Girls Season 4 finale started with a cold opening that did not set the stage for the happiest of conclusions. In polar opposition to how the season started with the green fields, the open space, and Hannah having infinite potential in the next chapter of her life, “Home Birth” begins with Hannah trying to normalize her breathing, going through a panic attack. Then, in what I would call mild awkwardness, Fran comforts her. Aside from him kindly providing support and being a gentleman, it was very refreshing to see how calm Hannah was about her anxiety. Her episode was not overdone. I have never described a panic attack as balanced, but this one was. And it works because you can still see her pain and how overwhelmed she is; there is no satire. Hannah has gone from a caricature to a person, and it’s a very welcomed, and becoming, change.
In the meantime, having been instrumental in Ray’s campaign, Shoshanna has experience to talk about at another job interview, and she finally nails it. She gets offered the job on the spot; however, there is a catch. The position is based in Tokyo. The news is not embraced by Shosh’s new guy, who suggests that she work for him (has he forgotten what she thinks of his company?!) and to move in together. In spite of Jason Ritter appearing to be a dream boyfriend, my cling-meter broke at his suggestion. Run, Shosh, run!
Speaking of people who are absolutely wrong for one another, Desi and Marnie meet the president of the label they have been in talks with at the coffee shop where Ray works. In front of the music executive, they also act extremely sugary and flaunt their engagement. Regardless, they somehow make a good impression, and they get to have a showcase. However, the highlight of the scene comes when Desi talks to Ray, almost asking for his blessing. Marnie’s former bed-buddie, then has an Olivia Pope moment and delivers a speech that illustrates why he (and the entirety of the audience) abhor Desi. He hits multiple chords at once and leaves Marnie’s fiance cold. Ray executed the perfect verbal knockout.
Having gone through her panic attack, a calmer Hannah, visits Caroline and Laird, who are about to become parents, in their apartment. With zero assistance, and stubbornly holding on to the fact that the expectant mom is an almost doula, they are dead set on having a water birth in their bath tub. Hannah is extremely composed, even considering how ridiculous and dangerous that idea is, and does her best to respectfully interject that they should not go through with their birth plan. In opposition, Adam, who enters the apartment in his rustic way, is 100% against that baby being delivered with no assistance. Caroline, however, is not budging and believes that having her child in her bathroom is a statement against modern medicine. Somehow, Jessa gets involved and, against all odds, becomes the heroine. Not only does she puts her head under water to check on Caroline’s birth canal, confirming that the baby is breach, but she also gives Laird the best advice anyone could give to a future father: man up. Her words do the job, and as a result, Caroline is carried by the group to the hospital.
Forgotten is Marnie and Desi’s first time perfuming at the Jazz Brunch spot. Now it is time for the duo to do their showcase. The bad news is that Desi doesn’t show up or answer Marnie’s calls, which is also the best news ever. Marnie is devastated, but Ray, once again, saves her from herself and makes a case for her doing the performance minus the douchebag. For the first time in a long time, the girl with the worst taste in men in New York gets on stage and does her thing.
In the meantime, Shoshanna, who is smart enough to know that Ray is an eternal fountain of awesomeness and good advice, looks for him and seeks his guidance. When she doesn’t find him, though, she gets insight from Ray’s boss, Hermie, who tells her to ”be the walker, not the dog.” He makes an excellent point; if her boyfriend is so great, he should be waiting for her at the airport when she comes back. His words reach Shosh.
At the hospital, Jessa, Adam, and Hannah see a healthy Caroline who announce that Jessa-Hannah Bluebird Poem has came into the world and is healthy, thanks to them. Jessa is particularly touched to learn that her tough love approach helped. Her uh-huh moment seems to have landed.
Later on, Jessa decides that she will become a therapist and tells the good news to her roommate, who, in turn, is proud to announce that she will be moving to Tokyo. Seeing both Shosh and Jessa having goals they will work towards is refreshing.
In one of the sweetest and saddest scenes of the episode, Hannah and Adam visit Jessa-Hannah and a fully gowned Adam lets out the news that Mimi-Rose is in the past. Humbled, he admits that he was confused and made a mistake, then holds his hand out, asking for another shot, which was endearing. In spite of how her former boyfriend making a compelling case, Hannah goes against what the Hannah of old would have done and breaks his heart in a very empathetic way. I just wanted to hug them both.
On her way out of the hospital, and having made a very conscious and mature decision, Hannah calls her mother, who is still going through a very hard time. Loreen believes her life to be over and blames her husband for it. There is extreme sadness, surrender, and anger in her words; however, the bite in her speech is even more harmful because Tad is sitting next to her at the table, taking it all. It is beyond horrendous to witness the demise of that marriage, even more so because now Hannah’s mom is throwing syllabic darts at the person she gave her life and love to. It is equally heart-wrenching to see Tad so defeated and willing to be vilified. Hannah, keeping with her mature attitude, asks to speak with her dad. She is not taking part in the blame game.
The finale, which felt shorter than the preceding ones, yet flowed just as beautifully, closes with a six-month time jump to a snowy New York that Hannah and Fran are enjoying together. I hate the snow, even more in NYC, yet I believe I have never seen more perfect snowflakes.
In short: the Girls Season 4 finale treated the audience to a very well-rounded, poetic installment, while allowing the characters to develop in natural, realistic ways. The girls (and boys) of Girls have grown considerably and have became characters the viewers want to root for. The season has been a joy to watch, through and through. I cannot wait until Season 5.
Highlights:
– Ray rained on Desi’s parade yet brought enlightenment to Marnie. Alex Karpovski did a solid job with the excellent material he was given. He did not sound like a lunatic or a creeper while he was making his heartfelt statement. I adore the character and all his scenes, yet this one is my favorite of his.
– Fran handling the panic attack was on point. Most people do not know how to tackle such situation, and it is easy to see that his instincts are yelling for him to run, but he did the human thing. In many ways, I see Fran as the equivalent of Natalia. He could be the one person who is not toxic to Hannah. Hopefully, he won’t have an exit similar to Adam’s ex.
– Jessa came through. Her “take no prisoners” eternal act actually delivered this time. Pun intended. The character has been less than a perfect friend during the run of the show, and finally, the logic to her crazy ways seems to pay off. Hopefully, the trend will continue.
– Gaby Hoffmann gifted the episode one of her excellent performances. It is no shocker that the actress is able to grab the audience, yet her scenes were raw and full of depth. The Caroline she embodies is pure perfection.
[Photo via HBO]
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