The Girlfriend Experience - S1E10 - Available

Previously on The Girlfriend Experience, “Blindsided”

The Girlfriend Experience | S1E10: Available | Starring: Riley Keough, Paul Sparks,  Mary Lynn Rajskub, Sabryn Rock | Director: Amy Seimetz

If last week was an exploration of Christine losing control this week we deal with her trying to wrestle that control back. With her panic attack coming to an end at Kirkland David intervenes and gets Kayla to take Christine home in a cab. After they arrive, Kayla hovers by the door, uncomfortable and ready to leave as soon as possible.

Even when Christine is alone in the shower and able to be vulnerable, her mind continues to race. She quickly gets set up on another website, now going by the name of Amanda Haynes. The description she leaves of services she’s open to tell us she is all in on this life as a high end-escort, and she begins interviewing potential new clients leading her to Toronto.

On her way to the airport she gets a phone call from her sister, who is worried about what is going on with her as she hasn’t been in contact with her family. Christine is not ready to deal with this situation and puts off the conversation for another time and heads on.

When I concluded last week’s review I questioned why Christine is so invested in this lifestyle. The show has yet to provide that answer, but that might also be due to the character of Christine herself being the narrator. With her career in tatters, a lawsuit from Michael’s family, blackmailing David and company, and isolating herself from her family, I hope the motivation for continuing is worth it.

While in Toronto, the first of the client she meets with is Dennis, a seemingly normal looking man, but as they have sex Christine looks bored and detached. As Amanda, she’s holding back. While doing that is smart, it shows and it’s disappointing to see that flame dulled. Though, like any job, the shine of it eventually wears off, which we see in her interaction with her second client, Gary, a cokehead with too much money and time on his hands. At least she makes a decent amount of cash without having to sleep with him; she and another escort spend their time chatting in his living room while he takes another to his bedroom.

Her third client is a double-date set up through the escort she met at Gary’s. They share financial tips and small chat as they wait for the arrival of their clients - like most coworkers do. One of the clients is a black man, and I was surprised the show was willing to put forth the image of Christine having sex with him, as it is outside the norm of all the white men we have seen her sleep with. The episode ends before they have sex, which didn’t surprise me. Maybe they will prove me wrong next week.

The arrival of their clients coincides with Christine’s lawyer calling and urging her to return home as the video of her has been run in an article. He refuses to get into too much detail over the phone, but when he hangs up, she is able to pull up the article (and her video) on the Chicago Lister. Everything she ran to avoid - at least temporarily - is right there with her in this very moment. She returns to her client, unfocused and distracted as the episode ends.

Side note: Is she still attending class?