Girls (HBO) TV Show • Page 9

Weird weird weird finale

 

I'm glad that Hannah was depicted to be struggling so badly trying to handle her new born without the father present. I'm tired of modern depictions of this where they devalue the role of the father. This isn't the 1950's.

 

Seemed like a typical Girls episode to me. Hannah was naked 3/4 of the time.

 

I thought it was pretty over the top at this point.

 

Wasn't a fan of the last two episodes. I wish it ended with her and Adam in that diner realizing they couldn't be together and that's it.

 

The Lena Dunham nudity was always at least partially trolling, but it has always been a reaction to the gratuitous nudity of more traditionally "beautiful" female bodies in so many other shows/movies. I have never seen Game of Thrones, but that has been a constant criticism. Even something incredible like The Sopranos had very little reason for so many gratuitous Bada Bing! stripper establishing shots.

 

What message does the whole baby thing send? It seems counter to the progressive nature of the show... just doesn't make sense in the end.

 

I was actually thinking about this again during the finale. Thinking about how if a "standard" beauty was in Lena's role, walking around in her underwear, getting dressed, being naked... how differently that would be perceived. Her nudity is talked about a specific way because of how she is shaped as a human, but if it was someone else who fit the standard then the nudity would be talked about in a very different way

 

So, what does this accomplish? And this is purely non confrontational just for conversation. Her character is not happy with her looks /body type / weight and has made efforts to change it. Is this a message that girls should not care and be okay with an unhealthy weight? I just don't see how that's a good message at all.

 

I don't know what the overall message is, but what I take from it is a message outside of the show itself, but rather the way that Americans view the female body and what it means.

 

I'll be happy when this trend of accepted failure/non-traditional everything goes away

 

I think that's just kind of a crappy take really. I don't think the message is "who cares if you're an unhealthy weight, love yourself!" It was always more like "fuck anyone who says someone who looks like this can't be naked on tv" which is a positive message to send.

 

What's sad is she really isn't THAT overweight. Americas standards and expectations are horrible.

 

Was gonna say this too, she's not like obese. Calling it an "unhealthy weight" or that it's setting a bad example is a bad attitude to have.

 

This was their best season, which is a hell of a thing to accomplish in season 6. I'm going to miss this show a lot more than I thought; caught myself tearing up in nearly every episode. Might need to do a rewatch this summer once all the crazy-good TV of the Spring has passed.

The finale was muted in a really interesting way. It was always going to suffer comedically without the majority of their incredible ensemble, but as a thematic coda it felt just right. I'm glad they made sure to show that Hannah was still uncertain, scared, and being horrible to people; towards the beginning of the episode I thought it was just going to be an episode about how she needed to push an overbearing Marnie away.

That opening title card with all of the ones from previous episodes was beautiful.

Love you, "Girls".

 

Lol using Sopranos as an example of a letdown ending.

 

Care to expand? That's a pretty common opinion I have

 

I mean, The Sopranos' finale is generally regarded as one of the best, most iconic episodes of television ever. So I wouldn't say common.

What don't you like about it?

 

The "fade to black" is one of the most hated endings in the history of television. The episode is great, the ending is what I have an issue with.

It set up like Tony and possibly his whole family were going to get killed. The anticipation grew and you wondered if Meadow would be spared because she was having problems parking.

Then it just ends, fades to black. I was left confused if my cable box glitched and then extremely underwhelmed that they had all that build up with no pay-off.

 

The Sopranos ending is one of the all-time greats. People might have been mad a decade ago, but people who have gone back and seen what David Chase was trying to say are generally not in the same boat.

 

What was he trying to say? Do you have a link to anything? I'm still mad a decade later haha

 

Both Bobby and Silvio talk about the instant blackout of death. When Bobby is on the boat with Tony, he says you probably don't even see it when you die. Silvio does not realize that Gerry has been shot until after it happens, and mentions that feeling when he talks about it later. The guy in the diner looking at the family is wearing a Members Only jacket, a callback to the first episode of the last season.

That is from David Chase. David Chase Lends New Credence to the “Tony Is Dead” Interpretation of the Sopranos Finale

However, even less interesting than whether or not Tony died in that moment is the realization that he will always live like this. Tony has been exceptionally lucky, beating Uncle Junior and his mother, besting Richie Aprile, surviving the Carmine-Johnny Sack-Phil New York wars, and getting shot twice. However, as he said in an earlier episode, there are two ways out for a guy like him: death or jail, unless somehow they groom a successor. Well, both of his successors (Chris and Bobby) are dead, his trusted advisor Silvio is unlikely to come out of a coma, and he is left with middling talent like Paulie and Patsy. With Carlo turning into an informant, that realization is coming closer to him. That dinner scene, whether or not he dies, is likely one of the last happy memories; he set up his wife with a career, and finally both of his kids have achieved some independence. They can do whatever they want with him now.

 

I guess that's one way to look at it. To me, it's an experimental, elliptical ending that fit perfectly with Chase's philosophy throughout the show and especially in the final half season. That final scene focuses on iconography from throughout the series swirling together in an unbearably tense sequence that places the viewer literally in Tony's headspace. It's dense and layered, echoing a number of dinner scenes from throughout the series and playing off the viewers' understanding of how the family has changed.

And it wasn't a fade to black, it was a cut to black. Very different.

 

This was an incredible read, thank you so much for sharing. After reading that and then watching the final minute again, it honestly gave me chills in that last shot

 

This might help you spot some of the references too. Man in Members Only Jacket