10 Must-Watch Episodes Of ‘Girls’ (Before Season Four Starts)

It was here when we first heard those words that sent the media landscape into feminist frenzy: “I think I’m the voice of my generation. Or a voice. Of a generation.” Dunham is a woman of many hats, but one of her greatest skills is getting people talking: about her, about twentysomething New Yorkers, and about female friendship. But mostly about her. [Where to stream “Pilot”]

If there’s a singular episode of this show that highlights the current state of Brooklyn, it’s “The Crackident.” The girls trek to a warehouse party on Bushwick Ave. where they meet current and former flames, and Shoshonna accidentally smokes crack. While Shosh’s drug mix-up can’t be matched, the real star of this episode is Jessa, who realizes too late that her free-love mission has irrevocably damaged a marriage. [Where to stream “Welcome to Bushwick/The Crackcident”]

Hannah is on a freelance deadline and desperate for some creative inspiration. She looks to Laird, her former junkie neighbor to see if he can hook her up with some cocaine, which she’s never tried before. After scoring a bag, she and Elijah (Andrew Rannells) get down at Greenhouse where Elijah spills the beans about “two-pumping” Marnie when they were drunk and horny. Even before Hannah confronts Marnie, we know and feel the tension mounting from the past year of passive aggressiveness they’ve been slinging each other’s way. Though “Bad Friend” is one of Dunham’s shamelessly laugh-out-loud creations, it’s a perfect capturing of exactly how women feel when they’re flat out sick of the person closest to them and how it borders on hatred. [Where to stream “Bad Friend”]

In his Decider Classic highlight of this episode, our very own Tyler Coates gives an in-depth analysis as to what makes this episode so starkly different in both format and tone from the rest of Dunham’s series. Indie pretty boy Patrick Wilson stars opposite Dunham in the dreamlike sexcapade that got plenty of people talking about Dunham’s so-called delusional self-image as well as the writer’s conscious provoking of her biggest critics, almost as if to say, “Well, why the hell not?” Ping pong table coitus aside, this is one of the show’s most exquisitely directed episodes, enhancing the vulnerability both Hannah and Joshua (Wilson) feel at ages 25 and 45. [Where to stream “One Man’s Trash”]

It wasn’t until Hannah accompanied Jessa to her hometown to visit her father (played by Ben Mendelsohn) did we get a real glimpse of this troubled young woman. It’s easy to write off Jessa as free-spirited, flighty, selfish, and confused, but “daddy issues” is a cop-out description of Dunham’s most complex character brought poignantly to life by the ever-so-genuine Jemima Kirke. After her sudden marriage and even more sudden but wholly inevitable divorce, Jessa goes back home only to be inspired to leave everything and everyone behind for a little while. [Where to stream “Video Games”]

After a whirlwind of lust, Adam and Natalia (his flame in between Hannah and more Hannah) take things to the next level by trying out dirty sex. Except it’s not one of those, “That was really hot, we should try things like this more often” kinds of situations. Instead it made both them (and us for that matters), nauseous. The episode sparked a ton of think pieces about whether or not Natalia was raped, but Dunham has since made it clear that any woman who is remotely experimental and comfortable enough to open herself up to a man she’s currently sleeping with can sometimes experience a poorly executed fantasy and left with really bad sex. [Where to stream “On All Fours”]

After getting hired as an advertorial editor at GQ, Hannah is torn about the path her career is taking. She’s afraid of selling out, but also can’t get enough of her massive paychecks and the office’s stocked fridge. Though Hannah’s cringeworthy ways are borderline unwatchable after declaring to her new co-workers that she’s “a real writer” and not some corporate stooge, the episode speaks to post-grads who grudgingly give up their current passions to succumb to responsibility and the surface safety of steady corporate life. [Where to stream “Free Snacks”]

Marnie plans a Long Island getaway for the foursome so they can reconnect. Alas, nothing goes according to Marnie’s rigid plans, sparking a much needed shouting match between the friends. Aside from the goofy musical number, this episode reminds us why Lena Dunham’s series is such a major part of feminist conversation. [Where to stream “Beach House”]

June Squibb (Nebraska) guest stars as Hannah’s dying grandmother in this episode about motherhood. Hannah’s mom, Loreen (Becky Ann Baker), wants Hannah and Adam to lie to Grandma Flo and tell her they’re getting married as a way to cheer her up on her deathbed. Hannah and Adam go along with it, but as soon as Adam is out of earshot, Loreen confesses to Hannah her honest opinions about him. Though her criticism seems really harsh, she’s right, like mothers usually are. [Where to stream “Flo”]

The Season Three finale ended on a bittersweet note with Hannah and Adam giving each other some space after an ongoing rough patch. Shoshanna is heartbroken from not being able to graduate on time, and, after finding out Marnie has been sleeping with Ray, she’s aching for the past. Marnie, meanwhile, cuts it off with Ray to pursue Desi further, giving no shits he has a girlfriend, who has made it known she’s not a fan of Marnie. Jessa’s boss, a dying artist, asks Jessa to help euthanize her, but changes her mind at the last minute. [Where to stream “Two Plane Rides”]

Watch the new season on Sunday, January 11th at 9pm on HBO and HBO Go.