Girls Recap: Fran and Hannah are on the Rocks

Thew newest episode of Girls, “Old Loves,” brought out the frays in multiple relationships.

When Hannah chose Fran over Adam last season, it felt like the right move. It was still, for sure, the right move, but now Hannah isn’t so sure. In another episode in which Hannah sets herself up for her own destruction, she clashes with Fran over how to grade a creative writing assignment. Hannah wants the students to just focus on the writing itself and not the grammar, while Fran doesn’t agree.

Both of them are too bull-headed to back down, though of course it’s Hannah that takes it too far. Girls maneuvers itself into a delicate place by showing the cracks between Hannah and Fran — will she just give up like usual? To prove that the girls of Girls are actually growing up, Hannah is going to have to learn to deal with the tough times and find a middle ground.

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The other main focus is on Jessa and Adam. Marnie and Desi make a return this episode, though it’s just another showcase of how crazy Desi is when he tries to build a way in their already microscopic apartment. Also, a custom shelf for his “Ray Bradbury digest.” Priceless. Adam continues to pursue Jessa, which leads to one of the great confrontations of the show when Jessa finally admits “I didn’t say I liked her!” about Hannah.

What makes Girls so great is that the friends themselves are barely friends at this point. They’ve realistically been moving away from each other for a while now, and it would be a stretch at this point to say that they get along well. Later on, when Hannah and Jessa go out for rice pudding, Hannah calls out Jessa for being so unbearably mean. It’s an important scene, and the best of the episode.

Elijah is finally his own character on Girls and not just Hannah’s gay Sex and the City-esque sidekick.

With one friendship dissolved, at least temporarily, Jessa feels free to go after Adam. The episode ends with a night of award sex for both Adam and Jessa, and Elijah and his famous boyfriend, Dill. Elijah is finally his own character on Girls and not just Hannah’s gay Sex and the City-esque sidekick. He’s damaged and sensitive, and this leads to a touching scene when Dill introduces him to his friends.

On the Ray front there wasn’t much movement. Ray is best at playing the “old man Ray” character, even if there isn’t much going on. He’s still tortured over the competing coffee place, and that’s that. Not much to talk about at the moment. Shoshannah was absent this episode, though her adventures in Japan are not over.

Next: The Night Of is coming this Summer.

Girls has been able to offer up two thoughtful episodes in a row. If the rest of this season can stay this strong, we’ll have a serious winner on our hands.

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