The Girls Are All Right

The most common criticism of Girls is that the characters are unlikeable and behave horribly. I've got two things to say about that:

1. I don't especially care if characters are likeable. I want to feel that they are well written, well realized, and well directed. For the most part, with some occasional wavering, the girls and guys on Girls score well in these regards (with the guys actually being better written than the girls). Evidence of this is the fact that many of Lena Dunham's best lines are at the expense of her own character. If not necessarily likeable, I do find the characters sympathetic enough to keep watching. This relates to the next point.

2. I actually don't think they are that selfish or ill-behaved. I certainly was no more mature at that age: my relationships were messy. Some people have it together then, but the Girls brand of immaturity rings true to me. I guess people figure that because they are so privileged, they should behave better, but that's not how life works.

UPDATE 3-25

And can we just give it up for Andrew Rannells, who, as Hannah's gay ex-boyfriend Elijah, enlivens every scene he's in?