Girls Season 6 Episode 7 Review: The Bounce
Caralynn Lippo
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Elijah reconnects with his dreams, Hannah reconnects with her baby's father, and Marnie reconnects with an inkling of self-awareness on Girls Season 6 Episode 7.
"The Bounce" was enjoyably Elijah-heavy, fulfilling all of my hopes from past reviews that we'd finally see Hannah's BFF get an actual arc to close out Girls Season 6 before the show's final bow.
The primary story followed Elijah's hilarious journey through auditioning for a role in the new musical "White Men Can't Jump" (based on the 1992 movie).
Of course, there isn't a "White Men Can't Jump" musical in real life (yet, anyway), but the potential for hilarity was spot-on with Andrew Rannells having to dribble-dance with basketballs.
It was easily the zaniest the show's ever been – they typically don't do that sort of borderline-slapstick humor, but it made me laugh out loud every time.
Particularly when he hit the other guy in the face with the basketball all cheerfully and when he anxiously shouted "Why?!!!" when another dude pulled off an impressive mood. So good.
Have I mentioned that Andrew Rannells is a national treasure? I'm so glad that Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner gave him the chance to unleash his full potential.
According to the post-credits "Inside the Episode," they'd been toying around with an Elijah-centric episode for a while. It was worth the wait.
Elijah seemed pretty confident going into his audition – at least until Dill showed up, looking for a place to hide out in the midst of his white-baby-buying scandal.
Corey Stoll was great as Elijah's apparent one-that-got-away on Girls Season 5. The scene where Elijah gave his impassioned love declaration only for Dill to dump him was heartbreaking and easily one of the series' strongest scenes ever.
I can't say I fully expected to see Dill ever again, but it fits with the final season's tendency to bring back key figures from our characters' pasts at crucial times in their lives, like Joshua being the one to break the pregnancy news to Hannah on Girls Season 6 Episode 4.
Dill was initially an impediment to Elijah, distracting him from his audition. In fact, Elijah almost bailed on it entirely. Until his "guardian angel" (/fellow auditioning actor) Athena Dante showed up.
Good dick is a prison.
Athena
It seems pretty clear that Athena Dante is going places in the world, based purely off of her unflappable confident. She was amazing and had so many great oneliners.
Athena was the one who convinced Elijah to stay and audition and also to switch his audition song from a "Newsies" number to something more emotional and raw, something that fit the mental state Dill's sudden appearance had left him in – "Let Me Be Your Star" from the canceled NBC show Smash.
Elijah killed it, and it's what (in the end) landed him the next round audition in front of the producers. He's pretty much got the part.
While this was going on, back at the apartment, Dill sniped about the shitty place Elijah and Hannah lived in, complained about their lack of adult-appropriate food, and finally, was with Hannah when she broke down after Paul-Louis finally called back and had no interest in being a part of his child's life.
I have 14 Emmys. I know when someone's keeping a secret from me.
Dill
Ironically (but not expectedly), though Hannah repeatedly claimed throughout Girls Season 6 Episode 6 that she would be glad if Paul-Louis wanted nothing to do with the baby, the truth was that the reality of her baby-daddy's nonchalance hit her hard.
Once again, Dunham pulled off an impressive and subtle performance, eyes filling up with tears as she spoke on the phone with Paul-Louis, whose only contribution to the baby thing was to suggest the name Grover, for a boy.
Yes, like the Sesame Street Muppet.
Dill spent approximately 45 seconds comforting Hannah as she cried before turning it around and making it about him, his sadness over his own father abandoning him, and his subsequent pushing aside of Elijah.
Despite the fact that Dill is a total narcissist (not, by any means, Marnie-level, but still pretty bad), the scene was actually very sweet. I think it's safe to say that Hannah and Dill have bonded.
Fingers crossed he doesn't steal her half-white baby!
It's not clear whether Dill will be sticking around. Elijah did invite Dill (and one of the eight pizzas Dill ordered) into his bedroom, where they had sex (and, presumably, ate pizza). But whether that means they're back together ~for real~ remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, the other major arc of "The Bounce" was Marnie's possible breakthrough (finally).
To be honest, there have been so many other times where it's seemed that Marnie had a legitimate breakthrough that I don't really trust that the moment with the no-bullshit pawnshop owner truly got through to her permanently.
I mean, if the Michaels Sisters disaster didn't get through to her on Girls Season 6 Episode 6, what possibly could?
But it sure seems like the pawnshop guy did.
So this is the most valuable thing I own. But I'm selling it because my freedom is more precious to me than a precious locket from the 1870s, so here goes. Wild Bill Hickock gave that to my great-great-grandmother. I come from a long line of women who choose terrible men, but that's ending now.
Marnie
Marnie quickly spiraled after finding an eviction notice on her door (where Desi had apparently been paying the rest, despite not living there). She blamed everyone for her situation, from Desi (for not paying) to her mom (for lying to her about "precious family heirlooms" and refusing to give her money) to her dad (for also lying and abandoning their family). Everyone except herself.
With no stake in Marnie's life, and legitimately not caring about her, the pawnshop owner had no qualms whatsoever about setting Marnie straight with some major truth bombs.
The liar is you.
Pawnshop owner [to Marnie]
The entire scene in the pawnshop was wonderful.
It ran the gamut from hilarious (Marnie's increasingly distraught and frustrated reactions when the pawnshop guy first breaks the news about her fake heirloom locket and then casually crushes her fake diamond – actually glass – earrings) to somber, when he finally pointed out that she was doing a lot of blaming.
Marnie left there having decided to pack up and move into her mom's house, as her mom had suggested earlier. She also called Desi to "let him off the hook" by telling him that she was aware that he owed her nothing.
It was a good moment for her. Still hate her, but an undoubtedly good moment nonetheless.
Stray thoughts:
- I love the minor thread that Elijah and his Bendel's co-worker are the worst department store employees ever. They never actually help any customers, and in the opening scene, they literally just drape necklaces over each other.
- Another great minor moment: Elijah yelled at Hannah for saying "Hi Elijah Krantz" back to him when they practiced for his audition, saying the casting people don't speak back. That ended up being totally untrue.
- OF COURSE, Elijah at some point in the past let a homeless woman into their apartment. And OF COURSE "she was fun."
- "I'm a street baller." / "Of course you are."
- You can really see Rannells trying not to break when Athena stared him right down in the eye while she was practicing her song.
- I'm now legitimately convinced that Desi is going to be dead by the end of this season. It seems like the perfect final straw that would really crack Marnie and get her to realize what a tool she's been.
- I can't believe how little of Shoshanna (and Ray!) there's been this season. The show is only three episodes away from the end! What have they even been up to?
What did you think of "The Bounce"? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below, and remember that you can watch Girls online here at TV Fanatic anytime to relive the show's final season.
Caralynn Lippo is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
