Groverdox

So I just watched the first episode of Lena Dunham's new show, "Too Much". It was okay.

Dunham herself has perhaps aged out of playing the main role herself, which is why she has given the role to Megan Stalter? The protagonist is very similar to Hannah Horvath from "Girls".

In fact, all the characters are similar to the ones from that show. They talk in that constant quipping, self-referential, wise cracking manner, like Groucho Marx on Valium. They're not as interesting as the characters on "Girls", though. Hannah just felt like a real character. So did Jessa and Adam.

I could never forget the scene in "Girls" where Hannah is hired at a new job, and makes a joke about the guy who just hired her being a potential rapist, and has the job offer rescinded immediately. She is so in love with her own wit she just cannot resist sharing it, even at completely inappropriate moments.

I also loved the detail that the only character in the show obsessed with "Sex and the City" is the one who is a virgin. Stuff like this just felt right, like details from a creator with a keen eye for modern day foibles.

There's nothing like that here. The show seems to be playing it safe.

Dunham has recently criticised society as being "deeply fatphobic and misogynistic". If this is so it makes you wonder how the same society allowed an overweight woman like her to become rich and famous.

In fact, "Too Much" might spur more people to ask this question. The question of why this show was made isn't answered in this first episode. It seems to be running on fumes left over from "Girls", and that's been a long time over for a while now.

For some reason, episodes of "Gangs of London" seem to be cut differently if you're watching them in different places. Are they longer in the UK or US?

IMDB's description of what happens in episode five is what happens in episode six here in Australia.

Anyway, for us this fifth episode was about a group of thieves hitting a Wallace-owned jewellery store, Sean Wallace trying to mend the rift between himself and the Dumanis, and a meeting with Luan that turns deadly when a sniper starts shooting people.

The first person gets his head almost completely blown off, nothing left but his chin, but then other shots from the same gun don't seem to do anywhere near as much damage.

It also features one of the most memorable scenes from the show, when Marian tries to take the Dumani grandson away from a distressing situation in her home, and first takes him into a room with Billy shooting up, and then takes him into another room where it looked like an orgy was going on?

It's a pretty good episode.

Oh, and I forgot to add that this is the episode where undercover cop Elliott comes home and finds Ed Dumani, right-hand-man of the criminal organisation he has infiltrated, talking with his father. That's a great moment, really chilling.