To Hannah Baker:
According to Sophia Marlowe, the star of the Netflix Original show Girlboss, “Adulthood is where dreams go to die.” Hannah, I’m pretty sure that you’d agree with her. Your dreams died when circumstances forced you to grow up too early. Your life was living proof of Sophia’s mantra. You both know that life will kick you the hardest when you’re already on the ground, but you dealt with it in two very different ways. Let me explain.
The theme of youth and irresponsibility as stated by Sophia are central to the plot of this show. In fact, the rebellious and illegal behavior of Sophia almost made me want to stop watching the show. As my classmate cgv2284 explained in her essay on Girlboss: “I feel as though the creators of this show decided to take a spin at creating the protagonist, by making her someone that no one wants to like, and yet the audience still wants to know where she will go wrong next.”
This rings especially true when I contrast this show to one of my favorites, New Girl. I see Girlboss as a wanna-be version New Girl. The characters in Girlboss are nowhere near as loveable as those in New Girl, and it seems as if the plot doesn't have a ton of room to grow. Even after just watching the first episode of Girlboss, I feel as if I know a good amount about Sophia’s personality and current predicament. I am sure that the writers have made provisions to keep the show interesting throughout the season, but for now, I think I’ve received more information than necessary from the pilot episode.
A reason that I think Girlboss and New Girl are comparable is because I see a lot of similarities between the main character of both shows. I would describe both Sophia Marlowe and Jessica Day as “Manic Pixie Dream Girls”. If you’re unfamiliar with this term, it was coined by movie critic Nathan Rabin and describes “that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.” Anyone who’s seen New Girl knows that Jessica Day is the textbook definition of a manic pixie dream girl. She dresses in vintage clothing, listens to classic rock records on her record player, and goes on drunken, irresponsible adventures with various lovers in the middle of the night. Sophia Marlowe from Girlboss shares many of these qualities, but has a much more pessimistic outlook on life.
All of that finally brings me back to you, Hannah. You and Sophia both lost your hope for the future, but you responded in completely different ways. Sophia saw her life going in a direction she didn’t want it to, so she blamed the system and fought back by refusing to conform to society's rules. Hannah, you saw your life going in a direction you didn’t want it to, so you just ended it. Honestly, I don’t think either of you were completely right or wrong. It’s a tricky thing to judge. But you faced some similar struggles, and I think that if you two had been able to meet in some universe, you both might be better off because of it.
Hannah: I see how she could be similar to me. We also both made completely different choices and both of us made the best one for who we are. I made an impact from sitting down and ending things whereas she made her impact by standing up and fighting. I admire that, she must be strong. I wish I would have been able to do that, but I didn't have the will to continue. But in a way we both fought, she was just alive for it. I've also never seen Girlboss or New Girl but they do sound pretty similar to eachother. And with that I'll leave you one last thought, we may not have met yet but someday she may join me up here.
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