Hannah and Jessa enjoying an unusual dinner during a road trip.

Road trips are generally hijinx-laden and hilarious. This week, Hannah and Jessa’s road trip was one of these things (hijinx aplenty) and the occasionally the other too. What it was most was a glimpse into why Jessa is Jessa, as we travelled with her and Hannah to visit her father, his girlfriend Petula, Petula’s son Frank and their pet/dinner rabbits. It was also a convenient way to deal with the fact that real life Jessa, actress Jemima Khan, is pregnant and GIRLS was having a lot of trouble hiding it. There are only so many baggy shirts and tent-like caftans a gal can wear, you know.

Since this week we only see Hannah and Jessa on their adventure, we’ll break the episode down a little differently, by waiting, visiting and leaving.
Waiting Hannah and Jessa are waiting at the Manitou train station for Jessa’s dad to pick them up. While some people would be traumatized by always having to wait for their parents (and by apparently being molested while doing so) Jessa has developed a thick skin to protect against being hurt by their apparent disinterest in her. One of her defining characteristics is her fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants nature, as evidenced by her quickie marriage and even quicker divorce, but some of her darker demons (like the heroin addiction she mentioned, and her compulsive need for male attention) become more understandable through this small piece of knowledge about her childhood. When Hannah complains about Mr. Johannson’s lateness, Jessa mocks her for how uncool it is that that bothers her. She does appreciate Hannah coming with though. Her dad wants her to meet his girlfriend Petula, who he doesn’t remember she has met twice before, and who is not the same as the previous girlfriend whom he had a five year-old daughter with. Where is said five year-old now? No one speaks to her, answers Jessa, wondering idly if her name is still Lemon. Here is another hint to the riddle that is Jessa. Her father’s relationships have been fleeting. It is also interesting that he has another daughter whom he seems disinterested in – this conversation was likely had before, with someone speaking about five year-old Jessa herself. Still confused by the mysteries of texting (although she has at least upgraded her vocabulary as she used to call them “word alerts”) Jessa is coming for this visit because she got a text from her father of random letters, which she took to be a symbolic indication he had something to tell her. When Hannah has the gall to suggest it could have been an accidental “butt text” Jessa furious at her, but not without awareness crossing her face that this is actually the likely explanation.
Click through for the full recap…
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