Tuesday, May 3, 2011

What I’m Watching: Secret Diary of a Call Girl

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season 4, Episode 4 (C+)

It’s so painful watching this show now that it has been so hopelessly transformed. Fortunately, there are only four episodes left in its run, so it can’t go much farther downhill, and the only character I’m following with any interest now is Poppy. It was somewhat worthwhile and interesting to see Poppy come face-to-face with Stephanie and bring Belle along with her. Following it up with that sequence of Belle walking back through the bushes, however, was yet another instance of the bizarre, off-putting style this show has mysteriously chosen to adopt this season. I can’t quite understand its appeal, and it’s even more apparent in every scene in which the detestable Charlotte appears, preparing her food while Belle is with her client. The number one thing that didn’t track with Belle’s former personality in this episode is her reaction to seeing him in his diaper. The old Belle dealt with plenty of weird stuff, and never acted remotely annoyed about any of it. I remember in particular a shot that I used in a montage I made of her getting pied in the face, looking so genuinely excited. Sure, Charlotte is cold and manipulative as anything to her, but she underwent this peculiar intra-season transformation before that. The use of music towards the end of the episode when Belle and Ben just weren’t doing well reminded me immediately and only of the underrated Sofia Coppola film “Somewhere,” in which the same music was used to much greater effect. Let’s hope for better in the back half of this season.

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