I just thought I'd point you guys to this new interview with Lena Dunham regarding the return of her hit HBO series Girls, and its so-called *race problem,* which she's now apparently *addressed* by the casting of hipster Donald Glover as her black Republican love interest.

I recall the comments that followed the post anouncing Glover's role in the series (earlier this week), and the questions wondering why Glover had to be a black Republican, as well as how his political leanings would be worked into the narrative, and whether his addition really is meant to address the *race problem,* and even it is, whether it actually will, and if this will turn more black viewers onto the show… and more…

Well, I think Lena replies in the Q&A below with New York magazine's Vulture, speak to some of those questions some of you had.

Read on…

V: I want to start with the fourth scene of the entire season, which is you, topless …

LD: … on top of Donald Glover.

V: Having sex.

LD: Yes.

Alright, so the 4th scene of this Sunday night's episode (at least that's how I read it) when the series returns, will show her topless, on-top of Donald Glover, having sex.

Got it? Good. Just wanted to make sure you didn't miss that part.

Ok, continuing on with the interview…

V: Which is pretty much a summary of every single thing that people complained about in season one. How conscious was that?

LD: We always wanted to work with Donald — he’s the cutest and the funniest, and why would you not want to kiss him on TV? But I think that when we shot that scene, there was both a feeling that it was the appropriate place for the character to be and a sense that it would, for people who had been paying attention to the backlash, at least evoke some sense that we were in a dialogue with our audience. It definitely wasn’t a “Fuck you, haters!” That’s not really how I tend to roll my game. But at the same time, it was a pretty clear statement that we are comfortable, that there isn’t a political agenda against having black characters in the show.

Alright… so, essentially, our intro to Mr Black Republican, as well as to take on the *race problem* backlash head-on, is to get all up in your face, like BOOM! There it is! Now what you got to say?

Ok, back to the interview…

V: Why make him a Republican?

LD: We liked the idea of a Republican entering their universe. And Hannah doesn’t really have a clear sense of why you shouldn’t date a Republican; it’s kind of just like the same reason why you shouldn’t date a Nazi: You just shouldn’t.

Alright, so, if I'm reading that correctly, she just made a comparison between Republicans and Nazis. I'm sure the Republicans who do watch her show,will just love that! But Hannah is apparently clueless as to why she shouldn't be with this guy, but she's into him (or is it the other way around), and that's cool enough for her, I suppose.

V: Wait, so your position is that you shouldn’t date a Republican?

LD: My personal position is that you should date anyone you want so long as they treat you respectfully and share your value system. So it might be hard for me to date someone who was against gay marriage and abortion rights — I don’t think I would be attracted to them — but I don’t have any personal problem with dating a Republican. I do think that Hannah has this reverse ignorance where she’s like, If they’re Republican, get them out of my airspace, and that was a fun thought to explore.

Ok, so I assume conflict will arise from the fact that Hannah doesn't exactly care for Republicans, but she finds herself dating one anyway, which the series will apparently explore somewhat.

Although that doesn't really address the "black" part of his being a Republican, which I think comes with its own brand of experiences, especially when compared to a white Repulican (facing racism from whites within your own party – especially from the extreme right – while also facing harsh criticism from blacks who are majority Democrats). And I wonder if any of that will be tackled, and how that will affect their relationship, or worked into the story.

Anyway, there you have it… feel free to jump in with your own thoughts.

Girls returns to HBO this Sunday night. And I actually just might check it out this time, if only out of curiousity, and also so that I can talk sensibly about Donald Glover's addition. So, maybe we could say, "mission accomplished" on her part???