All the reasons we’re psyched for the new season of ‘Girls’
“I honestly feel like I made the right decision, which is a totally new sensation for me!”
That’s how Hannah Horvath (aka Lena Dunham) leads off the extended HBO featurette that gets us super-fans all primed and ready for the new season of Girls. From this sound bite it seems a new Girls day may be dawning. Could the characters this season be, dare we say it, a bit more grown up? Well we’ll find out tonight when the first episode of season four airs (dueling DVRs with the Golden Globes also on tonight, people!).
Based on the behind-the-scenes interviews (from aforementioned featurette), here are a few things we’re definitely looking forward to seeing this season. Make it count Girls.
1. The kids have all grown up . . . sort of?
“This season . . . is the girls making smarter choices, and realizing that life is still hard,” says Dunham. This should be an interesting development for the show whose original claim-to-fame was the irresistibly cringe-worthy (albeit captivating) manner in which all the characters seemed to lead their lives. While we expect that there will still be hilarious blunders and painfully awkward sexual encounters, it will be intriguing to see the girls grow up a little bit.
2. We’ll get some Hannah wisdom on long-distance relationships.
When Hannah ventures to Iowa for graduate school, things are left open-ended between her and Adam, it becomes increasingly clear that Adam is not missing Hannah nearly as much as she is missing him. While the two have certainly had their obstacles, we’re ready to see them tackle the challenge of living in separate states. Plus it will be mega informative to have a wise voice like Dunham’s weigh in on the dynamics of a modern long-distance relationship.
3. Shoshanna’s parents?? Yes, please.
We will finally meet the parents behind the eccentric and bubbly Shoshanna! Zosia Mamet, who plays Shoshanna, spoke on this excellent development. “I sort of always just imagined that she came out of a seashell or pea pod or something . . . I literally could not even fathom what they would be like.” Spoiler alert: Apparently they hate each other. Though it’s likely that the hostile situation will offer some inevitable hilarity, if the presence of SNL alum Ana Gasteyer as Shoshanna’s mother and Anthony Edwards as her father is any indicator.
4. Seeing Marnie adjust to being the “other woman.”
Marnie is still involved with the other half of her musical duo — and, uh, he still has a girlfriend. But the new season will hopefully explore the concept of Marnie’s participation in the affair with humanity and realism, as opposed to harsh judgement. In the promo, Dunham discusses how she hopes to delve into Marnie’s motivations. Dunham says, “(Marnie) is very self-assured, she’s very set in her ways, but there’s also this part of her that just wants love at all costs and is desperately insecure, and it causes her to act in some really unsavory ways . . . and we’re really interested in exploring that (her affair) doesn’t make her a bad person, she’s not a monster . . . she’s a really hurt, broken girl.”
5. Commentary on the job market for college graduates.
A recurring theme in the series is the transient state of career for many recent college graduates. Since Shoshanna will no longer be in school this season, the series will follow her on her job-hunting escapades — which will be, to her surprise, largely disappointing. Hopefully these disappointments will provide some lovely moments of self-exploration for the youngest Girl!
6. There are going to be some killer guest stars.
In addition to Ana Gasteyer, we also have Danny Strong, Gillian Jacobs, and Zachary Quinto as confirmed guests this season — their specific roles remain a bit mysterious. The promo also features the exciting new talent of Desiree Akhavan, a writer/actor/director whose first film, Appropriate Behavior, will be released next week.
7. Oh, and Elijah dancing, of course.
Oh, right. The promo also prominently features Elijah and Hannah crashing an undergraduate party and serving up some obnoxiously dirty dance moves. Pretty sure we’ll all be waiting to see if there’s more where THAT came from.
The countdown is on to see what else the girls (and boys) have ready for us. In the meantime, just watch this set visit a million more times to try and read the Girls tea leaves. That’s our plan.
