Where Does the Fifth Season of Girls Fall?

Did Girls’ fifth season really move the characters forward, or are we just supposed to think that?

Girls has had a bit of a rocky time. The first season offered something new for HBO, and was relatively easy to get on board with. A few quirky twenty-somethings living in New York City? No problem. The issues began to crop up in the second season, when Girls established its well-worn pattern of constantly de-railing almost all character growth about halfway through the season.

Season two was also Girls worst season. What was with that whole Patrick Wilson thing? Doesn’t matter. The recently finished penultimate season of Girls offered little in the way of anything new. It followed the standard pattern of Hannah ultimately self-destructing before finding something new while almost everyone else followed similar patterns.

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Except for the end.

If there is anything that pushed Girls to greater highs, it was the final two episodes. Adam and Jessa’s complete breakdown and Hannah’s epiphany spelled new territory for Girls. Hannah was finally able to let go and move on. The final two episodes of the season were some of Girls’ strongest yet.

There hasn’t been a perfect season of Girls, fifth season included. Perhaps that’s part of the charm of the show; the characters aren’t perfect, why should the show they’re in be? The series is as rocky as their lives are.

This isn’t the type of show that’s going to wrap everything up cleanly. If, however, the lessons learned in season five are carried over — said lessons rarely are — season six could put everything into focus. The appeal of Girls largely comes from watching everything fall apart again and again.

Next: Game of Thrones Recap: The Mysteries of the Wall.

Sometimes it works better than others, and it’s a trick that has been used a bit too many times to have the same impact, but season five found a way to make it work. Again.

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