The Girlfriend (2025)

The Girlfriend is a six-part psychological drama series based on the novel by Michelle Frances. When son Daniel introduces his new girlfriend, Cherry (Olivia Cooke), to his mother, Laura (Robin Wright - House of Cards), distrust and jealousy quickly take root in the family. The stories of Laura and Cherry are told from different perspectives. A bitch fight, it seems, is imminent. The production looks polished, with beautiful locations, a strong cast, and a brooding atmosphere of secrets.

Yet, The Girlfriend disappoints. It's liberally sprinkled with plot twists. These keep the pace lively but simultaneously detract from the suspense and mystery. Because of these implausibilities, the Amazon Prime series reads more like a dark comedy or theatrical melodrama in some scenes.

Series about bored and spoiled, rich white women seem to be a subgenre unto themselves; Big Little Lies, The Undoing, Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl, and the recent Your Friends & Neighbors. And of course, The White Lotus. The Girlfriend, or perhaps more accurately, The Grillfriend, takes itself far too seriously. A touch of Freud's Oedipus complex in this case doesn't produce a sharp, vicious, or convincing love drama.

Translated from Dutch · View original

After two and a half episodes, I've seen enough. The Girlfriend tries to be exciting and intriguing, but it mostly falls back on predictable clichés and overblown, unbelievable drama. It all feels so familiar that you can almost predict the twists. The production looks polished, and Olivia Cooke gives a strong performance (and is really the only reason to keep watching; I think she's a truly beautiful woman ), but otherwise, it's mostly empty packaging. I'm honestly surprised at how highly this series scores.

Translated from Dutch · View original