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Secret Diary Of A Call Girl: Season 2
There was a comedy bit attributed to the great comedian Groucho Marx. In it he would ask a young woman if she would have sex with him for a million dollars, she muses for a moment and states that for a million she would. He then asks if she would do it for a hundred. She gets upset and refuses. Groucho grins and states ‘we already established what you are now we’re just haggling over the price. The point could be said to be a viewpoint of culture. A woman turning tricks for twenty bucks is a whore but does the same things for thousands and the young woman is referred to as a call girl or escort. The fact is they are both prostitutes. Recently as governor had his political career ruined after being caught engaging the services of one of the better remunerated practitioners of this oldest professions. Looking at various societies in history the courtesan was frequently a well regarded endeavor for a woman affording her power, wealth, influence and a multi faceted education. Today that role can conceivably be attributed to the ultra high end call girl. A television series imported from Britain, ‘Secret Diary of a Call Girl’ focuses on one member of this carnal calling. In the tradition the hooker with a heart of gold motif Showtime delivers the second season of this mildly sexually themed series to DVD. The show is more about character development than raw sexuality so if you are looking for salacious faire there are other cable networks to explore. Sure sex is an integral element in the stories presented here but it is used more as a catalyst for the themes that are explored not the Raison d'être for the series. The show works better than many expect largely due to the blending of typically dry British humor with a frank sensuality pervading the story arcs. When this is combined with solid performances and the opportunity to permit the characters to grow the result is a highly entertaining series. The series was created by industry newcomer Lucy Prebble based on a blog of the same name posted under the nom de voyage of Belle Du Jour. Avril MacRory and Paul Duane of Silverapples Media managed to track down the covert, mysterious author, former doctoral candidate, Brooke Magnanti, securing the distribution writes for the late night program slate for the more liberal IT2 British television network. The series was transported across the ocean to occupy a similar niche for Showtime. The dual main role of Belle and her real persona of Hannah Baxter is former English teen pop princess Billie Piper. On our shores she is best known for her role as a companion to the ninth Doctor Who, Rose Tyler. Since the person the series is based on was considered rather highly intelligent it is important this comes across in the series, Piper is perfect in this capacity. As an actress she slips into the role with notable skill and command of the setting. She also provides the necessary dichotomy between Belle and Hannah helping the audience to move beyond them as separate people to appreciate them as alternate aspects of the same personality. The first season focuses a lot on the effort required for Hannah’s quest for a life and Belle’s work to remain as separate as possible. In this second series she begins to realize that such a dual identity is impossible and she has to begin to reconcile that both Belle is more than a mask for work; she is an integral aspect of Hannah’s personality. One the more interesting facets of this series are how it retains the intimate feel of a blog or diary. Throughout each episode Bell/Hannah narrates the action frequently breaking the forth wall to directly address the audience. Usually she muses on some element of her trade such as make-up tips or what is needed to ensure her autonomy in each part of her personality. Other times she can be quite blunt referring to herself as a whore with just a hint of pride of workmanship peaking through. In this season there are a few major changes in her life. She is now on her own working without her former agent Stephanie (Cherie Lunghi) and her best friend Ben (Iddo Goldberg) is aware of Hannah’s secret life. These changes knock her off balance a bit. This sets things up for a couple of new stresses in her life. First, she mistaken a man at a bar, Alex (Callum Blue) for a client and it winds up that he begins to date Hannah unaware of the Belle side. Then there is a young woman, Bambi (Ashley Madekwe) who read Belle’s blog and wants her to be her mentor as she learns the escort business. Bambi starts to steal Belle’s clients quickly making the mistake of going out with one Belle rejected almost getting herself killed in the process. Belle doesn’t want or need a student, little sister or co-worker but Bambi is very determined. Things with Alex become exceptionally complicated. Hannah had always denied herself a personal life writing it off as a casualty of the job but her real dates as Hannah with Alex just highlights what she is missing. This becomes a point of great internal debate and soul searching. This sets the stage for a more personal look at a young woman who is educated, witty and would be a success in any of a number of professions freely choosing this use of her body for a reasonably lucrative job. this season probes such decisions and their ramifications.
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