Experience THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE

Article originally published as THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE Review on Seat42F.

In 2009, Steven Soderbergh released an interesting little film called THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE. It followed a high-class escort named Christine (porn star Sasha Grey) who worked under the name Chelsea, providing the illusion of a relationship for men who could pay (a lot) for it. Now Starz, with Soderbergh producing, is bringing that world to the small screen in a weekly half-hour (non-comedy) show, premiering this week.

This time around, Riley Keough (Mad Max: Fury Road) plays Christine / Chelsea. Instead of glimpsing a few select days, this version of THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE delves into why Christine would get involved in prostitution in the first place, as well as how she balances a “normal” life with her nighttime work. It’s a fascinating character study of a ripe, but little-seen, subject, begging for a series such as this.

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE rises and falls on Keough. Only spending a small amount of the running time with her clothes off, she has to have acting talent to remain captivating, something less of a concern in a film. Keough is Elvis’ granddaughter, and has a sex appeal like the King, but in a more reserved way, which left me unsure if she was any good or not through at least the first episode. Yet, the more I watched, the more I was captivated by her performance, which mixes an almost cold woman in her personal relationships with someone who craves the attention and power one gets from selling one’s body. She’s very interesting.

Christine becomes aware of this career option through her friendship with Avery (Kate Lyn Sheil, House of Cards), who already has a steady man financing her life. At first, Avery seems to want to show off and maybe shock Christine a little. But once Avery introduces Christine to her version of a pimp, Jacqueline (Alexandra Castillo, The 6^th Day), Avery becomes uncomfortable with how successful Christine becomes, almost overnight, knocking their pairing out of alignment.

This friendship is a lynchpin in the early episodes, but seems like it probably won’t be in the near future, despite Sheil being listed as a main player. The dynamic between Avery and Christine is a strange one, as much about competition as it is affection, and with no other friends shown, the more we see of Avery, the more she seems to reflect something about Christine. I’ll let others debate if this says something about female bonds in modern society, simply stating it makes for good TV.

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE doesn’t stay confined to the sex trade. We follow Christine to her internship at a prestigious law firm, where she works for partner David Tellis (Paul Sparks, Boardwalk Empire). Christine’s relationship with David is a strange one, too, Christine not seeming to fit into the normal framework of human interaction, and I can’t help but wonder how soon it will be before David gets pulled into her after-hours work. It seems an inevitability to me.

What is compelling about that, though, is the inclusion of Erin Roberts (Mary Lynn Rajskub, 24) as a core cast member. Erin works with David, and is nice enough to Christine. But I can’t see Erin approving of any personal relationship between David and his underling, and that seems like fertile ground for THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE to move to once it gets through the Avery arc.

And this is just skimming the tip of what this show could be. Delving into the mind of a smart, driven woman who makes some choices outside of the social norm (and hangs with creepy older gentlemen) is fascinating stuff, and this show is a lot more than just a titillating tease. Sure, I assume we’ll get some juicy kink eventually, but that’s not what the main draw is, and I would recommend it to anyone, male or female, who likes original quality entertainment. It’s a very well made show, with atmosphere and pacing that set it apart.

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE premieres this Sunday on Starz, which , for those who have abandoned cable (like myself), is now available as a subscription through Amazon.

LUCKY 7, or 6?

Article first published as LUCKY 7 Review on Seat42F.

ABC’s LUCKY 7 is a show, with eight main characters mind you, about seven people who work at a gas station / car repair shop / convenience store called Gold Star, six of whom band together to buy a lottery ticket and win the jackpot. Well, actually, five of them put money in, with one floating a loan to the sixth person, which becomes an issue when it’s time for the payout. But despite all the numbers, which seems appropriate for a lottery premise, you get the idea.

The “Pilot” is mostly set up, which it sort of has to be. We get to meet everyone, and find out a little bit about them. A few arcs begin, but a lot is left to speculation, and it will be weeks before the direction of the series is really set.

The manager of the station is Bob Harris (Isiah Whitlock Jr., The Wire), whom is hit in the head with a bottle during a robbery the night the numbers are drawn. Unbeknownst to him, the attacker is one of his employees, Nicky Korzak (Stephen Louis Grush, Lac du Flambeau), a “reformed” con who owes some money to very bad people. Nicky’s brother, Matt (Matt Long, Private Practice), is in on the scheme even though he looks up to Bob as a mentor because Matt’s girlfriend, Mary Lavecchia (Christine Evangelista, The Joneses), who gives birth to his baby in the “Pilot,” is ready to leave Matt if he can’t get them out of his mother’s house. To make matters worse, Bob is the one who has to break the tie vote to decide if Matt, the guy who didn’t physically chip into the lottery pool this week, gets to share the fortune.

In this one-paragraph description alone, LUCKY 7 sets a lot up. We have an ongoing police investigation which will threaten Matt and Nicky’s freedom. We have serious guilt wracking Matt for what happened to Bob. We have Matt’s suspicion that his brother is one of those who voted to cut him out of the money. This drama will be going on for quite awhile!

Other winners have their own issues, too. Leanne Maxwell (Anastasia Phillips, Stoked) is a single mother who may not be who she says she is. Samira Lashari (Summer Bishil, Towelhead) is being pressured by her father, Ahsan (Rizwan Manji, Outsourced), to date a doctor (Gabe Grey). And my favorite, Denise Dibinsky (Lorraine Bruce, The Syndicate), strongly suspects her husband is cheating on her, unhappy the Denise has let herself go. Since, besides the Gold Star employees, only Matt’s girlfriend is a main character, not Denise’s husband nor Samira’s doctor, one can start to assume what will happen.

The seventh member of the staff is Antonio Clemente (Luis Antonio Ramos, The Ruins). Antonio decides to save his money, sitting out for many lottery pools now, to spend on his wife, Bianca (Alexandra Castillo, 2012). Bianca is understandable upset, but professes that Antonio is a good husband anyway. I suspect this will cause tension as Bianca sees what being rich does for the winners. It also remains to be seen if Antonio can stay friends with his co-workers, which he is attempting to do, but also seems unlikely in the long-term.

I am intrigued by each and every one of these seven Gold Star employees. They all have something going on, and each actor fits nicely into the ensemble. Aside from Matt, LUCKY 7 doesn’t begin with its characters all looking young and hot, which will set it apart from many other TV dramas. They are on the poor end of the economic spectrum, so their lives will change more than most would. And the story seems fresh and different, giving us a serial drama that isn’t already mapped out.

The problem is, there have been others shows that seem similar to this one in nature in the past ten years, and none have lasted a full season. Whether it was 2006’s Windfall, which also concerned lottery winners, 2005’s Reunion, about former classmates coming together, or 2006’s The Nine, which saw nine hostages from a bank heist bond from the experience, none really connected with viewers. It’s been awhile since the formula was tried, so maybe this time will be different, but history is not on LUCKY 7’s side. That’s too bad; I liked all three of those shows, and I like LUCKY 7. We’ll see if anyone else does, too. Dare we wish it luck?

LUCKY 7 premieres this Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.