Girls Recap: “Painful Evacuation” – Season 6, Episode 4

This week’s episode of Girls, “Painful Evacuation,” features many very intense surprises – including the return of Patrick Wilson’s Joshua!

Girls rarely features the truly surprising reveal. Often the characters act in ways that are very congruent to what we’ve come to expect. But it looks like season 6 is done with this. And honestly, it’s giving me anxiety headaches – but in, like, the best way. Here’s the breakdown.

Hannah

Talk about a bombshell. Hannah’s routine trip to the ER for UTI medication results first in a reunion with Joshua. You may remember him from the widely discussed season 2 episode “One Man’s Trash.” Hannah hooks up with a successful, older doctor, played by Patrick Wilson, only to completely embarrass and sabotage herself and her own happiness. Well, he ends up being the one tasked to treat her infection. But he never really gets a chance, after he offhandedly mentions her pregnancy.

Yes, seriously. And even more bizarre, Hannah doesn’t immediately jump on his offer of having a friend take care of her abortion. “What makes you think I want an abortion?” she says as she breezes out of the clinic. Um…literally everything you’ve ever done in the years we’ve known you, Hannah? Honestly, can you imagine Hannah Horvath as a mom?

Episode 56 (season 6, episode 4), debut 3/5/17: Andrew Rannells, Lena Dunham.

photo: Craig Blankenhorn

In the “Inside the Episode” featurette that airs after the credits on HBO Go, Lena Dunham describes Hannah’s pregnancy as the arc of the season. Which makes me think that Hannah will, in fact, not seek an abortion. Which makes me perplexed and confused in many ways. I mean, at the beginning of the episode, a famous writer Hannah is interviewing even says, “Childlessness is the natural state of the female author.” This has to be doubly true for female authors who have no money, a shaky support system, and little ability to imagine outside of herself.

The pregnancy twist is a classic, but it feels more like a surprise within the context of this show. Truthfully, the possibility occurred to me as Hannah sat on the toilet complaining to Elijah about her fiery pee. But I dismissed it immediately. I would expect it in a show about sexy teenagers. Not so much in a show about self-absorbed Brooklynites. Hannah is old enough to have a child – she’s almost 30. But so was Elaine Benes of Seinfeld. The idea of either character being a single mother is equally alien to me.

The characterization of Hannah has been off lately. She’s maturing, but a little too fast to be natural, I think. But whether Hannah plans to keep the child or give it up for adoption remains to be seen. Maybe I’m naïve, but I’m willing to give this storyline a shot.

Jessa and Adam

I’ve been really interested to see how these guys will come back into play. But truthfully I’m so worried about them. Adam has always been a little manic, but Jessa has gone so far in that direction that it’s troublesome. Before, she was bohemian, zen, and only really intense when she got angry. Now, I keep asking myself if she could be on drugs. Because otherwise, what is going on? I suppose it could be her dynamic with Adam. Their valleys have been extreme lows, like last season’s scary, violent fight. It’s possible that their peaks are just as high.

Episode 56 (season 6, episode 4), debut 3/5/17: Adam Driver, Jemima Kirke.

photo: Craig Blankenhorn

But then they showed up at Hannah’s door to ask if they could make a movie about their three-way dynamic. And that’s outlandishly bizarre. Up until then, they’ve made no effort to patch things up with her, or even show interest in returning to a friendship. The last contact they had, as far as the audience knows, was the fruit basket Hannah left outside their door in the season 5 finale. It would be really, really terrible if the first time they reached out to her was not to say, “We care about our friendship, how can we fix this?”, but instead to say, “Can we have your permission make a movie about you?” But then, the Girls have never been outstanding friendship role models.

I’m interested to see where all of this goes. But we all know that if Jessa and Adam stay together, they’ll destroy each other.

Ray

The death of a regular at his coffee shop spurs Ray to question his life. But it’s his boss Hermie who has the biggest effect on him. Hermie keeps telling Ray that he’s a waste of potential. And when Ray talks it over with Shoshanna, he admits that Hermie’s life might be fine for him.  Shoshanna counters,

"“Well, maybe he wants you to have a life that’s better than fine.”"

It’s a line that’s sure to repeat in Ray’s head forever, after going to apologize for the fight and finding Hermie dead. Ray is spending his days managing a coffee shop when he doesn’t even know or care if the scone is raisin or Craisin. He is dating a woman who is bored to death with him, to the point that she can’t even bring herself to emote during sex or grab a beer and talk with him. Ray insists that ending up like Hermie wouldn’t be so bad. And it’s true; Hermie seemed to like his life. But Ray doesn’t like his. And Hermie died alone in a cluttered apartment, watching TV. While that might have been Hermie’s preferred way to go, it isn’t Ray’s. Hopefully, that thought will inspire some changes.

Next: Girls Recap: “American B*tch” – Season 6, Episode 3

Best Girl:  Shoshanna.  Her support of Ray – and her double-checking to make sure he’s not planning to kill himself – is lovely and heartwarming.

Most Improved:  I’m gonna give this one to Hannah again.  Mostly by default, though.  But despite her questionable choices, she continues to be less self-absorbed.  I mean, she didn’t tell anybody about the pregnancy in a plea for attention.  That’s something, right?

Best Line(s):  “Law and Order:  UTI.  DUN DUN!” – Elijah, making fun of Hannah’s UTI issues

“Clean up your side of the street, Marnie Marie!” – Desi to Marnie, with a sentiment that I actually completely agree with.

“We have to shoot it on film.” – the first evidence of the kind of crap elitist director Adam will be