While the opening of Season 5 of Girls celebrated the love of Marnie and Desi, it also brought together another couple... of friends. At least, they're friends for now. Jessa and Adam's relationship on Girls blossomed over the course of Season 4, and now Season 5 is exploring an entirely new chapter of their friendship. The two characters have their demons — actually, they share a lot of the same challenges, which is what initially brought them together — but it is obvious that they tend to be the best versions of themselves when they're together, giving me hope that an Adam and Jessa relationship could actually work.
In the second episode of Season 5, Adam wants his friendship with Jessa to continue, despite her efforts to ditch him after they "run into" each other at an AA meeting. The incredibly enthusiastic Adam begs Jessa to hang out with him, and while she is initially very against the idea, she eventually caves and spends the day with him. She makes it abundantly clear that she's done being "sh*tty" and doesn't want to hurt Hannah by pursuing a relationship with Adam, something he seems to understand but not actually want to follow through with. His remedy to the issue at hand is asking Jessa if they can be together but not touch each other, leading to a very sexual — yet, no touching involved — scene where they masturbate next to each other.
I understand where Jessa is coming from in her approach to not want to dive into a relationship with Adam. There are many reasons Jessa and Adam probably shouldn't get together. But, there are also reasons that these two work. They challenge each other's weaknesses (see: when Adam told Jessa he wasn't going to put up with her behavior in Season 4), they also share a similar past with addiction, and they don't ask the other to be anything they're not.
Then there's the dating-an-ex-boyfriend-of-a-friend thing. That rarely works out, whether it be on a TV show or in real life. So, Jessa's reservations are fair. Considering that Jessa has recently adopted a new approach to life, found a career she's passionate about, and truly seems set on doing good, a relationship that could jeopardize her friendship with Hannah seems unappealing, at best. But, I'm not sure if that's enough for it to not actually happen.
Out of all the relationships on Girls , the Jessa and Adam relationship seems to make the most sense. They see through each other's bull and don't hold the other to unattainable standards. They know the other's warts and accept them. So, why shouldn't these two get together? "Because Hannah will be mad" is not an excuse.
Images: Mark Schafer/HBO; Giphy
