It's the end of an era, my friends. The final season of Girls is here, which means you only have 10 more episodes to watch the antics of Hannah, Marnie, Shoshanna, and Jessa. To prepare for this emotional farewell, you'll want to remember everything that happened during Season 5 of Girls before you embark on the sixth and final season. As per usual, hilarious and cringe-inducing dysfunction reigned supreme, but the girls and boys in Girls Season 5 actually took some steps forward in the last season — even if they took a few steps back in the process.
Season 5 had the titular girls more apart than ever with Hannah, Marnie, Shoshanna, and Jessa very much doing their own things. Hannah's parents were still in the mix and fairly prominent, as were the guys Adam, Ray, Desi, and Elijah. As this Girls Season 5 recap will show, most of the characters fumbled their way through love, but the girls also experienced some career highs — or at least, realized the career paths they want to be on. While the foursome will surely not have everything figured out when the series comes to an end with Season 6, Season 5 set up the girls to experience some forward motion to enter into adulthood.
If you're upset that the gang's story will be over before you know it, extend the ending of Girls as long as possible by reliving Season 5 with this recap before Season 6 premieres on Sunday, Feb. 12.
Marnie Got Married ... Then Separated
The first episode of Season 5 centered around Marnie's wedding to Desi and brought all four main characters together. While you might not have believed that Marnie and Desi would go through with it, they did actually get married. Yet, their domestic bliss was short-lived with Marnie ending the marriage before Season 5 even ended.
Jessa & Adam Got Together
While at Marnie and Desi's wedding, Adam kissed Jessa and their relationship developed slowly from there. These two had a genuinely compatible connection, but Jessa — who decided to go back to school to become a therapist — had to deal with the guilt of sleeping with one of her best friends' exes. The season ended with them having an explosive fight over it, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the road for these two.
Shoshanna Thrived In Japan
When everyone else was in New York, Shoshanna was working in Japan at her job for Abigail and loving the Japanese culture. Despite the fact that she kind of had a boyfriend back in the states (Jason Ritter's Scott), she engaged in a romance with her boss Yoshi. Yet, once Aidy Bryant's Abigail came to Japan and fired Shosh, she had to very reluctantly return to America. Sayonara, Shoshanna in Japan!
Hannah & Fran Dated ... Then Broke Up
After Season 4, Hannah was still in a relationship with the seemingly normal school teacher Fran. They dated for longer than expected — especially after Hannah found nude photos of Fran's ex on his phone — but their relationship never made sense. They broke up on a summer road trip and when Ray came to rescue an abandoned Hannah, she tried to give him a blow job. Thankfully, Hannah and Fran's breakup didn't mean that Hannah and Ray started dating.
Marnie & Charlie Reunited
Don't call it a comeback, but Marnie's boyfriend Charlie returned to Girls for one episode in Season 5 after Christopher Abbott left the show following Season 2. Charlie changed a lot since we last saw him as he was now a drug dealer and Marnie's crazy night with her ex inspired her to leave her husband and musical partner (and worst person ever) Desi.
Elijah Fell In Love ... Then Got His Heart Broken
Elijah had his first adult relationship with TV personality Dill Harcourt (guest star Corey Stoll — be still my heart!) in Season 5. Unfortunately, while it was serious for Elijah, it was much less so for Dill and he ended things with Hannah's roommate. At least Hannah's parents were there for Elijah during this rough time.
Shoshanna Helped Ray's Struggling Business
While Shoshanna was depressed to come back to the U.S. after her time in Japan, she put her energy to good use by focusing her energy into helping Ray's struggling coffee shop. She even shared a sweet moment with Ray's kind-of boss Hermie (Colin Quinn).
Marnie & Ray Got Back Together
Toward the end of the season, Ray was distracted from his floundering coffee shop, thanks to Marnie. After Marnie had a sex dream about Ray, the two got back together. Yet, at the same time, Marnie got a big break in her music career and had to continue working with Desi. As she prepared to go on tour with her ex, Desi's love interest Tandice Moncrief (Lisa Bonet) infuriated Marnie, leading her to invite Ray to join her on tour, which he (of course) agreed to. C'mon Ray, you can do better!
Hannah Performed At The Moth
After spending most of the season as a teacher — even after channeling Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct with the principal — Hannah decided to leave education and go back to her roots as a writer. A chance encounter with her former nemesis Tally Schifrin (Jenny Slate) and the hurt she felt over finding out that Jessa and Adam were dating actually led to a breakthrough in her writing. She used Jessa and Adam as inspiration for a story that she told at one of The Moth's live storytelling events during the season finale in a successful moment for this main girl.
Season 5 left the girls each living their own lives, but Season 6 will bring them together one last time as they navigate what it means to go from girls to women. And though it will be bittersweet, we all have to grow up (at least a little bit) someday.
