Ray and Elijah serve as the voices of reason on tonight’s all-new Girls season 4, episode 3, “Female Authors.” Check our full recap for all their wisdom.
Every relationship requires navigation. Sometimes there are faster routes to achieving balance, while other times the longer paths avoid the bumps of the back roads. No GPS system can guarantee the easiest route, but sometimes the advice of a backseat driver is all you need to get to your final destination safely.
Hannah’s abundance of free time in Iowa is being put to use on Teen Nick marathons rather than applying herself to her writing. As she explains to Jessa, she is in a “pre-writing” phase. Elijah, on the other hand, is thriving in the barren land of Iowa in a way that pushes Hannah even further into isolation.
Marnie lays out her plan for her and Desi to Ray, who completely scraps the entire venture. What the duo are attempting to do musically and professionally does not get any easier with their affair. Ray offers her a new path: follow the signs on the roads that are clearly marked for a record deal and leave the rockier path littered with sex and lying behind. Ray’s roadmap comes with a tiny detour that leads Marnie to go right on top of him.
Adam is trying a new tactic with Hannah only speaking to her once a month. Other than that their conversations are riddled with useless musings on doughnuts and who is getting anything real from that? Jessa’s daily interactions with Adam at AA keep the two in each other’s lives and their candor reveals Adam has another woman in his daily life who makes Hannah’s absence a little easier to bear.
After a successful, but hostile meeting, Marnie realizes she is at a fork in the road. Down one path is Desi’s proposal to keep things at a status quo. Down the other road, Marnie and Desi work together professionally, but the intimacy is laid to rest. Both paths force Marnie to give up a part of the bigger picture she imagines for her life. Will she choose one path or go down the middle and travel off road for a bit?
Public urination is worth a $50 fine in New York City and resisting that summons is worth jail time and a $3,000 bail. Luckily, Ray bails out the “barbarians,” Adam and Jessa, and hits them with a strong dose of reality. Adam follows Ray’s directions and tries to dismiss Jessa’s toxicity from his life. But Jessa offers him a detour asking for his friendship. She needs his support more than he needs her.
Hannah watches Elijah walk into a room and blend seamlessly with anyone he finds himself in the company of. Hannah’s discomfort in her own skin is what is holding her back from her writing, from socializing, from everything she wants to achieve. Elijah made the hard choice to give up on his dream of being a dancer, but when he did he found himself relieved of the hard road he was stuck traveling. Perhaps Hannah’s identity as a writer is one that she needs to turn off as well.
Their paths may overlap at some point, but everyone’s journey is uniquely their own and how they choose to reach their end is ultimately up to them. The best way for Hannah to travel right now is hitching a ride on a horse and buggy.
Stray Observations:
•Shoshanna’s job interview was an excellent short glimpse into how 20-somethings think the job market is going to be with that college degree. That road map college makes you think is at your feet actually leads to a paper town. It doesn’t exist. Take the Ann Taylor job, Shosh!
Watch Girls season 4, episode 4, “Cubbies,” Sunday, February 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET on HBO.