4. Marnie Comes Un-done
Throughout the first season Marnie had it all: timeless looks, a stable job and a safe boyfriend. She had a no-nonsense attitude but she was always there for her friends. Marnie was a bionic woman, which came with a great risk - everyone thought she was uptight:
That isn't fun for me, being the uptight girl. I hate it.
That line, uttered by Marnie in Season 1, should have come with a disclaimer: be careful what you wish for Oh Beautiful Marnie. When she made the bold move to break up with her boyfriend we assumed she'd be fine; she'd use her free time to do something productive, take up a class, practice yoga but Marnie slowly started to break down. This season has Marnie hit rock bottom even harder: she loses her job and her mum tells her she looks old. In fact her mother (hello Rita Wilson) serves to highlight her high-strung nature. Perhaps listening to your mother go on about the rough hands of a cater waiter is too much but the fact that Marnie manages to out-mature her own mother says a lot. The first episode is a non-stop cruelty train for Marnie: she gets fired, insulted then shows up to her best friend's party to see her ex and his new bouncy bandana wearing care-free girlfriend. When Marnie reaches out to Hannah for help, Hannah rejects her because she's got a full time job, a boyfriend and she's just really busy with her writing. Last season opened with Marnie and Hannah in bed and this season showed Marnie being replaced by Hannah's gay ex-boyfriend Elijah. Who Marnie ends up having sex with. Well sort of, it doesn't quite work out. So, why would we watch a like-able character get knocked down? Because if Dunham kicks Marnie down far enough she'll have the rest of the season to rebuild herself and I think that metamorphosis will make for excellent television.