Cheers for TV's First Totally NBD Abortion, Courtesy of Sunday Night's 'Girls'

By Courtney Enlow | TV | February 24, 2015 |

By Courtney Enlow | TV | February 24, 2015 |

Sunday night on Girls while we were watching the Oscars (RIGHT? YOU WERE WATCHING THE OSCARS AND PARTICIPATING IN MY LIVEBLOG, RIGHT? YOU KNOW I NEED VALIDATION AND APPROVAL), Adam’s new girlfriend Mimi-Rose, played ever so perfectly by Gillian Jacobs, did the previously unthinkable: she had an abortion and it was NO BIG DEAL. Like, no thang at all. Like, it was fine.

This is a mindblowing occurrence. Abortions on television, rare unicorns that they are, are always a Thing. A Big Thing. A Crying, Handwringing, Life-Defining and all-too usually Relationship-Defining Thing (fictional abortions can very VERY rarely be just about the woman having it). And this was not. This was no big deal with a capital NBD.

That’s kind of amazing.

The decision wasn’t in any way about Adam, so naturally, Adam had to make it about him because Adam is a garbage person at all times. He’s so used to Hannah’s paralyzing neediness, that he’s not able to function without it and Mimi-Rose doesn’t need one goddamn thing except pajamas. He screamed at her while she was totally calm and had to talk to him like the babychild he is.

Should Mimi-Rose have talked to Adam before her abortion? Eeeee-ehhhh-uhhh not for me to say. Should she have maybe told him with a bit more tact? Maybe. But Adam’s reaction wasn’t about the abortion, and it certainly wasn’t about any desire to have a child. He just wanted to be needed, to be in charge of something like he was with Hannah.

So, here’s to Girls and Mimi-Rose. Making TV history in the strangest, most refreshing way. Maybe it wasn’t a completely realistic depiction—but maybe there isn’t one completely realistic depiction of this particular, massively personal life event. Maybe that’s the point.