The Girlfriend Experience (2016)

Watchseries; If my summary title of this could be the whole review, then I would leave it at that. I enjoyed watching this show, I did so during a day and I was compelled each time to follow up with the next episode- and not just for the gorgeous and fantastically sexy Riley Keough (I felt like seeing Elvis' granddaughter's tits was kind of something I wanted to do) but also for the storyline which really built up nicely ...only to sort of let it down in the end and just do nothing with all that tension, missing out on a massively rewarding and expected treat. The finale was anticlimactic and made me think that the more thought provoking and emotional aspects of this show were an accidental byproduct of just creating a vehicle to showcase Riley Keough's tits. I don't want to believe that but the cynic in me more than entertains the possibility of a TV network hoping to rope in some higher ratings by just conceding to the lowest common denominator. This show really had some terrific moments and whether clumsily or accidentally discards them in a faux-ironic act of having a bland bit of light neo-pornographic airtime substitute for a resolution, twist, or at the very least anything that resembled the conclusion of a coherent train of thought.

Once again, I did like it, it wasn't bad. It had a lot of interesting and great moments that had it's finale ultimately betray its potential that made it more than prettily aesthetic fluff. It was a nice and enjoyable way to pass the time of day but I really felt disappointed by the ending. It's like they had filmed all the sex they wanted to and just gave up on excusing it with anything resembling what previously seemed to be a promising storyline.

Riley Keough is amazing though, and it is solely due to her efforts that allow me to give this a 6 instead of the bare 5 that it would otherwise have deserved.

If my summary title of this could be the whole review, then I would leave it at that. I enjoyed watching this show, I did so during a day and I was compelled each time to follow up with the next episode- and not just for the gorgeous and fantastically sexy Riley Keough (I felt like seeing Elvis' granddaughter's tits was kind of something I wanted to do) but also for the storyline which really built up nicely ...only to sort of let it down in the end and just do nothing with all that tension, missing out on a massively rewarding and expected treat. The finale was anticlimactic and made me think that the more thought provoking and emotional aspects of this show were an accidental byproduct of just creating a vehicle to showcase Riley Keough's tits. I don't want to believe that but the cynic in me more than entertains the possibility of a TV network hoping to rope in some higher ratings by just conceding to the lowest common denominator. This show really had some terrific moments and whether clumsily or accidentally discards them in a faux-ironic act of having a bland bit of light neo-pornographic airtime substitute for a resolution, twist, or at the very least anything that resembled the conclusion of a coherent train of thought.

Once again, I did like it, it wasn't bad. It had a lot of interesting and great moments that had it's finale ultimately betray its potential that made it more than prettily aesthetic fluff. It was a nice and enjoyable way to pass the time of day but I really felt disappointed by the ending. It's like they had filmed all the sex they wanted to and just gave up on excusing it with anything resembling what previously seemed to be a promising storyline.

Riley Keough is amazing though, and it is solely due to her efforts that allow me to give this a 6 instead of the bare 5 that it would otherwise have deserved.

The Girlfriend Experience watchseries. While many may hate this series for politically correct reasons or because they are not used to adult pacing (as opposed to juvenile comic book-style movies full of flashy editing), I was taken in by it ... but mostly because of Riley Keough, who is a very natural, subtle actress. The series features a little titillation here and there, but it's tasteful, artfully photographed, and looks great.

The show works in that -- even though the protagonist is a person of questionable moral values, she's surrounded by all these far more horrible, reptilian people (lawyers and other wretched/inhuman scum). So, by comparison, she comes off as the most empathetic person on the whole show; you end up bonding with her because you hate everyone else. (As Robert McKee often says: "Empathy ... is absolute, while sympathy is optional." Meaning empathy is enough ... to keep us engaged. We empathize with the main character, but we don't necessarily sympathize with her. )

I also like the protagonist's rebellious streak and admired her discipline and focus. As the actress herself said about the character: "she's driven." (Driven to a fault, actually.) There's also something terribly sad about her too. We can sense her loneliness as, obviously, she has no friends. In fact, there's an existential quality about the whole show, which is emphasized with the Cliff Martinez-like ambient music underscoring many scenes.

But this show is all about the actress, Riley Keough. Having said this, I didn't care for the final show of the season, which was a bit much (maybe a bad idea stretched out for the whole episode). I would love to see this show continue -- but only with same actress. I've already watched some episodes more than once, and I'm sure I'll watch the whole season again. It's worth owning.

Bottom line: Check it out. And kudos to Riley Keough for her sophisticated, subtle performance.

Really enjoyed season 1, but season 2 is incredibly boring. Even more sex scenes have been added to each episode, which I always skip because they are incredibly uncomfortable. The characters show so little depth, there's no insight into the characters' background, motivations, personalities. Why does everyone live in impersonal homes with little to no furniture and no personal items? Once you've skipped through the awkward stares and bland sex scenes, there is approximately 10 minutes of actual talking.I hate what they have done to this series.

Season 1 was great. Riley Keough was fantastic in her role, the dynamic between her and her boss and her customers was fun to watch. The story was good and it showed the interactions with family and what is was like being an escort. Best of all there's a ton of great nudity.

Season 2, For some reason, decided they were going to tell 2 different stories which were completely unrelated. The 1st story, about an escort who finds herself in the world of political espionage was done well and was enjoyable to watch despite lacking the character development of season 1. The 2nd story may as well have been on a different television show altogether. There is no girlfriend experience to speak of and the main character only sees one jon. It's a tale of a former escort who rats out her drug dealer husband. The supporting character is a US Marshall who rapes her. The first story has decent nudity, the second has virtually none.

And then there is the steaming pile of Season 3. While Still airing new episodes, four in and you can easily tell this story is garbage. It's boring, uninteresting, and downright lame. The main character is tragically dull; a student who is escorting for a scientific experiment. There is a Startling lack of nudity with almost all of the sex scenes showing fully clothed people. At the very least the character is actually escorting.

There are two things going on in this series: the story line and the acting of Riley Keough. The series is done in 13 half-hour episodes so there is little time for providing background or explanations. Rather, the intent and motivations of Christine/Chelsea/Amanda are expressed entirely in the body language, vocal tones, eyes and expressions of Ms. Keough. It is a complex character but by the end of the series I felt I understood this character as I have understood few others. Being previously unfamiliar with Ms. Keough, I was frankly stunned by her acting talent. In the later episodes, the story line transitions from the inner turmoil of the main character while living a dual life into her life entirely as a call girl. This gives Ms. Keough less to do in terms of portraying the multiple aspects of her character. The series suffers for this. Many viewers will focus on the sex scenes, some of which are probably too long if not unnecessary. This is a shame because it takes the focus away from the incredible job Ms. Keough does in realistically portraying a character trying to exist in two vastly different worlds while trying to prevent those worlds from colliding. With a less gifted actress, GFE would be a run of the mill drama. What sets this series apart is Ms. Keough's fascinating portrayal of a complex character. She makes it well worth watching and I look forward to her next project.

The show is delivered in a cold, unemotional manner that sets the tone. It seems similar to Mr. Robot and American Psycho in a lot of ways. People going through motions of life but mainly pretending. There is no intro for the show - the episodes start and eventually the title of the show displays on screen.

Christine is a law student and dresses in boring and mundane business attire, has basic professional hair, and seems pretty boring. You can tell she is intelligent however.

From the first sex scene we see the lead character's need and desire for control. Control of men, control of situations, and control of opportunity. What follows is the delving into the world of sex for hire, and beyond that a "Girlfriend" experience. Christine dives into this secretive world with both feet and develops an persona named "Chelsea". Chelsea is beautiful with long flowing hair, is feminine, attractive, well dressed, and poised; almost a counterpart to her day to day self. Her clients get to feel that they are important and cared for in her presence. For her it is an act. She is always on top; in the bedroom and in the relationship. She takes notes to remember small details of her clients, she edits her words and reactions to her client's wishes.

We see the main character position herself to always profit in some way in her interactions. In reality she is cold, distant, and calculating. How far will she go? How deep will she sink to get what she wants? What will the ultimate price be?

I've only seen 4 episodes of the season but it shows great promise. It may not live up to expectations in the end but I hope it does.