Girls (2012-2017) is a must-watch for college students

I recently began watching the show Girls (2012-2017) because a friend of mine told me the show was like if Sex and the City (1998-2004) was a little less annoying and a little more modern. I was immediately intrigued, as I stopped watching Sex and the City (1998-2004) in the past because everyone annoyed me so much. 

Girls (2012-2017) has six seasons, and I, unfortunately, am down to the final two episodes in the sixth season. As I often do, I am avoiding watching these final episodes because I do not want the show to be over! While I do cringe a little t during every single episode, it has been a fantastic experience, especially as an anxious college senior scared of adult life. 

The show follows main character Hannah and her group of friends as they enter the adult world freshly out of college. A fun fact about this show is that Hannah is played by Lena Dunham, who is also the creator of this show. The show is set in New York City and contains the typical themes of heartbreak, turbulent friendships, mortality, and navigating new career paths, like many young adult shows do.

Something that I think makes this show stand out from all the rest is its portrayal of the bad and ugly things that come with adulthood. The show depicts the relatable daily struggles that these characters face, but it also shows how it is not the end of the world.

The protagonist, Hannah, exemplifies these themes, starting the show with the dream of being a writer. She decides a few years after getting her undergraduate degree to go and get her master’s degree in creative writing at one of the best programs in Iowa. She makes this big life-changing move and leaves everything behind, just to hate it after a few weeks.

In most cases, this would be the end of her plotline; she would either stay in a place that she hates or admit defeat and move back home with her parents. But not in this show—instead, Hannah holds her head up and returns to New York City with a new career path in mind. 

This was refreshing to see, as I think constantly about making the “wrong” choices after college and ending up in a situation that I hate. This showed that it truly is not the end of the world! A bad decision only has the power to ruin your life if you give it that power, at least in most cases.

The show also portrays the ugly truth behind many friendships, especially those that have been lifelong. There is a specific plot, which I will not spoil, that shows how it is okay to let go of childhood friends if they are constantly attempting to sabotage everything that is good in one's life.  

As with many shows, it is not perfect, with many people critiquing the show for its lack of diversity in characters. While I do love and appreciate the show, this critique has validity to it, as essentially every main and side character is white, aside from a guest appearance by Childish Gambino (AKA Donald Glover) in a few episodes in which he plays Hannah’s problematic Republican boyfriend. 

So while the show may not be perfect, it is a great watch. I have been watching it with my housemate, who I have lived with at Geneseo since our freshman year, which definitely adds to the nostalgic feeling the show brings at times and also the sense of adventure that comes with it.