Creator: Lena Dunham
Starring: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver, Christopher Abbott, Alex Karpovsky, Andrew Rannells, Chris O’Dowd.
Extras: – A Conversation with the Girls, a conversation with Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow. Five audio commentaries with cast & crew. Inside the episode. Blu-Ray also also includes The Making Of GIRLS, Gag Reel, Cast Auditions, plus many more.
Now you might think that HBO’s cult smash GIRLS is very similar to another famous HBO programme about four ladies living in New York but, except for that premise, the shows could not be more different. GIRLS is raw, honest, and down right hilarious at times, paying one of the greatest homages to the sometimes painful, and wonderfully agonizing progress of becoming an adult.
Shows that have tried to tackle this format before have completely fallen on their faces, mainly by trying to keep it polished, but GIRLS shows it warts and all – literally at times. The main characters are all lovable in some way, even Marnie (Allison Williams) who is supposed to come across as a little bit stuck up turns out to be one of the most relatable characters, and that is the beauty of GIRLS, the show’s creator and writer Lena Dunham is barely out of this stage in her life herself, so the reality is exactly that.
There are some incredibly over the top scenes for the purpose of entertainment, and that is why that we should advise that GIRLS be watched in the comfort of your own bedroom. At times it can get incredibly cringey, most of those scenes come from Hannah’s bit on the side Adam, who is described as a psychopath by Hannah’s friend Marnie. The scenes where he sends fur covered dick pictures may freak you out just a tad. It is, of course, a little out there, but hey, this is HBO.
One of the highlights of the season are the guest stars: Chris O’Dowd playing a rich businessman named John who likes to mash up old 90s hits with audio of children playing outside, to Andrew Rannells, who plays Hannah’s ex boyfriend Elijah who comes out as gay. However the star of the show has to be Shoshanna (played by Zosia Mamet) the younger member of the group, with high hopes of losing her virginity. She might be the youngest, but she proves to be the best source of wisdom, and the scene where she inadvertently smokes crack at a warehouse party is one of the best scenes of the whole season.
GIRLS is bold, brass and brutally honest. Hopefully this will also show the men of the world that girls aren’t exactly who they think they are!
Girls: Season One is available on DVD and Blu-ray from 4th February.
