Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Girls: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Faced with These Loreleis, You'd Be Demoralized

Reviewed by Michael Reuben January 7, 2015

(Spoiler alert: The following assumes that the reader has seen all prior seasons of Girls and contains spoilers for those who haven't. If you are new to the show, a spoiler-free review of the Season One Blu-ray set can be found here.)

The test of a hot-button TV show is what happens after it ceases to be a cause célèbre. Is the quality still there when the buzz has flitted to fresh topics? In the case of Girls, the answer is a resounding "yes". In the show's third season, which ran two episodes longer than each of the previous two, the creative team seemed almost emboldened by no longer being the new kid on the block. Led by series creator Lena Dunham and fellow executive producers Jenni Konner and Judd Apatow, Girls' talented stable of writers, directors and regular cast explored new dimensions of characters who had become familiar enough to command viewers' loyalty but, as Season Three revealed, have not yet discovered everything they are or could be. One of the advantages of a series about characters in their twenties is that they are still growing and changing as they confront the myriad challenges that life tosses in their way (or they create for themselves). Anything can happen.

Season Three first aired from January 12 through March 23, 2014. Unlike Season Two, it concluded without the kind of apparent resolution that caught so many viewers by surprise. When Season Four begins on January 11 of this year, the possibilities for these characters, and for several who joined during the course of Season Three, are wide open.

In almost any other show, the shockingly upbeat fairy-tale conclusion of Girls' Season Two might have been mistaken for a series finale, with each of the four leads having achieved a character-appropriate milestone where, at least in theory, we might leave them. Even Jessa, whose absence was dictated by the pregnancy of actress Jemima Kirke, could be envisioned floating somewhere abroad in a free and easy state, enjoying her newly divorced status in the kind of adventurous romp that could only happen to Jessa. In one of her commentaries, however, series creator Dunham reports that she received criticism for having so many of her heroines find their satisfaction in a man's embrace, even though, as Dunham notes, her character, Hannah Horvath, was being embraced by a recovering alcoholic who had fallen off the wagon.

Besides, this is Girls, where reality always slaps everyone in the face as soon as happiness glimmers. It was show business reality that selected Allison Williams' Marnie as the first to fall, when actor Christopher Abbott, who played her love interest, the newly wealthy Charlie Dattolo, decided not to return for Season Three. The season opens with Marnie crushed by the loss, searching for a new apartment with her mother (Rita Wilson), who is urging her to get over it and move on. But Marnie has never been good at moving on, and Williams' exploration of Marnie's descent is one of Season Three's most consistently intriguing narratives. After years of unsuccessfully attempting to make life fit into the preconceived patterns in her head, like the pictures in a glossy catalog, Marnie's frustrations build to the point of explosion as she suffers rejection on every front, watching others take jobs for which she's more qualified, seeing even her neurotic best friend Hannah in a stable relationship (or so it appears), and unable to make the world bend to her pretty smile as it used to.

Before long, Marnie will find herself doing things she never imagined and can barely believe. She begins a relationship that she finds sexually fulfilling but of which she's so ashamed that she won't tell anyone. (Caught in flagrante and obviously in ecstasy by one of her friends, she retreats into a variation of the classic little kid's defense, "He made me do it!") Then she gets dumped by someone she considers beneath her, because (he says) she's not good enough for him. Ultimately, she ends up angling to be the other woman in a stable relationship, setting herself up for a catfight from which, win or lose, she cannot emerge as the Goody Two-Shoes she believes herself to be. As Hannah eventually tells her best friend, "You will never judge me again!"

Jessa's adventures have landed her in rehab in upstate New York, where in her usual fashion, she has become the agent of disruption to the point where the facility’s administrators arrange for her departure, whereupon she returns to Manhattan and moves back with her cousin, Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet). But some of the chaos that Jessa created on her travels follows her home, and new chaos she creates on her arrival piles on top. As we learned when we met Jessa's father in Season Two, her indifference to the consequences of her actions is an inherited trait, but in Season Three these consequences become so extensive and profound that even Jessa cannot ignore them. By the end of the season, Jessa is brought up short by events to which even she cannot remain blasé.



Shoshanna, who is planning her graduation from college this season, feels the gap closing between herself and the other members of the group. Having broken with boyfriend Ray Ploshansky (Alex Karpovsky)—even after he kicked himself into a new level of adult responsibility as a restaurant manager to impress her—Shoshanna has broadened her sexual horizons to the point where she is now just as comfortable gossiping about men as any of her friends. Having cleared this hurdle, Shoshanna now views them all more critically. What have they accomplished in the four years since college? What gives them the right to treat her with such condescension? In Season Three, Shoshanna becomes the voice of every Girls viewer who has ever shouted, "Get over yourselves!" at the screen, and her most powerful expressions come during the memorable episode 7 entitled "Beach House", when Marnie plans a getaway to her mother's Long Island home for the foursome to reconnect. Naturally, the opposite occurs. (The episode is also noteworthy for the reappearance of Hannah's gay college boyfriend, Elijah, played by Andrew Rannells, who is summering in the same neighborhood with a group of friends. He remains for the rest of the season.)

Dunham’s Hannah turns 25 in Season Three, and she remains the series’ center, whose adventures continue to fall into the twin categories of career and relationship. On the latter front, Hannah and Adam Sackler (Adam Driver) begin the season in what appears to be cohabitational bliss, but the prospects for two such demanding and self-absorbed individuals as they buckle down to the day-to-day work of maintaining a loving relationship aren't optimistic. Family complications arise when Adam's estranged sister, Caroline (Gaby Hoffman), appears on the scene, and Hannah appoints herself the family mediator (assuming, as she always does, that she is qualified to solve everyone else's problems). Hannah's own parents (Becky Ann Baker and Peter Scolari, in recurring roles) let her know that they don't think much of her long-term prospects with Adam, and Hannah's own doubts are stoked by Adam himself, when he suddenly find himself with a career that absorbs all his time and energy, leaving very little for her.

On the career side, Hannah has managed to complete the e-book for which her eccentric editor, David Pressler-Goings (Hedwig and the Angry Inch creator John Cameron Mitchell), threatened to sue. But as a result of both chance and labyrinthine machinations of the publishing industry, the book isn't the career starter that Hannah hoped for (and, as we know from Season Two, the advance was spent long ago). Still, in Season Three, Hannah gets the best writing job she's had since leaving college, with good pay, benefits and security for the long term. The only drawback is that it involves advertising, and the idealistic Hannah regards the work as a betrayal of her "calling". (The scenes between Hannah and the rest of the staff are both painful and hilarious, because she's right—they've sold out—and they're right—she's a self-righteous prig—and none of them are doing anything but complaining.) By the end of the season, though, a new opportunity appears that could potentially change both Hannah's life and Girls itself. But we won't know until Season Four.

Girls continues to be enriched by its impressive roster of guest stars. In addition to those already mentioned, British actor Richard E. Grant (Withnail & I and Hudson Hawk) appears as one of Jessa's fellow rehab patients, and Broadway staple Debra Monk (NYPD Blue) is the facility's exasperated director. Comic legend Louise Lasser (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman) plays Beadie, an aging art photographer who hires Jessa to assist in cataloging her archives (and for other purposes she doesn't initially disclose). Deirdre Lovejoy (The Wire) and Amy Morton (Chicago P.D.) play Hannah's feuding aunts, Sarah Steele (Please Give) her supercilious cousin and June Squibb (Nebraska) her grandmother in an episode (no. 9, "Flo") that digs deeper into Hannah's background than we've ever seen. Jennifer Westfeldt (Friends with Kids) has a memorable turn as the wife of Hannah's editor, and Broadway diva Patti Lupone plays a parody of herself in an interview sequence that gives Hannah a terrifying glimpse into the heart of darkness that is the life of a successful actor (and that actor's significant other).

Girls: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The image on HBO's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-rays for Season Three of Girls is comparable to that of Seasons One and Two, which is to say that it shares the same smooth, detailed look provided by digital photography, and provides the same excellent black levels and contrast. The color palette for this season is somewhat more varied, which probably results from the new places where the stories took the show, some of which involved actual locations and some of which had to be created on soundstages. As with previous seasons of Girls, I watched Season Three during its initial broadcast, and the image on Blu-ray is noticeably superior to the HDTV picture on Time Warner Cable, with better detail, less noise and superior stability overall.

Girls: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with previous seasons, the lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 delivers a nice sense of ambiance, especially in a distinctive environment like the Long Island beach near the house in episode 7 where the group goes for a weekend (although the commentary informs us that all of the sound had to be re-recorded in post-production because of the windy conditions). In venues with more enveloping sound, like the club where Marnie finally makes another attempt to sing in public or the Broadway theater where the group attends a play, the surround presence is more immersive, but Girls continues not to offer obvious occasions for discrete rear effects or pans. The dialogue remains clear, and Michael Penn continues to provide delicately nuanced underscoring that comments so subtly on the action that it seems like a natural part of the scene. Listen closely to Penn's song for the credits of the season finale; then ask yourself whether it's a happy ending or a sad one.

Girls: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentaries: All of the commentaries are worth hearing, but the most consistently informative are those with Dunham, Konner and Apatow, because of their producing responsibilities.


• Episode 2, with Creator/Executive Producer/Director Lena Dunham (Hannah) and Executive Producer Jenni Konner.
• Episode 7, with Zosia Mamet (Shoshanna), Jemima Kirke (Jessa) and Andrew Rannells (Elijah).
• Episode 9, with Director Richard Shepard and Writer Bruce Eric Kaplan.
• Episode 10, with Creator/Executive Producer Lena Dunham (Hannah) and Executive Producer Judd Apatow.
• Episode 11, with Writer Paul Simms and Alex Karpovsky (Ray).
• Episode 12, with Creator/Executive Producer/Director Lena Dunham (Hannah).



• Deleted and Extended Scenes: As one learns from the commentaries, much excess footage is shot for each episode, and alternate versions are cut for many scenes to provide options for the directors and producers. If not for time constraints, one can easily imagine many of these deleted scenes being included. The alternate versions make for interesting contrasts with the episodes as broadcast.


• Disc 1 (1080p; 1.78:1; 43:15)
• Episode 1
• Alternate Intro
• Sex & Shower
• Soul Cycle
• Females Only
• The Patients Watch TV
• Alternate Dinner Party
• Clothed Ending


• Episode 2
• Car Rental
• Jessa Kills Time
• Marnie's New Apartment
• Road Trip
• Hotel Walk-Through
• Shosh & Todd
• Jessamine
• Marnie Sets Up Her Apartment


• Episode 3
• Soul Cycle
• Ray's
• Marnie & Jessa
• Marnie & Hannah
• Photobooth
• Hannah & Caroline
• Hannah Opens Presents
• Marnie & Loreen


• Episode 4
• Shosh Cycle
• Silent Dancer
• Crunch


• Episode 5
• My Book Is Dead
• Wake-Up Call
• Sweet Emma
• Ray & Marnie


• Episode 6
• GQ Giants





• Disc 2 (1080p; 1.78:1; 18:44)
• Episode 7
• Hannah Calls Adam
• Hannah Calls Adam Again
• Celebrity


• Episode 8
• Can Opener


• Episode 9
• Sissy Calls


• Episode 10
• The Morning After
• Red Cardinal
• Make Yourself at Home


• Episode 11
• AA
• Marnie Googles Desi
• Strenova
• Bathroom Talk


• Episode 12
• Hannah & Elijah Shop
• Jessa Calls Her Dealer
• Marnie Runs For It



• Inside the Episodes: Each episode is accompanied by a brief interview with Dunham discussing its place in the overall arc of the season. These featurettes can be accessed from the "Features" menu of each disc, which includes a "play all" function, or individually from the episode menus.
• Disc 1 (1080p; 1.78:1; 18:02)
• Disc 2 (1080p; 1.78:1; 18:46)



• Lutheran Healthcare Honors Lena (Disc 1) (1080p; 1.78:1; 4:47): Lutheran Healthcare is a major hospital in Brooklyn, and it really did honor Dunham for her assistance in raising funds for their Mental Health Emergency Department, but this "tribute" quickly turns into a self-parody portraying Dunham's (fictitious) megalomania on the set of Girls, with various members of the cast confessing their traumatized state. Adam Driver is particularly memorable, as he breaks down in tears.



• Gag Reel (Disc 2) (1080p; 1.78:1): The running theme is that the cast of Girls, both regular, recurring and guest stars, routinely crack up during takes.
• Part 1 (7:46)
• Part 2 (6:35)



• The Making of Girls (Disc 2) (1080p; 1.78:1; 18:36): This season overview includes rehearsals, table reads, a few additional deleted scenes and location footage from various episodes throughout the season.



• Marnie Michaels, "What I Am" (Disc 2) (1080p; 1.78:1; 2:40): An original music video.



• Marnie & Desi, "Bet on Me" (Disc 2) (1080p; 1.78:1; 2:28): A music video based on the performance in episode 11.



• L'il Freckles, "Dancin' on the D" (Disc 2) (1080p; 1.78:1; 1:47): The full version of the performance seen in episode 11.

Girls: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In its twisted, comedic fashion, Girls is a series of ongoing coming-of-age stories, and one of the show's unique qualities is that it has a creator and show runner who is exactly the same age as most of its main characters. Obviously, Girls isn't Lena Dunham's autobiography, although she admits to using many details from her life as raw material, and Dunham isn't Hannah, any more than Allison Williams is Marnie, or any other actor is the character they play. Still, most coming-of-age tales are told when the creators are older and remembering an earlier time. It's rare to have such stories created by people who are still living their own version, which I suspect is why Girls feels nowhere near its peak. Its creative engine is still engaged in the very process of discovery that the series' characters find so frustrating. Dunham may have become a polished speaker in her public appearances, but no one writes dysfunction as effectively as she does without personal experience. Unlike Hannah, though, Dunham actually sits down and writes—and keeps writing. Highly recommended.