Stay tuned this weekend for my first take on Jessa and Adam’s “friendship.” Briefly below, let’s recap “Good Man” by evaluating the strained relationships of the Horvath family.
The suggestion, based on Elijah’s reaction (“It got gayer?”) to Hannah’s emergency call, is that Hannah has been babysitting her parents, a mediator between Tad and Loreen, since Girls went away for the summer and “Good Man” is the first episode, in season five, we’re seeing it because it’s the moment it breaks Hannah down.
From what we can tell, Hannah has put on a really brave face throughout; at least, she’s accepted her dad’s homosexuality much more than season four’s “Daddy Issues.”
But this is sensory overload this week. First, she’s asked to rescue her dad in the city and confront a man named Keith who, for all we know, is his first sexual partner. Then, her mom asks her to tell Tad that she wants a divorce — this coming from the same mom who robbed Tad of telling Hannah he’s gay, although there was clearly a secret he wanted to tell her when he visited Iowa early in season four.
It gets messy in “Good Man,” so much so that Elijah takes one look at Hannah and Tad through a restaurant window and runs from the situation (“Oh… No.”). To her credit, Hannah handles it well. She holds onto that divorce bombshell, in fact I don’t think she wants to tell her dad ever. One, that’s a conversation Loreen ought to have with him. Two, maybe if she swallows it, it won’t be real. Three, why kick him while he’s down?
Ultimately, it comes up at an opportune moment. Tad’s in no position to tell Hannah what she does and doesn’t know about relationships. When he thinks he can go home and all be normal, it’s time for her to tell him what she knows. This is a difficult moment for Hannah because her family is breaking up right before her eyes.
She needs a Jessa moment circa season two’s “Video Games.”
“I’m the child!”
Then, there’s this:
- Although I got a kick out of the name (Helvetica) for the new cafe across the street from Ray’s — you don’t name a business after a font — this isn’t a storyline I was particularly interested in. It’s noteworthy, though, in that it’s the first guest appearance for Lena Dunham’s sister, Grace.
- It looks like Corey Stoll (House of Cards) is going to be a recurring guest star this season. Elijah sparks the rumblings of a relationship with him. He plays Dill Harcourt, a public figure who sends Elijah a drink at a bar.
- Two absences this week: Marnie and Shoshanna. The upcoming episode, “Japan,” will travel to the country Shosh now calls home.
