Girls Season 4 Episode 2 Review: Triggering
Leigh Raines
at
.
Updated at
.
Girls Season 4 Episode 2 started off depressing in the same way one might feel being in a new, foreign, lonely place.
Hey mommy can I ask you a question? Is it normal when you get to a new place to think about suicide for the first time ever?
Hannah
Hannah officially arrived in Iowa for the Writers' Workshop and despite some definite positives (cheap real estate) it is still a hard adjustment.
Every season of Girls has an episode that focuses solely on Hannah. In prior years it was her visiting her family and the random affair she experienced with Patrick Wilson. I'm not sure if this was that episode, especially so early in the season, but it was definitely Hannah-centric.
Things started off well in Iowa. Hannah found out she could buy a nice sized house for less than she would spend on a tiny studio in New York City. Everyone she met seemed pretty friendly and she was told she didn't even have to lock up her bike.
Slowly things began to fall apart and you could tell it was triggering Hannah's internal issues, making her question her decision to enroll in the program. She broke her cell phone, someone ended up stealing her bike, there was a bat in her new house, and she got some awkward feedback in her first class.
It was obvious to viewers that Hannah was writing about herself in a fictional manner. However, it was also obvious to her fellow classmates and they weren't fans about it.
Student 1: The main character is a girl with a lot of tattoos named Anna.
Student 2: Who needs to eat every 2 hours or she passes out.
One of the girls in the class made a good point to Hannah afterwards at the bar that you have to have a thicker skin to be a writer. You can't go to everyone's house who reads your work and defend your point. You have to become comfortable with criticism; a very hard lesson.
Despite the downer parts of "Triggering," which felt relatable to anyone who has ever been in a new place and felt really out of place, there were some equally awesome moments that I really enjoyed.
I'd be remiss not to mention how hilarious and ridiculous it was that Shoshanna couldn't figure out how to answer a collect call. I am only a few years older than these girls but those few years were when cell phones really became commonplace. I remember using pay phones and calling collect for many years.
Also, it is so obvious you write for a television website when you can automatically identify what Shosh and Jessa were watching just by hearing dialogue. Hello Scandal!!! That was some intense Huck and Quinn stuff, am I right gals?
Elijah's arrival was, without a doubt, the best part of this installment. I said in my review of Girls Season 4 Episode 1 that Elijah can spice up any boring situation.
On the way here from the airport, two people asked me if I was Blake Lively's husband. Iowa is awesome!
Elijah
Seeing the two of them let loose and cut a rug at the party felt like a breath of fresh air. It was also pretty reminiscent of Girls Season 2 Episode 3 when Hannah and Elijah did a ton of coke at Greenhouse and she wore that infamous yellow top.
Hey, sometimes you just need one of your best friends!
Relive Elijah and Hannah's party highlights when you watch Girls online anytime!
