“Homeward Bound,” the newest installment of “Girls,” was a disappointment. Though there was substantial plot development, as well as pleasant pacing and aesthetic quality, the episode felt unbelievable and untrue to its characters.
In this episode, Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) returns to America feeling out of place and at a loss. During an encounter with her ex-boyfriend, she reveals she’s trying to figure out how to get on welfare, something the Shoshanna of previous seasons would never consider. The version of Shoshanna the audience gets in this episode is one without ambition, drive and excitement for life. It’s clear she’s having a midlife crisis, but it’s rather unconvincing, even for a character with such a flair for the dramatic.
Hannah (Lena Dunham) may have seemed to be at her worst last week, but she outdid herself this week by breaking up with Fran (Jake Lacy), showing gratitude with sexual contact and hitchhiking from upstate New York back to the City with a questionable looking man. These choices are extreme, even for Hannah, and made most of the episode fairly cringeworthy and uncomfortable.
Though their relationship has progressed smoothly so far, Jessa (Jemima Kirke) and Adam (Adam Driver) hit a bump in the road in this episode. Jessa is completely out of character in her scenes with Adam and his niece, Sample, particularly when she runs off to frantically clean the baby’s spittle from her shirt. Her overdramatic actions are somewhat justified in that the scene finally gives a concrete example of why Adam and Jessa just won’t work. This is further solidified when Adam icily asks her why she needs more help than a baby, which, at this point, is a fitting question for most of the characters.
Though the episode was no more than an amalgamation of poor decisions and broken connections, it left a sense of hope in its final scene. Hector (Guillermo Díaz), the man with whom Hannah catches a ride back to the city, excitedly exclaims that New York is a good place to start over as the skyline comes into view. The tight focus on Hannah’s face as she agrees seems to indicate a much-needed turning point is in the near future.
With only a two-episode finale remaining, “Girls” needs to step it up and finish the season as strongly as it began. Creating such blatant discontinuities in its characters is a major misstep in this episode. Remaining true to these characters should be paramount in the upcoming season finale.
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