I don't understand the appeal of Lena Dunham's "Girls".

[Burnouts3s3]

I decided to watch 'Girls' on HBO. After watching the first season, I can say that I don't get it.

I mean, I understand the premise of 4 20-something girls trying to find employment in New York and deal with relationships. But, as I kept watching it, I just felt like I was missing the joke or something was flying over my head. I've been to college. I've wanted to write. I've had interactions with other people. But, I just don't get it.

And yes, I've read Film Crit Hulk's article. http://badassdigest.com/2012/04/18/film-crit-hulk-smash-hulk-vs.-the-girls-criticism/

But, I feel like I'm missing the hook that's supposed to grab me. It's like base and shallow emotions pull me in but something deep and complex loses me even though I know fully well the complex stuff is more relateable. How is it that something cliche and stupid like "Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad" speaks to me more than this, which is considered one of the best shows on television?

 

[jademunky]

I'm not an avid fan, but I catch the occasional episode. I think it's funny.

Most of the humour seems to be based around social awkwardness and poor judgement calls by the characters. The premise has been done to death with male protagonists but very rare with female characters. "Holy crap, this was not a sexcapade out in the woods? Also that guy I just had sex with was a virgin? And this was not part of the plan? Oh shit"

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I watched a promo on HBO and caught a phrase that went something along the lines of "I wouldn't have pizza with you if I didn't love you". Wow.

 

[Launcelot111]

I go back and forth about the quality of the show itself. My view on the show is that the characters are not very likable (aside from maybe Shoshannah and sometimes Adam) and that you don't sympathize with them in the same way that you would in a more traditional comedy. At the same time, these unlikable characters are written in a way that accurately reflects some of the negative aspects of the generation Hannah always claims to be the voice of, so the characters are relatable in a more unpleasant but more realistic way than the average show, and the humor is an uncomfortable one as a result. As far as story and characters building, I take it one episode at a time and try to control my expectations accordingly, but as far as establishing a voice, it's pretty spot on.

 

[ChristopherT]

Preface - no insight to follow

I watched the first episode or two when it started, hoping to keep watching and enjoying the show, but I just stopped, not sure why, I just did. And I'm wondering about trying to watch it again, but for a very different reason, that being the porn parody of it. I've read three reviews about the parody, one neutral, one good (saying it delivered a lot of what the actual show was about while poking fun at it, and being a porno of course), and the third was very negative on a fan site for the actual show, Girls - which of course grain of salt, but still. I am somehow intrigued to watch the show to see how the porn parody relates to it.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

I've only watched bits and pieces of a few episodes, to me the whole thing seems to be an enormous mockery of "Sex and the City", notably because instead of having 4 hyper successful and attractive single women living in New York and spending all their time shoe shopping and picking up good looking men, you have 4 not particularly attractive women (except Marnie) who can barely make rent and spend a lot of their time chasing after guys who are basically man-children with no direction in life. In that sense, it's also sort of a mockery of the gen Y attitude of "do whatever makes you happy", since the characters often seem oblivious to the fact that their fantasy lives aren't really working out for them.

Like I said, I've only seen a little bit, but that's the vibe I got.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I've only watched bits and pieces of a few episodes, to me the whole thing seems to be an enormous mockery of "Sex and the City", notably because instead of having 4 hyper successful and attractive single women living in New York and spending all their time shoe shopping and picking up good looking men, you have 4 not particularly attractive women (except Marnie) who can barely make rent and spend a lot of their time chasing after guys who are basically man-children with no direction in life. In that sense, it's also sort of a mockery of the gen Y attitude of "do whatever makes you happy", since the characters often seem oblivious to the fact that their fantasy lives aren't really working out for them.

Like I said, I've only seen a little bit, but that's the vibe I got.

The show has a lot more in common with Sex and the City than the creators would like to admit. While the first season of Girls could be argued to be a little more 'grounded' than the series that clearly inspired it (most particularly when compared to the loathsome films), subsequent seasons have become increasingly more "fabulous", with the characters engaged in ever more prestigious jobs and rubbing shoulders with a parade of high profile guest stars.

OT: I like Girls alright, but it's not without its problems. Adam Driver has emerged as the show's breakaway star, rather depressingly for a show that is ostensibly about a group of girls, and has risen to such prominence by the third season that at times it feels like the program should be titled "Adam". Many of the primary quartet veer between "comically unlikable" and "aggravatingly unlikable", to the point where you occasionally find yourself wondering who your rooting interest is supposed to be. The show's writing is uneven and there's a lot of arcs that just fizzle out or go nowhere. However, when it's "on", it can be very, very funny, and does "cringe comedy" about as well as any non-British show in history.

Oh...and it has a fantastic soundtrack.