How good GIRLS went bad

HBO’s hit show Girls leaves a lot to be desired in its third season

HBO’s Girls airs its seventh episode of the season this Sunday, but so far Season 3 has yielded nothing but problems for the show—and for once, it has nothing to do with the nudity.

The past five weeks (the season premiered as a two-episode double feature) have been both highly anticipated, and also overwhelmingly disappointing. Sure, it can be hard for a show to live up to some of the hype, but it shouldn’t be so difficult to attempt some semblance of the series’ Golden Globe-winning first season.

Girls Season 2 showed some signs of derailing as it quickly turned into a vehicle for triple threat writer-director-producer Lena Dunham’s personal politics. Season 2 revealed main character Hannah (Dunham) to have OCD, a disorder Dunham struggled with herself, but the character development wasn’t consistent with Hannah’s story at all and seemed an unnecessary PSA.

By its third season, a show has usually found its footing. And while Girls’ rabid fan base of wannabe Williamsburg hipsters ensured it has already been picked up for a fourth (prior even to the Season 3 premiere), the writing continues to be as sloppy as some pilots in the Hollywood reject pile.

Preachy politics have taken a backseat, but this season suffers from the fact that it’s playing out as something of a parody of the first season’s honest look at young people’s daily lives: the very thing audiences watched for and critics praised.

Admittedly, the untimely departure of Christopher Abbott, who played Charlie, Marnie’s (Allison Williams) college ex-boyfriend, left Dunham with a bit of a mess. Abbott’s character was not only a major player in Season 2, but had also been reunited with Marnie at the conclusion of Season 2. Marnie’s histrionics had already begun to wear, going from funny to annoying, but nothing could be worse than the character Season 3, now post-break up.

Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), a fan favorite for her naïve and optimistic comic relief (as well as her ridiculous hairstyles), has officially descended into madness. Her childish antics now border social incompetence: she has gone from defending her overuse of Emojis in texts to seriously asking other characters to name their favorite utensil.

Jessa (Jemima Kirke) has remained Jessa, though that’s no praise. The flaky, hippie trope is more of the same—selfish, irresponsible and all-around unpleasant. Her story arc is as unclear as how anyone on this show tolerates her, let alone calls her a friend.

Worse even, exciting peripheral characters have been scrapped: Hannah’s sarcastic and quippy editor David was found dead from unexplained circumstances a few weeks back. Former heroin junkie, downstairs neighbor Laird, has made few, unmemorable appearances. Elijah, Hannah’s gay ex-boyfriend, ex-roommate—and the funniest character the show has seen—is nowhere to be found.

Parody Twitter account, @TonightOnGIRLS posts outrageous mock episode synopses (i.e. “TONIGHT ON GIRLS: Hannah chooses the font for her headstone; Adam becomes truly petrified; Marnie’s YouTube video goes viral in Singapore”) that, sadly, seem to have inspired this season’s Glee-esque train wreck.

Hannah’s lack of emotion or concern regarding anything but the fate of her eBook following her editor’s death was equal parts outrageous and irritating.  And it’s only one of several instances that define everything wrong with this season: the characters aren’t just ridiculous — they’re unlikeable.

Now halfway through the 12-episode season, Girls Season 3 has a short amount of time and a lot to make up for, what with its so-far-disastrous first act. With a season so short, it’s a shame so many (read: all) of the episodes have amounted to so little.

Dunham’s character said during the show’s Season 1 heyday “all adventurous women do.” It was in reference to a scenario involving having HPV, but is relevant beyond plot. There are so few honest, complicated, compelling portrayals of women on television today, and it’s time that Girls be, once again, about its namesake. It’s time that Girls be about the adventurous women Dunham references.

It may suck to be an unemployed 20-something in New York City, but it sucks even more just having to watch it.