The Girlfriend Experience - General Discussion

[globalnomad]

Great show--I love it, season 2 even more so far after viewing 3 eps. There's just one (to me) annoying oddity: What's up with the loud ambient noise? People are always in quiet 50th-story hotel rooms and empty offices. It sounds like they're on the second floor next to a freeway.

[whiporee]

I've watched the Ana and Erica segments -- didn't care for the first two Bria ones so I just skipped them -- but is this the way the season/series ended? With Erica sobbing on the floor and no resolution of any one of its dangling plotlines? Or are we supposed to think that the FBI had gotten Erica and Anna just went back to being Anna (not that she ever stopped really being Anna)? Are there more episodes scheduled, or was that the end of the season?

When I ask, I'm not saying there should be more episodes, or that the show was good, but I got invested and I hate it when I don't know how things end. 

[Amethyst]

43 minutes ago, whiporee said:

I've watched the Ana and Erica segments -- didn't care for the first two Bria ones so I just skipped them -- but is this the way the season/series ended? With Erica sobbing on the floor and no resolution of any one of its dangling plotlines? Or are we supposed to think that the FBI had gotten Erica and Anna just went back to being Anna (not that she ever stopped really being Anna)? Are there more episodes scheduled, or was that the end of the season?

When I ask, I'm not saying there should be more episodes, or that the show was good, but I got invested and I hate it when I don't know how things end. 

Yep, that's how it ended.  Crap ending to a crap season.  I was also confused because I forgot that each hour counts as 2 episodes, so there were 16 total.

I thought Erica's was pretty cut and dried; she's going to jail because they have recordings of her taking the money.  And this was after she vehemently denied doing so, to her own attorney as well as the opposing attorney.  Erica knew she was screwed, hence her collapsing on the floor in tears.  Not sure if they'll book her for the full 10 years, but she's definitely doing time.  Anna went back to her old life, I guess.

Bria's was more ambiguous.  We saw the life she wanted to have, but it's left unresolved because she's still in the desert.  I'm glad she's finally rid of her ex, but she got rid of him in the weirdest way.  

This season was such a mess.  It was either crazy or boring, but never interesting.  

[whiporee]

48 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

This season was such a mess.  It was either crazy or boring, but never interesting.  

Truer words have never been said. 

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎1‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 1:33 PM, Amethyst said:

Yep, that's how it ended.  Crap ending to a crap season.  I was also confused because I forgot that each hour counts as 2 episodes, so there were 16 total.

I thought Erica's was pretty cut and dried; she's going to jail because they have recordings of her taking the money.  And this was after she vehemently denied doing so, to her own attorney as well as the opposing attorney.  Erica knew she was screwed, hence her collapsing on the floor in tears.  Not sure if they'll book her for the full 10 years, but she's definitely doing time.  Anna went back to her old life, I guess.

Bria's was more ambiguous.  We saw the life she wanted to have, but it's left unresolved because she's still in the desert.  I'm glad she's finally rid of her ex, but she got rid of him in the weirdest way.  

This season was such a mess.  It was either crazy or boring, but never interesting.  

I think there may be a reason.  Amy and Lodge co-wrote each episode of season one together (excepting one episode).  Season two, Lodge was in charge of Anna/Erica, and Amy had Bria.  They obviously do better in a collaborative effort.  

The ending wasn't great, but at least something happened.  The end of season one was Christine splayed out on the couch of her penthouse, masturbating.

[vixenbynight]

On 1/9/2018 at 8:59 PM, RedheadZombie said:

I think there may be a reason.  Amy and Lodge co-wrote each episode of season one together (excepting one episode).  Season two, Lodge was in charge of Anna/Erica, and Amy had Bria.  They obviously do better in a collaborative effort.  

The ending wasn't great, but at least something happened.  The end of season one was Christine splayed out on the couch of her penthouse, masturbating.

Yet, I understood the ending of Christine's story. The stories for season two were absolute messes.

[RedheadZombie]

Just now, vixenbynight said:

Yet, I understood the ending of Christine's story. The stories for season two were absolute messes.

Season one was a much better story over all.  I found it lost some of my interest when she left the law firm and the corporate intrigue ended.  What I didn't enjoy was the interweaving concept of Christine being a narcissist, and possible sociopath.  With so much going on, why couldn't she just be considered a driven, selfish person?  Watching the little excerpts from the writers each episode, I found that I respected Christine more than her own creators.  And I found it bizarre how much her mother deeply disliked her and Christine's father/sister never defended her.  Why in the world would she have sent her sex tape to her family?

[Superpole2000]

That was just plain unpleasant. There was no humanity in any of the scenes. I felt like I was watching a horrendously unsexy (and unfunny) softcore porn movie.

I really liked Season 1, but this was a real letdown.

[PBSLover]

Horrible Season 2.  Both storylines are a mess. The characters are walking through their lines. WTF?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Discuss any past or future projects here!

Edited April 24, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Caitlin Fitzgerald, Ella Purnell, Jasmine Mathews, Eden Epstein, Paul Sparks, Tom Sturridge, Daniyar, and Evan Jonigkeit discuss Sweetbitter:

Series premieres on May 6th!

[Hanya]

Season 1 - I have a question. Who do you think sent the tape? Did they show this, or show her sending it?

I know I'm late to the party, just discovered it on Amazon.

The final episode was just creepy.

[BetterButter]

 

[suzeecat]

On 8/6/2019 at 4:49 PM, Hanya said:

Season 1 - I have a question. Who do you think sent the tape? Did they show this, or show her sending it?

I know I'm late to the party, just discovered it on Amazon.

The final episode was just creepy.

Sorry to be late to the "show", I just binge-watched S1 and S2 (still not sure why, it wasn't that good), but I came here to see if anyone else made any sense of it.  I am left wondering who sent the tape as well.  My guess is on the jilted ex-client who became stalkerish.  He's the only one I can think of who would want to hurt her that bad.  And that was pretty bad!  At first I thought she sent it herself, but the panic attack in the office was pretty convincing.  And, although she might have some investment in taking her boss down, I can't think of a reason she would have wanted to send it to her family.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Is that what Season 3's going to be like? Bouncing back and forth between VR and actual reality? Ehhh. I think viewers could probably get better sci-fi elsewhere.

So Paul just wanted to be dominated and challenged? Okay. Seems like the service would've known that ahead of time. Don't they interview the clients to get an idea of what they're looking for in the "girlfriend"?

It was clear to me this episode at least was filmed with some quaratine protocols in place. No sex scenes except the suggestion of it via a disembodied male hand. Not even any kissing. Hope things get better as the season moves on.

Even a show like this can be educational in unexpected ways. I didn't know OCD could be caused by strep throat. What a bizarre connection.

[Joimiaroxeu]

The girlfriends are paid in bitcoin? Is that for security purposes or is the show just being trendy?

Way too much talking this season so far, though I understand why. But come on, sex is sex. The show's attempt to find something esoteric about being the kind of sex worker who can engage in extended and immersive role play seems silly to me.

Edited May 8, 2021 by Joimiaroxeu

[qtpye]

On 4/29/2021 at 1:38 PM, BetterButter said:

 

I have not seen the new season yet, but this trailer is making it seem like a copy of Westworld...even down to the music.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

I have not seen the new season yet, but this trailer is making it seem like a copy of Westworld...even down to the music.

Yeah, no, the producers might wish. AFAIC this show isn't even a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of Westworld. I've been thinking it's like an extended episode of Black Mirror. Either way, why is this show delving into sci-fi? Why?

[qtpye]

5 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Yeah, no, the producers might wish. AFAIC this show isn't even a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of Westworld. I've been thinking it's like an extended episode of Black Mirror. Either way, why is this show delving into sci-fi? Why?

Since the last season of West World was horribly received, it really is setting the bar quite low.

The Black Mirror analogy is probably pretty good.

Of course, if there are VR prostitutes...why do we even need real women?

I agree, there is plenty of interesting things to be mined in the world of high end escorts without having to use the sci-fi angle.

[Joimiaroxeu]

I don't where the actor playing the girlfriend's athlete client was from but his attempt at an American accent was pathetic. It hurt my ears. Guess that's why they had Iris using that dreadful British accent as an attempted distraction.

Heh, Iris' job just got a little messy with clients crossing paths. Wonder if that ever happens IRL and how the working girl would handle it.

The producers must think a large portion of the audience is comprised of computer and gaming geeks. Hence all the techspeak and relatively sterile staging of the scenes. The viewers on reddit at least (who I'm guessing are mostly young and male) don't seem too impressed beyond the lead actress' body though.

[mytmo]

The most boring series ever.  There is more warmth and depth in the characters in an actual porno.  The West World robots had much more personality.

Edited May 20, 2021 by mytmo

[Joimiaroxeu]

Yeah, this show has become more painful to watch than the last season of GoT. At least I don't have seven seasons invested in this show or I'd be really annoyed.

[Joimiaroxeu]

OMG, what was that goofy Inception effect all about? The attempts to turn this show into sci-fi are laughable to me.

Iris gets caught out by her boss and her first thought is to figure out how to seduce him. Hmm. He might not be attracted to women; then what?

The lascivious newspaper publisher was named Rupert. Heh, a little on-the-nose.

When your day job conflicts with your night job. Iris should've known better than to record her clients. Or least she should've been more careful not to get discovered doing it. A operation like The V has to provide 100% confidentiality or it won't stay in business.

"VR cuck"? What does that even mean? TGE is aiming hard for that 14-year old boy fanbase. 🙄 (But does Iris assume the woman she meets with in VR is actually an avatar for a man?)

[LilaFowler]

I have no idea why they bothered to bring this show back just to be this terrible. It is truly god-awful.

[Joimiaroxeu]

So does Iris get paid directly by the guys now instead of through The V? Seems to me that would put her at greater risk legally since the transactions are more direct between her and her clients.

That was a nice house out in the middle of nowhere. Was it meant to be a doomsday bunker or something? It's not very easy to get to.

I don't even know what to say about that orgy. It was so sterile and robotic. Plus, how did they have sex through the unitards? Was it all just imagination?

[Joimiaroxeu]

What the what now? Wow, things took an even stranger turn in episode seven. So these clients are either exhibitionists or extremely inhibited and Iris is their sex therapist?

Oy, that guy complaining about Iris' flakey accent when his was so awful. What was the problem with letting the actor use his natural voice? Or just hiring an American actor?

I realize the production of this season was likely hampered by COVID protocols but this weird, sci-fi, pseudo-intellectual take on sex work is just utter nonsense to me. At this point I don't see how this show will get renewed. Not unless the network decides to let the producers  take a mulligan on this season because of the pandemic.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Well, the COVID protocols must've changed drastically by the time that sex scene with Iris and the politician was filmed. Wow.

Why do they have Iris sort of made to look like an Asian woman? Seems a little fetish-y to me, though maybe that's part of the point. But I guess it also puts some distance between Iris and that character she's playing for the AI development.

So they are taking their cues from Westworld. Eventually Emcee can replace Iris if they put "her" in a physical body. Perhaps Iris' own body when the Alzheimers starts to take over. It'd be like a reboot.

[ICantDoThatDave]

Just started watching this season & this is the most tame, sterile, boring show about sex I have ever seen.

[greekmom]

Just saw S1 as Prime is taking it off later today. I found Christine to be very cold. No feelings or emotions at all which made her the perfect escort.

Her clients as well as her boss were really obsessed with her.  I only enjoyed the first one (the estate lawyer) and the older dude who died. They did seem to care about Christine.

She did end up in the end with a windfall of 1.5 million. Wisely invested she could potentially retire quietly after a few years (along with any other earnings she makes) as long as she's not foolish with her money.

Otherwise, the whole thing was just boring overall. I would have liked to know what happened to Avery, did David bounce back with his wife or end in divorce and if she ever got back at Jack for outing her.

[qtpye]

8 minutes ago, greekmom said:

Just saw S1 as Prime is taking it off later today. I found Christine to be very cold. No feelings or emotions at all which made her the perfect escort.

Her clients as well as her boss were really obsessed with her.  I only enjoyed the first one (the estate lawyer) and the older dude who died. They did seem to care about Christine.

She did end up in the end with a windfall of 1.5 million. Wisely invested she could potentially retire quietly after a few years (along with any other earnings she makes) as long as she's not foolish with her money.

Otherwise, the whole thing was just boring overall. I would have liked to know what happened to Avery, did David bounce back with his wife or end in divorce and if she ever got back at Jack for outing her.

I honestly thought this season was overpraised.

I don't know how such a boring central character and the confusing plot were considered so artsy/brave by so many critics.

However, it was probably better than the later seasons.

[Anela]

On 10/31/2021 at 1:24 PM, greekmom said:

Just saw S1 as Prime is taking it off later today. I found Christine to be very cold. No feelings or emotions at all which made her the perfect escort.

Her clients as well as her boss were really obsessed with her.  I only enjoyed the first one (the estate lawyer) and the older dude who died. They did seem to care about Christine.

She did end up in the end with a windfall of 1.5 million. Wisely invested she could potentially retire quietly after a few years (along with any other earnings she makes) as long as she's not foolish with her money.

Otherwise, the whole thing was just boring overall. I would have liked to know what happened to Avery, did David bounce back with his wife or end in divorce and if she ever got back at Jack for outing her.

I just watched the first season, and I don’t know why. I was hoping she would expose the guy who exposed her, and that the people at work would also not get away with what they were doing, but nothing happened. 
she said that having sex for money, made her happy, but she didn‘t look happy. She looked empty,   Part of me was thinking, “ get that money” - she was no worse than the men she was sleeping with. Most of whom wouldn’t want be known for paying for sex. They were just as bad as her, if not worse.   I see people saying that she was an awful person, but I’m not sure why. I must have missed something. I was surprised she was still alive by the end of it, because she looked like she was just going through the motions. 

One thing that stands out, were the men in the office, sexually harassing her.  I didn’t know if she was really having a panic attack, or if she staged it, but she deserved money for getting fired the way she did. I liked her newer boss, he was being kind. 

Edited May 24, 2023 by Anela