Release You

Just started watching the HBO series: Girls and I'm surprised by the fact that I actually enjoy it. The storyline centres around four very different girls: Marnie, Shoshanna, Jessa, and Hanna. The focus is generally on Hanna, the girl with aspirations who had been living off her parent's money until they cut her off. Suddenly she's forced to survive on her own, find a paying job, and continue writing. Her dating history is far from impressive, as she has fallen for any guy that likes her even if they don't treat her as she deserves. Hanna's best friend is the oh-so-put-together Marnie, who isn't quite as she seems. She is like the mother of the group, the responsible one, who pays her bills and has had the same boyfriend for four years. Except, he doesn't make her happy anymore so though she loves him, she is no longer in love. As the series progresses, we see that her persona is not always who she is as she struggles to find where she fits in the world and what she wants to do with her life. Shoshanna is a very energetic girl who is still in school unlike the other girls. She is very nervous and does not know how to act around guys, mainly because she is insecure about her virginity. Her cousin is Jessa, the typical embodiment of the world-traveling, unique, free spirit. She is very open with guys, experimenting, and has a take on life that is all her own. The four girls are all close but very different from one another, allowing the audience to see themselves a little bit in each of the characters, or completely empathize with one in particular. The supporting cast range from current boyfriends, exes, family, to roles played by faces you might recognize from SNL (Saturday Night Live). Now I'm not going to divulge who I feel is most like me, but I also see my best friend in one girl and my cousin in another. I've yet to find someone in my life that embodies the final girl.

Hanna is twenty-four years of age, yet she acts like any nineteen year old you might meet in college. She lives in her own world, a world that lacks responsibility or consequences. As much as she might think she's an adult who can support herself, throughout the series she leans on guys or Marnie for the help she needs. She wants to be a writer, but finds herself working as a barista, in an office job in which the boss is very touchy, or an unpaid internship. None of them further her career or help her achieve her goals, rather they are solely to pay the bills.

As her best friend, Marnie is always there for her no matter what but has her own problems to deal with. During the second season, she loses her job and is forced to come to the realization that being a curator is not a career. This makes her wonder what she is going to do with her life, the once perfect environment is now full of doubt. She moves out of her apartment, is no longer with her boyfriend of four years, and gets a job as hostess because its good money - not because its what she wants to do.  After breaking up with her boyfriend, she still thinks about him constantly despite the fact that she was not happy when they were together. Sometimes people want what they can't have or stay in a relationship that they're not happy in, just because its comfortable. As much as you worry that you will never find someone like them again, you will find someone that will treat you the way that you deserve to be treated and you won't even realize that they have flaws. That's what love is, you fight, you make up, and you're stronger for it.

Jessa surprises everyone when she plans a spontaneous marriage to a man she had only spent the last two weeks with. Though she is now "tied down" she still seems to be herself, ignoring societal rules, and acting however she pleases. Shoshanna loses her virginity, but is faced with the hard truth that not waiting for the right person might give her regrets. Many people speak about regretting their first time because they didn't care about the person or didn't even know them. Luckily for Shoshanna, the guy comes to his senses and begins treating her well again.

I'm glad I took a chance on this series (as entertainment while I clean, get rid of clothes, shoes, and just stuff I've accumulated over the years) because I really think its an honest portrayal of life. Though I may only have 22 years of experience in that department, it resonates with me so I guess that's all that matters even if others don't understand it.

Plato spoke to Aristophanes about this theory, "According to Greek mythology humans were originally created with four arms, four legs, and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate beings, condemning them to spend their lives in search for their other halves..." (The Symposium). That is the concept of soulmates, someone perfectly matched for you as long as you give yourself the chance to find them. And if you try, I believe that you will succeed.