The Girlfriend Experience

[Rowsdower!]

Has anyone seen this? I never actually saw the Soderbergh movie, but this show is pretty amazing. I binge-watched the whole thing because STARZ made it available On Demand all at once. It's about a law student who begins to moonlight as an escort.

I've never seen a show that does such a fantastic job of making the viewer feel uncomfortable. I don't want to post any spoilers, but this show certainly had one of the most shocking moments of any show I've seen. It's not "The Red Wedding" kind of shocking... no, this is more like one of those things that you could actually imagine happening to you or someone you know and if it did, it would be more destructive than you could imagine.

Anyway, I highly recommend it. Riley Keough (of Mad Max: Fury Road fame) stars as the lead, and she delivers a performance that's both alluring and unsettling. My only complaint was the season finale; everything wrapped up perfectly in the penultimate episode that the last one honestly felt unnecessary to me. Still, it's an amazing show that I would highly recommend.

 

[Dark Raven]

I'm thinking of possibly checking this out, as there's absolutely nothing to watch on TV at the moment during the summer other than Suits. I'm trying to find something to tide me over until September, but even this will only be short lived. I haven't seen the Soderbergh movie either. Don't know how interesting that would be if it's mostly about the financial crisis.

Do you recommend this?

 

[Rowsdower!]

F*** me, someone actually bumped this thread? Haha yes, it's DEFINITELY worth checking out. Riley Keough is exceptional. I watched the whole thing in one day. I couldn't tear myself away.

 

[Dark Raven]

I don't have 13 hours to spare all in one go though, so it would be over several days. Is she the granddaughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley? Will probably check out the first episode later tonight.

I'm not sure how, with even double or triple the amount of TV series this time round, I still managed to run out at almost exactly the same time as normal for the summer.

 

[_Superman_]

I thought the show was alright not great but alright.

 

[Dark Raven]

I'll be able to make a judgment later on tonight. In terms of interest level, what's it about as interesting as?

Is it at least more interesting than Iron Fist, which was quite a drag to get through, particularly the first few episodes?

 

[Fincher]

Riley Keough was really good. I liked the show in general, but felt like her character pretty much carried the whole thing. Which makes sense in a way, because it does revolve around her, but I was more of a fan of the character/actress than the show itself.

 

[Dark Raven]

So I've watched the first 3 episodes so far. Didn't realise they're only 27 minutes long. The first 2 episodes take a while to get going. It's getting slightly more interesting in episode 3. It does feel a bit Iron Fist-ish though with too many board meetings. What's all this other stuff going on at the law firm? That's dull.

It is quite a slow series so far and a little bit sterile. I'll keep watching to see how it goes but I'm calling it a night right now.

 

[Smilodon]

I'd say it's a very intentionally sterile and cold show - reflective of Riley's character herself. I personally found it compelling in how deliberately the show tries to unsettle you. A lot is happening psychologically.

I love the direction of the show too. Soderbergh picked great people to direct this. Didn't really pay attention to Amy Seimetz before this and now I do, so it was nice to see her in Alien Covenant (albeit in front of the camera).

 

[Dark Raven]

I'd say it's a very intentionally sterile and cold show - reflective of Riley's character herself. I personally found it compelling in how deliberately the show tries to unsettle you. A lot is happening psychologically.

I love the direction of the show too. Soderbergh picked great people to direct this. Didn't really pay attention to Amy Seimetz before this and now I do, so it was nice to see her in Alien Covenant (albeit in front of the camera).

This is one thing that I find odd. She doesn't seem a very people person at all. She says she doesn't like being around people, or something to that effect (I'm only up to episode 5 so far). She's rather emotionally cold and blank, and doesn't seem like she would have the skills or even desire to be an escort, at least in terms of the companion aspect of things. Even someone like Donna or Rachel in Suits seem more like the kind of person you might expect a good and in-demand escort to be like: someone who would seem charming and personable. Riley's character isn't like that at all.

For people who might be lonely and want more than just a good ****, she doesn't seem like she'd really fulfill that side.

 

[Dark Raven]

Has anyone seen this? I never actually saw the Soderbergh movie, but this show is pretty amazing. I binge-watched the whole thing because STARZ made it available On Demand all at once. It's about a law student who begins to moonlight as an escort.

I've never seen a show that does such a fantastic job of making the viewer feel uncomfortable. I don't want to post any spoilers, but this show certainly had one of the most shocking moments of any show I've seen. It's not "The Red Wedding" kind of shocking... no, this is more like one of those things that you could actually imagine happening to you or someone you know and if it did, it would be more destructive than you could imagine.

Anyway, I highly recommend it. Riley Keough (of Mad Max: Fury Road fame) stars as the lead, and she delivers a performance that's both alluring and unsettling. My only complaint was the season finale; everything wrapped up perfectly in the penultimate episode that the last one honestly felt unnecessary to me. Still, it's an amazing show that I would highly recommend.

Finished watching the whole thing. That last episode didn't make any sense. What was that all about with the guy watching her and that other guy? Who was he? He seemed to appear out of nowhere and was mad with her.

And which shocking thing were you referring to? The video of her being released?

The season finale didn't seem to have a proper ending. It was just bizarre.

Definitely had a sense of unease throughout the whole thing. They seemed to insist on having the sound of air rushing in the background which added to the foreboding feel that something bad was going to happen at any moment. As such, for a show about sex it was a completely unsexy show which presented everything in a sterile and ominous way, giving a creeping sense of dread instead.

I don't know what next season would be about but it seems like Riley's arc is finished and there's nowhere for her character left to go. I'd rather follow someone completely different who isn't so emotionally cold.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Yeah, I was referring to the video thing. Maybe it didn't shock other people as much as it shocked me, I don't know.

Agreed, the finale felt superfluous, IMO.

Yeah, apparently season 2 focuses on a completely different character. I'm not sure I'll come back for it, tbh. Part of what kept me engaged was Riley's unsettling performance. I'm not sure that I'll be interested in a new lead. Maybe though.

 

[Dark Raven]

Yeah, I was referring to the video thing. Maybe it didn't shock other people as much as it shocked me, I don't know.

Agreed, the finale felt superfluous, IMO.

Yeah, apparently season 2 focuses on a completely different character. I'm not sure I'll come back for it, tbh. Part of what kept me engaged was Riley's unsettling performance. I'm not sure that I'll be interested in a new lead. Maybe though.

Well the video was shocking, but there were many shocking things, so I didn't know what you were referring to.

I thought the final episode would resolve some of the other storylines or characters. The guy who released the video never had to suffer any consequences. We don't know if he's still stalking her either. It just felt like some threads were left hanging.

I read that there are dual storylines in season 2 taking place in 2 different cities.

I'm not sure I could've followed much more of Riley Keogh's character. She was such a blank persona and almost completely opaque and impenetrable apart from a few flashes of backstory or personality.

I read also that the last episode was meant to be a role play. I thought at first it was some kind of twist that the guy who seemed to know her was behind things all along, although I wondered why he hadn't been introduced all this time. It wasn't the most satisfying season finale at all.

Is season 2 meant to come out soon?

 

[Dark Raven]

I was thinking: when that video was released and then there was a news article about it in the Chicago Lister, they said she was a law intern and gave her real name. Wouldn't all these clients know her real identity now? How was she still able to operate? I thought that would've shut down her whole future as an escort.

 

[Dark Raven]

This show returns tonight for season 2.

But according to this article, the series is colder and bleaker than ever:

https://www.theatlantic.com/enterta...anna-friel-louisa-krause-carmen-ejogo/544982/

It's meant to be even more sterile than the first season. Why can't they ever inject some warmth into it or their characters?

 

[Smilodon]

I also read that the second season is more of a mixed bag, but each season seems a bit more experimental than the next so I suppose when you have two filmmakers creating their own storyline and then throwing them together into one season, it can get weird.

I also forgot that Amy Seimetz played Aunt Becky in Stranger Things. What a talent she is.

 

[Dark Raven]

I haven't gotten round to watching season 2 yet, but are the episodes still very short like last season (almost half the length of a normal show)?

I think the two creators each wanted to do something different to each other. So rather than letting creative differences tear them apart, they decided to do both storylines, which have no connection to each other whatsoever.

I'm wondering if it's better to watch every odd or every even episode (ie, 1, 3, 5, 7 or 2, 4, 6, 8 etc) to get more continuity so that it solely focuses on one character instead of watching one episode about one character and then the next episode about another character.

To do that though, I'd probably have to wait until the season is over. If they show two episodes a night, then it will only last about 7 weeks anyway, which might be about the time I might eventually get round to seeing this, as there's too much to watch already at the moment.

 

[Dark Raven]

Well this is a surprise after 2 years. I thought this series was dead:

‘The Girlfriend Experience’ Renewed For Season 3 At Starz – Deadline

 

[Lip]

Well this is a surprise after 2 years. I thought this series was dead:

‘The Girlfriend Experience’ Renewed For Season 3 At Starz – Deadline

Oh. My. God.

I'm extremely happy the show was renewed. But sad Amy Seimetz isn't returning to write and direct.

 

[Dark Raven]

'The Girlfriend Experience' Season 3 Trailer Teases an Alluring New Story Set in London

This series is coming back in May for season 3. It clearly can't be set in a Covid world otherwise how will any of the premise even be possible?

 

[Primal Slayer]

I watched the first season and loved it. Started the 2nd and couldnt make it past the first episode.

 

[Dark Raven]

I watched the first season and loved it. Started the 2nd and couldnt make it past the first episode.

The 2nd season is a very different series. But every odd and even episode is a completely different story (ie 1,3, 5, 7, 9 are all one story, 2,4, 6. 8, 10 are a different one). So if you started watching from the 2nd episode you might possibly have preferred it, although maybe not since I found the 2nd story the worse of the two.

Since it's an anthology series the 3rd season could be something very different to the previous 2 so you'd have to judge them all individually. To me it's only something to watch in the summer when there's absolutely nothing else on.

 

[Fincher]

I liked the first season, but because of how good Riley Keough was rather than the story it told, so that hurt any interest I had after she left.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Yeah season 1 was damn near perfect. Second season was interesting but I don’t think it worked as well. I could watch Carmen Ejogo in anything though and she was awesome in it.

Given the mixed reaction to the second season, it makes me wonder... has any show been able to survive dropping all or most of the cast in each season? Everyone (understandably) hates True Detective season 2. I was surprised it got a third season (which was better but still not as good as the first). Altered Carbon didn’t see life past 2 seasons, though that was a different sort of thing so I don’t know if it counts. I feel like other shows have tried this anthology thing and also failed but maybe I’m wrong.

 

[Dark Raven]

The 3rd season started on May 2. Haven't watched it yet but apparently Alexandra Daddario is in it, but not as the main character.