'Girls' Ended On A Hopeful Note

Girls ended its six-year run with an episode that saw Hannah finally take that last step towards independence. The episode was focused on her struggle to get her infant son Grover to latch while breastfeeding, which was difficult and stressful for her — and more stressful the less successful she was. It took a random altercation with a teenage girl to give Hannah a final push towards maturity as she realized just what motherhood meant, and particularly what it meant for her. And Hannah's ending on the Girls series finale made it clear that everything was going to be OK. She was going to be able to make it work on her own with her son.

It was evident throughout the episode that Hannah loved her baby, but she was still struggling to connect with him and adjust to her new life. She was frustrated and tired and still figuring things out — all of which were totally understandable reactions to have to the major change in her life. A series of little fights (first with Marnie, then with Loreen) sent Hannah angrily storming off into the night, where she came across someone else in a similar state. That someone else was a shoe-less, pants-less teenage girl who needed someone to listen to her for just a moment. Hannah was up for the job.

Hannah was initially sympathetic to the girl, whom she thought was in serious danger. But when she realized that the girl had raced out of her home in the middle of the night half-dressed because she didn't want to do her math homework, Hannah snapped. She served that girl some hard truths about how much her mother loved her and cared for her, as well as how much she had given up just to make sure her daughter was cared for. That seemed to spark a realization for Hannah herself, or at least gave her an outlet for unleashing all her aggravation.

Hannah was able to return home calm and ready to take on the challenges of her new life. When Grover started crying, Hannah went upstairs to try and feed him. It took a moment, but he latched; the episode ended quietly, with Hannah feeding her son while she murmured endearments to him and sang a little. It was a very small, very personal moment for Hannah that nevertheless held a lot of significance. It showed just how much she had grown. The Hannah of Season 1 might have been too overwhelmed to handle things, but now Hannah can calmly find her own way out of a tough situation.

Finally, Hannah was truly prepared to start the next chapter of her life. And it was going to be alright.