| The Secret Diary of a Call Girl: The Review |
 THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH...EVEN FOR A CALL GIRL "...in London, you can keep secrets, you can be anonymous, you can be whoever you want; as long as at least one person knows you entirely and loves you still. It's the best place on earth." Those were Belle's parting words to her viewers on the last episode of the first season of Showtime's sexy new show, THE SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL. In SECRET, Belle (wonderfully played by British actress and pop star, Billie Piper), invites viewers into the private and seductively-intimate world of London escorts. It is based on the memoirs of a real-life call girl, Belle de Jour. Throughout the series, the audience becomes privy to Belle's conventional life ( as in a trip to the hospital to be with her sister during her childbirth) and her decadent secret life (romps with numerous nameless blokes, a brief stint at a swinger's party, and an invite for a threesome with her favorite author). As Belle's story unfolds, one begins to see her as more than the stereotypical woman-of-the-night. We meet not only her family (where she is known as Hannah), but also a former flame, Ben, portrayed by the broodingly sexy Iddo Goldberg. Ben turns out to be her best and only friend (I initially thought he was her good-looking fag, but then we meet his girlfriend, sans face, after an episode or two). We also get a glimpse of Belle's sensitive side, when she battles with her conscience as she humiliates, degrades and beats (or tries to, at least) a regular client, who has confessed to having a predilection for BDSM. There are also several instances where she confides to the viewers of her loneliness, her alienation, her detachment to the rest of the world (related via monologues directed to the audience). These are the times when one almost feels empathetic to her plight. Almost. Because the show is somewhat on the lighthearted side, it somewhat glamorizes the sex industry in general, and escort services, specifically. She mentions how she never rides public transport, for example. Lucky girl! We even get to see her wardrobe, shoes, etc - all the trappings of the trade. I am sure that Carrie is somewhere out there begging to borrow those red shoes. I think that you'll all agree with me that the reality of it all is that things are not as rosy as it is portrayed in the show (you'll tell me that it's a TV show, for god's sake, but it's Showtime! I expect something a bit more gritty). Although, I have to say that the show somewhat touches upon some of those issues. But, whatever, it's definitely not a social commentary, nor a documentary, for that matter. What I really like about this show is that it humanizes escorts and shows us that they are people just like us. I mean, I guess it's so easy to look at something (or someone, for that matter) only in superficial terms, when we don't really know what is going on behind the facade. This show reminds us that things are rarely what they appear to be. We see Belle in her fabulous clothes, living her fabulous life, doing what she likes. How can we not envy her? But really, after the dust settles, we see how, beneath all that glitter, Belle is a lonely lass looking to be loved. How can we not empathize? Lastly, the show gives people hope. We all have something to hide, our flaws, our insecurities, our very own Belles. But, I guess if we take the leap and find the courage to show people (or, in Belle's case, her audience) the darker side of us, then maybe, just maybe we'll find wherever we are, be it London, New York, Cleveland or the boonies somewhere, to be the best place on earth, because we can be whoever we want to be. And, it is all because we shared a bit of ourselves to someone, and their acceptance has made this part of us, this formerly dark side of us, see the light of day, and we realize that our flaws don't look all that bad in good lighting. NOTE: For those with no cable access, try http://tv-links.cc/tv/index.html, 56.com or http://www.free-tv-video-online.info/ for streaming videos of the show. Finally, I would like to thank Jay for his recommendation that I watch the show. You rock! by Banaue R. Terras |
