Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • BTFT: These Are Comics You Must Read

      John Bender
      March 2, 2015
      Bin There Found That, Columns
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • 4.0

      Review: DOOM PATROL #10 - Full of $#!%

      John Bender
      January 26, 2018
      Big Two, DC Comics, Reviews
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • Singles Going Steady 5/3/2017 - Free Comic Book Day Edition

      John Bender
      May 8, 2017
      Big Two, DC Comics, Image, Indie, Reviews, Singles Going Steady
    Recent
    • 4.0

      Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past

      Stephen Cook
      March 3, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 3.5

      Giant-Size Marvel

      John Bender
      January 9, 2008
      Reviews
    Recent
    • Singles Going Steady – Vowels, Who Needs Them?

      Daniel Gehen
      March 8, 2021
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Interview: How the Stars Aligned for "Hit's" Bryce Carlson

      John Bender
      April 27, 2015
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Harvey Horrors: Chamber of Chills vol. 1

      John Bender
      September 24, 2011
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • VISITOR is the Quintessential “SPIRIT” Story

      Daniel Gehen
      March 26, 2021
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Tapas Media Launches COVID/InThisTogether For Comic Creators

      John Bender
      May 13, 2020
      News, Press Release
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • 'The Smell of Starving Boys' is a Brilliant, Haunting Western

      John Bender
      November 29, 2017
      Books
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Collecting Profile: 1990 Marvel Universe Trading Cards
  • Collecting Profile: Red Sonja
  • Collecting Profile: Dr. Doom
  • VISITOR is the Quintessential “SPIRIT” Story
  • Collecting Profile: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Reviews

Girls 2.06- "Boys" Review

John Bender
February 18, 2013
Reviews

 

Girls Hannah Logo HBO

So I was trying to figure out the song that played over the closing credits of tonight’s episode of Girls when I noticed that the writing credit went to someone named Murray Miller. Since I didn’t recognize Murray Miller as the writer of any previous Girls episodes, I performed a cursory Google search in the hope of mapping yet another strange node in the vast web of Girls writers, actors, producers, and directors who are all either besties or blood relatives. My search came up with this Daily Beast story written by Miller, which seems to be as likely an origin story for the character of Booth Jonathan as anything else. In fact, the general sensibility behind Girls’s depiction of the contemporary art world—from jazzhate to tonight’s Pumped Magazine writer to Booth Jonathan’s oeuvre—is perfectly encapsulated in the article. I’m going to go ahead and label it a companion piece to this review. 

What Murray addresses in both his article and “Boys” is a sort of emperor’s-new-clothes delusion that can often plague entire communities of people—usually creative types, but it more generally applies to all sensitive, insecure souls—to the point of absurdity. The most obvious example is another insufferably hip art installation by one of Booth Jonathan’s friends (protégés?) in which everyone is either listening to Booth’s bullshit story about how he once had a rare cry at the MOMA (with a hilarious picture commemorating the moment projected on the wall behind him) or pretending to be best pals with the other attendees, as in Marnie’s glad-handing of every nicknamed weirdo in the room or the Wayne Coyne wannabe pretending to recognize Hannah while he waits to use the bathroom. Marnie comes to the event under the impression that she’s welcoming guests to her new boyfriend’s party, which is a completely stupid assumption given what she knows about Booth. It backfires predictably, and there’s a fight, because there’s always a fight, and I just don’t want to talk about it right now because there are more interesting thoughts about this episode than another breakdown of who yelled at whom.

Girls Marnie Jonathan HBO

There’s also Hannah’s pretense that her new e-book assignment is an exciting opportunity for her when she really knows that she’s in way over her head. The glimpse of her mostly blank Word document made me laugh hysterically, as both the title of the first chapter (“Room for Cream?”) and her botched opening line (“Her name was Murjashihaway.”) reveal just how unprepared she is to write an entire book. I find the master thread of Hannah’s writing career fascinating—perhaps because, as a young person who writes, I understand Ray’s assertion that “usually when people say they want to be a writer, they don’t want to really do anything besides, you know, eat and masturbate”—so I always get a kick out of any glimpse we get into her “creative” “process.” 

Girls HBO Hannah Computer Screen

 

I’m also thinking of the wildly different delusions held by Ray and Adam regarding their relationships with Shoshanna and Hannah. Again, these revelations are teased out during a shouting match, which I don’t want to get into, but it is nice to hear honest banter between the show’s two “honest men,” as Ray describes them. Adam’s right that Ray doesn’t seem to have a clue about what’s going to happen with Shoshanna besides the fact that it will eventually fail, and Ray correctly identifies the reasons that Adam should be over Hannah as well as the fact that, despite his insistence to the contrary, he isn’t even close to done with her. 

These two characters are my favorite people on the show, and not just because they’re dudes and I am a dude. There’s something about Ray’s neuroses playing off of Adam’s deranged confidence that made their scenes together a delight. I think it might be the fact that these two characters and their worldviews are so concretely defined at this point, which is a trait that stands in stark contrast to the other twentysomethings grasping at new identities every new week. With Ray and Adam I can expect a clash of wills, two men on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of romantic experience, self-image, and ambition. Their meltdown felt less whiny and melodramatic than, say, Booth’s sobfest in the wine cellar or Jessa’s mopey putdowns as she storms through Hannah’s apartment, but I was still sad to see them argue. Everyone be arguing.

Girls Adam Ray Boat HBO

Of course, the assumption is that eventually one of these shoutfests will result in one party on this show getting through to another, at which point they will see their sorry drain-circling for what it is. Unlike many of the show’s critics, I don’t demand that all of the characters catch on to silliness of their self-mythologizing and friend-sniping. I just want one of them to figure it out at some point. I’ve got my money on Ray at the moment, if for no other reason than the fact that he’s on the clock. He’s thirty-three and he’s in the longest relationship of his life (four weeks, seven since they first slept together). He’s had a bummer of a season so far, but he’s also the most prone to self-examination of all the leads. He could be honest with himself about his future with Shoshanna. He could attend Donald Trump’s event and learn the keys to success.

Or he could find himself on a park bench on Staten Island, talking to someone else’s dog and sobbing as he gazes across the Upper Bay like a gutless Gatsby and a lovely Tegan and Sara cover of “Fool to Cry” soundtracks his desperation.

Girls Ray Dog HBO


 

John Bender is a Twitter anarchist with questionable opinions about celebrity lifestyles and the Lost finale. He edits erotic novels by day and works tirelessly by night to improve upon his personal record of 41.06 in the Mecha Marathon minigame in Mario Party 2. He also plays in Fitness.

GirlsJohn Bender

Share On:
Tweet
Review: Steve Ditko's Monsters: Gorgo
Comics You Can Dance To #23: Dave Elliott on the Benefits of Creator-Owned Material

About The Author

John Bender

Related Posts

  • On the Other Side of the Screen: Ten Games Gone Meta

    Dylan Garsee, John Bender, Nick Boisson, Nick Hanover
    June 28, 2013
  • Game of Thrones 3.10 "Mhysa" (Maester's Edition)

    John Bender, Ryan Usher
    June 18, 2013

Latest Reviews

  • Singles Going Steady – Vowels, Who Needs Them?

    Daniel Gehen
    March 8, 2021
  • 3.0

    Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

    Daniel Gehen
    February 22, 2021
  • 4.5

    Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

    Daniel Gehen
    February 19, 2021
  • 2.3

    Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

    Daniel Gehen
    February 16, 2021
  • 4.3

    Review: RADIANT BLACK #1 Shines Brightly

    Daniel Gehen
    February 12, 2021
  • 2.7

    Review: DEEP BEYOND #1 Can’t Commit to a Premise

    Daniel Gehen
    February 4, 2021
  • 2.0

    VINDICATION Falls Short of its Lofty Goals (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    February 1, 2021
  • 4.5

    DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    January 22, 2021
  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

    Daniel Gehen
    December 14, 2020
  • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

    Daniel Gehen
    December 3, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders