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This is totally what I find fascinating--that this show has become such an all-compassing lightening rod. I'm trying to figure out why. One of the above articles posits that it is because the protagonists are young women, and that there was so much buzz about the show as depicting THE experience of girls. When you tell people you like Girls, or you don't like Girls, the conversation always seems to veer towards the big picture, like in this thread. This is really intriguing, because it's not like this for most other tv shows.

For ironic skullcaps, can we make PPK logo ones to go with my show me your mitts tshirt?

Most shows aren't pretending to be something that they're not. I mean, Girls is making a lot of big picture statements. And when you tell people that you don't like it, they generally act like you just don't get it. Even in your response to me, you used all sorts of words and thoughts that I hadn't offered up. Why is that?

And I don't know, I start having a Tea Party reaction to it, and get all whatthefucky. Here is a show that is flaunting it's fucked-upness in your face, without really even realizing it. Maybe if there were an overt "fork what Brooklyn once was, it's mine now mother hubbards." But it's so entitled, it's not even saying that. I don't think it realizes that there is a world outside of parents paying for college and rent. And the place where it starts getting strong reactions is when the real world starts pretending that it's a critique. It's really not, how could it be? If it were a true critique it would cease to exist.

Girls wants to be loved for its unique snowflakeness. For it's quirkiness. For it's whimsy. Not because it's a cultural critique. But that's its defense. It's like if you have a crush on someone and you tell them in a weird way, you can always pretend that you were joking if it's not reciprocated.

Is it really such a polarizing show? I feel like there are a lot of other shows out there that some people love and others aren't into. I think loving or hating girls is the same as any other show.
I find it sort of condescending to say you're intrigued or fascinated by someone else's opinion. It almost sounds like you're saying you can't believe someone would feel the way that they do.

Isa and IJDI, I sincerely didn't mean to offend. I was attempting to respond to the first few pages of this thread, and the larger conversation about this show, not just your post, Isa. In general, off this board, I have been following a lot of debate about this show, and I am sincerely grappling with why it has become the lightening rod it has--moreso than a lot of other shows. I don't watch a lot of tv, but a lot of critics in pop culture websites and journals have been writing about this particular show for months now, and I'm trying to figure it out--is it because the main characters are four privileged young women, is it because it's written/directed/acted in by someone so young, should it be a critique of Brooklyn gentrification, should it include more diversity in casting and storyline, why don't we ask that about other shows, and more. From what I've read, there have been a lot of expectations and conversations about the portrayals of class and gender and diversity on this particular show, and I'm genuinely curious as to why. I do find, in what I've read, that it's a very polarizing show, IJDI, and I'm just trying to figure it out. I don't post a lot here, but have been a member for a long time, and I was curious as to what people were saying here.

As for my choice of words, I apologize if my wording comes off as condescending. That's so not what I intended. I am "intrigued" and "fascinated"--maybe those are poor word choices. I'm still trying to figure out my own thoughts about this show--I do like the writing a lot, and I have questions about it at the same time. I chose those words because I am honestly trying to gather more information and opinions.

Ha, that's true, too. Maybe people that love Glee just don't really care as much when other people don't like it.

Oops, posted that before your post, Jane.

OK well, hopefully I explained the reasons I have a problem with it well enough. I haven't read other critiques of the show, my experiences are based purely on my experiences with the show and fans of the show, especially college-aged girls.

Perhaps people want to see more diversity because it's set in Brooklyn and the whiteness becomes almost insulting. It could be as simple as that. Perhaps most shows are not being so in your face about it.

My guess in why it's a "lightening rod" is simply that the people who are offended by the critiques probably spend a lot more time defending it than most people would. And probably have a lot more platforms from which to defend it.

OK, now I'm reading critques of the show, and apparently, it's supposed to be feminist? That makes me like it less. I really enjoyed this guy's comment because I think it encapsulates the misfires.

outside of the internet, i haven't met anyone who thinks this show is doing anything groundbreaking or controversial. is awkward sex really that revolutionary? is its portrayal feminist? is its portrayal more feminist when it's initiated by a woman? there was the same hype about Sex and the City, but all those women did was sit around and whine about their love/sex lives or lack thereof, or talk about how men are jerks, or go shopping. i mean, this show basically is Sex and the City, but younger and outer-boroughfied. you have the central character who's trying to write some stuff and who's looking for love but not really but maybe but why are men so awful, the responsible one who wears nice clothes to her day job, the free-spirited one who'll say anything about sex or drugs or whatever because who the fork cares what you think, and the sort of ditzy one who is a little too wholesome for all this.

THAT SAID! I really hate when people post in a thread about a show just to shiitake all over it. I promise I only kept going on because I was asked. So hopefully a new Girls Season 2 thread is started with a clean slate. If I HAVE to bisque about Girls, I'll start a new thread exclusively for bisqueing.

This has been weighing on me probably heavier than it should.

Is anyone else starting to really dislike Hannah? I like the show still, but the more it goes on the more I find her annoying and basically a bit of an arsehole.

More Shoshanna! That's what this show needs!

Yes to more Shoshana! Yes yes! She's the only one of them I like. I kinda dig her relationship with Ray.

Agreed about Hannah too. There's just something about her. Maybe it's how inconsiderate she is, or how quirky and clever she TRIES to be. But yeah, definitely don't like her. She has her funny moments, but mostly she's annoying.

The last episode was sooooooooooo bad. Like, so so bad. Not a bit of it seemed remotely plausible, and it was a definite Hannah-overload. I hope we actually see the other characters in the next episode.

Was it the one with the guy from the coffee shop where she was dumping rubbish in his bin? (I'm not sure how far behind we are) because I didn't like that one at all, that's what made me make that post.

Everything is always about her. Now and again she's funny but she was irritating this episode.

Yeah, that's the episode I'm talking about. I'm not even sure what the point was. I wonder if we'll ever even seen that guy again or if she just used him for 2-3 days and left forever. So weird.

Why "she used him"? Could it also be seen as them using each other?

I like this essay: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/c ... girls.html

whilst watching The View today and drinking a bloody mary, the hot topic was that critics are saying Lena Dunham wasn't hot enough to sleep with Patrick Wilson (?) 's character. Then the conversation turned into "WELL WHAT ABOUT KING OF QUEENS AND ACCORDING TO JIM- those shows featured fat guys and hot chicks! That would never happen. SO why freak out about this other implausible pairing? Those critics are sexist!" The thing is, critics and View ladies, not everyone is attracted to one type of person. Lena Dunham is totally worthy of Patrick Wilson.

ps. I can't watch this show because of the degrading sex scene I saw in Tiny Furniture.

Seriously. The Slate article about how Dunham could never "get a guy" like Wilson made me apoplectic.

I just had to comb through my brain to remember this scene. And now I remember why I shut it out of my brain, and now it's stuck in my head. That's a horrible horrible scene--well, a great scene in terms of the production, but what happens in it is just so sad and awful.

Oh, yeah, I think he used her too. I didn't mean to imply that he didn't.

Patrick Wilson's wife wrote an amazing tweet to all the jerks who say zaftig Dunham could never get a guy like Wilson:

"Dagmara Dominczyk @DagDom17
@IreneDavies funny, his wife is a size 10, muffin top & all, & he does her just fine.Least that's what I hear ;) rule # 1 - never say never"

ugh what?

I've never seen this show, and I can't decide if I'm interested enough to check it out, but it's almost impossible to escape the buzz about it. This Jezebel article popped up in my feed yesterday, and I found it interesting, so I thought I'd share: What Kind of Guy Does a Girl Who Looks Like Lena Dunham Deserve?

I thought I liked it but now I just want to throw the remote at the TV when it is on. But because TV is quite rubbish lately I will probably still watch it.

And why can't Hannah wear a bra? Just once. Especially when she is wearing a see through top. I just feel like this show is trying too hard.

I agree that the show is annoying and contrived, but I watch it because on occasion, something happens that I can very strongly relate to. For example, in the last episode with the doctor, I remember being 20 and getting involved with someone older and having an "i want this" moment - when I suddenly became conscious of things like valet parking and $200 sheets and room service (and two years later I had $20k in debt). I feel like the characters are an exaggerated version of a lot of people that age.

omg, this made me laugh out loud. probably more entertaining than any of episodes i have seen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v71HKkH55ec