SummaryLaura (Robin Wright) is suspicious of her son's (Laurie Davidson) new girlfriend (Olivia Cooke) in the drama series based on Michelle Frances' novel of the same name.
SummaryLaura (Robin Wright) is suspicious of her son's (Laurie Davidson) new girlfriend (Olivia Cooke) in the drama series based on Michelle Frances' novel of the same name.
“The Girlfriend” is exactly the kind of psychological and soapy binge to kick off the fall TV season, easily devoured in one indulgent sitting with a cheeky drink and lots of yelling at the screen. The twists vary in actual shock value, but the tension provides enough of a hook to follow this warped love story to its conclusion.
It’s breathless stuff, with a hyper-realistic feel that makes it more compelling than sinister. And while there’s a smattering of class commentary and occasional attempts at deeper meaning, this is a drama that should be enjoyed for what is: a rollercoaster of fun and games.
One of those shows that the episodes fly by and it’s over before you are ready. Kind of a mix between the affair and white lotus this is a very fun watch for anyone interested in watching toxic codependent relationships in real time
I started it without much enthusiasm, but it hooked me. The Girlfriend has that kind of tension that makes you say “just one more episode” before you even realize it. It’s not groundbreaking, but it works. It looks good, flows easily, and has moments that really pull you in.Robin Wright is great here — colder, stranger, more distant — and it suits her perfectly. Olivia Cooke shines too, full of energy and presence. Together they click, and you can tell they’re both fully **** story is twisted, but never too much. There are turns, tension, and everything feels balanced. Visually, it’s beautiful — the houses, the clothes, the silences — it all adds to that sense of elegant chaos.What I liked most is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s dark, yes, but with a wink of irony that keeps it fun and **** short, a stylish, confident thriller that’s easy to enjoy. Robin Wright surprises, Olivia Cooke lights up the screen, and together they make The Girlfriend well worth your time.
Into this affluent family with its … interesting dynamic comes Cherry (Olivia Cooke, whose delicately ambiguous performance makes the whole thing sing).
A glossy drama whose prestige sheen covers an unapologetically trashy center, it’s indulgent and ridiculous in all the ways that make the popular women behaving badly genre of television enjoyable.
In its attempts to be scary, sexy, and shocking in equal measure, The Girlfriend succeeds in confusing the viewer and presenting a narrative that escalates for seemingly no reason.
"The Girlfriend" explores this emotional terrain of grief through a haunting and increasingly volatile tale of loss, guilt, and obsession. The story begins as a quiet psychological slow-burn, but make no mistake, it soon twists into a bold, unpredictable study in control, delusion, and emotional fragility. The series uses a Rashomon-esque structure to destabilize the viewer. The story swings back and forth between both women’s perspectives to give us this sad and twisted narrative. Laura is a privileged woman who uses every trick in her arsenal to shield her son from someone he wants to be with. Cherry, who feels a real emotional connection to Daniel but also sees him as a potential financial lifeline, feels deeply betrayed when Laura not only cuts her off but also unknowingly launches a campaign to dismantle her entirely. In the epitome of “doing too much,” Laura’s actions ignite a bitter War of the Roses–style feud, one that will leave both women permanently changed. Robin Wright plays Laura with chilly precision, the kind of helicopter parent who cloaks control in the language of love. Her performance is riveting and uncomfortable, especially when we realize that her maternal instincts are as much about ego as they are about care. As Cherry, Olivia Cooke is equally compelling, delivering a character who walks a fine line between survivor and opportunist. The dynamic between these two women drives the show’s relentless tension, each trying to outmaneuver the other while dragging Daniel, oblivious and spineless, into their emotional battlefield. Wright’s portrayal of Laura is so effective that it elicits a visceral reaction; you want to reach through the screen and stop her. It’s been said that if a character’s actions truly get under your skin, the actor has done their job. In that respect, Wright excels. Her Laura is maddening, manipulative, and maddeningly believable. But Wright doesn’t just stop at performance as the series’ director; she brings a clear, focused vision to the unfolding chaos. Her direction adds a polished, cohesive tone to the psychological warfare at play. She paces the story with precision, allowing emotional beats to land without ever losing tension, and her sharp eye elevates what could have been a routine thriller into something far more layered and unsettling. If there’s one thing that doesn’t quite add up, it’s how naive and unaware the male characters are. Daniel’s cluelessness can be explained by youth and inexperience, but Howard (Waleed Zuaiter), Laura’s husband, seems to be in an entirely different show. Described as someone who “sees the good in everyone,” it’s difficult to believe he wouldn’t suspect the depth of his wife’s manipulation after so many years. His inability to sense the emotional landmines around him makes his character feel more like a plot device than a real person. Much of the tension is built around a lie that hangs over the middle of the series like a huge, dark, ominous cloud. One lie builds on another and, in the process, creates an Inception-level labyrinth of deceit. But as the audience wonders, echoing the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “How long will this go on?” because no lie can live forever. Once the lie is uncovered, the results are devastating. It rips through the narrative like a wrecking ball, reshaping relationships, motivations, and trust. Laura, harboring so much guilt and feeling increasingly lost, becomes paranoid and begins seeing Cherry everywhere. Slowly but surely, her life begins to unravel. Her picture-perfect exterior, the confident mother, the composed professional, starts to fray. “You ruined my life, watch me ruin yours,” becomes an ominous warning that raises the stakes heading into the series’ final episodes. Her unraveling isn’t just emotional; it becomes psychological, seeping into every corner of her life until she no longer knows where to turn. Ultimately, "The Girlfriend" is a story of one-upmanship between two equally possessive people, each with their own agendas. And in the middle is Daniel, who may not be as innocent as he seems, but is clearly out of his depth. His emotional passivity becomes another battleground, fought over like property. The series is a fascinating character study about the lengths people will go to in the name of love or what they believe love to be. What "The Girlfriend" reveals, more than anything, is how a single loss can trigger a spiral of increasingly destructive decisions. In its most searing moments, the series forces us to ask: are we protecting the ones we love, or simply protecting ourselves from being alone?
Robin Wright plays the loving mother, whose son (Laurie Davidson) brings home the titular character (Olicia Cooke). Being the caring parent, she finds something suspicions about her. Both women work surreptitiously to undermine the other, which escalates with each episode. Wright heads the cast with her classy underplayed style, Cooke is sufficiently furtive and Davidson’s affable charm is the ideal fulcrum. In many ways this is the typical stranger in the house genre that’s popular lately (my recent review of Malice). There are twists, but nothing especially shocking. As these types go, it’s moderately entertaining.
Had to turn the first episode off before I watched 30 minutes because I wasn't enjoying myself, I was getting angry. Amazon Prime does not produce good, or even adequate, shows & movies.