American Bitch

Last updated

"American Bitch"
Girls episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 3
Directed by Richard Shepard
Written by Lena Dunham
Original air dateFebruary 26, 2017 (2017-02-26)
Guest appearances
  • Matthew Rhys as Chuck Palmer
  • Caroline Watters as Miranda Palmer
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Hostage Situation"		Next →
"Painful Evacuation"
List of Girls episodes

"American Bitch" is the third episode of the sixth season of the American television drama series Girls and the 55th episode of the series overall. It is written by Lena Dunham, and directed by Richard Shepard. It aired on the HBO channel in the United States on February 26, 2017.

Contents

The episode focuses on Hannah (Dunham), who meets with a fiction writer, Chuck Palmer (Matthew Rhys), whom she recently wrote about concerning sexual misconduct allegations made against him. Palmer invites her to his New York City apartment where they talk about her story, his life and literature while also debating the allegations swirling around him. The episode tackles fame, wealth, privilege, consent, cancel culture, and power imbalances between men and women. It's the first bottle episode since Season 2's "One Man's Trash" (2013) with Patrick Wilson.

The episode received critical acclaim with praise for the writing and the performance by Matthew Rhys who received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Due to the Academy Awards telecast, HBO made this episode available to watch on HBO Go and HBO Now ahead of Girls usual airtime of Sundays at 10 pm.

Summary

Hannah has a tense meeting with Chuck Palmer, an author she once greatly admired, about the disturbing allegations swirling around him. Together they debate the ethics of journalism, power imbalances and privilege. She notices that Palmer has a signed copy of the novel "When She Was Good" by Philip Roth. She mentions how it was rumored that the book's alternate title is "American Bitch". [1] [2] Palmer's apartment features a photo with him and Toni Morrison and a painting of Woody Allen, both prominently featured. [3] Together they share a connection and bond over literature.

After they have established a rapport, Chuck suddenly asks Hannah to sit with him on the bed, which makes Hannah uncomfortable, but she complies. He then exposes himself to her, placing his penis next to her. She is shocked, but obligatorily puts her hand on his penis to pleasure him. Hannah realizes what is happening and jumps up from the bed; Chuck smirks, having manipulated her just as he hoped.

Before she leaves the apartment his young daughter Miranda Palmer (Caroline Watters) arrives, who wants to practice her flute playing. Hannah is introduced to her and Miranda asks if she can play for them. The episode ends with Hannah watching Chuck as he admires his daughter performing Rihanna's "Desperado" on her flute. [4]

Cast

Production

Matthew Rhys won acclaim for his role as Chuck Palmer in this episode Matthew Rhys.jpg
Matthew Rhys won acclaim for his role as Chuck Palmer in this episode

Dunham said the story came about when discussing "the gray areas of power dynamics" and putting "Hannah in a scenario where she had to grapple with this intellectually". Executive producer Judd Apatow stated "what's interested in the episode is it's Palmer who thinks he's the one being used by the college students" and how the episode is about consent and how "somebody is abusing their charisma". Executive Producer Jenni Konner stated they wanted to explore the idea of what they think" and juxtaposition of the father admiring and caring for his daughter while unable to communicate with women. [5] The episode is the first since Season 2's "One Man's Trash" in 2013 to feature only Hannah's character from the main cast. It was a two hander between Dunham and Patrick Wilson. [6] The episode's director Richard Shepard told IndieWire , "The bottle episodes are extremely challenging and also extremely fun because you get to spend all this direct time with the actors and the characters..and you get to shift the cinematic style a little bit because of the nature of whatever it is. We do things that had not been done on the show before." [7]

Reception

Critical reception

The episode received critical acclaim with Caroline Framke of Vox wrote "[it] isn’t so much about Hannah as about the inherent power imbalance between younger women and older men... Dunham’s script is sharp and pithy as per usual, but maybe the smartest thing “American Bitch” did was cast Rhys [who] manages to make Chuck both menacing and pathetic." [8] Critic Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker wrote of the episode, "It’s a power game that’s a little bit David Mamet’s Oleanna , a little bit Michael Chabon’s Wonder Boys , a little bit Apatow’s Funny People with some Clouds of Sils Maria . In certain ways, it’s a classic exchange between an older artist (rich, decadent, in print) and a younger artist (poor, moralistic, online)." She added, "[It] is a cunning episode; it’s a timely one, too". [9] Amber Dowling of IndieWire , praised the structure and writing declaring, "The entire episode’s dialogue is sharp, smart and crackling; it would be possible to watch Rhys and Dunham verbally spar for hours. As the 27 minutes unroll, you see both sides of the argument" [10]

Release

Due to the Academy Awards telecast on Sunday, HBO made this episode available to watch on HBO Go and HBO Now ahead of Girls usual airtime of Sundays at 10 pm. [11] [12]

Accolades

YearAssociationCategoryNomineeResultRef.
2017 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Matthew Rhys (episode: American Bitch) Nominated [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alia Shawkat</span> American actress (born 1989)

Alia Martine Shawkat is an American actress. She is known for her performances as Maeby Fünke in the Fox/Netflix television sitcom Arrested Development, Dory Sief in the TBS and HBO Max dark comedy series Search Party (2016–2022), and Gertie Michaels in the 2015 horror-comedy film The Final Girls, as well as her roles in State of Grace and The Old Man. She has also guest starred as historical figures Frances Cleveland, Virginia Hall, and Alexander Hamilton on Comedy Central's Drunk History.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keri Russell</span> American actress (born 1976)

Keri Lynn Russell is an American actress. She played the title role in the drama series Felicity (1998–2002), which won her a Golden Globe Award, and later portrayed Elizabeth Jennings in the spy thriller series The Americans (2013–2018), which earned her nominations for several Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. For playing the title role in the political drama series The Diplomat (2023–present), she received further Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. She has also received a record seven nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series.

<i>Strangers with Candy</i> American comedy television series

Strangers with Candy is an American television sitcom created by Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello, Amy Sedaris, and Mitch Rouse that originally aired on Comedy Central from April 7, 1999, to October 2, 2000. Its timeslot was Sundays at 10:00 p.m. (ET). The series, inspired by after school specials, follows Jerri Blank (Sedaris) a 46-year-old woman, who after living as a prostitute and drug addict, decides to go back to high school and start doing things the right way. The series was produced by Comedy Partners, with Kent Alterman serving as executive producer and Colbert as co-producer.

In episodic television, a bottle episode or bottle show is an episode produced cheaply and restricted in scope to use as few regular cast members, effects and sets as possible. Bottle episodes are usually shot on sets built for other episodes, frequently the main interior sets for a series, and consist largely of dialogue and scenes for which no special preparations are needed. They are commonly used when one script has fallen through and another has to be written at short notice, or because of budgetary constraints. Bottle episodes have also been used for dramatic effect, with the limited setting and cast allowing for a slower pace and deeper exploration of character traits and motives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Starr</span> American actor (born 1982)

Martin James Pflieger Schienle, known professionally as Martin Starr, is an American actor. He is known for the television roles of Bill Haverchuck on the comedy drama Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), Roman DeBeers on the comedy series Party Down, Bertram Gilfoyle on the HBO series Silicon Valley (2014–2019), for his film roles in Knocked Up (2007) and Adventureland (2009), and as Roger Harrington in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films The Incredible Hulk (2008), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Glaser</span> American actor

Jon Glaser is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his work as a writer and sketch performer for many years on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, creating and starring in the Adult Swim series Delocated and Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter as well as the truTV series Jon Glaser Loves Gear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lena Dunham</span> American writer and actress (born 1986)

Lena Dunham is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series Girls (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe Awards. Dunham also directed several episodes of Girls and became the first woman to win the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series. She started her career writing, directing, and starring in her semi-autobiographical independent film Tiny Furniture (2010), for which she won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. She has since written and directed the 2022 films Sharp Stick and Catherine Called Birdy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taissa Farmiga</span> American actress (born 1994)

Taissa Farmiga is an American actress. Her numerous appearances in horror films have established her as a scream queen, alongside her older sister Vera Farmiga.

Girls is an American comedy-drama television series created by and starring Lena Dunham, executive-produced by Judd Apatow. The series depicts four young women living in New York City. The show's premise was drawn from Dunham's own life, as were major aspects of the main character, including financial isolation from her parents, becoming a writer, and making unfortunate decisions. The series is known for its post-feminist commentary and conversation around body politics and female sexual subjecthood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allison Williams</span> American actress (born 1988)

Allison Howell Williams is an American actress. For her work in horror films, she has been deemed a scream queen by some in the media. She first became known for starring as Marnie Michaels in the HBO comedy-drama series Girls (2012–2017), which earned her a Critics' Choice Award nomination. Her breakthrough came with the role of Rose Armitage in the horror film Get Out (2017), which earned her nominations from the MTV Movie Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards among other accolades. She went on to star in the horror films The Perfection (2018) and M3GAN (2022), the latter of which she also executive produced. Her latest on-screen appearance was for the role of Lucy Smith in Showtime's Peabody Award-winning miniseries Fellow Travelers (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jemima Kirke</span> British-American actress (born 1985)

Jemima Kirke is a British-American artist, actress and director. She gained international acclaim through her role as Jessa Johansson in the 2012 HBO series Girls. She made her film debut in the 2005 indie short Smile for the Camera and her feature-length debut in Tiny Furniture (2010), as a favour for her childhood friend Lena Dunham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desiree Akhavan</span> American film director, producer, screenwriter and actress

Desiree Akhavan (Persian: دزیره اخوان, born December 27, 1984) is an American filmmaker, writer and actress. She is best known for her 2014 feature film debut Appropriate Behavior, and her 2018 film The Miseducation of Cameron Post. She appeared in the found footage horror film Creep 2.

<i>The Deuce</i> (TV series) American drama television series

The Deuce is an American drama television series created by David Simon and George Pelecanos, set in New York City during the 1970s and 1980s. It is broadcast by HBO in the United States and premiered on September 10, 2017. HBO made the pilot available through its streaming services and affiliates on August 25, 2017.

Jennifer A. Konner is an American television writer, producer, and director. She is best known as co-showrunner and writer with Lena Dunham of the HBO series Girls. In 2016, she directed the season finale of the fifth season of Girls entitled "I Love You Baby" and in 2017, she directed the episode "Latching," which served as the series finale; both episodes were co-written by Judd Apatow, Dunham and Konner.

Lenny Letter, also known as Lenny, was a weekly online feminist newsletter created by Lena Dunham and Jennifer Konner. Lenny also had a book imprint called Lenny Books on Random House. It was shut down in October 2018.

<i>Girls</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American comedy-drama television series Girls premiered on HBO on April 15, 2012, and consisted on 10 episodes, concluding on June 17, 2012. The series was created by Lena Dunham, who portrays the lead character, who based the premise and central aspects of the show on her personal life. It was produced by Apatow Productions, I Am Jenni Konnor Productions and HBO productions.

<i>Camping</i> (American TV series) 2018 American comedy television series

Camping is an American comedy television series, based on the British television series of the same name created by Julia Davis, that premiered on October 14, 2018, on HBO. The series was created by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner and stars an ensemble cast including Jennifer Garner, David Tennant, Juliette Lewis, Ione Skye, Chris Sullivan, Cheyenne Haynes, Arturo Del Puerto, Janicza Bravo, and Brett Gelman.

Euphoria is an American teen drama television series created and principally written by Sam Levinson for HBO. It is based on the Israeli miniseries of the same name created by Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin. The series stars an ensemble cast of Zendaya, Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Storm Reid, Hunter Schafer, Algee Smith, Sydney Sweeney, Colman Domingo, Javon "Wanna" Walton, Austin Abrams and Dominic Fike in main roles. The series follows Rue Bennett (Zendaya), a troubled teenage drug addict who struggles to get sober, find her place in the world, and adjust to her relationships after rehab. Though Rue is the central focus of the show, the beginning of most episodes provides backstories for the rest of the main characters.

References

  1. ↑ "Girls: "American Bitch" Is One of the Series' Best Episodes". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  2. ↑ "On 'Girls,' Hannah Has a Strange Encounter With a Dubious Writer". Tablet. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Girls recap: 'American Bitch'". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  4. ↑ "FILM NOTES: RIHANNA'S "DESPERADO" SPARKS A PROVOCATIVE MOMENT IN HBO'S 'GIRLS'". Atwood Magazine. May 17, 2017. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Girls Season 6 Episode 3: Inside the Episode (HBO)". YouTube. February 26, 2017. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  6. ↑ "HBO's Girls: A Comparison of Two Key Bottle Episodes". Vulture. February 24, 2017. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  7. ↑ "'Girls' Director Richard Shepard on What the Final Shot of 'American Bitch' Means and Getting Matthew Rhys to Do… That". IndieWire. February 24, 2017. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  8. ↑ ""American Bitch" is one of Girls' most challenging episodes to date". Vox. February 25, 2017. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  9. ↑ Nussbaum, Emily (February 27, 2017). "The Cunning "American Bitch" Episode of "Girls"". The New Yorker . Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  10. ↑ "'Girls' Review: Lena Dunham and Matthew Rhys Battle Over Consent in 'American Bitch'". IndieWire . February 24, 2017. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  11. ↑ ""American Bitch" Is A Great Episode Of TV. But Was It A Great Episode Of 'Girls'?". Uproxx. February 24, 2017. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  12. ↑ "'Girls' Director Richard Shepard on What the Final Shot of 'American Bitch' Means and Getting Matthew Rhys to Do… That". IndieWire. February 24, 2017. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Girls - Emmy Awards, Nominations, and Wins". Television Academy. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.