I don't really know what to say about how I feel about this show. I know I'm not supposed to like it, it glamorizes prostitution, which is OMG! ILLEGAL (scandalous too, natch) but then I ask myself questions like, "If she wasn't getting paid would it be okay? Is my objection that she's a whore? That she's a whore that doesn't suffer consequences for being a whore?
Well, she actually does suffer consequences, but I'm not so sure that those consequences are occupation based. Frankly, this dual personage, Hannah/Belle, she's kinda screwed up. Major intimacy issues. Loves Ben (guy in the darker suit above) but can't seem to put together 24 straight hours of not fighting with him. Keeps falling for other inappropriate guys, like Harry, the vice cop that loves to mix business with pleasure.
Meanwhile, Belle's former madam Stephanie is in jail and Belle has been hoodwinked into not only keeping her daughter Poppy outta trouble during the incarceration but also covering up the nature of her business while acting as madam for Steph's girls.
Good luck with that. And good luck with controlling Poppy, who you get the sense is really gonna act out now that she knows the truth about her mom and this life of whoring she leads.
There are other new characters as well, some of the girls under Stephanie's care and control who are now looking to Belle for their appointments and cash handling. One, played by Gemma Chan, is a very exacting dominatrix who I think you will love. That's her above left with Billie, someone got the short end of the wardrobe trailer that morning, huh?
It seems to me that Chan is the woman that you call if you want Lucy Liu but you're in England and she's not available. And, you might know here from one of the Sherlock episodes from BBC and PBS late last year.
Furthermore, the first four episodes that Showtime sent (thanks!) are deliciously over the top in their look. The fashion is outrageous, the new home Hannah bought with the money Belle made is gorgeous and Billie, despite what I think is still a little bit of trouble with dental veneers that are too big, looks fabulous.
Harry the cop is the most interesting addition. At the end of the second episode Harry basically tells Hannah/Belle her life, explains to her that the two of them are living in life's gray areas and they thrive there. It may be the first time Hannah seriously questions what she wants her life to be and you get a feeling that she's coming to a conclusion she didn't expect.
Though I don't imagine this frothy series will end on a down note, you gotta wonder what happens to a Hannah who after all this finds out she's just been kidding herself regarding a life with Ben, a life without sex work, a standard issue life that I don't think she has the tools to handle.
She has eight more half hours to figure it out, starting Thursday at 10:30, on Showtime. Check out two clips, they're after the jump.
Continue reading "Video -- In Two Days, Secret Diary of a Call Girl Final Series on Showtime" »

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