Girls Review: Gummies (Season 6 Episode 5)

Hannah is going to be a mom.

It’s confirmed that Hannah is going to keep her baby in Girls Season 6 Episode 5, “Gummies.” It’s a slightly unexpected decision, especially after viewing Hannah’s hilarious list of reasons for not having a baby.

This season of Girls continues on its course of greatness. There’s a lot of talk about death and also about being alone, but there are still moments of brightness and comedy.

The main plot focuses on Hannah and a visit from her mom, Loreen. Loreen, who on the outside, doesn’t seem to be struggling too much with the divorce and outing of her husband, has taken up Weight Watchers and marijuana-laced gummies. But she’s really not coping well with the way her life has turned out.

However, Loreen takes the news of Hannah’s pregnancy better than expected, and it’s one of the best scenes in the episode. We can see that Hannah is terrified to tell her mother, mostly because she doesn’t want to hear what a terrible idea it is. But when Loreen is happy for her, the smile on Hannah’s face is perfect.

Things go downhill, though.  Loreen confesses to Hannah that she doesn’t even like going to the movies anymore because she comes home to an empty house. It’s startling to see how broken Loreen is. Becky Ann Baker does an amazing job at giving Loreen such highs and lows during “Gummies.”

When Loreen goes on a pot-fueled bender, it gives the episode an opportunity for some light-hearted comedy between Hannah and Elijah, before things take another dive.

The confrontation between Elijah and Hannah is absolutely heartbreaking, and the things Elijah says to Hannah shouldn’t be forgiven easily. But once again, we see the new, grown up Hannah. Instead of doubting herself and her decision to keep the baby, she’s handling things maturely and without a tantrum.

Lena Dunham is spectacular on “Gummies” because her performance is understated, but we know exactly how Hannah is feeling, even if she’s not saying much. The fight between Hannah and Elijah looks completely real, too.

Elijah: You’re going to be a terrible mother.

It’s a fabulous scene and sobering. What a contrast from the end of “Painful Evacuation” to this.

Also having a crappy day is Ray. He’s going through all of Hermie’s belongings and gets a quick visit from Shosh. Once again, she’s sorely missed from the rest of the episode, but even the minute we see of her is great.

At this point, it doesn’t matter if Ray and Shosh get together romantically. They are going to be in each other’s lives no matter what.

And lucky for Ray, Shosh is never going to die.

Shoshanna: It’s super random, but I’m just not going to die, like, ever.

Remember in “Hostage Situation” when it seemed like Marnie was growing up too?

She’s not.

She is at her worst as she tells Ray that she needs to head out to her Physique 57 class while he’s going through Hermie’s things. Thankfully, Ray breaks up with her and hopefully, it’s a done deal.

Marnie needs to find the male equivalent of herself.

Lastly, Adam, and Jessa start making their movie, and Jessa is a bit peeved that Adam and Hannah apparently had a deeper relationship than she realized. The movie might not be the best thing for their relationship, but we’ll have to see.

Overall, “Gummies” is another fantastic episode of Girls. There is still plenty to smile at, but it’s also really sad. It’s great to see Hannah stick to her decision and not seek out everyone’s approval. Hannah is finally turning into a character to root for.

Last Thoughts:

•  Hannah and fake Hannah (aka Mira) chatting is a fine way to end the episode.
• Adam paints himself pretty well in the movie, doesn’t he?
• Marnie talking about her body being misaligned if she misses her class? Unbearable.
• Please, please, please can we have more Shosh?

What did you think of this episode of Girls? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Girls airs Sundays at 10/9c on HBO.

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