Cousin Rebecca:"Writers are like this ridiculous class of people who just make everything about themselves and they tend to have really strange, bizarre eating habits."
It hurts to hear but the truth always does... and on that note, welcome to season three's bottle episode, everybody! Grandma Flo is dying and thus Hannah must drop everything to be by her mother's side. It's an awkward time in the way only an authentically forced family reunion can be, only further exacerbated by an unfortunately timed marriage conversation with Adam.
With stellar performances by all, and a killer cast including June Squibb and The Wire's Deidre Lovejoy, I would have to argue that this episode surpasses "Beach House" as the best of the season (thus far). Let's break it down!
Hannah
A
"What are they even talking about in your women's book group?"
Bringing Hannah back to an environment she has so clearly avoided by moving to Brooklyn shines a big bright light on our protagonist. We know she's an only child, but she's also the oldest cousin of the only sister whose marriage is still intact. You get the feeling that Hannah hasn't spent a great deal of time with her extended family, so her sense of familial obligation is pretty stunted.
What does it all mean for Hannah? Seeing her mother with her two sisters is an intimate look at life pre-Hannah, while cousin Rebecca reminds us that not all twenty-somethings are as existentially loose, if you will. When Loreen gently advises Hannah to keep her options open and not put all her eggs in the Adam basket (on second read of that line, ew), I hope I'm not the only one who thought she was making a subtle reference to life with Hannah's dad. Remember when Elijah called him gay back in season one? Flamboyant is definitely accurate when considering the hat he wore to Hannah's birthday, and now Loreen's words make me think that his eccentric lifestyle reminds her of Adam. Brings a whole new meaning to Daddy's Little Girl...
Either way, the end of the episode leaves Hannah and Adam thinking about marriage, something they'd clearly never discussed before. For a couple who are currently shacking up, this might be odd but Hannah has never really been good about seeing the big picture.
The Family
B
Loreen Horvath: "You think that you've accepted that your mother wasn't that good. And then you realize that you've always had this hope that there would be some sort of conversation where you two would have some sort of breakthrough. When they die, that conversation can never come."
It is probably just as bizarre for Loreen Horvath to confide in her daughter as it is for Hannah to listen to her mother and sisters bicker over the trajectories of their lives. Add a cousin in med school who at age 6 learned of her father's arrest for insider trading from Hannah and you've got a pretty uncomfortable dynamic in place.
What we do get is a very successful depiction of life outside of the Hannah social bubble, where self-absorption and petty boy problems tend to overwhelm any sense of normalcy and stability. Outside Brooklyn, Hannah is second to a cousin with no time for real friends and only the occasional weekly boyfriend or two. She should be thinking about marriage and fighting for Grandma's engagement ring whether she promised it to Aunt Sissy or not. I could watch an entire episode devoted to these three sisters, posting sticky notes all over their deceased mother's belongings. It's poignant and funny in all the right and wrong places, but isn't that the way it goes?
A note on the car crash: it was pretty wildly telegraphed, but that is not a criticism. Rebecca texting her mother after learning that Grandma Flo has a severe fever all the while Hannah is yelling at her for endangering both of their lives was painful to watch. It felt like the closest thing to Hannah having a sister, plus she got to be the right one for once in the relationship.
Adam
B+
Loreen: "I am so sorry you had to see that."
Adam: "No, it's like enchilada night at my parents' house."
A second note on the car crash: never text a love on "car crash" only. Super cryptic.
Does Adam see himself marrying Hannah? Not sure, but he seems to have warmed to the idea more toward the end of the episode. I don't know if a conversation about their future is the greatest idea right now, but if Hannah isn't thinking long term with Adam and perhaps she should; it might be a necessary evil.
"Flo"
A
Grandma Flo: "Someday, you will look at him, hating him with every fiber of your being, wishing that he would die the most violent death possible. It will pass."
At first, I thought of Grandma Flo's dying salute to Hannah and Adam as an omen, another wrench thrown into their relationship this season. But upon some light reflection, I've come to think of it as the best advice for Hannah. Life is long and people are flawed; it's inevitable that eventually, even those dearest to us will disappoint you. It's a time heals all wounds kind of sentiment, a reminder that this too shall pass. Sound familiar, Hannah?
I really enjoyed this episode. I sat quietly for the full half hour, not writing anything down, not peeking at my Instagram feed, and not once pausing to switch over to the Oscars. And that is saying something...
Extra Credit
- Adam: "I am very committed to you... at this time." First of all, what is with Adam and Hannah taking blatantly obvious personal calls while they work? Did Grandma die yet? No? It can wait! Second of all, what a carefully crafted response. Respect. And a little bit of ouch, ya know?
- Flo: "Well you look nice. What'd you do?"
Hannah: "I gained fifteen pounds."
Demerits
- Hannah: "Can you tell me where your femur is so I don't touch it?"Harsh.
- I do not know how I feel about the sisters splitting up their mother's pills before she passes. Oh wait, yes I do, sad face.