"The Girlfriend": A Deliciously Dark Dance of Deception

In an uproariously dramatic entrance, "The Girlfriend" lands with a bang, opening to the eerie sounds of a Lorde cover of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” The gripping sights and sounds of a spectacular London home scene set the stage for intense action even before the plot unfurls. Shouting voices, slamming doors, eerie rattling of metals promise a deliciously dark narrative to unfold in this head-spinning Prime Video miniseries.

While the plot's predictability might make you roll your eyes, remember, it's only a part of the big picture. The real showstopper here is the chance to witness Olivia Cooke and the ever-stunning Robin Wright, engaged in a dangerously captivating dance of deception.

In the center of the storm is Daniel Sanderson, played by Laurie Davidson, who draws the obsessive love of two formidable women. Daniel's mom, Laura (Robin Wright) is a prominent gallerist, with a penchant for overbearing motherly affection that edges on possessiveness. But all hell breaks loose when Daniel brings home a lady love who threatens to shake their status quo.

Enter Cherry, played by Olivia Cooke, a flashy realtor from humble beginnings, who walks into Laura's carefully curated world, challenging it with every step she takes in her bold minidress. This new entrant immediately pricks up the protective instincts of the glamorous mama bear, Laura, and it's not just because Cherry was caught getting a tad too affectionate with her precious boy.

The drama unfolds through alternating perspectives of these fierce women, revealing a thrilling mix of miscommunication, hidden details, and manipulations. In Laura's world, Cherry is an unwelcome, unsophisticated intruder trying to schmooze her way up the societal ladder. For Cherry, this is a playground of wealth and opportunity, marred only by an overbearing potential mother-in-law.

With intense scrutiny on class division and societal structures, "The Girlfriend" delves into the hidden angst and veiled ambitions of its characters. From Cherry's desperate hustles to the disturbing easiness of Daniel and his family's wealth, "The Girlfriend" plays a shrewd game of shifting sympathies.

There's an almost sinful delight in indulging Laura's dismissive suspicion that Cherry's spending her intended travel money on clothes. Even when Laura unearths evidence of Cherry's shady acts, we still sway between disdain and doubt. Could Cherry really have a justifiable reason for crashing her ex's wedding? Can a woman so gleefully manipulative be wholly bad?

However, don't get it twisted, "The Girlfriend" isn't elevating Cherry to any pedestals either. She's a schemer with a chilling past, even her mother, Tracey (Karen Henthorn), seems unnerved by her. So, is she just a misunderstood woman or a dangerous adversary?

Amid the web of secrets and lies, "The Girlfriend" stirs up an eccentric blend of comic melodrama, serving an extraordinary viewing experience. As the drama heightens, Cooke and Wright make a delicious combo, the former retaining her inscrutable charm from “House of the Dragon”, and the latter epitomizing the poisonous blend of self-denial and chronic insecurity.

Embrace "The Girlfriend" for what it is: an indulgent, unbelievably dramatic soap opera that dances on the thin line of ridicule and aristocratic elegance. With no lesson to be learned or any deeper message to decipher, it's a thrill ride meant to be consumed with a grain of salt and savored for its unapologetic jubilation in the absurd. So sit back, don the lenses of outrageous amusement, and enjoy the captivating tussle playing out on your screen.