  

 

And in usual Yonni fashion here's the trailer for your viewing pleasure.