Secret Diary of a Call Girl

[Rye]

This is seriously one of my favorite shows, if not my favorite show at the moment. I've been watching it all through again lately.

I never thought Billie Piper was a good actress, but she does this role supreme justice. It's also balances drama and comedy very well. I love how she talks into the camera - that was my favorite thing about the beginning of Sex and the City, but then they took that away.

Season 1 is more setting up the frame for season 2 - it's about Belle's work as a call girl, and some funny scenarios, not really any sort of drama or forward moving plot.

Season 2, however, definitely has a dramatic plot to it, but still has plenty of funny scenes. I am freaking out about how excited I am for Season 3.

I like this show also because it is a bit of a sort of discussion and debate, as well as the blogs it was based off of. I think it's interesting. High class prostitution and other variations of courting services (even the non-sexual ones, such as modern geisha work) has always been an interesting subject to me.

Who loves this show?

[scrumpleberry]

Billie Piper has matured well as an actress imo. Oh my god I remember when she was a singer xDDDD Ahahahahah she was so awful.

[Madame Adequate]

Yeah Billie Piper has gone up a lot in my estimation watching this.

I like the show but it depresses me. When it's amusing it's great, but when it's not it's just a litany of isolation and emptiness. Don't be a ho, ladies. Y'all soul's'll die.

[Rye]

See, that's what I mean about the show being a point of contention. I don't see her being a sad lonely person because of the business, but more because no one is quite open minded, except for Ben. She clearly enjoys her work.

[Madame Adequate]

Yeah but aside from Bambi, she doesn't even have any friends in the business. I don't argue that it's a bar to friendship and that's not cool, but it's also a bar to relationships - which she clearly wants - and that's pretty non-negotiable, as well as being perfectly reasonable for people to not accept.

I dunno, maybe it's just because I like Hannah infinitely more than Belle, and only find the show at all tittilating when it's Hannah. xD I like genuine emotions and interactions, and prostitution by its very definition is the antithesis of that.

[Rye]

I see what you mean, hmm....

Do you think she's Hannah or Belle, when she's talking in the middle of her prostitute interactions to the camera?

[Madame Adequate]

I think it depends on the particular vignette, though mostly I'd say she's Belle. She's more Hannah when something goes wrong, like that guy from 1976's mustache induced hallucinations

[Rye]

I think Hannah herself is a lonely person despite the job. She just seems to be the type of person who can't find what she wants or likes. That's just my impression, anyway!

[Madame Adequate]

The problem is that we've not seen Hannah before she started this job, and the nature of the show demands that we don't see her too much anyway. As well as the fact that drama is a demand of TV. Showing her as a happy person isn't going to sell as well as a relationship crisis or her dad's found out about her job or whatever.

So we don't really know who Hannah would be. It's true that she probably has issues beyond that - who doesn't? But it's certainly not making things better. If nothing else it precludes any real long-term romantic relationship. Alex's reaction was pretty unremarkable, and if Ben had been with her when he found out you can bet he'd have done much the same. And whatever other problems she might have, genuine connection was something she clearly benefits from and wants. Despite her protestations in Season 1 the only time she seems genuinely happy rather than acting happy in her work is when she's more like Hannah (Like with the disabled kid).