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Author Topic: Girls (HBO)  (Read 29452 times)

sdb_1970

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Re: Girls (HBO)
« Reply #10 on: April 16, 2012, 10:34:33 PM »
The reviews are in! ...

"The characters are flawed and hyper-aware of their flaws, the stories so bent on covering every angle of self-examination that there is no real role for the viewer to play. Which makes watching it an intellectual rather than emotional experience." - Los Angeles Times

"As it turns out, Girls is not really about girls at all – a species uniformly presented as neurotic sex toys or psycho man-eaters.  It's about guys.  And the guys in Girls are even less appetizing than the women who love and despise them." - New York Post

"Twenty years ago, Dunham and her friends would have been working in coffee shops in some boho college town. The word "slacker" would have gotten kicked around, and they all would have had bands. (Plus boyfriends who pretend to be Steve Albini.) Ten years ago, they would have been DJs or bloggers with podcasts. (Plus boyfriends who pretend to be James Murphy.) But in 2012, these ladies have no aspirations, not even the insanely pretentious and unrealistic kind. They don't daydream about being famous or rich. They're not working on any kind of dream at all." - Rolling Stone (from a generall positive review)
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mañana

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Re: Girls (HBO)
« Reply #11 on: April 16, 2012, 10:47:45 PM »
and I don't have a lot of sympathy for her, with her attitude of entitlement still going strong.  But I am interested in her (and her friends and their relationships); I'm wondering what her arc will be - if, when, and how my interest will turn more towards sympathy.
She needs that money to become who she is, OAD. That line in the opening scene signaled to me that the show had a sense of Hannah's attitude of entitlement. I'd be surprised if the arc didn't motion towards some kind of growth in that regard.

As for my interest in the show, I pretty desperately avoid these people in real life so I'll probably skip them on TV. Over-educated, creative class self-loathing for the win!
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Bondo

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Re: Girls (HBO)
« Reply #12 on: April 16, 2012, 10:54:06 PM »
I think I identify more with Hannah's parents than Hannah, and I don't have a lot of sympathy for her, with her attitude of entitlement still going strong.

I don't get a sense of entitlement from her at all. Is it entitled thinking to suggest that employers pay you for your labor? Is it entitled thinking to suggest that parents might need to economically support a child until they can get a job (that isn't McDonalds when you have a college degree) in the midst of the worst recession in 80 years? I don't see it like that so that's probably why I can identify strongly with her.

Now, in this episode we don't get a clear idea what non-service industry job she might aim for while she develops her artistic career, but then it is only 30 minutes of a series, it can't tell everything. Maybe she will take it too far into entitlement, as her character in Tiny Furniture does, and the show will perhaps be weakened as a result of making them too clearly the children of the elites rather than living the experiences of so many others in their 20s.

mañana

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Re: Girls (HBO)
« Reply #13 on: April 16, 2012, 11:12:58 PM »
I don't get a sense of entitlement from her at all. Is it entitled thinking to suggest that employers pay you for your labor? Is it entitled thinking to suggest that parents might need to economically support a child until they can get a job (that isn't McDonalds when you have a college degree) in the midst of the worst recession in 80 years? I don't see it like that so that's probably why I can identify strongly with her.

Now, in this episode we don't get a clear idea what non-service industry job she might aim for while she develops her artistic career, but then it is only 30 minutes of a series, it can't tell everything. Maybe she will take it too far into entitlement, as her character in Tiny Furniture does, and the show will perhaps be weakened as a result of making them too clearly the children of the elites rather than living the experiences of so many others in their 20s.
Nah, the marginally talented writer who’s bankrolled by their parents and thinks they're owed it is pretty hard to root for. If I do at all, it’s because of Dunham’s charisma or the show’s willingness to not sugarcoat the sense of entitlement. Move to Queens and take whatever you can get, as you say, things are tough out there.

I pretty desperately avoid these people in real life so I'll probably skip them on TV
...but not on the internet... Hi matt!
Oh yeah, I would have hated you in grad school.  8)
« Last Edit: April 17, 2012, 10:41:44 AM by mañana »
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Beavermoose

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Re: Girls (HBO)
« Reply #14 on: April 16, 2012, 11:32:33 PM »
The relationship that she has with her sex buddy felt really weird and depressing to me. The guy seems to think he's pretty cool but he's really odd looking, sub-par even, his personality doesn't fit his looks. And she likes him for some reason... I don't get it.

oneaprilday

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Re: Girls (HBO)
« Reply #15 on: April 16, 2012, 11:37:22 PM »
She needs that money to become who she is, OAD.
;D

"The characters are flawed and hyper-aware of their flaws,"
Flawed, yes, hyper-aware of them, no.  At least, not the most egregious ones.  The show is hyper-aware of their flaws - and yes, absolutely, matt, the willingness not to sugarcoat the attitude of entitlement makes it interesting.  But as the review says,
"watching [is] an intellectual rather than emotional experience."
So far, at least.

But yeah, matt, I also agree that the arc will probably be a coming to an awareness of her attitude.


The relationship that she has with her sex buddy felt really weird and depressing to me. The guy seems to think he's pretty cool but he's really odd looking, sub-par even, his personality doesn't fit his looks. And she likes him for some reason... I don't get it.
Pretty sure it's supposed to be weird and depressing.

FLYmeatwad

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Re: Girls (HBO)
« Reply #16 on: April 17, 2012, 08:31:14 AM »
I hate 20-somethings, but quite liked Girls.

You came away relatively cold on MTV's hit series Awkward., right?

FLYmeatwad

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Re: Girls (HBO)
« Reply #17 on: April 17, 2012, 07:38:27 PM »
Excellent. I saw a few episodes again over the weekend and was glad to see that everything seemed to hold up even better the second time around. I am not sure if there are comparisons to be made between the two shows.

sdedalus

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Re: Girls (HBO)
« Reply #18 on: April 18, 2012, 12:17:38 AM »
Finally got to watch the pilot and I liked it a lot.  Much funnier than Tiny Furniture, which I liked and is funny, but a little too self-loathing for me to really love.  Could have done without the Sex and the City bit, but that was pretty much inevitable.

You know when the first thing you see in a TV show is Peter Scolari, you're in good hands.  And Chris Eigeman hinted at a Whit Stillman flavor that I think will mesh really well with Dunham's sensibility.
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sdedalus

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Re: Girls (HBO)
« Reply #19 on: April 18, 2012, 12:36:23 AM »
I think I identify more with Hannah's parents than Hannah

I find myself doing this more and more often and it really freaks me out.
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