Girls: Season 1

[with_one_voice]

I enjoyed the pilot and am very interested to see where this goes. I think what I loved most about it was that it felt very real and modern. The writing was honest and raw; the scenarios were truthful and accurate portrayals, consistent with being a twentysomething in 2012.

Who else watched? Opinions?

[haqyunus]

Oh I am dying to watch it but I don't get HBO. Most of the professional reviews are making it to be totally worth the hype.

How was the direction considering Dunham is directing as well. How does it compare with 'Tiny Furniture'? Is it basically an extension of that, do you think?

[russen18]

I really liked this and jemima kirke makes my comedy supporting actress for emmys. She and Williams along with Durham are the standouts.

[jjj]

So all but one of them are standouts?

The vitriol-filled review from Mother Jones is pretty accurate: "Hipsters are really going to like this show. Which is to say that it is as profoundly bland as it is unstoppably irritating...a new low for the premium cable network...cast of poorly dressed stereotypes...central character is an unsympathetic victim of First World Problems who mumbles her way through...throw everything at a wall...and see what sticks...tired tropes and failed attempts at dry humor...infuriatingly clumsy comic timing...inertia disguised as quirkiness, stock narrative masquerading as art, and peskiness paraded as high comedy."

I WANTED to like this show because, hey, immensely-acclaimed, female-dominated comedy. Especially when the comedy awards race is so stale; based on the season so far it'll just be Modern Family again, and 30 Rock in the T2 yet again. My favorite comedy right now is 30 Rock, but I think that show would be better if there were more Liz, less of everyone else.

There’s a more-annoying hipster version of each SATC character: extra-annoyingly earnest Charlotte (and also Steve), extra-annoyingly “cool” Samantha who likes to say Outrageous things and is thus appointed comic center, extra-annoyingly neurotic overtalkative “writer” Carrie, extra-annoyingly sucky flaky (and here also creepy) love interest Big…I guess Marnie’s okay. On a shallow note, Williams is the only pretty one in the cast, so that helps, but so does the fact that she’s the only one who I don’t actively want to stay away from my screen.

The one time I smiled was when Charlotte declared not being on Facebook is in awe because “that is so classy” (and perhaps when MGMT played) – not because it was funny, but because it’s realistic. I guess that’s my problem with the show – it may be realistic, but that doesn’t make it funny or make me want to watch the characters. Awkward and uncomfortable also don’t automatically equal funny – this is a problem for the new show Apartment 23 as well although that show’s acting is perhaps slightly better. And that show had a few amusing if unoriginal lines.

[jeanne_dielman]

The reference about Photoshop upping your chances of getting hired was really funny.

I liked the pilot episode, but didn't love it. Still, I liked that there was a good mixture of irony, sincerity, and self-awareness.

And um, hey, Mother Jones reviewer. It's First World Problems. But then, again, most of Western cinema/TV shows/etc. is? Does that mean such works are inferior by default? (And if we're getting really nitpicky about it, then stories about First World poverty wouldn't stand a chance against Third World poverty, yes? Because the former is, as economist Jeffrey Sachs says, really relative poverty. This is really stupid talk, simply because human discontent shouldn't be measured by such a simple yardstick.)

[Midnight]

Seriously, the notion of First Word Problems is so irritating. As if misery and depression and addiction and anything that might inflict a person who is viewed as privileged discriminates based on class or locale. I actually loved this show because Dunham seems so aware of how trivial the problems are and is not afraid to poke fun at them. I honestly feel like this is an unfair critique of youth in general. Only a show like this would get critiqued for highlighting First World Problems but you'd never hear about how trivial Don Draper's extramarital affairs are.

[hurricanesmith]

This is my favorite new show of the season.



HS

[ldw]

Surprised how incredibly good this was. Had not read any reviews and have never seen Tiny Furniture. Watched it because I Eastbound and Down ended and I needed something to watch for the next 1/2 hour.

The last time I felt like this watching a new comedy was Louie. The two conversations between female characters in the bathroom and the we need to process that before we think of going there sex scene were so well written and felt so real. The discussion of falling out of attraction with someone and for reasons that one knows show flaws more in themselves than the lover was funny and spot on. So was the boyfriend and girlfriend bringing up the stranger fantasy but both coming at that from a different angle sequence.

All 4 of the main female characters are intriguing. And nice to see Peter Scolari.

"Hipsters are really going to like this show. Which is to say that it is as profoundly bland as it is unstoppably irritating...a new low for the premium cable network...cast of poorly dressed stereotypes...central character is an unsympathetic victim of First World Problems who mumbles her way through...throw everything at a wall...and see what sticks...tired tropes and failed attempts at dry humor...infuriatingly clumsy comic timing...inertia disguised as quirkiness, stock narrative masquerading as art, and peskiness paraded as high comedy."

This review seems really dismissive of people just because they are in their twenties (both characters and what this critic feels fans will be).

Just seems like a variation of tripe criticism down through the ages.

"Beatnicks are really going to like this show. Which is to say that it is as profoundly bland as it is unstoppably irritating

"Flower children are really going to like this show. Which is to say that it is as profoundly bland as it is unstoppably irritating."

"Slackers are really going to like this show. Which is to say that it is as profoundly bland as it is unstoppably irritating."

Don't really get the first world problems line at all.

[DirkDiggler]

Well this was unique.

Just finished episode 1. A pilot is very hard to hit "A" territory. The last episode that did this successfully imo was Homeland.

This hit "B+" range which is perfectly fine because it's just a pilot, and basically just introduced characters and future plotlines.

I really enjoy the dry raunchiness and fruitful dialogue. I'm pretty glad how the humor in the show is being handled.

Everything just comes off as quite real, and anxious in a good way.

Well, I totally agree on it being a bit hipsterish which doesn't bother me in the least. It may even be a good thing?

Quite enjoyed the anti-errotic sex scene?

So yeah, performances are very solid. Especially from the lead, her boyfriend Adam, and Allison Williams.

Overall, I'm very interested into seeing what's to come. Hopefully it lives up to expectations.

[haqyunus]

Well Mother Jones downright pan is a rarity among the general response the show has gotten and interestingly they also ran a positive, counter review 3 days later:

Sorry, Haters: "Girls" Lives Up to the Hype
http://motherjones.com/mixed-media/2...BO-lena-dunham

Jemima Kirke was a hoot in Tiny Furniture and I am sure she would be great here as well.

[sid]

I thought this was interesting! I don't have any immediate "yay" or "disappointing" opinion, but I definitely think this is incredibly promising. I just don't think I will be able to watch this as a regular half an hour one episode a week thing... it just seems like a show that I'd like more when I watch 2-3 episodes back-to-back. For instance, I really wanted this pilot to be longer than it was -- which I'm guessing is a good sign!

Also: Adam was an interesting character, but I found the guys were mostly classified as dicks/nice boys... which I hope isn't what these characters eventually turn out to be, cos that would be too stereotypical!

[Sage]

I enjoyed the pilot, and it sparked an unusual amount of debate at my house (it's unusual seeing characters who fit your demographic making complaints that you yourself had made countless times, and yet who recognize as completely lacking any sort of perspective), but this is really the sort of show that's going to be really good or really terrible, depending on how the rest of the season develops and challenges the characters.

I’m hopeful, though. The pilot seemed fairly aware of just how irritating these people can be.

[erikdean]

This is my favorite new show of the season.



HS

I can't even deal with how much I loved this.

[Bean]

This felt a little more flat than I was expecting, but then reading reviews that say it instantly displaces Louie as the best thing on TV will do that. Like everyone else has said, this shows tremendous promise, though I do wonder how they will sustain narrative momentum with so little as a premise. Not that comedies need to be ruthlessly plotted, but it's a little hard for me to watch the pilot and see how 9 more episodes this season come from this without Louie's formal daring.

[Dent]

I thought this was a strong pilot. I like how aware it was of how tough Hannah's situation is, while also not making her an easily sympathetic character (what she does at the very end? Yikes). Dunham and the rest of the cast were all quite good.

[faina]

That sex scene was probably the most uncomfortably awkward and vomit-inducing thing I have ever seen on TV.

[Atypical]

I thought that this pilot episode was stellar. Lena Dunham is a triple Emmy threat: acting, directing, and writing (which is where I want to see her nominated the most). This one is something special.

[Bean]

I wonder of Dunham or Louis CK will actually break into the directing category this year, or if that will be saved for a procession of Modern Family and 30 Rock episodes again.

[haqyunus]

Acting and writing is fairly certain, I guess, if the quality continues for rest of the season.

[Submerge]

I adored this.