Hannah and Marnie are having dinner because Hannah wants to break the news that she’s keeping that freaking baby, but Marnie, ever the narcissist, finds a way to steal her thunder. She does so by telling Hannah that Ray broke up with her, but instead of the sympathy she thought she was going to get, Hannah rightfully clocks her for her selfishness.
Hannah tells Marnie that she’s pregnant, Marnie thinks it’s a joke, and when she realises that it’s not, she has the correct reaction to this news: disbelief, tinged with anger. The news, however, is that she’s keeping it. And because every single person on this show is incapable of making a decision that is good, Marnie’s on board. On the upside, Marnie’s being supportive for once in her life, so I guess that’s fine.
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Hannah, also, is not telling the father. “I don’t want him to be a part of the kid’s life, so why would I tell him," which sounds logical in your head but less so out loud. To Marnie’s point, Hannah should probably tell the father. He has a right to know and her kid will certainly grow up asking a lot of questions that Hannah doesn’t have the answers to. What’s nice about this is that slowly but surely, Hannah’s resolve to have this child seems to be chipping away, masked only by the fact that she’s convinced it will fix her life. This is not first trimester hormones, Marnie. What you’re witnessing is Hannah’s slow-burn of a meltdown as she realises that she is decidedly unqualified to have this child, but is determined to do so anyway.
Marnie and Desi are rehearsing for something, but Desi isn’t interested in Marnie’s whole vibe. They’ve got a show tonight and then one of Marnie’s mum’s friend’s birthday parties. “I’m tired of being exploited,” Desi said. “Rehab let me know that you exploit me.” He wants out, but they need the money. Sober Desi is…a lot.
Back at the homestead, Hannah and Elijah are having difficulty getting back on track after their not-so-cute blowout which inexplicably took place in the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant. Elijah invites Hannah to a hot-dog taco party; Hannah declines. He tries to apologize — she’s not going to be the best mother, but not the worst. Elijah feels bad, but honestly, he’s happier when both of them are operating at the same level of nothingness — despite Hannah’s fears that the baby won’t end their friendship, because Hannah needs him in her life. They made up, which is sweet but feels more unrealistic than anything else this show has thrown our way.
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Adam’s blowing up Hannah’s spot, because he very, very much wants her to watch his movie. He’s also calling her from right outside the house.
“I need you to watch the movie, Hannah,” he says. “It’s a movie that I made about us.”
I’m here for Hannah only in this moment. Adam needs her to see this movie because he needs to be sure that the art that he made is “real.” No one in their right mind would cave to the whims of their ex-boyfriend begging them to watch a movie about their failed relationship. “I need you to watch it so I can move on and do my film festival submissions,” he says. Okay, cool. Great.
An under-47-minute art film is not a silver bullet that will eliminate all traces of lingering resentments or emotion about a relationship. Adam’s film will either be stunningly beautiful or achingly self-centred; either way, Hannah doesn’t want to see it. To shut down Adam’s constant badgering, she does what any sane person who is equipped to have a child would do and tells him that she’s pregnant. It’s clear now that the rest of the season will be about Hannah’s pregnancy, but more so about how she wields that fact like a weapon. This is just the beginning.
Marnie and Desi’s show in New Jersey is so far, so good. A lot of leather. A lot of fringe. A lot of smoky eyes. And, just in the nick of time, Desi arrives, an hour late, but better than nothing. He looks not well. Marnie’s lecturing Desi while clearly ignoring the fact that he’s high. Like, fell off the wagon, very, very high. Not good. But he’s going to do the show.
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Marnie can’t have this kind of shit, man. She needs to be a good godmother to Hannah’s unborn child, the news of which takes Marnie's own mother by surprise. “Hannah’s having a baby?” she asks, puffing on a vape. “That’s a terrible idea.”
Hannah’s debating whether or not to tell the father of her unborn child with her dad. Her dad’s partner, Keith, however, mentions that as a sperm donor, he would’ve liked to be aware of the child and the child’s life. Hannah’s dad is supportive; Keith, on the other hand, is a voice of reason.
Marnie’s gig at the club in Jersey was cancelled, only because of Desi. Marnie’s mum, however, is going to make her do this. She has no choice. And her mum’s going to be her backup.
Elijah has a job! He works at Bendel’s, at the glove counter, and he’s running lines with his coworker. Here’s all you need to know about this: both of them are bad actors. Very bad. I’m guessing that’s the point but it is hard to tell with this show, it really is
Later that night, Hannah appears to be working — a relief. Jessa’s at the door, having learned of the miracle of life within. She’s hurt that Hannah didn’t tell her and that she didn’t call her. While that’s a fine excuse, Jessa is still her friend. Hannah’s the one holding the grudge here. Adam clocked Hannah for what’s really going on — she’s still holding on. Hannah doesn’t care about Jessa anymore, so she says. And, given the way she’s comporting herself, she might actually mean it.
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“Everything that we did together happened,” Jessa says. “Whether you want to believe it or not. You can’t just erase people.”
This club appearance is going to be something else. Desi stumbles in from whatever pallet he was laying on to watch this performance. Marnie looks like she wants to die just a little bit. However! Marnie’s mom can play the guitar. She can also scat, which is upsetting more than anything else. Desi, having come down from whatever high he was on, kicks over his motorcycle and starts walking home.
At home, Elijah monologues about acting, himself, commitment, and god knows what else. Maybe something snaps in Hannah, but she walks into her room, calls the place in the Hamptons and tries to track Paul-Louis down. Instead, she watches the movie. It’s tender. It’s accurate. It’s hard to see what she’s thinking or what she’ll do about it, but I don’t see Jessa and Adam lasting for long.