Of all the complaints aimed toward Girls, the one thing you’ll never hear is that it doesn’t move fast enough. The show has fallen into a fairly steady rhythm of conflict/resolution/conflict, and “Hard Being Easy” is no different.

This week opens on Hannah/Marnie/Charlie immediately after the events of “Hannah’s Diary,” and takes off from there. Charlie and Marnie argue over who’s responsible for Hannah’s words, while all Hannah cares about is that it’s not a diary they were written in, but instead a notebook (which holds notes. For a book.)  Charlie then storms out, taking one of his handcrafted tables with him, and Marnie chases after him the next day.

Marnie continues to reveal herself as selfish here, having never gone to Charlie’s apartment before because it was too out of the way. During her and Charlie’s discussion we get a flashback to the beginning of their relationship in 2007, where Charlie was called to duty to take care of Marnie, then a stranger, who was stuck to a pole thanks to a mysteriously potent pot brownie. He gives her a sweet Charlie hug, and the rest is history. Back in Charlie’s current apartment, Marnie fawns over Charlie’s impressive craftsmanship (“It looks like a Target ad”) and begs him to come back, even offering him more blowjobs. Of course, eventually she realizes why she had been hating on him to begin with, and the point when that realization comes is a doozy.

Hannah goes off to her job and deals with those issues (just after failing to break down a box and shove it through a trash shoot). The awkwardness that ensues is on par with the job interview we witnessed earlier in the season, and then that awkwardness is trumped when, after having a breakdown in his bathroom, Hannah finds Adam masturbating in his bedroom. This leads to a round of no-hands dirty talking that finds Hannah in the role of aggressor and ends with Hannah on the verge of tears and $100 richer, and Adam, having just climaxed, reaching for a handshake. Classic Adam. It’s obvious Hannah did this “for the story,” as per Jessa’s suggestion. Hopefully it’s worth it.

By this point the men in this show have done a 180 in comparison to the pilot. Charlie is sticky and sweet, sure, but it’s not a bad thing. He is not a bad person. And while Adam is still kind of gross, and strangely forever without shirt, he has turned into a guy who at least respects Hannah’s happiness—and that’s something. I’d like to see a spin-off, Guys maybe, because these characters deserve more than they’re going to get. Yes, even Ray.

Jessa continues to serve only one purpose: operating as a perfect foil for Marnie and, in-turn, a devil on Hannah’s shoulder. Sure, it’s only been a brief period of time, but things in this show happen fast—jobs have been lost and found, boyfriends dumped, babies miscarried—and yet Jessa continues to float around, wisplike, sleeping with any man she desires, even if out of spite. All this to say nothing of the father she could potentially be dragging down to cheat on his wife; seeing him quickly grow more and more in awe of Jessa is a bit painful.

Meanwhile, Shoshanna’s only purpose is to serve as a punch line to Jessa’s sexcapades, giving Jessa a chance to explain why exactly she had seduced an engaged man—which really wasn’t a mystery in the first place. She “cannot be smoted.”

I’ll concede the fact that Jessa is an accurate portrayal of a woman stalled, a twenty-something with unlimited mommy funds who sees no need or desire to get a real job or stay in a steady relationship. I imagine if she were drilled about her lifestyle, she’d say, “I can, so why not?” and be sincere as a dog.  And yeah, it’s nice that Marnie and Hannah are finally taking control of their lives, even if not in the greatest ways. Hannah especially is struggling to find the right way to command herself and her situations, but at least there is a struggle there, even if only subconsciously.  But Jessa – and sometimes Shoshanna – wherever they’re going, they need to get there soon.

In the end, it’s tough to predict how the characters are going to act, because at their best they are consistently inconsistent. That’s nothing to complain about, though: It’s still fun to watch. I suppose that’s all the show’s ever promised.

QUOTABLES:

• “I feel like journal implies like a 13-year-old girl who rides horses and is obsessed with her mom and that’s just not what I’m doing.”
• “That’s the kind of thing you do right before you hit us. Don’t hit us.”
• “You guys are fucking dicks.”
• “You hurt me—my fucking ankle knob and my knee.”
• “I’m only writing this down because it’s starting to smell like a Bath & Bodyworks in here.”
• “What are those?” “Pot brownies!” “What’s on them?” “Jello shots!”
• “Oh you did your make up like I told you to.”
• “Do you feel like your heart’s just gonna like fall out through your vagina?”
• “Why don’t you imagine us having sex?” “That makes me sadder.”
• “Yo kid.” “Hey grownup.”
• “You might need to face up to the fact that you might just not be fit for a job in the traditional sense.”
• “Do you wanna step on my balls?”
• Lastly: Seriously, Hannah? The Scissor Sisters? Her obliviousness to Elijah’s queerness is an untapped well of comedy gold.

(photo via Indie Wire)