'Girls' May Have One Final Lesson To Teach Hannah

The time for the Girls series finale is almost upon us and, frankly, saying goodbye is going to suck so hard. After six long years, how will Girls end? It's the biggest question remaining for a show that's constantly asking questions about life, love, friendship, and whether or not we know just how many people poop on the streets of NYC. Before we look at what will most likely happen during the series' final episode ever, let's just quickly go back through what's happened so far in Season 6. Considering there were only 10 episodes this season, there's not too much to digest, but hey, a trip down the Girls memory lane never hurts. Plus, it adds context to my final episode predictions.

At the beginning of the season, we saw Hannah actually in the thick of a career high. Her Modern Love piece for the New York Times was a hit. While it meant she had to take down her bestie Jessa and former boyfriend Adam in the process, she considered this a win. That popular article led to her fateful trip to the Hamptons, where she met surf instructor and future baby daddy, Paul-Louis. After that trip, Hannah got taken for quite literally the ride from hell: a jaunt to Poughkeepsie with Desi and Marnie. It was here that we got our first glimpses of Hannah being a real grown-up. Mediating between two adults in the midst of a meltdown put Hannah in the hot seat. Marnie also came to grips with the fact that her relationship with Desi was built on a serious lie (that he was a drug addict), beginning her process of reckoning with her relationships with men.

Then came "American B*tch." This capsule episode saw Hannah confronting toxic masculinity incarnate in the form of (fictional) famed novelist Chuck Palmer, who was rumored to have sexually assaulted multiple underage women. The allegations formed the basis of another successful piece written by Hannah. Chuck then invites Hannah over to his place for an afternoon of conversation and confrontation.

While Hannah spends a majority of the season preparing for the birth of her child, which she intends to keep and raise on her own, the other Girls characters were meandering with minor forward movements. Jessa and Adam made a film about Adam's relationship with Hannah, leading to minor jealousy from Jessa about whether or not Adam was truly over her. She quits school, where she had been toying with becoming a counselor.

Shoshanna was largely absent for the season. After the fateful young professional women's mixer where she caught of glimpse of the kind of future she could have, she effectively dropped out of the group to build her career, occasionally counsel Ray, and then she got engaged. Marnie, meanwhile, officially broke things off with Ray and Desi. Facing eviction and the prospect of moving back to New Jersey with her mom, she finally began taking responsibility for her actions. It looks like learning to be alone and sorting out new career options is the name of Marnie's game.

We've already said goodbye to pretty much everyone in Girls with the exception of Hannah, Marnie, and Hannah's mom, Loreen. They all appear in the promo and stills for the series finale. The name of the episode, "Latching," indicates a few things. The first meaning is pretty straightforward: Hannah and Marnie are latching onto the future. It's up to them, now, to really dive into their late 20s and all that the road ahead has in store for them.

"Latching" also likely refers to breastfeeding, which means that Hannah may have given birth to her son by the time the finale happens. As the stills from the episode show, Hannah no longer appears pregnant and her mom appears to have moved in with her to help her adjust to life as a new mom. In this second reading, Hannah might be having difficulty making that adjustment, or perhaps more literally having trouble getting her son to latch onto her breast when she tries to feed him. If true, it could become a source of frustration for Hannah and add to the whirlwind of motherhood.

Regardless, fans know that Hannah and Marnie are going to be OK. No matter which way Girls goes, it is my gut instinct that the show is setting us up to feel comfortable knowing they'll be OK. With the title of the finale indicating that there may be some struggle adjusting to this newer, more grown-up phase, it looks like Girls may have one final lesson to teach two of its protagonists.