Let me say first: for me, Season 1 was the most boring escort-themed-show I have ever seen. First what really bothered me was a really bad acting of the main protagonist. The actress has literary one the same expression of face through the entire show, and expresses bunch of terribly naive bullshit attitudes, that it was incredibly boring. The whole story was so unconvincing and so illogical . If it was so easy to make so much money and become so successful at sex work after a couple of weeks in that business, with one same frigid looks on the face, I guess 50% of the women in world would consider that career. So its a boring sex-escort fairy tale for the dumb audience.However, a second season was somehow different, although it was weird. I am talking only about Erica-Anna part, cause Bria part is terribly boring as well. Erica-Anna part has nothing to do with the first season, cause it is not at all about real escort problem, although it features a lot of explicit sex scenes. It actually follows Erica character, a powerful notorious political technocrat. However I see a metaphorical intention in that move, because Erica is shown as a "political whore", somebody who sells her sole for business, more brutal and worst than any actual prostitute. The space she lives and works in and her entire world are sterile and empty of emotions in a worse way than any emotional life of prostitute. Her intimate desires have nothing to do with love, it is only about humiliating and being humiliated. I see that most of people here did not understand at all that dimension, cause they apparently expected some naive lesbian romance, but this thread of the story was not bad at all. Just forget about " Next door girl Christine" in the Season 1, she was boring like hell. Erica's story is heavy and dark, but not that dumb.

The excellent Season 1 of 'The Girlfriend Experience' related how a law student ventured into high-end prostitution to pay the bills and increase her living standards while interning at a big-city legal firm. Riley Keogh's portrayal of the main character Christine won a Golden Globe nomination, as her understated performance depicted the psychological cost of pretending affection to entitled executives and selling them her body. The scripts for each episode remained focused on the escort work throughout, with Keogh's micro-expressions betraying inner conflicts as Christine subtly adjusted her persona to please various clients, lovers and employers. The series revealed how prostitution affected her personal life and law career, and ultimately derailed both.By contrast, Season 2 lost almost all meaningful connection with the call-girl lifestyle as it followed three different protagonists in two separate narratives. In the first, an escort named Anna embarked on an obsessive lesbian love affair with a sociopathic financial-political operator called Erika. In the second, former escort Bria got marooned in witness protection limbo as she awaited the trial of her gangster husband. The stories were neither believable nor interesting, the characters failed to generate any sympathy, and subtlety was entirely absent.

This review does not contain any overt spoilers, but some might be inferred. I am reviewing this series after watching the first four episodes."The Girlfriend Experience" is about Christina Reade (Riley Keough, granddaughter of Elvis), a law student who begins an internship at a prestigious metropolitan law firm. We find that she keeps life at a distance, eschewing emotional entanglements, concentrating on her career goals. She is no naif. We might call her tired, sad in a pitiful way, dispassionate, seeking validation from others.Christina's friend, Avery (Kate Lyn Sheil), is also a law student. She finances her pursuits by being a paid escort. She seems to have money, freedom, and control over her life, so Christina is curious. The business is about transactional relationships, which might suit Christina's personality.The show has a subdued tone, reflecting Christina's mien and the environments she lives in. Some background music is appropriately brooding, anticipatory. Her possible foray into risky waters creates a feeling of mystery and disquiet. From the first moments, the viewer feels he is stepping into Christina's life, midstream. Whatever we think of her, it feels authentic.The early episodes create more questions than they answer. Who has the power versus who has control? Is there a difference? Exactly what morality is at work here? Or is Christina amoral? When does a transactional relationship cross lines of propriety or practicality?Some viewers might find Christina too cold. At times, her behavior seems nearly identical to what we might expect from an android. And how many men would choose a woman who almost never laughs?One could contrast this show with "Satisfaction", a series that explored some of the same waters, but with a warmer feeling--a feeling of emotional investment and involvement. That feeling added complexity to the characters and the narrative. Still, TGE has an edge to it that portends unpredictability. How will things evolve in Christina's world?

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.