Last year, HBO’s “Girls” instantly became a lightening rod for scrutiny and conversation. In creating abundant controversy while earning critical acclaim, it’s hard to believe the show is less than a year old.

You can celebrate the show’s first birthday in a few weeks on April 15. But despite its looming one-year anniversary, “Girls” finished its second season this Sunday with the relationship-heavy finale episode, “Together.” Lots of spoilers to come, reader.

This past season was the HBO comedy’s creator-actress-writer-sometimes director-producer Lena Dunham’s answer to all of the criticism of the past year. She seemed determined to make viewers question character traits and plot lines developed during the previous season.

Dunham forced a show focused on 20-something’s arrested development to grow. And somehow, she managed to do it without making any of the characters turn into the “old fogies” that type-A personality Marnie believes she is.

Last season, “Girls” was slammed for the complete lack of diversity in its cast. Not a single minority character showed up. This time around, we got to see Dunham’s main character Hannah literally on top of the former problem.

Hannah began a new relationship with a black Republican named Sandy, played by “Community” actor Donald Glover.

But because this is an HBO comedy and not a fairytale, things soured quickly. By the second episode, the lovebirds’ romance ended due to their political beliefs, and Hannah gets to hear the criticism that’s often hurled at “Girls” by the public from Sandy. He calls her out on the possibility that her alternative-seeming choices aren’t really that alternative.

Instead of having an adult conversation, Hannah answers with a Missy Elliot quote. Despite her childish answer, though, the young writer finally had someone challenge her own ideas — something that rarely happened in season one.

Marnie ended last season in an unsympathetic light. She was the friend you always hoped would lighten up, but never believed she would. Luckily, she surprised us.

Her rapid fall from respectable gallery girl to gentleman’s club hostess helped her character evolve. She dated the wrong guy, got her heart broken and wore a plastic dress. All of which made good television and a better Marnie.

She could finally appreciate what was right in front of her — Charlie. The college couple could rekindle their on-again, off-again romance once Charlie had finally grown a backbone.

And everyone’s favorite “least virgin-y virgin ever,” Shoshanna, had her first live-in boyfriend and cheated on him. She became the nervous adulteress while her boyfriend Ray changed from intellectual jerk to lovable early-30s loser.

Hannah’s ex-boyfriend Adam surprised viewers more than any other character. His creepy vibe became too much for Hannah, who began to sense dark, “murder-y” qualities. Though sometimes this carpenter seemed like the show’s weird Prince Charming, other times he became as unsettling as suspected.

Adam’s controversial and unwanted sexual activity with new girlfriend Natalia in the season’s penultimate episode made many — including myself — wonder if he sexually assaulted her. But the relationship continued into the next episode.

Adam is impossible to pin down, making him interesting to watch, even if it’s sometimes excruciatingly painful.

This season, “Girls” has taken us on a roller coaster of emotions. We’ve watched pompous characters fall and Hannah’s entire belief system questioned while falling in love with unexpected characters.

We can’t even attempt to guess what’s around the bend. And that’s the best part.

Ariana Romero is a junior magazine journalism and political science major. Her column appears every week. She can be reached at akromero@syr.edu or followed on Twitter at @ArianaRomero17. 

Published on March 21, 2013 at 1:49 am