Hello Lovahs,
Well, quite a few things. But in this moment I’m referring to the complex, flawed, relatable characters featured on Judd Apatow and Lena Dunham’s HBO television series.
Now hear me out because I realize this concept of a television series creating characters that its viewers can relate to is not a new one. But in my humble opinion, HBO’s Girls masters this. Why? Because each girl is genuinely complicated and utterly human, which is something I only usually find completely true in theatre – perhaps this is why the series strikes such a chord in my thespian soul.
What I like about Girls is that it strays from the typical archetypal character format that many television shows thrive on – especially shows centered on women. I’ll use the example of Desperate Housewives (lovingly, because I was an addict of that series while it was still on the air), which also features four main female characters. The show website is filled with such fun activities as Are you a Susan? A Lynnette? Take the quiz to find out!, and epithetic descriptors like “the prim and proper homemaker,” and “the sweet girl next door” (Seriously, refresh your memory here). Watching the show, I always concluded, “Well, I’m totally a Susan because I’m clumsy and sweet!”
Alternatively, my experience when watching Girls is marked by my ability to relate to the experiences that the characters face, which is where I find that strong connection to the characters that makes me wild about the show. And it is these experiences that create each distinct character—not archetypes.
Crazy, right? It’s almost like they’re human beings!
For this reason, the girls themselves are difficult to put in a box, and I find myself relating to all of characters at one point or another, depending on what situation they are facing and how they handle it. That said, each character does have distinct patterns of behavior and choice making that make each girl uniquely relatable to different viewers. For me, it’s Hannah. From the emotional eating, to the casual relationships, to the OCD, Ms. Horvath is my spirit animal down to every detail. On a broader level, she is a creative spirit whose fatal flaw is her own self-involvement – overtly entitled and cripplingly insecure at the same time, the chick can’t meet a deadline or keep a single platonic, familial or romantic relationship in tact. And when I watch Hannah dig herself deeper and deeper into this pit, I scream, I laugh, I cry…and I root for her. I root for her to learn from her mistakes and improve on the fixable elements of her behavior in order to grow. And as someone who identifies with this character, I root for myself to improve in a similar way.
The educator in me LOVES this. Because, again, rooting for the underdog is not a new concept in television. But the manner in which I normally do this involves no character growth. I hope the archetypal clumsy romantic lead gets the man because, gosh darn it, she faces a life of uncoordinated happenstances and she deserves it!
Out comes the ice cream. Obviously, my path towards self-improvement remains unfazed by the klutzy supermodel’s victory.
But when I watch Girls I watch the characters that I love get torn to shreds by the people they love, the people they’ve just met, and everyone in between. And yet I think, “God, she needed to hear that.” And I pray to the heavens that these girls will get better, that I will get better, whenever I may find myself in their well-worn, Brooklyn-treading shoes.
What I like about Girls is that it’s merciless in that way. There are some very hard to watch scenes and some very “HBO” scenes, shall we say, that push boundaries of how deep viewers are permitted to see into characters’ personal lives. But to me, that’s what makes the show so resonant, and again, relatable. But let’s take a breather for a hot second and remember the humor of the show, which thrives on that same principal. The painfully awkward moments are bitingly but hysterically accurate because, to put it bluntly, they are actually awkward and embarrassing. Obviously being locked outside naked à la Desperate Housewives isn’t actually embarrassing if you’re irresistible and Teri Hatcher. But picking a splinter out of your derriere because you’ve been sitting on the floor pants-less and in search of artistic inspiration for days is actually awkward and, yes – dare I say it? – relatable. And those moments are the moments that make laugh. And cringe. And laugh some more.
So what do I like about girls? I like that, like myself, they are complicated, ever-changing, hopefully growing, sinning, silly, deeply feeling enigmas. Oh, you meant HBO’s Girls? I guess my answer would have to be the same.
Live, Love, Learn,
Nicole &