"Vagina Panic" - Girls.

Grade: B-

If there was a motto for the second episode of Girls it would be: “Stuff that gets up around the sides of condoms.” In another enjoyable episode of Lena Dunham’s series there is still the added let down seen in the pilot. In many ways it’s not for a lack of trying but for a lack of taking risks. In an episode with more awkward sex scenes, again made almost too perfect by Adam Driver, & Zosia Mamet twee talk there is still an inevitable lack of fulfillment by the end. The journey to the end, however, is what holds ”Vagina Panic” up from a plagued ending filled with too much influence from its writers.

”Vagina Panic” starts off with two sex scenes. One involving Hannah & Adam, continuing the most awkward dance on television, & Marnie & Charlie almost matching that level of uncomfortableness as they switch positions & continue to banter about appropriateness. As we continue to follow Hannah we see that she is beginning to feel uncomfortable with Adam’s maybe not-so-monogamous sex life & “the stuff that gets up around the sides of condoms.” This, of course, also coincides with Hannah’s first job interview which she blows due to some very squeamish rape jokes. Meanwhile, Jessa is trying to deal with her pregnancy & scheduled abortion while Shoshanna continues to spout out catchphrase after catchphrase. Marnie, on the other hand, is left to deal with everyones problems & continues to dig into her role as the control freak scheduling Jessa’s abortion & Hannah’s STD test.

Though the end of the episode comes as a huge let down due to a Deus Ex Miscarriage by the hands of the writer...writers, it is Dunham’ whit & writing that holds much of everything together. It is also the performances by Dunham as Hannah & Driver as Adam that keep the episode moving forward from inevitable demise from all corners. The framing shots & scenery laid out by Jody Lee Lipes, who has worked on such films as Martha Marcy May Marlene & Dunham’s Tiny Furniture, also bring a visual life & feeling to a much needed weak ending. From simple shots of sterile tools to bland tiled walls the stirring of awkward dread faced in exam rooms is extremely palpable. These aspects are what save ”Vagina Panic” from some bad writing & mediocrity, as seen when Jessa spouts off that she wants to have all sorts of multi-racial babies some day.

As much as the Deus Ex Miscarriage & fumbling bathroom fingering linger in the mind at the end there is a realization that as much promise as Girls holds it also holds that same amount of stagnant failure. Seeing a lack of evolution early on is not uncommon but it is the lack of any forward progress that leaves many of the characters doomed to be stuck as Diablo Cody-esque caricatures spitting too cool for school lines. Even if some of the group is meant for incredibly slow advancement, the lack of motivation to care about their problems, wether it be abortion or social anxiety, is troubling. The future of Jessa & Shoshanna being anything more than bland may rely heavily on episodes down the line focused on them but that does not excuse any reason for them to be left with such over-the-top dialogue & little reason for empathy.
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