"Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce" has been something of a guilty pleasure for me. I see its flaws, I get its limitations, I sometimes find its characters just too trying, and sometimes I'm just plain bored. But just like the characters who find Abby, the lead, lovable despite her all too apparent flaws, I've stuck with it and mostly enjoyed it. It's just "off" enough to be interesting.The opening episode of season 5, the final one, has rewarded my dogged fealty with one of the best written season openers I've ever seen. It does everything you would want an opener to do--deal with the exposition in an interesting and innovative way, remind you of why you've been watching by reestablishing the characters and their storylines, but most importantly, setting up new directions for the show to go in order to justify yet another season. There's so much packed into this episode, so much is thrown at the characters (and us)--major life changes occur and major new conflicts are set up--and it pulls it all off with aplomb.How do the writers pull this off? By using a formally innovative approach. Form is the way a story is told--the way it's structured, the way it's approached, in effect, the way it's composed. This episode jumps around in time (something that's become very trendy and gimmicky these days and often doesn't really work) but in a very precise way and it also shifts the point of view among the main characters (This, in the writing biz, is called polyphony). So we have time-shifting and polyphony. (Only gifted writers need apply).It opens at a glamorous media event complete with a red carpet and the whole gang's there. But then we see Delia in distress and Abby, Jo , and Phoebe drop everything to come to her aid.Then, immediately we jump back to six months earlier. And Abby's in bed with--oops, no spoilers here, you'll have to watch to find out. We then go through the highlights of the previous six months of her life leading up to the glamorous media event. Step and repeat with each of the other main characters in turn. There are even a few of the very same scenes (where all the main characters are present) in each of the character's 6 month highlight reel so we eventually see that scene through each character's POV, and each time we learn something new.Finally we circle back to the beginning and we're at the media event and now understand what's going on for each of the characters and why Delia is in crises mode.But before this is fully resolved we jump to the next day (the present) and major life changes occur, new conflicts occur, new storylines develop and a new season is set up. And we've hit the ground running.In one episode we see all this and somehow it all makes sense. This is great writing. Clearly, Girlfriend's Guide is going out in style.

I enjoyed the first season of this show but then found it increasingly hard to like. The characters become caricatures: narcissistic, impulsive, juvenile and self-destructive. The concept of being independent women is a laugh, they are like boy crazy, giggling adolescents. They all have money to burn, fabulous clothes, great houses, but it is like frosting on a mud pie. Someone decided that Abby has great shoulders and therefore exposes them and her highlighted clavicles in every single wardrobe change. Even when she wears a pashmina stole she exposes her shoulders. Has no one ever heard of air conditioning? It is cold inside! Also, the way she minces about on what must be painful footwear is pathetic, she looks like she has a gait disorder. Phoebe's history as a supermodel is less than believable. She has a great body but it is not until the later seasons that her dental reconstruction is complete. This is not part of the plot, just impossible to ignore. Her bitching about her (autistic) husband interfering with her career is hilarious. Truly she has delusions as to what a career actually entails. Jo's vulgarity and crudeness cannot be continually excused by her saying, ad nauseum, that she is Puerto Rican. How offensive! The most heroic character is poor cuckolded Graham. He is decent, loving, handsome amd kind and Delia humiliates him with her torrid office affair. At least he has the stones to resist her attempt at reconciliation. The wonen become more strident, stupid and out of control with each season. The show does make me very glad that none of my friends even vaguely resemble them.

I have only watched the first season. So far, yes - the reviews that paint the women in this series as spoiled narcissists (married to or involved with somehow 'successful' loser men) seem to be accurate. There's a place for this on television, though. You need a fantasy trip now and then. When the main character goes to an important meeting at which she will pitch her new book idea and unload about her personal life at the same time (discussing sex technique in the process), she seems - well, unprofessional. When her friend who is a lawyer and a woman screws a client, she seems - well, unprofessional. When her friend who is an entrepreneur goes to a photo shoot and brings only 3 babies to be photographed and the photographer screeches that you need at least a dozen, the friend seems - well, unprofessional. But these women are mature and they are so smart, so rich, so self-deluded (as must be the writers of the series), that it doesn't matter! This is life in L.A. among the rich women who seem to have lots of time but no brains. Need substance? Have a regular Shabbat for the bitter married couple who simply can't stand to continue the charade of married life together. That Abby's last name is 'McCarthy' is a real mystery here. I don't know that I want to bother to find out the reason from watching other seasons. We all need to look at bling and visit spas. We all need to know that somewhere in the hills above the city, there are kids who witness parents yelling at each other and one child asks 'What is divorce?' That child who asked that question is simply no more than a robot, as you will learn as he continues to act in this first season. His mother, the main character (played by Lisa Edelstein) has her own robot chip that takes the place of feeling: at her big meeting, she leaves that kid sitting in a strange hallway, unattended, with his 'imaginary friend.' This imaginary friend is the great friend he has who makes him do bad things - she lacks sense, he lacks sense, hey, who are the people who work on this series who have any sense? But: we all need to see bling. We all need to watch Lisa Edelstein dance in her underclothes in front of wall-to-ceiling glass windows to give the neighbors a show.The ever-present wine bottle in hand! The house, impressive at first, starts to look like a cheap plastic shoe box when you realize that this family actually HAS neighbors. They have to be there because she has to call them later and they have to hear her voice and come to her aid when she needs to be extricated from a faulty window that she attempts to fix. Greatest mystery of all in this type of series (there's a series type that it fits): the people who have this great amount of money are also incredibly cheap in surprising ways. Anyone else would simply call someone and pay them to fix the window!

Well, I really did not expect to like this series, judging by reviews and description. But oddly enough, I did. Now, don't expect realistic drama or characters with who you can really identify yourself. There are some though, I really like Barbara, she is badass and you can relate to her, if you are divorced over the 40 woman who works for living. Other women are far too privileged to relate but I have to say IMO they are fun to watch. I don't hate Abby, like most critics here stated. She really tries to be positive in any situation, I like that attitude. She smiles even if she is really down and she tries, God she tries to be fun and perky. You can't hate her for that. Delia is amazing, and even thou she seems perfect at first glance, you can see she makes some mistakes as everyone else. I even like Jo and Phoebe though they strike me like a bit of stereotypes. All in all, it's really fun to watch. I am hooked!