Zeitgeisting TV: 'Girls' and 'Looking' : Episodes 10

EDGE editors Jason St. Amand and Robert Nesti comment on this week's episodes of HBO's "Girls" and "Looking."

"Looking"

Jason St. Amand, National News Editor:

On the Season 2 "Looking" finale, "Looking For a Home," shit hits the fan when it comes to Patrick and Kevin. There have been little pop ups of foreshowing that their relationship wasn't headed for good times as it was forged out of things that don't make a healthy relationship.

The episode starts with Patrick moving into Kevin's fancy new place, a chic apartment building full of San Fran's most judgmental gay men. Patrick meets two of them in the elevator who are just a little too friendly for their own good.

When Patrick enters his new home, there is more foreshadowing that things aren't going to work out. Mind you, Kevin and Patrick have only officially been dating for - what, a few weeks? So jumping into their relationship and moving in together doesn't seem like the smartest decision, and that's only echoed by Kevin's actions: he's strict about no shoes in the house and he reveals his favorite movie is "Field of Dreams." Hell no, Patrick.

But Patrick doesn't take in any of these cues and they attempt to have sex but the two dudes Patrick met in the elevator interrupt. A shirtless Kevin opens the door and Milo and Jake invite them to a building party at their place. How convenient... Patrick reminds Kevin that they have to go to the mural revealing for Agustin at the LGBT youth homeless shelter, but Kevin told his new neighbors "yes" to the party without asking Patty.

The party scene is great, and like the best parts of "Looking," feels intimate and real. Patrick comments about how everyone there is white - and he's right. The partygoers all look like they jumped out off the pages of Instinct magazine. Patrick and Kevin are told that they are the "new meat" for the rest of the guys since they just moved in and they're also told the party gets more wild later on. Patrick wonders if that was code that this is really an orgy and if he and Kevin should blow off Agustin's event to watch the guys go at it.

Later on, Patrick and Kevin split up and Patty saddles up next to Milo and Jake who are trying to match Grindr profiles to the hunks at the party. But Patrick's face turns white and before we see him rush out with Kevin we know: Kevin's been e-cruising.

They abruptly leave the party, in an all-too-real way. Patrick can't freak out to anyone since the only person he knows at the party is the person with whom he's upset. He can't vent to anyone out of embarrassment, so his freak out is kept internal until he confronts Kevin back at their place. Of course, Kevin says he just looks at the guys and nothing more. This later turns into a thing about peanut butter and how Kevin doesn't even really know the Real Patrick, suggesting moving in together was a big mistake.

This kind of fight is all too real, for gay or straight people. Something "small" (though I don't think discovering your partner's profile on a dating/hookup site is small, but some may) grows and grows into something bigger and points to all the problems within the relationship. Soon enough, Patrick and Kevin's argument becomes much more than Kevin on Grindr: Kevin wants an open relationship.

Obviously, Patty ain't cool with it. And as much as I dislike Patrick, he's kind of in the right here. Wanting an open relationship isn't something you tell your partner after you've moved in together. Kevin goes on to say how he wants to have a more open and truthful relationship with Kevin, something he didn't have with Jon. After prying from Patrick, Kevin admits to cheating on Jon with little things a "tug" here a "pull" there. Patrick flips out and warns about STDs and HIV and that he really is not OK with an open relationship, and Kevin doesn't make anything better when he drags Patrick's mother into the fight.

They end up arguing in the apartment building's hallways and end up in the parking garage. They look like rats in a maze, trapped inside this new beautiful horrible building and neither of them can escape each other's harsh and hypocritical words. Kevin tells Patrick to trust him but Patrick says he's not sure he can: he's going to be freaking out every time Kevin is at the gym or getting a bagel. Patrick says he will never slip up and cheat and that Kevin is enough for him (would he have said that to Richie if they were having the same discussion?) but Kevin doesn't agree, pretty much saying "shit happens and let's be real about it; it'll protect us in the long run."

Much of "Looking For a Home" is centered around Patrick and Kevin's huge blow out, but Dom and Agustin are here too. Dom talks with Doris again and they make up and come to the conclusion they need to breakup. It sounds like they're OK but I don't think Doris will be moving back in with Dom anytime soon. Things seem to be going well with Agustin and Eddie, though Agustin mentions he's feeling the side effects from being on PrEP.

The episode ends with Patrick escaping Kevin and going to get a haircut from Richie. He doesn't want to talk but he wants a change and asks his ex to shave his head. "I'm ready," Patrick tells Richie.

It's still undetermined whether or not HBO will renew "Looking." It hasn't had the best run, in terms of ratings, but HBO usually tends to care more about if people are talking about their shows than hard numbers. If "Looking" does come back for Season Three, the groundwork is all there: Patrick and Kevin won't breakup but they will have reevaluated their relationship and decide to take things slow. Patrick will move out of Kevin's place and in with Dom, who has an open bedroom since Doris is living with Malik. Agustin and Eddie will move in together at Patrick's old place and it's likely Agustin will have to stop PrEP due to the side effects, will absolutely cause a rift. It's just my guess but I hope we get to see what happens with these characters - Season 2 ended with so much up in the air, it would be a travesty to not know where things landed.

Robert Nesti, National Arts and Entertainment Editor:

Wow. I don't know what to say - you pretty much covered everything in regards to this episode, which was one of the best of the season. That it was directed by Andrew Haigh in his in-their-face, mumblecore style has something to do with its success. He gave the confrontation, which begins at the party, moves upstairs and ends up in the parking garage, a visual fluidity that made it organic. He obviously has great rapport with Jonathan Groff and Russell Tovey, which only made it that more real.

I had doubts about Patrick and Kevin for some time now. The way this thing with Kevin developed made me think less of Patrick - that he could be so dumb as to get into a sexual relationship with a co-worker - his boss - already in a relationship. He may be a bit narcissistic and more than clueless, which may be why he found Kevin's attention so seductive; but that none of his friends would point out to him that monogamy wasn't in Kevin's DNA, especially after the way they met, was surprising. Perhaps the Patrick/Kevin moving-in-together plotline happened too fast for any reflection; instead these doubts were aired in real time. It certainly made for riveting television.

As for the other plotlines with the principals: the Dom/Doris "break-up" was sensitively handled. Doris emerged this season as a much richer character than she was last year; Dom, as well, though much more conflicted and troubled. It's funny that the Scott Bakula character was dropped so suddenly - I kind-of expected another appearance by him. As for Agustin/Eddie: this narrative wasn't so much moved forward as put on hold for next season. That is if there is a next season. I agree that the show should be renewed. I look forward to it every week; but not for the same reasons, say, I looked forward to "Smash" or "Queer as Folk." This isn't a guilty pleasure, rather an insightful, often funny, sometimes sad look into contemporary urban gay life amongst middle class (some might say upper middle class) white men. To its credit, it doesn't make excuses for that: it is what it is, and what that it is is quality television.

"Girls"

Jason St. Amand, National News Editor:

Much of the mushy and touching Season Four finale of "Girls," "Child Birth," centered on our main ladies at a crossroads.

For Shoshanna, she's got to decide between a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity by relocating to Tokyo or settling on a successful instant soup entrepreneur. Later in the episode, Hannah has to choose Adam or moving on from a somewhat unhealthy relationship. Marnie is faced with one of those small decisions that could change your life: to perform solo without Desi, who has disappeared, or take the safe road and retreat by blowing a great opportunity.

We find out what two of the women choose but we won't know Shosh's fate until next season.

At the start of the episode, Hannah runs out of school in a "panic attack" but, despite getting off on the wrong foot, Fran is there to comfort her, proving to be the antithesis of Adam: he shows emotion, he's kind and caring and, well, he's normal and expresses himself in a normal way. When he puts his hand on Hannah's back, he asks her "Is this OK?"

When Shosh aces her job interview, it's pretty clear what we all want her to do: take that job, girl! You do you! You're only going to be 23 once - this is the goddamn time to move across the globe. But unfortunately, her guy (Jason Ritter), dissolves from a decent dude to a pathetic jerk, pleading and begging Shosh to not take the job and move in with him because he's "going to fall in love with her soon." Barf.

She later goes to seek advice from Ray at Ray's coffee shop but he's not there. Instead she speaks with the head honcho, Hermie (Colin Quinn), who basically tells her to tell this guy to screw off and take the job. But we don't know what she decides on and we won't until next year.

Earlier on in the episode, Marnie and Desi have a meeting with their record label's president and prove to be one of the worst couples on TV. They just love being in love and want the world to know it! Through music! But in what might be the most satisfying moment of the season, Marnie and the record label exec walk off and Desi pays for the coffee, where he asks if everything is cool between him and Ray.

What a mistake Desi! What. A. Mistake.

Ray lays into Desi, making fun of everything from his music, which Ray says is worse than Imagine Dragons, to his guyliner. Ray flat out calls him a douche and an artistic fraud. He then attacks Desi's relationship with Marnie, telling him he will never make her happy and that she's too good for him. Hmm. I don't know about that. They do seem perfect for each other and I really wish Ray wasn't so into Marnie because Ray is great and Marnie is not. But whatever, this tirade against Desi was so good that it brought out the real brat in Desi, because after their exchange, Desi vanishes.

This means, Desi never arrives at the little concert he and Marnie are supposed to play in Brooklyn. All the big music blogs are there and Marnie is understandably freaking the fuck out. As terrible and self-centered a person Marnie is, I was weirdly rooting for her. When Ray arrives, he convinces her she needs to go solo and not squander this opportunity to be covered by Pitchfork because her fianc� is maybe dead. It's a great moment and makes Ray look really good - he was there rooting Marnie on while her soon-to-be husband left her high and dry.

Meanwhile, Adam's sister Caroline (Gaby Hoffman) is giving a "natural" birth to her and Liard's baby (illegally!) in a gross bathtub. This brings Hannah, who for some reason agreed to be there, Adam and Jessa together. Everyone but Caroline wants the baby to be delivered in a hospital, (especially because the baby is coming a month early!!!) and they all handle the situation differently: Liard breaks down and cries. Jessa takes control of the situation and sticks her head underwater and in front of Caroline's vagina. Adam is swearing up a storm and about to have a stroke. And Hannah is just there.

Adam shines here, and it almost makes me like him again, and for the first time in awhile was the voice of reason, saying this was the "dumbest idea that's ever happened."

They finally convince Caroline to go to the hospital - though she's more likely to call it a lab - but they decide to walk because it's faster - Hannah Waze'd it.

During the pregnancy, Marnie's limp-indie-sad-girl-breakup-folk-song plays. She looks the part - a beautiful girl with an acoustic guitar is sure to sell and that faux emotional garbage she's singing is the perfect front for Urban Outfitters.

Finally, Caroline gives birth to Jessa-Hannah Bluebird Poem Schlesinger-Sackler...in a hospital thank God. And for the first time in maybe all of "Girls" Jessa looks sincerely touched and moved and happy.

Later on, Adam and Hannah visit the newborn in the neonatal ward, where Adam reveals to Hannah that he and Mimi-Rose Howard broke up and that he never really knew her. He admitted he was wrong with how he ended it with Hannah and he missed Hannah a lot. But it looks like it's a little too late. While his effort was touching (I would have probably toppled over the baby to leap into Adam's arms if I were Hannah), Hannah isn't buying it. She is #OverIt and tells him that she can't be in a relationship with him. This is a surprising response for Hannah as it's the mature and probably correct response. Is this the start of a brand new healthy and put-together Hannah? She's got a steady great job she likes and she's not going back into harmful relationships.

Hannah steps into the hallway to call her parents and her mom picks up the phone, who is clearly still a mess, telling her that she does not have a future because Tad "ate" her life up. It's a gut-wrenching thing to say because her husband, in a tight polo, is sitting right next to her. It's also horrible, because, despite how much you hate your partner, you shouldn't be saying something so hurtful to your child.

A title card appears that reads "SIX MONTHS LATER." It feels a little lazy but also sitcom-y and romcom-y, which is clearly where "Girls" has settled. It's winter (a season where we never see "Girls" in) and the camera focuses on two pairs of legs. It slowly moves up and we see Hannah with Fran (not Adam!) in the future, laughing it up and loving life.

At the start of this season I thought "Girls" didn't have much to say anymore; that it ran its course and lost its voice. While Season Four got off to a rocky start (I didn't care for Hannah out of New York City and in Iowa), the show quickly got its footing and ended in a great place. A lot of these moments and storylines felt like a series finale, because of how touching "Child Birth" ended up being. But it was also melancholy. More importantly, it ended with me looking forward to Season Five, proving me wrong and that "Girls" still most defiantly has a place on TV.

Robert Nesti, National Arts and Entertainment Editor:

Ah, "Girls," is it over? Not really. The finale showed that there's more to the show than just showing the fraying relationships of its four principals. They've changed considerably in the four years, yet there remains friendship.

But is it of the cloying, sentimental kind or the sort that sustains? This season raised a lot of questions as to the viability of these bonds. Hannah moving to Iowa was the point when the relationships began to unravel. Hannah's Iowa adventure appeared to be only a few weeks long, but I suspect it was, at least, a few months; which would have given Adam considerable time to start a new relationship, which he did with the Mimi-Rose. It also provided a cushion of time for Hannah's relationships with Shosh, Marnie and Jessa to deteriorate. Out of sight, out of mind. There were the unresolved issues with each of them surrounding Hannah's move, but once she was gone, everyone just moved on. Hannah's mistake was to think that everything would be the same when she came back.

How this episode tied up many loose ends against the dark comedy of Jessa-Hannah Bluebird Poem Schlesinger-Sackler's birth was smart television. Will Shosh take her dream job? Will Marnie make it as a musician? Will Jessa become a therapist? And will Hannah be happy teaching? We get a glimpse that she might be with the post-script, which was touching in one of those indie-movie-ish conclusions this show has gone out of its way not to evoke. Yet it seemed fitting, especially after Hannah's felt rejection of Adam as they stood over the baby. Maybe Hannah has grown up a bit. But no matter what, she's moved on in ways that weren't expected when the season began.

This story is part of our special report: "Zeitgeisting TV". Want to read more? Here's the full list.