All the Most Controversial Moments from HBO's 'Girls' (2023)

The "laundry" of New York

When the show premiered in 2012, it received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. But there was a problem that caught the eye of critics and the public. For a show taking place in New York City, one of the most diverse cities in the United States, the show certainly lacked this: The entire cast was white. HeReactionThe show's anti-money laundering continued well into the first season.

Nepotism allegations against the Stars

As the show grew in popularity, so did the actors. And the lead actors weren't always welcomed with open arms, as it turned out all the women had some connection to the entertainment industry.through their parents.

Lena Dunham's mother is a famous artist. Zoisa Mamet is the daughter of playwright, screenwriter and director David Mamet (he also wrote Glengarry Glenn Ross). Allison Williams is the daughter of Brian Williams, a former NBC news anchor. And Jemima Kirke's father is the former drummer for the rock band Bad Company.

His media connections felt like much more than coincidence to many people.

Marnie's scandalous bath time

In episode three of the show's first season, Marnie (Allison Williams) has a complete masturbation scene in a public restroom. The scene was brave on its own, but particularly brave for the early days of a new series.

Williamshe said to the vulture, "I'm kind of intrigued that this is going to be something, because I just saw it as part of my work. There were scenes that were harder for me and it's interesting to me that people are obsessed with it. I mean, little Sally Draper in 'Mad Men' did it before me, so listen, I'm just stepping into her territory."

Adam's disgusting shower with Hannah

In the season one episode, Weirdos Need Girlfriends, Too, Adam (Adam Driver) urinates on Hannah (Lena Dunham) while they are in the shower together.

That wasn't as controversial as it was shocking: Adam was already established as the episode's titular weirdo, but the show built a certain charm on him. Just as he was finally becoming a likable character, he urinated on Hannah, disgusting her along with viewers. But Hannah stayed with him while most people would probably have gone far, far away.

Donald Glover's alleged stunt casting

In response to the money laundering allegations in season one, Dunhamsaid NPR, "I take this review very seriously... As far as I can tell [writing four white lead characters] was an accident, but it wasn't until later, when the review came out, that I was like, 'I heard that and I want to respond to that. '"

In the season two premiere, actor, comedian and musician Donald Glover guest-starred as Hannah's new fling following her breakup with Adam. Glover's character, Sandy, is a black Republican. a possible targetconversation about raceconcludes the episode, ending with Hannah leaving Sandy.

After the episode aired, the show was accused of doing a Glover stunt to increase diversity. But in 2013, Dunhamhe said to the vulturethat he wasn't chosen because of his race, he was chosen because she loved her job.

approval

One of the show's most alarming and controversial scenes raised questions about sexual consent, rape, and what crosses the line on TV (even if it's on HBO). In the season 2 episode "On All Fours," Adam demands that his girlfriend Natalia (Shiri Appleby) crawl across the floor into his bedroom as part of a disturbing foreplay. After they had sex, Natalia says, "I really don't like that."

Natalia's comment and seeing her crawling on the floor for Adam's pleasure,disturbedviewers and critics, thoughsome arguedit should be like that.

Marnie gets even more explicit action

Within the first five minutes of the fourth season opener, Marnie gets, as Dunham put it, "butt eaten" by her new love interest and musical partner Desi. DunhamTold in a cosmopolitan waythat this was part of the way the show portrayed Marnie's new relationship.

It was shocking to some since Williams is the daughter of Brian Williams, although many weren't surprised given the other graphic content "Girls" has featured in the past. The most shocking thing was that it happened to Marnie and not Hannah or Jessa (Jemima Kirke), the more sexually explicit characters.

"One Man's Trash"

"One Man's Trash" is a unique episode. It sparked controversy among writers and recapitulators, and feminists criticized its credibility. Taking a week-long break from the rest of the cast, the Season 2 episode follows Hannah as she meets and dates a sexy doctor naked. They play table tennis, have sex and kiss a lot.

The controversy?

People were pretty upset that a woman who looks like Dunham would fall into the arms of a man like Josh (Patrick Wilson), who is usually very, very handsome.

Jezebelreprimandedsome writersbecause they found the whole adventure so ridiculous that they speculated it was a dream. Jezebel calledResume from "Guys on Girls" by Slate"terrifyingly misogynistic".

Charlie disappears

In season five, Charlie (Christopher Abbott) makes a harrowing return to Marnie's life. She meets him on the streets of Brooklyn and it turns out that he is now addicted to heroin. There's a scene where Charlie shoots himself that was pretty disturbing to watch. Abbott left the show suddenly at the end of season two, and this return wasn't the oneTransformationthat anyone expected.

Dunham "wishes" for an abortion

A penalty from 2016, Dunhamgot a lot of feedbackfor a comment she made on her podcast “Mujeres del momento”. She said, "I haven't had an abortion yet, but I wish I had one." He drew fierce criticism from all political quarters for glorifying the sensitive issue.

While this wasn't a controversy directly related to "Girls," the comment may have put fans off in anticipation of the sixth and final season, which premieres Feb. 12 on HBO.