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

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

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season 4, Episode 7 (C)

It’s not often that a character sleeps in a coffin on a show that isn’t “True Blood” or another vampire-related drama. Why ruin that chance for creativity by having said character die during the act? This show used to be unpredictable, and even if some of it was predictable, it was more impressive than this. Such an event just serves to make everything else seem trivial, and the happenstance presence of Belle’s new civil servant suitor is too much. He does seem to be an overly understanding and sympathetic figure who still wants to give Belle a run for her money, yet somehow I’d imagine that, if there were more time, he’d turn into just the latest Alex or Duncan, albeit too cocky and sure of himself from the start. I’m continually baffled by Ben’s stupidity, agreeing to go meet Poppy when he knows that she’s interested in him. Also, a point of contention: when Belle said that she’d never lied to Ben, was that supposed to include only this season? He certainly didn’t know about what she did for a living for a while, and he hasn’t gotten all that much more perceptive. Additionally, she’s not overly honest with him, and for her to say something like that is just preposterous. Next week is this show’s series finale, and eight episodes too late, it’s definitely fine. Here’s hoping to some refreshing closure that will make this season half-worthwhile. I’ll definitely have to go back and watch some of the earlier seasons since this used to be one of my favorite shows.

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

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season 4, Episode 6 (C-)

This show has become a caricature of itself. I know that I've been railing on this show every week for this whole season, but somehow each episode of this miserable year manages to outdo itself in terms of putting in too much effort to seem stylized, risque, and appealing. As if the usage of music from "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" and "Kill Bill" to score the face-off between Charlotte and Belle wasn't enough, the insertion of titles proclaiming "the good, the bad, the bartender" really sent it over the top, and wasn't funny to boot! Theoretically, Charlotte as a character and a nemesis for the (formerly) friendly Belle is a good idea, but she doesn't have the subtlety of someone like Stephanie, who was a whole lot of fun in her early and infrequent appearances over the course of the show's first three seasons. Their warring attempts to please their client were such a waste of time, and it's so blatant and on the surface that there isn't much hope for any deeper meaning, an area in which this show used to excel. I'm also displeased with how Poppy has devolved into an uninteresting character, hopping into bed with Ben to get Belle to leave and then not even trying to make up a story about how they slept together to sell it and keep her away. Ah, well, two more episodes to go, and after that I think I'll have to go back and rewatch the first three seasons to remind myself that this show used to be top-notch.

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

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season 4, Episode 5 (C)

I don’t mean to beat a dead horse here, but this show continues to play into exactly the kind of problematic and disappointing things I’ve been writing about all season. It’s perhaps most disheartening because, unlike “Heroes” or “Prison Break,” this is a show that I would never have imagined could reach a nadir of quality where I had little to no interest in tuning in each week, only bothering to watch to see what will become of my formerly favorable characters. I was most outraged and saddened by just how awkward and uncomfortable it was watching Belle feel awkward and uncomfortable watching the director and his muse act our their version of a scene from her book. This show was never a caricature of itself, even and especially when it came to people with strange desires. Turning this into a horrible parody of itself is going to echo another Showtime series in its final season, “The L Word,” another show which went downhill only to never look back to its former quality. It’s hard to believe, however, that this director and actress could really be so dumb and completely unaware of how their behavior appears (that’s better saved for yet another Showtime series, this one still in its prime, “Episodes”). Belle is nonetheless so horribly judgmental, and it’s painful to see. Ben kissing Poppy is probably one of the stupidest things he’s ever done, and let’s hope that Belle doesn’t find out, because she is going to be furious. At least Charlotte did something productive in this episode and helped open up Poppy a bit.

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.

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

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season 4, Episode 3 (B-)

It’s tough to watch a show after things have been changed for the worse and it doesn’t seem like it will ever be possible to get back to the way things were. This happened with “The L Word” when it started its third season, and for the next three years, it couldn’t hope to recapture the same quality it had before that. This show isn’t quite there yet, but I’m still disappointed every time I see this new Belle with a giant ego and a sarcastic mean streak that she never used to have. The introduction of this police officer interested in romancing Belle is decently intriguing, but it seems as if he just came out of nowhere and is inserting himself into Belle’s life in a way that she would not deem acceptable, making her lack of protest all the more puzzling. The discovery of her mother’s true business by Poppy was something that was going to have to happen eventually, but did Belle need to be so careless about it? She had escorts coming by the house and discussing business with whoever answered the door, had photographers coming by to hand-deliver seductive pictures, and went by her escort name rather than her real name. The acting Lily James as Poppy, however, was quite strong, and that counts for something. It’s nice to have one bright spot on an otherwise (currently) unimpressive show, and I do hope that her latest realization doesn’t mean an imminent departure for her from the show.

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

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season 4, Episode 2 (C+)

There comes a point in the run of some shows where suddenly things just don’t feel like they used to anymore. I often wonder whether the show actually used to be that much better or if I simply remembered it more fondly for whatever reason. I do think that there has been a noticeable shift in how this show operates, and it saddens me. What seems to be the problem is an inflation of ego. This show was surprisingly unassuming when it first started, and part of what made it appealing was the fact that Belle really is very sweet and likeable. She now seems completely self-centered and it’s as if Billie Piper is playing an entirely different character. It’s a huge disappointment because she used to be so great, and now I find her character off-putting, and not in an intriguing way. Her session with the virgin is a particularly strong example for an unexplained personality shift since she used to always be supportive of her clients, no matter what they did or didn’t want to do. I don’t like her new associates, and one of them is particularly prickly and unfriendly. I want to see more of Stephanie’s daughter and have her get involved with everything, because I think she’s an intriguing character, and may be the last best thing on this show that could make this final season, so far removed already from what came before, worth watching. I would hate for this show to go out on a negative note.

What I’m Watching: Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Season Premiere)

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season 4, Episode 1 (B)

I’m so very happy to have Belle, one of television’s best characters, back, even if it’ sonly for one final eight-episode season. What’s somewhat less pleasant is the state of the show as compared to what it once was. Now I haven’t even come close to starting to turn my back on it; it’s just that change sometimes isn’t as delightful as it might otherwise be. That is to say that I greatly miss Bambi and the way things used to be. It’s nice to see Belle showing off a tour of her new place (“So much to tell you”), yet I didn’t mind a Belle of simpler, albeit still elegant, means. Ben was always a fantastic character, and its newfound alternation between cocky guy and hopeless stalker doesn’t suit him entirely well. There’s much more comedy in this episode than I remember from the show in the past, especially when it comes to Liam, who, to his credit, does seem like a strong new character. There a lot of cuts to imagined visuals that I don’t recall being there before, and they’re occasionally jarring. Fortunately, there are plenty of familiar elements that still work just as well as they always did. The characterization of Stephanie, most notably through the reveal of what was in her trunk, is still exceptionally well-done and over-the-top, and I think that her daughter could make for a good new Bambi prototype, albeit less self-confident and far more ignorant about the business. Ben making a pro and con chart on the wall was a fun scene, and I’m curious to know what becomes of him and Belle. The setup of Liam as Stephanie’s lawyer and then a client of Belle’s was smart, and the judge sex scene was pretty fabulous and hilarious. The show’s best element remains its usage of music, most specifically “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps” in this episode. I’m looking forward to the remaining seven episodes; I’d just like to see the show find its groove once again before we really get to the end.

What I’m Watching: 30 Rock (Season Premiere)

30 Rock: Season 4, Episode 1 “Season 4” (B+)

It’s great to have this screwball comedy back on the air. The season opener occasionally tries to be too clever for its own good, but it doesn’t overdo it and a result the show’s return is a very welcome one and the premiere works well. Having Jack decide to take his bonus after getting rid of page overtime is a fantastic way of incorporating the flagging economy, and Kenneth’s insurgency is so magnificently in character. His accidental receipt of Jack’s paycheck was perfectly exaggerated for big laughs with the extra numbers which folded out on an attached slip of paper. The reappearance of Steve Buscemi as private investigator Lenny Wosniak is fun, and it’s really nice to know that the character actor is so easily and accessibly on call to come back and guest on this series. His rather unimpressive cover identity was a hoot, and his interactions with Kenneth were pretty priceless. Liz and Pete’s ill-fated cover-up of their search for a new series star was funny, and the inconveniently-timed drop-by of Pete’s wife was great. Josh’s presence at the meeting where Liz says they can’t tell any of the actors about the call for a new hire was terrific, and I hope that the actor isn’t off the show for good. Tracy and Jenna continue to be a bit over-the-top, but their incorporation into this episode is both effective and funny.