In Its Final Season, 'Girls' Isn't Concerned About Wrapping Things Up

It's rare for a TV show to reinvent itself, or rejuvenate itself, deep into its run. For Lena Dunham's "Girls," its penultimate season was something of an awakening and the fifth season turned out to be the series' best effort since its 2012 debut.

In Season 5, Dunham and Co., which includes executive producers Jenni Konner and Judd Apatow, took big risks that came with bigger payoffs. Experimenting with location and form, "Girls" Season 5 gave us the best episode of TV in 2016: "The Panic in Central Park" - a bottle episode where Marnie (Allison Williams) reunites with her ex-fianc� Charlie (Christopher Abbott) for a dramatic night in New York City, revealing devastating truths about both characters. On top of the shockingly emotional episode, Season 5 was full of truly moving moments and unexpected character developments, like the evolving relationship between Adam (Adam Driver) and Jessa (Jemima Kirke), Shoshanna's (Zosia Mamet) career struggle in Japan, Marnie's marital collapse, and Hannah inching closer to becoming a full-fledged adult.

In its sixth and final season, which airs on HBO beginning Feb. 12 at 10 p.m., Dunham and her collaborators aren't interested in wrapping things up, or coming to a narrative conclusion for Hannah and the cast of friends and acquaintances that orbit her quirky, self-involved ego. Instead, the producers double-down on pushing the boundaries of TV-making and what "Girls" actually is.

Though "Girls" was often compared to "Sex and the City" early in its run, the show made a deliberate effort over the years to tell viewers Hannah, Marnie, Jessa and Shosh are not Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte. It's unlikely we'll get a clean and satisfying ending a la "SATC" and it's safe to assume we won't see the "Girls" foursome reuniting over brunch, giggling and reminiscing about old times.

That Dunham and Konner don't have an end point in sight allows the duo to take "Girls" anywhere they want. In Season 6, "Girls" isn't tied down by plot and is free from narrative constrictions, giving the showrunners the freedom to tackle and explore issues they find important.

The first three episodes that were made available to critics are all dramatically different in structure, tone and ambition. Though they don't feel like they're part of a final season - they could have popped up almost anywhere in the series - they are quite enjoyable and showcase the extreme ways in which Dunham and Konner are willing to take "Girls."

The first episode of the final season, "All I Ever Wanted," picks up not long after the Season 5 finale. Hannah is riding the wave of success that started with her essay reading at The Month. After being published in the New York Times, Hannah is hired by another outlet to write an expos� on rich East Hampton women who ridiculously indulge in surf culture. There, she meets a surf instructor played by the unstoppable Riz Ahmed. Coming off a string of fantastic performances ("The Night Of," "Rogue One" and "The OA"), Ahmed takes on another challenging role, playing a bro-y, #YOLO-ing, go-with-the-flow surfer, who strikes up an unexpected romance with Hannah.

"Girls" isn't afraid to jump into sitcom/rom com territory and the 42-minute premiere explores the ebbs and flows of Hannah's new relationship with Ahmed's complex surfer; he's caring and tender, freestyle raps at house parties and aloof all at once. Most of the episode is focused on Hannah (side note: this episode also serves as a reminder that Dunham is an excellent actor), her neurosis and her budding romance with her new surfer friend. But there's plenty of time to take a look at what the rest of the gang is up to, most notably Marnie's odd relationship with Ray (the always-excellent Alex Karpovsky).

It's with the second episode, the strongest of the trio, where Dunham once again goes for it. In "Hostage Situation," Dunham, who gets directing and writing credits, creates what is essentially the "Girls" version of a B-horror flick. It begins with Hannah traveling upstate New York with Marnie and her quasi ex-husband/band mate Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). At a pit stop, Hannah meets a beautiful soothsayer who runs an antique shop. ("I have never felt such a profound need to Instagram a stranger," Hannah tells her at one point.) She gives Hannah an impromptu fortune reading before gifting her a symbolic tea set. The story then gets completely bonkers when Hannah and the dysfunctional Marnie and Desi stay in an isolated cabin they rented in Poughkeepsie. Marnie discovers a dark secret Desi has been hiding and the faux couple passionately argue, eventually dragging Hannah into matters.

The fight escalates with Desi loosing his mind, becoming extremely erratic and violent. Dunham subverts horror tropes, turning the Final Girl into the hero, resulting in a truly hilarious scene of chaos and girl power.

The episode's B-plot is just as horrifying. Sosh takes Hannah's GBFF/roommate Elijah (Andrew Rannells) to a mixer for young businesswomen, which turns out to be a total nightmare. Jessa catches wind of the event and invites herself along, much to Sosh's chagrin. The two cousins have a huge blowout, with Sosh blaming Jessa for her undesirable career status.

The third episode, "American Bitch," is a bottle episode solely focused on Hannah as she visits Chuck Palmer, an author she greatly admires and respects, played by Matthew Rhys ("The Americans"). The episode will surely launch a thousand think pieces as it rivals one of the best (bottle) episodes of "Girls": Season 2's "One Man's Trash," which guest starred the terrific Patrick Wilson.

After writing a blog piece about Chuck, who has been accused of sexual assault from a number of women, the author invites Hannah to his home to confront her about the post. This two-hander finds Dunham vocalizing and critiquing a number of hot-button issues, like what it means to be a fan of an artist with problematic history (like a Woody Allen or a Bill Cosby), and how some in society are quick to defend the artist and blame their victims, who are usually women. It's a fascinating episode, allowing Dunham to stretch her talents as an actress, a writer and an activist.

With the "Girls" awakening, the last two seasons of the series are confident, bold and restlessly funny. Having seen just three out of the 10-episode final season, it's hard to tell how Dunham and her team will end the last chapter of "Girls," which has undeniably become one of the most important dramedies of the last decade. But Season 6 is in the hands of very capable showrunners and the final season of "Girls" is off to a brilliant start.