TV Talk: GIRLS 2.04 “It’s a Shame About Ray”
Ok, ok, so some major shizz went down in this episode of GIRLS, but the most traumatizing turn of events was obviously THE RETURN OF THE PUPPIES TO THE STORE. Little Hanukkah, will I never see you snuggle in Hannah's bosom again?!! I'm absolutely devastated, but on the bright side, at least those sweet doggies don't have to live in a broken home.
In an answer to Meredith's prayers, this episode focused more on Shoshanna and Jessa and less on Hannah. Marnie also caught a break and only got degraded by Tiny Navajo instead of, oh, the entire world. So that's a win!
On the downside, Elijah is definitely moving out, and the fight between him and Hannah failed to live up to its epic potential. We did, however, get this exchange:
Hannah: "I made a mistake trying to re-purpose you."
Elijah: "Re-purpose me? I'm not a vintage cardigan."
After Elijah vacates the premises, Hannah decides to host the most awkward dinner party ever and invites Marnie, Tiny Navajo and Charlie, plus Shosh and Ray, who show up late because they were having sex. Yay! Tiny Navajo is starting a mustard company (of course she is) and continues to excel at belittling Marnie. But this isn't the Demean Marnie Hour (that was last week), and Marnie manages to throw down an excellent burn: "So, where do you get your headbands?" Later on the roof, she also gets a kiss from Charlie, who is obviously still in love with her, but she (nicely) shuts him down by telling him about Booth Jonathan. He's pissed, and so am I, because Booth Jonathan is THE WORST. Honestly, I don't think I've ever respected Charlie more than when he refers to Booth Jonathan as "that little Ewok in fucking Capri pants."
Meanwhile back at the awkward dinner party, Shosh realizes that Ray has been staying at her apartment a lot. So much, in fact, that they're basically living together. She freaks out in the most adorable way possible, because she didn't realize it before now and therefore failed to prepare for her first time living with a man. When Charlie comes back downstairs and complains about Marnie, Hannah jumps to her defense (finally!) but still ends up calling her a jerk. UGH, HANNAH. You may think you're a grown-up, because you cooked all this food, but you are WRONG.
While waiting for the subway train home, Ray admits that he didn't want to bring up his homelessness, because he didn't want Shosh to think he's a loser. He is kind of a loser, but at the same time, he appreciates our girl Shosh, and I will always love him for that. Turns out, I'm not alone, because Shosh admits that she's falling in love with him, and then he professes his love for her, and God, I love how sweet this scene is without being, well, sweet. Also, if the show makes them break up before the season is over, I WILL CUT YOU, LENA.
While this is all going down, Jessa and Thomas-John are committing a grave mistake by having dinner with his parents. It doesn't take long for Jessa to show her true colors, i.e. talk about her atheism and how she dropped out of college to go to rehab for heroin addiction. Thomas-John's dad is actually into it, but he also loves movies about school girls who fall in love, so, yeah. Thomas-John's mother, on the other hand, must have the lyrics to "Gold Digger" running through her head (JK, she's never heard of Kanye) because she immediately starts making catty comments about Jessa's lack of a job. And I thought Hannah's dinner party was awkward!
When they arrive home, Thomas-John and Jessa launch into a huge fight and break up, which comes as a shock to no one, ever. But while it's not surprising, I'm impressed that the show still managed to make it emotional. When Thomas-John called Jessa a whore with no work ethic, I flinched, and I may or may not have cheered when she consequently face-punched him. I don't even like Jessa that much, but by the end of it, I want to give her a big hug. And then break all of Thomas-John's stupid award statues.
The episode ends with a GIRLS signature move of poignant-meets-ridiculous. As Hannah sings "Wonderwall" in her bathtub, a tearful Jessa shows up and immediately disrobes to climb into the bath. She starts crying (serious acting props to Jemima Kirke here), and suddenly, she blows a huge ball of snot into the tub. Hannah is shocked by the snot rocket-- "not even I would do that," she says, and then both girls, clasping hands, laugh their heads off as the camera pulls away and Oasis takes over the "Wonderwall" duty. I couldn't have been the only one singing along, right?
Overall, I feel that "It's a Shame About Ray" is definitely an improvement over last week's episode, and I attribute that to a lack of Hannah (and Adam) drama, as well as the absence of Booth Jonathan. Marnie hasn't exactly gotten on the Empowerment Train yet, and they all still suck at friendship, but it looks like Jessa and Hannah have some real bestie potential. Also, I've got my fingers crossed that next week will give us a glimpse of Shosh and Ray doing a little home decorating. Will the SATC poster stay... or go?!
Meredith, did the Jessa and Thomas-John break-up carry emotional depth for you as well? And what do you think Jessa's next wild adventure will be?
