Comedically, this is one of Girls’ weakest episodes. Luckily, there’s a lot of good character stuff happening. Like so many of the best television shows, Girls—especially this episode—seems to be about characters’ lack of control. In “Hannah’s Diary,” none of our women are in control: Even though Hannah now has a job, her relationship is out of her control, as is her grope-y boss; Charlie gains the upper-hand in his and Marnie’s relationship; Jessa’s life is controlled by the kids she watches; and Shoshanna’s virginity is in the hands of a guy who doesn’t want it.

The episode begins with Hannah receiving a dick pic from Adam, who says it wasn’t meant for her. It’s a fine catalyst and sets her insecurity into overdrive. Perhaps this is why she allows her stereotypically Latina coworkers to draw ridiculous (and great) eyebrows on her, and perhaps this is why she shames herself by letting her boss get away with fondling her. There is no question, though, that this is why, in one of the truest scenes of the show, Hannah can’t leave Adam, and instead of backing away from his doorway ends up in his bed.

Lena Dunham seems to have a scary grasp on the workings of relationships, which is maybe why Hannah’s problem of unemployability has been glossed over in the space between this episode and the last. I’m not sure about the inclusion of a harassing boss, though, and I hope that, for the character’s sake, Hannah confronts him about it before the season’s end. But, now that her job problem is (temporarily) out of the way, we can focus on her other insecurities, as well as those of the other girls.

Shoshanna’s all about sex this episode. She bumps into a former camp acquaintance and quickly takes him back to her place, where her Sex and the City poster looms over a terrifically awkward interaction between the two of them. The way Zosia Mamet plays Shoshanna is spot on, but watching her neuroses reveal themselves in that staccato semi-Valley Girl way is cringe humor at its worst. The moment in the bedroom is especially tough, but, while well executed, strains a bit for credibility.

Jessa, meanwhile, has embraced her nannying. She evens gets on a soapbox about a nanny union until, predictably enough, her kids go missing for all of two minutes. She has a brief conversation with the father of those kids, who thinks they are kindred spirits. I’m sure they’ll fool around soon. This arc is not doing anything for this character, Horatio Sans be damned, and needs to be put to bed.

It’s nice to see Marnie’s relationship from the other side for once, and it’s great to see Charlie and Ray palling around again. Ray, who is a perfect asshole charmer, serves to provide some conflict that will probably play out for the rest of the season: He finds Hannah’s diary, and Charlie doesn’t like what she’s written. It’s a good move for a show that had been lacking any conflict between the main players, and it provides a hook for a really great closing scene. It’s going to be interesting to see how this will play out in the next few weeks.

QUOTABLES & MORE:

• Hannah’s eyebrows were a really great, consistent sight gag, and I’m glad they stayed throughout the episode.
• Was it just me, or did Adam look genuinely sad after Hannah’s speech?
• Marnie’s reaction at the end of the episode is perfectly typical of the way these characters—and most twenty-somethings—place blame on anyone but themselves.
• “I feel like I can smell it through the phone.”
• “It’s probably like his asshole wearing a friendship bracelet.”
• “I’m just a hunchy person naturally.”
• “Do you know what the weirdest part of having a job is? You have to be there. Every day. Even if you don’t feel like it.”
• “There’s no way I’m not gonna fondle some girl stuff.”
• “She’s got a face like Bridget Bardot and an ass like Rihanna.”
• “You looked like you were being fucked by a cucumber.”