Last week’s episode of HBO’s “Girls” is hard to follow up, but this week’s installment, “Hello Kitty,” does an admirable job of it. Most of the series’ principal characters make an appearance, as they’re brought together by Adam’s (Adam Driver) newest acting gig, a role in a play based on Kitty Genovese’s murder. The play serves as the outstanding backdrop for the simultaneous absurdity and conflict that ensues.
From the outset, Hannah (Lena Dunham) is at her worst behavior, using her body to get herself out of trouble and fighting with Fran (Jake Lacy). Her childishness is overbearing and honestly exhausting at this point, but Fran’s condescending accusations seem out of place and out of character for him. It’s obvious the nice guy façade is crumbling, but his treatment of her simultaneously invokes appreciation and distaste.
Despite Marnie’s (Allison Williams) transformative experience in last week’s episode, she comes across fairly unchanged. The show seems to need to remind its audience that Marnie cannot possibly be reinvented over the course of one episode, despite significant evidence of growth. In the most striking example, instead of telling Ray (Alex Karpovsky) about his former friend Charlie’s (Chris Abbott) supposed drug addiction, she tells him that she’s ready to be alone for a while following her separation from her husband. It’s clear Marnie continues to think only of herself — not only does she neglect to provide help for Charlie but also gets Ray’s hopes up just to let him down again.
Relationships on “Girls” never seem to last. Though Elijah (Andrew Rannells) and Dill (Corey Stoll) have been exemplary of the elusive successful relationship, their connection is beginning to break down. It’s unclear whether this is really the end for the couple, but the consistently negative depictions of relationships throughout this season seems to suggest they will go the way of their peers — separate ways.
The climax of this episode has been a long time coming. Hannah finally catches on to Jessa (Jemima Kirke) and Adam’s relationship. Thankfully, it’s the most intriguing scene of the episode, combining beautiful, wistful shots of Adam and Jessa with Brenda Lee’s “Someday (You’ll Want Me to Want You).”
Hannah’s putting two and two together is concurrent with the play’s depiction of Kitty Genovese’s murder, which creates an interesting sort of contrast between the physical murder and the more emotional murder that occurs for Hannah. Her heartbroken look when she actually encounters the new couple nearly forgives her brazen behavior from the episode’s beginning. The moment is real and relatable, qualities which characterize much of this season.
The episode’s pleasant balance of comedic and dramatic moments, along with the ease with which it once again incorporates Hannah, Marnie and Jessa into the same storyline makes it another admirable addition to the season. With only three episodes left, hopefully the women’s individual storylines only become increasingly entangled in this way.
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