Beyond the friendships Hannah had with the other three girls, there was always the relationship that her character had with where she lived. When Hannah decided to move away from New York City on Girls, the series found a way for her to also reunite with the core group who helped give the HBO series its name. After Shoshanna ignored Hannah's phone calls, Hannah stumbled upon Shoshanna's engagement party and although Shosh seemed finished with these girls who were an important part of her life in earlier seasons, at least the party brought all of the women together — particularly, Hannah and Jessa — one last time before Hannah left New York City.
It's never easy to say goodbye to the people or places you love, but the episode "Goodbye Tour" was definitely an example of the bittersweetness of it all. Girls' identity is so intertwined with its setting of New York City, so it was only right that Hannah decided to take a job upstate and leave Brooklyn before the series is over, as she did in the April 9 episode. But as Hannah was trying to connect with her friends before leaving the city, she discovered that Shoshanna is engaged and didn't invite her to her engagement party. At least Hannah unintentionally crashing the party led to Hannah and Jessa bonding.
As with all goodbyes, "Goodbye Tour" left me with complicated feelings. While it was hard to accept that Hannah is leaving her beloved city, any person with a brain understood she needed to accept the job for the well-being of her baby. However, Hannah leaving New York City was easier to accept than coming to the full realization that Hannah, Marnie, Jessa, and Shoshanna are no longer the friends they were to each other in Season 1. Ignoring the fact that I find it completely silly that Shosh needed to be engaged to drive this point home, it was effective because it proved just how disconnected these women have become.
If you have been anxiously awaiting the girls to be in the same room (specifically, the same bathroom) since seeing the promos for the final season of Girls, you may have been sorely disappointed by what the April 9 episode provided. Sure, Jessa and Hannah finally made amends in "Goodbye Tour," but the friendship they all once shared changed drastically. Shosh wanted nothing to do with their selfish antics in the bathroom, which allowed Jessa and Hannah to bond over their inherent similarities, but the friendship that was the heart of the series has evaporated. It was a hard pill to swallow and even harder knowing that there is only one episode left of Girls. That means, the status these girls are in now doesn't have much space to improve.
Although it was necessary to see all four girls of Girls reunited in the penultimate episode of the series, it was a harsh reminder that this series is coming to a close and that viewers will no longer see updates on what these characters are doing week after week. "Goodbye Tour" was also a powerful example that these characters are separate people and have grown apart. They've shared so much together over the past six seasons, but now is a time when their lives are taking them down different paths and they need to do what's best for themselves as individuals. Yet, what Lena Dunham managed to do in "Goodbye Tour" was show that, as Hannah got ready to move away, she could also connect with these people who had meant so much to her before. Because even if their relationships have changed significantly, at least Girls displayed that the connections that formed you as a person will always be a safe place for you to return to — just like your home.
