‘Girls’ Breakdown: ‘Beach House’

SPOILER ALERT, so proceed with caution, Girls fanatics…

Season Three, Episode Seven: “Beach House”

Written by Jenni Konner, Lena Dunham, & Judd Apatow; Directed by Jesse Peretz

The original gang is reunited thanks to Marnie’s invitation to a not-quite-the-Hamptons vacation spot. Yet, the seemingly inevitable healing process is interrupted by wounds old and new.

Quick Breakdown

Oh, the follies of growth. It’s difficult to confront the issue of growing “apart” head-on, especially when one or more of the involved “growers” refuses to allow the nature of a friendship (or relationship in general) to experience parallel growth. Marnie, a largely absent character from this season of Girls, reasserts herself as the center of conflict in “Beach House;” though, quite fittingly, this center is suddenly and devastatingly occupied by Shoshanna by the end of the episode.

Elijah, a source of contention in seasons past, lays the groundwork for deterioration by bumping into Hannah outside a local shop (Hannah, of course, receiving no service due to no shirt, no shoes). Hannah, at the rather calm disgust of Marnie, invites Elijah and his friends to Marnie’s North Fork getaway. And, with the arrival of alcohol and ill-prepared duck, the fuse for an inevitable implosion is properly lit.

Marnie’s original plan for this inner circle regrouping was, of course, to bring all old wounds to the forefront and promptly bandage or at least acknowledge them. One might wonder if this would have eventually meant an admission to Shoshanna of Marnie’s current frolic with Ray, but the resulting anti-healing get-together that happens instead is a welcomed alternative. “Beach House” is more or less defined by this necessary post-dinner outburst, with other moments in the episode simply serving as appetizers and desserts for the outburst as entree.

Thus, the main course:

“We’re so disconnected now, I thought this would be a nice opportunity for us to have fun together and prove to everyone via Instagram that we can still have fun as a group,” says Marnie earlier in the episode, with absolute seriousness. “I just think we have a lot of healing to do and a lot of ways that we can do it. I was actually thinking the healing would take place at dinner, but after that we would do face-masks and watch ‘The Queens Of Comedy,’ and then we could maybe write our wishes down on pieces of paper and then throw them into a bonfire so they can come true.”

Naturally, none of this happens. Instead, we are treated to a delightful “airing of grievances” not unlike that of the Seinfeld-ian anti-holiday Festivus.

Rating

A

It’s nice to see the girls of Girls interacting in the same location again. But it’s far more interesting to witness the evolved nature and short-fused explosiveness of these interactions. What each character reveals aloud in the “airing of grievances” isn’t particularly surprising or even unwarranted (though, perhaps, more pointedly worded than necessary), yet it still stings as a viewer to be so uncouthly reminded of the realities of age-stressed friendships.

As in life, the questions surrounding the future of the collective friendship that gives Girls its name are left largely unanswered. However, the small glimpse of hope offered at the end of this episode gives both viewers and the characters some much-needed reassurance that, yes, these people certainly do care (or have cared) strongly for each other.

Now for some random thoughts and my favorite moments of the night…

“You guys never listen to me. You treat me like I’m a fucking cab driver. Seriously, you have entire conversations in front of me, like I’m invisible. And sometimes I wonder if my social anxiety is holding me back from meeting the people who are right for me, instead of a bunch of whiny nothings for friends.” – Shoshanna to everyone

“It’s for people who think the Hamptons are tacky and don’t want to be on a beach that’s near a J. Crew.” – Marnie describing North Fork

Shoshanna’s assertion that the duck (prepared by Marnie) tasted “like a used condom”

“I really miss my boyfriend, who asks me for nothing, so I give him everything.” – Hannah

“I can’t go in open water unless I’m menstruating.” – Jessa