Girlfriends: Season Three

A fundamental difference between men and women is what part their friends play in their lives. For men a friend is someone to go to a game with, talk sports and have a drink. Most of us really aren’t into chats about emotions or feelings. The opposite are true for women. After three and a half decades of marriage and dealing almost exclusively with women it became evident that women take their girlfriends far more seriously than we men do with our male friends. For the guys out there; you may think that a television series is a ‘chick’ thing or possibly a ‘black chick’ show. While there is some evidence to this be smart guys and watch it. You will get a humorous insight into the way women relate to one another. If you have to justify watching to your less enlightened male friends you can describe it as a scouting report before a big game. It is valuable insight into the women in our lives. There is another reason for men to watch this show; it is one of the best written, acted and directed shows around. I left the women out of this since the odds are they are already watching it. Not only do women mature faster than those of us hindered with a ‘Y’ chromosome, they tend to catch on to quality television before most of us do. You never know guys, you just might bank a few points with the wife or girlfriend by buying this third season DVD set of ‘Girlfriends’ and watching it with them.

Some have referred to ‘Girlfriends’ as the African-American version of ‘Sex and the City’. It has four women who are close friends and they are sophisticated women living in a large city. It also shares witty, insightful writing and excellent acting. Other than that any comparison would make ‘Girlfriends’ a copy; it isn’t. This is a show with its own pace, identify and focus. The sad truth is since the cast is African-Americans and it is on one of the smaller networks, UPC, it never received the exposure of ‘Sex and the City’. This is a shame. The series is excellent and deserves a much broader audience. This is one of those rare shows where the dialogue seems more like natural conversation than actors speaking their lines. There is an organic look and feel to the series that goes a long way to making it work. There have been a lot of sitcoms and dramas on television that revolved around a group of friends but this one has a unique spin on an old theme.

The series is set in Los Angles where four good friends live and work. Joan Clayton (Tracee Ellis Ross) works as a lawyer for a high price and well established law firm. Joan has an eye for fashion and a talent for design. She tries her very best to project an image of a woman who has it all together and is in control. Actually this façade just hides a emotionally fragile person who is insecure in her relationships. She tends to be the alpha female in the group of friends. Toni Childs (Jill Marie Jones) has been friends with Joan since they were little girls. They even roomed together in college. Toni comes from a poor family which has made her extremely motivated to become rich and successful. She works in real estate and is always looking to make a sale at any cost. Toni also has a very high opinion of her looks. Lynn Searcy (Persia White) was roommates with Joan and Toni back in UCLA and later became Joan’s roommate. She grew up with adopted white parents that greatly affected her ability to be comfortable with her ethic and cultural heritage. Maya Wilkes (Golden Brooks) is the newest member to this circle of friends. She had worked as Joan’s assistant. She is married to Darnell Wilkes (Khalil Kain) but there are troubles in the marriage. She cheated on her husband and was stalked by her lover resulting in Darnell and her separating. There are also some male friends that get tangled in the constant drama of the ladies often adding some of their own. William (Reggie Hayes) is the closest male friend of Joan and works as a senior partner in the law firm. He was just left at the altar by his fiancée and is trying to move on although he is still in love with her.

This season is a one of change for the characters. Toni had recently started her own real estate firm and it is beginning to take off. Lynn is broke and crashing at William’s place with no real motivation to leave much to the chagrin of William. For newcomers to the series the first episode of the third season opens with Toni and Lynn in a hot tub recapping the drama of their friends. Lynn is not the only one of the foursome with displaced living arrangements. Maya has been staying with Joan since the breakup with her husband. The separation of Maya and Darnell is hardest on their son Jabari (Tanner Scott Richards) who hopes his parents will get back together. At one point they try counseling with their minister and have an afternoon session of intimacy. Maya is sure this means reconciliation is in sight but Darnell is not ready to get back together. Joan continues to be unable to sustain a relationship which tears at her self esteem. Lynn has to face the cold hard reality of being unemployed as her friends push her to take an interview for a job. Later in the season Lynn meets her biological mother Sandy (Karen Austin) which further disrupts her life. The season works towards a big season ending double episode with Toni marrying her new boyfriend, Todd Garrett (Jason Pace), a white plastic surgeon. Along the way she has a falling out with Joan who is desperate to make amends.

One annoying thing about shows like this is the network’s insistence on a laugh track. The series would work much better if they trust the cast and crew to make the audience laugh. While this is a comedy there are genuine moments of drama present. Many shows fail because they cannot combine the two genres properly. Here the mix is perfect. It would be unnatural for women like this to go from one funny situation to another without some dramatic moments. The humor is made better with a break for reality now and then. For many this will be an undiscovered treasure that you will enjoy over and over. The story lines are great, allowing the talents of the cast to shine. While there are aspects of each episode that are self contained you really have to watch the whole season to get the season and series arcs. Unlike other shows like this not every conflict is neatly resolved by the end of the episode.

This cast is wonderful. They have chemistry together but are also fantastic as individual performers. There are the usual archetype found in every sit-com here; the smart one, the flighty girl, the self absorbed one etc. the difference is these actresses know how to bring out new elements to their characters. While many of the aspects of the characters concern their racial background they way they portray them is completely human and relatable to everyone.

This third season DVD set is released by Paramount, the leader in quality TV shows on disc. The technical specifications are naturally excellent. There are two extras provided. The first is a featurette called ‘It’s what you wear that counts’ which looks at the fashions of the series. Another featurette focuses on the double wedding episode. If you haven’t watched this show you are, unfortunately, not alone. Now there is no excuse, get the DVD.

Posted 01/24/08