Girls: Why It’s Great and What to Expect in Season 2

HBO is notorious for having a knack for supplying critically acclaimed series. Last year’s newest hit? Girls. While I was one of the many enthralled from the first episode, those who were to look at a brief synopsis or have only seen short snippets, may have a false impression of what this show has to offer. Perhaps that is why amongst the praise and recognition as a breakthrough and fresh series, Girls received plenty of backlash from the critics and viewers. I’m here to tell you why Girls is in fact one of the best shows ever as well as what’s in store for season 2.

One of the biggest complaints that sparked controversy was that the show showcased only white 20-something females in New York City. Many felt that with such a diverse setting like New York other ethnicities should be included among the characters. While I understand where viewers are coming from, I don’t think the show and the creator, Lena Dunham, deserved the amount of backlash they received.

Stars of the hit show ‘Girls’ Photo via HBO.com

Dunham writes, directs, and stars in Girls which follows four friends trying to find their way after graduating college in New York City. Cliché, I know. However, instead of taking on aspects of every overused stereotype seen on a television drama, Girls is like watching a documentary that perfectly captures the excitement, confusion, and pain shared amongst so many at this point in their lives. On the issue of race, in multiple interviews Dunham states that she based the show around her own life and experiences and admits that she did not portray a “truly all-encompassing rendition of young girls in New York right now.” With this is in mind, Dunham has already said that season 2 will include a more diverse cast of characters.

Inevitably a show that revolves around a group of girlfriends in the Big Apple is going to be compared to all of the other shows out there. The difference between Girls and a show like Sex and the City is that the latter is just an exaggerated fantasy for young women. From the closets filled with designer clothes to their relationships, the lives portrayed on Sex and the City are entertaining yet unrealistic. Dunham on the other hand presents an awkward and honest comedy that doesn’t try to glamorize the post-graduate lives of young women. If any comparison should be made between the two shows, it would be that these young girls came to NYC aspiring to live like the women on Sex and the City only to be hit in the face with the harsh realities of life.

I think the reason why Girls is so popular among young women is because it is so honest. They see that the main character, Hannah, isn’t perfect. Glamorous is not an adjective that would be used to describe any of the characters. There are scenes that are cringe worthy, the characters are awkward, self-absorbed, and insecure but all of these qualities redeem the show rather than detract from it. These girls aren’t trying to be anything but who they are. The worries that plague them are relatable to everyone from getting cut off from parents to trying to survive and pay rent while juggling an unpaid internship.

Despite the criticism, the girls are coming back. From the season 2 trailer it looks like it will be another year filled with relationship problems and more. When we last left Hannah, Marnie, Jessa, and Shoshanna there was a wedding, break ups, and all of the drama in between. So what’s next? From the trailer, Hannah is now living with her gay ex-boyfriend, Elijah, and is on the hunt for the “kind, sexy, responsible boyfriend” she’s always wanted, which is too bad because I was just starting to like Adam.

While Adam is still around his creepiness level has risen due to the videos he sends Hannah of him singing and breaking into her apartment to confess his love (sweet?). Marnie seems as lost and confused as ever with no job or boyfriend. Maybe she’ll get a “pretty person job” like Shoshanna suggests (just not a model). Shoshanna’s love life is now flourishing after she was deflowered. The most adventurous of the group, Jessa who lives with no restrictions, is enjoying married life with that random rich guy she just met. And that’s just from one preview.

Overall, Girls is simply hilarious. Like your friends in real life, these girls sometimes will be witty and clever and other times they will be ridiculous and embarrassing. Girls encapsulate what it is like to be a young woman in this generation without trying to be quirky or special. Check out season 2 premiering January 13 on HBO, “all adventurous women do.”