Sunday, May 29, 2011

What I’m Watching: Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Series Finale)

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season 4, Episode 8 (B-)

Though this season has been a glorious and unfortunate disappointment, this finale is rather fitting. Belle needs to look back on her choices, her men, and her life, to determine whether she is truly on the right path. Ben has been a constant in her life, but since they actually got together as a couple, things haven’t been nearly as smooth, and they’re just not going to last. It was wholly appropriate, and rather effective, to have Belle meet with a client who recognized her from their days in school together. Seeing Belle, or rather, Hannah, be so open and honest about why she went into this profession and how she enjoys sex, is refreshing, particularly for this character who has been tarnished by the ways in which she’s changed this season. The presence of her cop suitor makes sense given his prominence in this season, but his relevance to her life, and to the entirety of the series, shouldn’t be overestimated or misinterpreted. For a show that has added and taken away cast members each season, leaving only Belle and Ben throughout, it’s primarily a one-woman show, and that’s something that Billie Piper, especially in the first three seasons, has done commendably. While I’d like to pretend that this particular season didn’t exist, it honestly wasn’t nearly as bad as many other shows have been after they’re jumped the shark or transformed their characters. Essentially, it could have been a lot worse, and I think I’ll still think of it favorably in the future.

Season grade: C
Season MVP: Lily James as Poppy
Series grade: B+
Series MVP: Billie Piper

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