Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Pop Queen herself, Britney Spears, sang about being stuck in that place that’s not quite adolescence but also not fully adulthood back in her 2001 jam, “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” (co-written by Dido, just in case you’re in the mood for a fun fact). This was long before Lena Dunham brought her idea for a show about four millennial women living in New York City to HBO, but it feels like Britney was picturing these characters as she admitted, “I’m not a girl, but if you look at me closely, you will see it in my eyes, this girl will always find her way.”
Because they have. Hannah Horvath (Dunham), Marnie Michaels (Allison Williams), Shoshanna Shapiro (Zosia Mamet), and Jessa Johansson (Jemima Kirke) have found their way, whatever that happens to mean for their characters. They’re no longer girls…but are they women? Technically yes, they are. But there is still a vast amount of maturing to do here for this squad.
When we met the gals of Girls, they were in various states of completing a college education, naïve and excited about the world they were being thrust into, and all the jobs and men and friendships that would await them. And they were right: they’ve had various states of employment and sexual encounters and adventures and BFF moments along the way. Where we leave them now, at the conclusion of six seasons, is a different place entirely for each of them. But rather than galloping like wild animals through the wild (or at least the wild streets of Brooklyn), we’re releasing each of them as they more closely resemble baby giraffes, wandering through life on wobbly legs.
Let’s take a look at each of the ladies:
Hannah
Oh, Hannah. Thank goodness this person has gained the amount of self-awareness she has. It’s helped her figure out who she is and given her a more refined sense of humor, and has no doubt helped her to become a better writer. She’s made some smart decisions when it comes to interpersonal relationships and who she allows to be close to her. Handling the news that a parent is gay while having to console the spouse he leaves behind is certainly a slap of maturity to the face. But then there are those times, just last season, where she refused to get back into a car with her boyfriend, while in the middle of nowhere (at least for a New Yorker). But expect no hating on that season 2 yellow mesh tank top: that was actually a very confident move, even if it was aided by drugs.
In this season, Hannah finds herself with child, from a one night stand, and has made the brave decision to keep it. She hasn’t quite grasped financial stability or emotional maturity and it’s unclear if she even has any house plants that are thriving. But it’s admirable that she feels a connection to this child and is dedicated to becoming a mom. There is no previous season of this show where Hannah would’ve been able to take this on. Even in season six it’s still a stretch, expertly illustrated by the fact that she was hesitant to let the father know (although with good reason). She’s so close. The baby will help her grow up, and real quick, but until that thing pops out, and also long after that, she’s got a lot of learning to still do.
Marnie
Marnie loves to believe she is the sophisticated cosmopolitan woman that she tries to convince everyone around her that she is. But she’s always been that way. If anything, we may have seen the biggest regression from Marnie. She started as the portrait of woman in her early 20’s: fashionable, pursuing a career in the art world, steady boyfriend (sigh, Charlie). Cut to six seasons later where we find her a struggling musician going through a divorce. What a tumble from bougie to broke (and bougie — she’s still got expensive spin classes to attend, after all) she’s gone through. She’s as impulsive as ever, finding it unfathomable to ever take responsibility for her actions or words or eye rolls. Maybe we chalk this one up to a severe quarter-life crisis, or maybe just slowly start to drift away from a friend who did not at all turn out to be who she promised.
Jessa
Well, Jessa’s always had that “old soul” thing about her, but it would be false to assume that equates to maturity. Falling into a less than healthy relationship with her best friend’s ex was hot at first but ultimately ill advised. Except that Jessa’s always done what she wants. She’s had her moments of clarity and a handful of attempts at organizing her life. Yet she is at this moment, as mature as she will ever be. She can be scrappy and take care of herself, but if you’re waiting for Jessa to have a 401k, well you’re the delusional one. So has Jessa grown? Well, she’s had interesting life experiences, learning lessons from a select few of them. But she was as much as an adult as she’s ever going to be when we met her for the first time five years ago.
Shoshanna
With all that anxiety about everything from sex to employment, Shosh had the most potential early on to be a type-A successful adult. And she tried! She chased down marketing jobs and held a handful of promising relationships and she traveled to Japan which is the absolute highlight of the time we’ve spent with her. There is no learning curve like international living, where Shosh learned a lot of things about herself, namely that she has no idea who she is or what she wants. That’s progress! And then we arrived at the current season. In the last episode, we learn that Shoshanna, who has been noticeably absent this season, is in fact engaged (to Bryon, whoever that is) and estranged (from Hannah, one of her former best friends). Hannah learns this by accidentally wandering into Shosh’s engagement party, wearing overalls, natch, which are kind of in style so no points deducted for that fashion choice at this time.
From the outside, it would appear Shoshanna is currently the most grown up of the girls. But just a couple things: she gets into a fight with her former friends in her bathroom, during a fancy party, explaining to them why they are no longer friends. A real mature person forgoes bathroom fights, opting instead for the polite fade — which she did seem to be pulling on Hannah. And this fast engagement? Well, it just feels as though Shosh saw a “You must be this tall to ride this ride” sign for the ride of life and threw on a pair of platforms to partake in what she expects to be a lot of fun. She believes she’s an adult, which is exactly why she’s not.
Each of the girls has gone through their fits and starts of maturity. They’ve been forced to grow up in some episodes, and were afforded the luxury of never facing adulthood like so many of their fellow Brooklynite Peter Pans. We’ve already said goodbye to Jessa and Shoshanna as last week’s episode served as their final on-screen moments, and this weekend’s finale will confirm where we leave Marnie and Hannah, as she settles into upstate New York and braces for parenthood. My, how they’ve grown! Sort of! The journey for viewers has been a worthwhile one, but for these characters, well there’s a lot of road ahead of them, and judging by what we’ve seen so far, they should be on the lookout for potholes and speed bumps aplenty.
